My Initial thoughts on the Sonicware Liven Lofi 12! (Pros and cons)

[@XenonOrion]

well you’ll have to try this good ol trick they used on the old samplers: just speed up your sample before you sample it so you can fit way more within the 4 seconds

[@spvidz]

Yeah I have used that classic technique before! Will have to do a video trying it on this device. Thanks 🙌

[@shizzyshawn412]

You also get 4 seconds of sample time per sample with 128 sample slots!

[@MichaelJ023]

It helps to keep in mind that you need to work within its limitations. It really helps your creativity to try and bend the rules of the device. As many have mentioned, doubling or tripling the speed of your sample speed then pitching it down gives you much more sample time, and adds lots of lofi crunch. I use a reel to reel deck that has 4 speeds, and also the Koala sampler for iOS works well for this. Then you can also use it’s parameter lock to use multiple samples placed across a track, as in multiple phrases for longer vocal tracks. It’s fun to see what you can “get away with”.

[@Cap10NRGMusic]

Oh that things got some rules. That can be broken to let me tell you it is a pretty bad ass device. I’ve got a tip that I’ll be putting up shortly on my channel that will double your sampling time but how? Guess you’ll have to turn into the video to find out lol.

[@stuntmanmadeit]

I believe samplers like these with limited functionality SEPERATES THE PRODUCER/BEATMAKERS FROM THE LOOPERS. Read the manual and you soon realize this thing is super dope and powerful for the price and build.

[@Bj5m17h]

So for sample time, I think limitation was intended. It encourages you to sample the original sound at a faster playback speed. Then when you pitch it down to normal speed, the quality is further degraded. As it was done in the times of old.

[@spvidz]

Most likely on purpose yes. I have tried that method a bit but it completely ruined the sample. I may have sped it up a little too much though. I'll try again soon 👌

[@stuntmanmadeit]

Times of old 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@Fortramnasdaq]

This feels like an alternative take on an amiga style music maker in some ways, not in flow but in output

[@DaSpitClub]

Thanks for the vid. I have my LoFi 12 collecting dust, as well as my SP 404 mkii, and the SmplTrek. Hoping to eventually go learn enough to step away from my MPC X and IPad at times. Retired so I have nothing but time to learn. Even broke out the PO-33 before learning the others.

[@spvidz]

The learning curve can be a huge hindrance with any device! I'm finding that with the lofi-12. Its kinda just frustrating me and making me hate beat making at the moment so I'm not sure how much I'm going to persevere with it or if its actually worth investing the time. The MK2 is similar in the sense its hard to get the basics down but I know from experience with the MK2 that it is worth it in the end. Its just that first few weeks/months of getting the basics then it gets much easier

[@Mikefestiva]

Thanks for your thoughts on this, the Lofi 12 was the first product from sonic ware that I had ever seen from this company, what kept me from ordering the lofi 12 was because of the odd way it needed to be updated through the midi plug, it just seems really annoying, a USB would have been nice even if it added a few dollars to the cost it would have been appreciated. I ordered the Sonic ware texture lab instead, it’s the sampling granular synth, so far I really enjoy the sounds I have gotten out of it, but it’s taken me a while to understand the flow of the programming of it. The small screen just doesn’t give enough info to make sense, everything is abbreviated to fit the tiny screen. It’s actually frozen up on me a few times in the first hour or two using it unfortunately, had to pull the batteries to unfreeze it. All and all I’m happy with it but they are a bit odd to use. Over all it’s nice to see a different company releasing some different takes on samplers and gear at a good price point. I still feel that Sonic ware has some leaning to do and they really need to get a USB for simple software updates, but I think they are pushing the gear in an interesting direction. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on it. 👍

[@spvidz]

Agree. I think the usb thing is pretty huge and it would have been worth them making the investment. Although it doesn’t look too bad to do over midi it’s still a pain point for a lot of users and it’s definitely something I look at negatively. I’m looking forward to seeing if this thing is worth exploring. It’s definitely an interesting bit of gear. Not sure it will become a main part of my workflow but we’ll see…!

[@johnchesters81]

My sampler of choice is the Novation Circuit Rhythm. I’d love to see your thoughts on that, I think you’d like it….definitely got the fun factor in spades.

[@spvidz]

Have had a quick look at that before however I am trying to avoid buying any more samplers now. I have a lot of gear that does the same thing and as a result most of it just sits on the shelf!

[@gammakeraulophon]

The old Yamaha sampling kybds such as vss200 etc.. had only a few seconds sample time... but it is surprising what you can create on it...

[@gula_rata]

I have VSS30 it's alot of fun

[@amremorse]

Vss-30 was one of my best purchases of the last decade. Warts and all. I remember the first time I went straight into the interface and turned the monitor on and the vss-30 just sounded perfect in a mix.

[@lbucky1349]

Ive ordered their Texture Lab.....i cant wait to hear how it will sound in tandem with my sp404 mk2

[@spvidz]

Yeah it’s always fun having the option of running gear through another bit of gear. With the mk2 being usb I almost always run everything through it now!

[@Cap10NRGMusic]

Hey there SPVIDZ - hit me up if you have questions or need any help. I have been working with this device since the beginning and have done several tutorials and demos with it on my channel

[@spvidz]

Thanks man, I'll take a look. I've not had it out again yet but will do soon

[@StrillLife]

Lol. You might have to do the old school sample technique of speeding up your sample to Chipmunk speed when sampling then slow it down in the sampler by time stretching it. Which will add another layer of lofi sound.

[@spvidz]

yup. Think I can probably squeeze about 8 seconds into it maybe, still pretty short though...

[@wiggesobk]

Hope to see more content. I havn't used my lofi 12 for a couple months🙈

[@spvidz]

I’ll definitely try and knock together a short video series but I’m not sure how much time I will invest in it. Seems like the most use I’ll have for this is processing short samples with the 12bit sample rate

[@liamokeeffe5215]

Great video I love this little sampler. I really appreciate that you do videos on other samplers other than the SP. keep up the amazing work 👏

[@spvidz]

Thanks bro! Hopefully a few more to come about this one 🙌

[@SonicVibe]

This and the lofi 6 I love the lofi 6 has 8 seconds if ya speed up recoding ya can push it to 16 seconds and pitch it down the update ya need a midi to usb cord but process is not bad after that I also never really use the overlay I just quick sample

[@spvidz]

Nice - 16 secs is much better. I am planning to update mine yeah. I’m going to do a how-to video as I had a quick look and it’s not as bad as I thought

[@SonicVibe]

@@spvidz I thought it was bad to till I did it once ya have the midi software they give free it’s pretty painless I just used the directions on the sonicware site maybe took me ten mins to do it all

[@SonicVibe]

But ya have to have the right cord I got one off Amazon for 20 bucks

[@MortChud]

I love this sampler. So much fun to use. Thanks for the video!

[@spvidz]

Need to jump back on it I was finding it hard to get to grips with!

[@b33lz]

I made 2 beats on the Lofi-12 then I tried to make a new pattern and it overwritten my previous pattern. I haven't turned it on in months.

[@spvidz]

I feel you on that. I try and work a few things out at a time. Seem to be making very slow progress. Usually if you reboot the machine you will get your song back unless you saved the new one.

[@illshowyou2]

I love your videos. I always learn a lot. I can relate to comment early on: you felt it took a while to learn. Im a novice with all my electronic gear. So I wanted to ask you - whats the best way to learn? How did you learn rhis device, the sp404 or any device for that matter?

[@spvidz]

I've been thinking about doing a video about this topic soon, stay tuned!

[@gammakeraulophon]

Reckon it's possible to get 9 secs out of this by toggling the sample rate or bit depth... (can't recall which)

[@spvidz]

Possibly yes - theres definitely ways to cram a bit more in, like speeding the sample up, then pitching down on the machine!

[@Hinoirocks]

as someone with some experience with rackmount samplers, i'm definitely interested. i love the roland s series, but it's so cumbersome to use with floppies, etc.

[@spvidz]

I wish this had USB or SD, that would make it much more powerful but it is what it is and comes in at a very low price point.

[@Durian404]

Yesss thanks! 4 seconds can be a dealbreaker, dont know yet. Sound is pretty nice and warm but can be replicated on a 404 perhaps? Looking forward to the next one! Peace

[@spvidz]

The filters are great and I think it could work best for just processing samples but I’ll keep working with it. 4 seconds per sample is a shame but I’ll see what can be done 👌

[@Durian404]

@@spvidz I would playback a sample on 45rpm and slow it back down in the device if possible? The workflow looks kinda hard

[@spvidz]

Yeah it’s encouraged to do that in the manual. I’ll definitely try that old skool technique. But yes I agree, especially after moving over to ableton for arrangement, this feels very difficult to use at the moment

[@TheChumski]

It's simple to update it, using a Mac - you simply plug in a midi cable and and send the data from sysex manager. And im absolutely terrible w/ computer stuff.

[@spvidz]

Yeah I had a look after and it’s not that bad especially on Mac which I’m on. I will do a video soon 👍

[@chipfilmstv]

Took me a few days to get but now Im loving it

[@thomasamos4055]

If you chop and edit the samples on the 404, then speed them up, you could make some cool techno on the lofi 12. I bet the midi control is tighter than the 404 itself..

[@spvidz]

Yeah some uptempo stuff would be fun to try. Thanks for the suggestion 🙌

[@thomasamos4055]

@@spvidz with the step sampler you could definitely use the lofi as as or with a drum machine and sample it back into the sp. If you set the quantise to 100% / 16 on the SP it handles 4/4 well. Just turn off loop on pads before trying to put whole loops in the pattern or it leaves a gap. Slight issue that the auto beat recognition is terrible on the SP.

[@thomasamos4055]

@@spvidz kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZfYZ4l5jtKDlbcsi=VH_FM7FN5lWrJd02 this is a good good example.

[@lindasson]

Great video bro!! I've had mine in the box for about 4 or 5 months or more lol🤷🏾‍♂️ I was trying to get my workflow with the 404mk2 and my X SE. I gotta take some time and check it out 🙏🏾✊🏾💚

[@spvidz]

lol I've been the same man, mine might have been in the box longer haha. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with it. Thanks for tuning in 🙌

[@lindasson]

If you're up to it please do another video matching up with the SP-404MK2. That'd be awesome, and I'm try to see what I can do lol

[@schoolofkuu]

Does anyone have any advice about what a beginner should buy? I've been looking at the Chompi but doing research has brought up hardware like the MPC One, the OP-Z, the EP=133 and others... I am just a humble wordsmith with an ear for rhythm and want to have fun creating music. ive seen the microfreak as well... I want to sample my voice and my kazoo and then play around with them and make beats with them.

[@spvidz]

There are a lot of samplers on the market now which makes it tough to choose. My suggestion is to try and watch as many videos on youtube as you can to understand how they work and what you think will suit you best. My picks would be the SP404-MK2, Sonicware LOFI-12 XT (Upgrade to this one) and an MPC LIVE II or MPC One.

[@schoolofkuu]

@@spvidz thanks a lot for responding dawg. And yeah I've been doing my research and the rabbit hole is fucking deep lmaooo but it's been cool. I'm trying not to overthink it because there's so many options. I'm happy I can appreciate and communicate with YT creators like yourself sharing their knowledge with the community. Thanks!

[@spvidz]

No problem!

[@davidmaskew]

If I was looking to get into beat making and maybe making some lo-fi music etc with no previous experience would I be better off getting this or an sp404mk2. I've been thinking of getting the 404 but as I'm newbie maybe shouldn't spend too much.

[@spvidz]

I may be bias but I think the mk2 is hands down a better device than this. You will get better eventually and I think the MK2 gives you a lot more options with its FX, (basically) unlimited sample time, pattern options etc. I can see this device being fun if you take the time to figure it out but personally I have found the whole process of learning the SP and making beats a lot easier and more fun

[@davidmaskew]

@@spvidz Cheers, I nearly bought the SP on Saturday but there was none in stock in Manchester so I'm going to look online and see what the best price is.

[@koalemos1679]

The only 2 things that kept me from this machine was the filters and the case. The filters are supposed to be lofi but I wish they were smoother. The case is made of cheap plastic. But the sequencer and sound of this thing are sooooooooooo good. I like this thing a lot but I’m broke basically so I have to be really picky. Broke my heart to send it back.

[@spvidz]

Yeah the overall build quality is definitely budget. I actually kinda like the filters, especially the low pass - that seems to add a really nice warm tone to everything. Shame you had to send it back

[@koalemos1679]

@@spvidz It is. I still try to support them every chance I get. Genuinely it could blow Elektron boxes out with a slightly studier build. My problems with the filters is pretty subjective and could even come down to them being so small. I used it for synth sounds a lot and I couldn’t get that smooth, juicy sweep like I wanted. But it says LoFi on the box 🤷‍♂️ I can’t really complain too much.

[@TheCircusp]

I was waiting for this video 🎉

[@spvidz]

Nice! Hoping to do a mini-series. I'm not sure how well this will integrate with my workflow but it will be interesting to learn more about it

[@TheCircusp]

@@spvidz i hope so, you do well, like mine, feel like a mini SP 12 with the limitations, for the sample of time, you got to choose sample that works on limited time

[@rodolphep0nthus555]

This brand seems to have a totally different workflow philosophy? Every comment or video I see on these devices, even experienced guys seem to scratch their heads to get around the UI.. I mean, if you know how to use a sequencer, now about sound design and stuff, have already worked on Grooveboxes and stuff from Roland, Elektron and the others (Korg Electribes, Yamaha RS7000, Roland MC's, Digitakt for my part..) is it THAT hard to work thru this sampler? I've had my share of learning electronic instruments from, and having to learn again from scrap really keeps me away.. I just don't have the time nor the patience now. So, what's the final thoughts on the user interface? And what about the total time of sampling on this one? You start saying 4 seconds, then you put a screen comment "4 sec per sample" if I remember well.. This thing has some awkwardness that leads me to choose something else, like the Circuit Rythm.. I'm looking for a sampler, and I wanna be making music fast, not reading a manual written by crazy boutique geeks😂

[@spvidz]

Personally I dont enjoy the workflow of this device but I've been brought up on MPCs and SPs which now have a very similar way of working. The reason I put that message up was because its not 4 seconds TOTAL memory for the whole machine, its 4 seconds max every time you sample in. You can play around with speeding up your sample and maybe get about 8 seconds which I need to try but, yeah, I'm in a similar boat to you. its hard work learning something from scratch again that seems completely unique. I'd rather just stick to what I know...

[@gru_day]

Update is easy... once u have midi/usb interface. I had to buy one...

[@spvidz]

Got a USB interface with midi so I'll have to have a look into it, thanks!

[@gru_day]

@@spvidz So the hardest part is done :) After that u just have to load a SYSEX file n u r updated.

[@illsykes7822]

You can up date using iPad to

[@spvidz]

Cool, thanks for the info 👍

[@eliaswarg6818]

Nice vid! I have one. We're not friends yet tho ;) How bout some previews of those sample packs?

[@spvidz]

haha same at the moment. Not finding the workflow comfortable really. Do you mean the packs on my site?

[@eliaswarg6818]

@@spvidz Yes!

[@spvidz]

I’m working on that yes 👍

[@xisotopex]

have you tried the lofi 12 xt?

[@spvidz]

Check my latest vids, I just got sent one 👍

[@distanceresearch]

Have you seen the XT? Really frustrates me as a consumer who was previously excited about this company until the release of the XT which surprising addressed every shortfall of the LoFi 12. I am tired of referencing videos every time I try to use it manner bummer.

[@spvidz]

I’ve had a quick look but not properly yet. I’m the same, I find the workflow on this thing really difficult to get my head round. Each time I pick it up it’s like starting again. I hope I can find the enthusiasm to try again but the SP404-MK2 is just too comfortable for me now. No point learning something else really 😬

[@distanceresearch]

The Liven lofi12 is a sampling nightmare device. I hate using it so it just sits. I am super disappointed in this company and I hope it hurts them.

[@cnfuzz]

Does it retain in flashmem when switched off and no batteries?

[@BendApparatus]

Of course...

[@pushsantana]

It’s almost like sp1200

[@spvidz]

Hmm not sure I'd put it in the same class as that legendary bit of gear but yeah, the sample time limitations are similar!

[@pushsantana]

@@spvidz same as work flow if you speed up the samples you can get more sampling time

[@spvidz]

yeah that's a classic technique. I've actually tried it a little bit on this device and will most likely do a video about doing it on the Lofi-12 at some point!

[@sirconte1]

I really like it, it's on the shopping list😃👍

[@spvidz]

Nice! 🙌

[@NJTurnpikeExit12]

almost 4 minutes of negatives....1.5 mins of positives lol

[@cnfuzz]

Just sample in a loop at twice the speed ,pitch down and your 4 sec is now 8

[@sullycliftona]

Roland’s are steps. .. anyway. I think u should first tell peep it’s a beginner thing.

[@jamisondonald384]

So many caveats. Still, it could be extremely cool added to what you already have

[@spvidz]

There will hopefully be a place for it yeah! Even if it’s just adding some flavour to samples

[@offthisworld]

"You get what you pay for" is not the appropriate way of putting it - the Liven series is built very properly considering the money you pay for the devices. Hear the difference?

[@spvidz]

Ok boss 🫡

[@zer0plastica]

@michaelmon1203 i don't know why, but i thought about you! 🤓🎹🎛️🔊☮️