Trend price : 200-300€
Rackmount sampler of the eighties still widely used for the raw sonic character and DAC.
Overview
(weight :11 kg) 3 units. Main panel features a 640 X 60 display, 29 buttons, 3 knobs and a data rotary encoder.
front panel terminal connectors:
- mic / line inputs
- pedal trigger play
back panel terminal connectors:
- 8 individual outputs
- stereo main out
- Midi interface
- custom voice connector
Voice
core based on a 8-bits CPU NEC manages 8 digital voices, The sampling engine works at 12 bits resolution, mono at various frequencies modes:
- from 7.5 kHz for 63 sec. max
- to 40 kHz for 11.75 sec. max
Edit
1 or more samples must be placed in a keygroup and once mapped they make a program. Each Keygroup features individual parameters such as:
- Midi channel
- zone assignment
- EG amplitude
- LFO amplitude
- VCF cutoff
- volume
- velocity switch
Memory
- 750 Kb sampling RAM
- 32 samples
- 32 programs
- 16 keygroups
Filter
non-resonant filter based on a MF6CN a switched capacitor VCF a kind of an hybrid analog-digital offers -12dB/ Oct. slope. The VCF section also features a simple key filter function for keyboard note tracking (Bias priority) over lower of higher octaves.
LFO
a single delayed triangular modulator for vibrato
Envelope
a single 4-segments EG amplitude for each sample in keygroup + 1 EG overall amplitude bias for Keygroup. The special positional crossfade tracks the amplitude up to +50% toward lower or higher octave.
Audio demo:
Video Clip:
Review
OK: cult / 12bits sound / affordable
NOT : weight-dimension / storage / memory
"Loud' n 'good, however be prepared for disks swaps, panel edit, tiny memory ! Sounds very good and raw"
Text , review, special demos copyright polynominal.com / Eric Pochesci