Trend price : 50-100€
Cult portable (46 x 15 cm) low-fidelity 8-bits sampler from the mid-eighties with rhythm patterns, sequencers and rudimentary envelope system.
Overview
MINI KEYBOARD (weight: 1.1 Kg) 32 minikeys with no velocity.
Main panel features 1 slider volume, 2 selectors, 28 buttons, 1W speaker (8 cm) and a cheap internal microphone.
Rear panel terminal connectors:
-
main out 1,5mm
-
microphone input (jack)
- line signal input 1,5mm
- master tune trimmer (+/- 30 cents)
Voice
4 voices polyphony and 3 kinds of syntheses:
1 - PCM play "rompler"
2 - sampling
3 - additive synthesis
Wavetable
8 presets: piano, trumpet, human voice, pipe organ, brass ensemble, flute, synth. drums and jazz organ
Sampling
internal engine records at 8 bits resolution (only automatic record mode with threshold) and 9,35 kHz frequency for about 1,4 s sampling time. Once recorded the samples is transposed to the whole keyboard; not much else except a LOOP flag that can be enabled.
Additive
To create a sound, just press one of the key corresponding a to sinewave harmonic (16', 8', 5 1/3', 4', 2 2/3', 2', 1 3/5', 1 1/3' and 1'). Like a organ drawbars it is also possible to set the harmonics intensity levels in a 1-14 scale range.
LFO
simple pitch modulation with fixed rate (pretty slow).
Envelope
there are 13 type-presets EG ready to go for 3 syntheses.
Sequencer
an internal 3 tracks engine records in up to 400 events.
- 2 recording modes: real time or step by step.
- 2 sequencer mode: 1 melodic line + 2 mono (MULTI MEMORY MODE) or 4 melodic lines.
Performance
- single finger chord mode
- portamento mode
- 2 solo modes
- chord mode
Memory
-
8 preset sounds
- 11 drum patterns
- 1,4 s sampling time
- 1 sample slot
- 1 additive slot
- 400 steps sequencer
Audio demo:
Video Clip:
Review
OK: cheap / lofi / cult
NOT : limited / volatile memory /
"Cult Low-fi sampler! gives textures and soul to sterile samples at 96 kHz!" "
Text , review, special demos copyright polynominal.com / Eric Pochesci