groovebox

Akai just officially announced the MPC Key 37, a standalone workstation and groovebox. This is the latest standalone MPC device, following last year’s larger Key 61. The Key 37 has everything you need to make a beat or song from scratch without having to use an actual computer and DAW, with some limitations.There are 37 full-size keys, complete with aftertouch. There aren’t that many standalone devices out there with a full keybed, so this should excite musicians who lack experience with Akai-style pads. This device does…

Yamaha is a pillar of the electronic music making world, but it's perhaps best known for its stage synthesizers and studio monitors. Today, that might change as the company unveils the SEQTRAK ("seek-track") groovebox. Let's address the obvious first, yes, this looks very much like Yamaha had a meeting and decided to take Teenage Engineering head-on. The SEQTRAK (R.I.P. my shift key) takes more than a little inspiration from the Swedish firm's OP-Z portable studio and it even borrows the firm's favored gray and orange…

Teenage Engineering is a company that follows its own path. It’ll release a and a full-featured groovebox/sampler for $300 on the very next day. That’s what happened this week. Teenage Engineering a portable sampler/groovebox that's feature-rich, looks absolutely stunning and costs just $300. You read that cost right.The only musical instruments in TE’s lineup that approach this price point is its catalog of Pocket Operator portable synthesizers, so it’s no surprise that this is a direct followup to the best one, The…

In 2022 Polyend announced the Play, a fascinating sample-based groovebox and MIDI sequencer that was pretty much universally beloved by anyone who could get their hands on one. The pandemic fueled chip shortage made them pretty hard to come by, at least initially. But my, how things have changed in a little over a year. In just around 18 months, the company has managed to bring the cost of the Play down from $799 to just $499. More exciting though, is the availability of the Polyend Play+.The updated version is…

A lot of Roland's recent instruments, that aren't just rehashes of classic gear, take an "everything and the kitchen sink" approach. Sampling and drum synthesis? Why not. Presets numbering in the thousands — plural? Of course! A dedicated vocal effect section and phantom power for running a condenser mic? Would be silly not to. The SH-4d follows the same basic formula, it has basically any feature you could want, and few you wonder who would want them, but sticks it in a box focused synthesis and sound design (mostly).…

You know that lofi beats have taken over when companies are designing entire instruments around them. Sonicware has introduced the Liven Lofi-12, a groovebox devoted to producing subdued tracks. The machine centers around a 16-bit, 12/24kHz sampling engine with a 12-bit sampler mode that gives any sound that "genuine" lofi vibe. You can't just recreate the effect with a bit crusher or similar tools, the company claims. You'll also find a "laid-back" knob to introduce a delay, as well as 11 track and eight master effects…