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Novation Circuit Rhythm review: A modern sampler inspired by a classic
The Circuit Rhythm is a solid sampler at a reasonable price. The $400 groovebox takes of inspiration from the SP-404, but offers more modern features.
Circuit Rhythm is a portable $400 sampler for budding beatmakers
The budget-friendly groovebox brings the best of the Circuit workflow to lo-fi hip hop beat making.
Akai brings classic MPC looks to its One groovebox
Akai has introduced an MPC One Retro that fuses a 1980s look with 2020s music production technology.
Circuit Rhythm is Novation's stab at a lofi hip hop machine
Novation just released the Circuit Tracks, but it also quietly announced the Circuit Rhythm, an almost identical looking groovebox built around sampling.
Novation Circuit Tracks is a worthy successor to a beloved groovebox
The Circuit Tracks is a budget-friendly tool for getting into electronic music production and improves on the original Circuit in almost every way.
Roland's Verselab is a groovebox built for vocalists
The Verselab is a music studio in a box complete with a vocal processing unit. It's aimed squarely at singers, songwriters and rappers.
Teenage Engineering is making Capcom-themed pocket synths
The Mega Man and Street Fighter-themed pocket samplers cost $89.
Native Instruments crams its powerful music-making software in a standalone groovebox
Maschine+ brings the Maschine workflow and Komplete instruments to a standalone groovebox.
Korg's Volca Sample 2 is a huge upgrade in almost every way
Korg’s Volca Sample is one of the most beloved members of beloved family of affordable and portable instruments. The Volca Sample 2 is visually almost indistinguishable from the original. That USB port is definitely the biggest upgrade here.
Akai introduces 'MPC Beats' music-making software for beginners
MPC Beats offers eight MIDI/instrument tracks and just two audio tracks.
Overbridge 2 tears down the wall between your PC and your synth
But now Overbridge 2 is finally and officially here.
Akai's MPC One is a (reasonably) affordable music production machine
It's been a few years since Akai's iconic MPC line has seen a significant new entry. But at NAMM 2020 the company is not only introducing a new model, but specifically going for the entry level... or at least what qualifies as entry level for an MPC. The MPC One in a $699 standalone production studio that basically takes all the essential parts of the series and skips the luxuries.
Elektron's Model:Samples groovebox is $100 off for the holidays
Elektron's synths, samplers, drum machines and grooveboxes are known for their top-notch sound and unique sequencing features. Once thing they're not known for, though, is being affordable. The Model:Samples is the big exception to that rule. And it's getting even cheaper for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Most retailers have knocked $100 of the price, bringing the Model:Samples price to just $299 -- making it perhaps the best bargain in grooveboxes right now.
The Organelle is a music computer that can do almost anything
Not long ago, "portable" was basically a synonym for "toy" when it came to keyboards and synthesizers. Sure, a classic Casio like the VL-1 is not without its charms. But it's not exactly a serious musical instrument. That's changed a lot in recent years, partially due to miniaturization and clever engineering but mostly thanks to the relentless march forward of computing power. Perhaps no device is more emblematic of this than Critter & Guitari's Organelle. It is, at its core, a computer, and I don't mean that in the same broadly defined way that almost all electronics are computers. I mean that inside there's a Raspberry Pi running Linux. It's this fact that makes the Organelle so unique and flexible. Unlike other portable music gadgets, like the Pocket Operator, that focus on being a drum machine or a sampler, the Organelle tries to be all the things. It's a synthesizer, a sampler, a sequencer, an effects processor -- almost anything someone with the right coding skills can dream up. But there is a danger in trying to be a jack-of-all-trades: You often end up as a master of none.
Roland's pioneering MC groovebox line is back
While, what we've come to call "grooveboxes" have been around for some time, it was Roland that first used the term and really pioneered these sort of all-in-one music production boxes. But, the company quietly let its MC line of loop-based musical instruments die in 2008. 11 years later though, it is attempting to steal back its crown with the all new MC-707 and the MC-101.
Organelle M is a portable and endlessly hackable music ‘computer’
Critter & Guitari has been pumping out interesting musical devices since at least 2008. But a few years ago the company streamlined its selection of instruments to focus on two products: the ETC video synthesizer and the Organelle music computer. What makes the latter unique is that it isn't a synthesizer or a sampler; it's both or neither or some combination of things. It is, at its heart, a computer running patches built in Pure Data, a visual programming language primarily used for creating and manipulating audio. Though, much of that is hidden, and you can just fire it up and start playing if you want. Since its introduction in 2016 the Organelle has received multiple software updates. But about two weeks ago, it got its first major hardware upgrade.
Teenage Engineering's new pocket synth is a collaboration with Ghostly
Teenage Engineering's pocket-sized synths are some of our favorite music-making gear here at Engadget, Today, the company is adding another tiny device to its Pocket Operator line. The PO-33 Ghostly Edition is a limited-release version of the existing PO-33 K.O! Pocket Operator that crams a mini sampler -- complete with built-in microphone for recording sounds -- into your... well, pocket.
J Dilla-inspired sampler makes it easy to create beats on your phone
If you ask Elf Audio's Marek Bereza, many music samplers are too fussy -- you're focused more on making tiny edits than, well, making music. He's trying to remedy that with his new Koala sampler. Inspired by the late J Dilla's knack for creating tracks with a BOSS SP-303, the iOS app is not only designed to be easy to understand, but doesn't give you ways to micro-manage your tunes. You just record samples with your device's mic, create sequences and perform those sequences with effects like pitching and stuttering. You can resample if you'd like to put your audio bites through effects, such as dropping them down an octave.
Elektron Model:Samples review: A powerful groovebox for beginners
Note: The video above mistakenly states that the Novation Circuit does not have velocity sensitive pads. The review below correctly reflects that it does. Synthesizers and samplers are starting to look more and more like consumer electronics. That's been driven in large part by companies like Korg and Roland building small, affordable devices that make instant gratification a priority. Price and ease of use are finally being treated with the same importance as sound quality, which is key for reaching budding electronic musicians and producers. Elektron, on the other hand, has always been one of those companies that focused on making high-end toys for "serious" musicians. Even its relatively affordable instruments -- the Digitakt and Digitone -- cost around $750. But the Model:Samples is different. It's a legitimate entry-level device that tries to deliver everything special about Elektron gear at a beginner-friendly price.
Elektron is making its powerful music-making sequencers more affordable
Elektron has a reputation for building high-end synths, samplers and grooveboxes with matching high-end prices. It's "affordable" options -- the Digitakt and Digitone -- have a list price of $759. Yikes. For NAMM 2019 though, it's making a legitimate play for a more budget conscious consumer with the unfortunately named Model:Samples. It has a list price of $449, but we're already seeing it for as little as $399 on some sites.
