New Lofi 12 Sampler from Sonicware

[@ChrisLodyMusic]

I've been dying to know what people would think of this while i was working on this 😄 So glad you're into it

[@mpchead]

Hi Chris, yes I was just watching your videos de other day to help me with the workflow. I am loving the machine, would love for some extras but so far it is helping me make create ideas with samples that I just can't with the mpc. Step sequencer is brilliant 👌🏼

[@ChrisLodyMusic]

@@mpchead Thank you. I'm sure there will be a full tutorial as soon as I have the time. This kind of budget sampler that can sample directly from it's input has been on my want list for quite a while but there is hardly anything in the price range so I'm glad they made it!

[@landonh3535]

@@ChrisLodyMusic Hi do you know if they used old DACs in this or is it an emulation?

[@ChrisLodyMusic]

@@landonh3535 It will be emulation as it's all modern hardware

[@adamkrasneski3679]

Does this thing have panning or is it a mono output?

[@forwardmemory5940]

I just subscribed, solely because you explained this wonderful little box better than anyone else on the interwebs. Good stuff man.

[@mcelf168]

That's a dope sampler. Dope beat too. You make it look so easy. 👍

[@quinnzender]

Would love a video of a classic Marlow Digs sampling session with the Lofi-12. That's where I'm most curious about the product - it's workflow either as the main machine, or accompanying other stuff like an MPC.

[@mpchead]

Yeah, I am putting something together like that.

[@atetraxx]

these new sonicware cheap machines are actually way better than a lot of the competitors for the price. Migh tjust pick one up to fuck around with while on the couch.

[@mpchead]

definitely worth the price.

[@AveMcree]

Finished my video today. This is a much better product out the box.

[@mpchead]

Gotta check it out now

[@mpchead]

You haven't uploaded it yet?

[@AveMcree]

@@mpchead I uploaded but chose to do some DnB. This is my favorite sampler this year because it forces creativity.

[@TheButtaSpot]

I was really waiting for something like this. This in the middle of an mpc live and sp404 mkii chain is really all you need 🤓😩 Amazing video brother. 🙌🏿💪🏿💯

[@mpchead]

Agree

[@victorwilliams5398]

👍

[@nebula0697]

Very cool sampler hands down. I need something that combines all the cool features and interface of this and Circuit Rhythm and has none of the shortcomings. And I'm not talking about Maschine or MPC, I want a simplified machine.

[@AmazonCrime]

Then you have to go SP 404 Mkii. Like me. Or the Digitakt maybe? But IMO it's too big and too expensive.

[@DetroitMicroSound]

Great no-bs video, getting right down to business on this great addition to the Liven's.

[@darumabeats]

Yo man so glad u show the beat makin way to use this i was curious

[@darumabeats]

i just bought it today, coming next week! i just rewatched this video to better understanding of the machine and now im gonna study the manual, i think i will use a marker to write on the grey plate the function of the sample editing red plate so i have not to switch it 😅😅

[@HotelEdenMusic]

Really nice demo, thank you for sharing.

[@stuntmanmadeit]

Brother... Just copped one of these as I stumbled across your video. Yup! It's dope. Especially if you understand production and beat making. Gives me the same feel as my Ensoniq Eps 16+. Your video helped tremendously. A few hours and I'm flying around now. Just needs a few more things. Time stretch, sample end point, few more voices and tracks and I believe this could really be a great sampler/synth/drum machine. Hopefully a software update can do that.

[@MrThecarrott]

Btw. This unit packs so much functionality. If the sound is ok in real life , it really makes me wonder why the other companies charge soooo much for their samplers.

[@MrThecarrott]

It has functionality from all different machines. Volca on steroids mixed with an electron samples

[@mpchead]

And a bit of SP

[@buddypearson]

Good review! Thanks for that.

[@lebronsinclair8012]

A premium version of this, with at least 8 tracks, more sample editing feature, effects and screen, could definitely compete with the digitakt.

[@mpchead]

Then It would just be a digitakt. but this has more voices and effects, and costs much less. I think it is really good for the money they are asking for it.

[@lebronsinclair8012]

@@mpchead Interesting. I need to see more examples, but I'm definitely intrigued.

[@lbarnett748]

The lofi 12 xt is shipping in April Like sample trek but more effects and internal storage

[@trevormalcolm4328]

I had the Model:Samples for awhile and I didn’t get on with the workflow, I think this might be a good replacement! 👍🏽👌🏽🇬🇧

[@dinogoldie9716]

Please make more beats on this box. Thanks.

[@mckrisbo]

Thanks for making this video I was thinking about picking up a volca sample but I've gone ahead and ordered one of these instead.

[@danielbarry5547]

Would get this over the volca sample 2 but 4 secs is a hold up..but I'm definitely diggin this!

[@leftmono1016]

Sample the old school way, pitch up your loop so it’s much shorter, sample it and then pitch it down. You get some interesting results doing this 😀👍

[@allieboy181]

@@leftmono1016where do You that from? A daw?

[@leftmono1016]

@@allieboy181 - guess that would be easiest. Or from vinyl.

[@Torquer]

Good video. Thanks

[@Mchannemann]

Sounds fab old-school!!

[@carstenaltena]

Can we just pause and appreciate the fact that in 2022, people actually WANT a sampler that sounds "shitty"?

[@mpchead]

In my opinion the best music ever made was always recorded in tape and sounded a bit more to the lowfi side of things.

[@carstenaltena]

@@mpchead same. I even have it with tv and movies. I prefer the look of old film.

[@captainpawpawchannel]

It depends what shitty is, if the sound still has a good dynamic and doesn't lose too many high frequencies, it's good imho

[@carstenaltena]

@@captainpawpawchannel For the record, I meant "shitty" in a positive way. I love lofi.

[@captainpawpawchannel]

@@carstenaltena yes but sometimes cheap sound cards are really shitty :(( I had a pretty bad digidesign 25 years ago, I should have bought a better one at that time

[@Lo-fi_Skies]

Aye that looks Fresh and Definitely sounds too dope 🙌🔥 Thanks for Sharing and Inspiring GREATNESS 👑 Stay Blessed ✌️💕

[@Dubbudha]

This machine sounds great. I've just watched the review from bobeats, who is not really known for a lofi sound. The impact is amazing. It adds a lofi character to whatever you sample. I think it has great value and pontential in sampling hardware and vst's who would otherwise don't fit the esthetic of lofi music, as they sound to harsh and clean.

[@ddeafner]

Damn, I wish they had this at Sweetwater so I could cook it on my store credit smh. I've been on my lofi ish lately too

[@ILLUDIUM_Q_36]

This is what I thought the Sampltrak was going to be. And yes it Can be battery operated by 6 AAs😁

[@elsantoproductora]

You could create really complex sequences with the parameter and preset locks. It reminds me of the Digitone's workflow. Awesome groovebox at an amazing price. Is it possible to resample connecting the line out to the line in?

[@mpchead]

I tried it and it worked but you get a bit of feedback noise. I haven't tried to turn the monitoring off. I'll address this on a coming video

[@dinogoldie9716]

I like the effect you apply to the drum at 5:35.

[@colossalcolosseum9555]

Right? I was like oh wait that’s hard

[@tblv9300]

reminds me of the old s20 👍

[@Taprecords]

Dope! I have to compare it to my S2800, MPC 2000xl, A4000 workflow.

[@pongtrometer]

Resample would have been tight

[@SinistralArcVI]

i might have to copp one

[@haveyougotitinyourattic4046]

haveyougotit inyourattic il y a 1 seconde that's a great sampler !!! i got it and having fun with ... just a question when i play drum with poly charley are cuts as the mono system ? have you got a tips ?

[@SilvaFoxMC]

250??? I got that. Dope video homie.

[@The_Sonic_Ally]

have you flavour pro yet bro ? liking that template idea for the controls.

[@mpchead]

Yeah I have it, sounds great. A good upgrade from the previous flavour, more controls and options for filtering the sound.

[@The_Sonic_Ally]

@@mpchead expected a vid on it from you. i really enjoy it, its actually teaching me some stuff.

[@tommyrr9106]

So nice

[@dinogoldie9716]

Can you send ready-made samples from your computer to the lofi12 digitally? Or is it just audio via the line-in? Is there a way of backing up all the samples on the machine?

[@mpchead]

Yes you can back it up via midi. I haven't tried this yet but I ll talk a bit about it in the next video.

[@francisard1488]

Can you please do a video where you sample a record at 45rmp and tune it down like you would on a sp1200 so I can hear what it sounds like? And I promise I will subscribe and like every video lol

[@elsantoproductora]

Is it Usb class compliant? Thanks for the review!!

[@mpchead]

No usb.

[@ciaranmulhall6123]

Sounds great, when is it available ??

[@mpchead]

I think it should be available today, not sure about that.

[@LeMeAtOm]

Great video, and love this unit! definitely on the wish list now. Can i ask if the loop mode has ping pong? thanks for your content man

[@mpchead]

The loop is just a normal loop but you can randomize the sequencer steps

[@LeMeAtOm]

@@mpchead thanks! 😃if it has a reverse play then this can probably be mimicked at step?

[@ToniVirt]

Off topic. Do you still use your AIAIAI WIRELESS HEADPHONES? IS IT WORTH IT?

[@mpchead]

Yes, perfect way to get around the studio with headphones.

[@ToniVirt]

@@mpchead thank you man.

[@ToniVirt]

@@mpchead Thank you. Hope the sound is worth it.

[@francisard1488]

Is it 4 seconds each pad? Or 4 seconds altogether?

[@mpchead]

4 seconds each slot. the lofi 12 has 128 slot available.

[@paracelse666]

Hello, compare to the sampletrack zoom, what is your opinion ?

[@mpchead]

Two different machines but if I had to pick one I'd go for the Lofi 12

[@paracelse666]

@@mpchead Thanks !

[@SMFjjba]

Can this chop drum breaks?

[@mpchead]

There's no chopping in the lofi 12. You gotta use the step sequencer to adjust diferente start points into the sequence. A bit different from the normal machines but it works ok. Might be a bit weird if you never tried this sort of workflow.

[@SMFjjba]

@@mpchead so I can still have different patterns instead of just working with a strict loop? Thanks for replying

[@marioaloe3628]

hi does it has just one-shot mode or also other? Thanks

[@des7638]

Sooo siiick

[@elsantoproductora]

Do you know if there's a way out the 16th grid?

[@thepaintingtube7965]

Theres a few ways. First press shift and note and select 32 step resolution. Double the steps in a bar. This means you get 2 bar instead of 4 but enough for microstepping. Also the laid back encoder isnt that bad as you can p-lock a step and nudge the sample a bit to get that unquantized feel.

[@alecsbuga]

Wish you could split a sample on those keys. Like cue points on each key. So you can sample a whole “kit” on a slot like OP1. I like the look of it and the functions but I swear I don’t understand why companies cripple these devices for the sake of limitation. Looking at you circuit rhythm. So anyways. I wish at least 8 tracks. Or more voices. Or more sample time. Not gigs but at least 10-20 secs. But they nailed the sequencer.

[@leftmono1016]

It’s functions are limited to keep the price down and simplify the workflow. More functions = more development time too, guessing that they’ve not got many people working on this. Plus these kind of things are meant to be used with other hardware as they’re too limited as standalone products. Unless you get very creative with sound locks.

[@allieboy181]

@@leftmono1016 are you not able to hook it up to a computer?

[@leftmono1016]

@@allieboy181 - you can send it midi from a DAW and record the audio into a DAW. Depends on what you want to achieve?

[@allieboy181]

@@leftmono1016 just making beats I suppose. Seems like it’s good just for running your sounds, separate tracks, or whole beats thru

[@leftmono1016]

@@allieboy181 - yeah it’s pretty versatile. 12 bit samples have a really nice sound to them.

[@leftmono1016]

For someone who always wanted an Akai S950 this is perfect. Edit: maybe not so perfect from the information below!

[@barrysmith7896]

Sorry its not, 24khz and 2 seconds is just silly. 12-44.1 and 5 seconds of sample time at the max rate and I'd be in. Otherwise this is just a toy with no usb or any way to store samples outside of midi which is like the smartphone equivalent of two bean cans and a length of string.

[@leftmono1016]

@@barrysmith7896 - 12 bit at 24kHz would still be interesting for drums (one shots, not loops) but I do see your point.

[@barrysmith7896]

@@leftmono1016 it's possible to convert any files to any bit rate and sample rate in Audacity then feed them into whatever machine you like. Ive done this loads of times and A/Bd them with MPCs and samples I know were created on a friend's SP1200. And to be honest the best kind of crunch in the old Akais was recording samples in at too fast speeds at 44.1 and pitching them down. Doing that at 24khz will obliterate all of the top half of the frequency range and not in a good way. Honestly I'm only saying anything about this machine because I'm so gutted it came so close to glory. Been waiting for a company to put out something like this but it totally fails at the last hurdle. Its not going to be much use for anything that's the problem and it's marketed at about 10 people. Such a stupid decision to make this for cred with "look at how low are sample rates are, how cool? How lofi?" instead of proper classic sampler functionality. Even the Akais managed a state of the art floppy disk drive and we can't have a twenty year old usb socket.

[@leftmono1016]

@@barrysmith7896 - agreed, sample fast and pitching down was the way to go. It’s a shame they didn’t use the S950 spec, but they will sell bucket loads as it is a bit different to most other things out there. Think it’s sold out four times already. Classic sampler functionality would be great for the likes of me and you, but there’s a bigger market for people new to production wanting Lofi. I’ve never liked transferring samples in terms of workflow so Audacity isn’t an option, but good tip though.

[@barrysmith7896]

@@leftmono1016 I hope they update this, even if it did 32khz and I lost half of the Sample slots but doubled the sample time I'd buy two instantly. Doubt it though.

[@xisotopex]

is this pretty close to the model samples?

[@mpchead]

This can sample and has more voices but the workflow is a bit similar yes

[@xisotopex]

@@mpchead is this closer to the zoom sampletrak? which do you think sounds better?

[@SonicVibe]

Sounds good but very limited idk 🤷‍♂️ about this one

[@beatsbeercigarettes]

I think being limited is the point of this one. It’s not for everyone but it gets you working in a way you normally wouldn’t and the output changes pretty drastically because of it. Just my two cents!

[@SonicVibe]

@@beatsbeercigarettes i like the sound of it but the menu diving and poly limitations are a bummer but i think it my favorite thing sonicware has made and way better then the smpletrek

[@beatsbeercigarettes]

@@SonicVibe don’t let the poly limitations worry you. Experiment with the arp, use the sample switching to your advantage to save on polyphony. I know where you’re coming from.. it’s just refreshing for myself to work within weird limitations haha. Like getting perfect drum loops on a loop cassette and then sound on sound recording the sample over it.. for no other reason than I wanted to haha. This may be a sampler for weirdos 😂

[@SonicVibe]

@@beatsbeercigarettes i feel what ya saying

[@mpmi7588]

Anyone know how to delete samples?

[@mpchead]

Sample edir

[@neoSoulLofi]

Ave Mcree just shouted you out my guy....creators create! #8bitface

[@sunahura]

Phat

[@mpchead]

It is a nice little fat sound the lofi 12

[@Dork2099]

Came here to see whether this box would fit in between my MPC One, SP404SX, SP404mkII, SP606, Volca Sample, PO-133, and my Zoom SampleTrak. Sadly I think it just might work its way into my home based on this great vid! 😂

[@BoopPOPO]

Is the swing by track? Also if using mono mode, would picking another sample and live recording effectively ‘choke’ other samples?

[@mpchead]

Yes all the parameters are by track. Yes if the track is in mono you'll have a choke mode on for the entire track.

[@BoopPOPO]

Fucking killer 🎉

[@BoopPOPO]

Stereo also?

[@lindasson]

Hey Marlow, I just ordered mine today. How long did it take for you to learn??

[@mpchead]

I had to dig through the manual to be honest. But I'll say a week to get a good sense of the machine and workflow.

[@lindasson]

@@mpchead thanks my friend, and once I learn, I'm gonna see how to incorporate it with the MPC Live 2 and SP-404MK2 🙏🏾✊🏾💚

[@rreyes3257]

@@lindassonI’m still tryna figure out how to use the sp404 mk2. It’s a difficult machine I tend to give up when I hit a wall but good luck to you brother in Buddha.

[@michaeleanderschulte]

I really want to love and buy it because it seems the coolest „vintage“ sampmer item this time … but there is one thing that really pisses me off if true. Only 128 Samples and no cardslot nor usb connection? Perhaps midi dump? Wtf. This is targeted at hip hop sample heads - people that love to dig throu vinyl libraries - i mean what did they think digging means? 8 slots of 16 … thats like you have 8 DD disks for samples back in the days. Thats nothing. Why limit the samples to 4 seconds but don’t use the unsampled time when it’s not used … i don’t het it. that 128 limitation i can live with but the lack of transfer is a dealbreaker for me i guess … sad. Instead of that they stick a shitty speaker into it … i mean, come on. Cool Presets btw.

[@allieboy181]

What’s the point of sampling if you can’t chop? Seems like it’s best used as a audio interface to run your sounds or tracks thru, then back into your daw or MPC

[@mpchead]

Use the steps to chop

[@buaa77]

@MarlowDigs graciao ,mass HH integracia , ektraterrestero sim Marlow Digs ' NO sim Instrmenta oy yo yoo nada. Paz

[@I.O.M.]

Sounds crunchy. How is the pitch function?

[@mpchead]

Pitch sounds good fat and warm

[@I.O.M.]

@@mpchead Thanks for the Demo. Looking forward to seeing you incorporate it into your set up.

[@bopphrases]

looks cool

[@alexask3686]

damn, so good sounding tool, but 4n sec of memory is disappointing((

[@francisard1488]

It's 4 sec per pad

[@reasonabledoubt1]

Plus just speed up you sample to record. Especially if you vinyl based to get more time recorded.

[@sunahura]

Wow , no need to go back to the classic beat machines , it has it own sound though,❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍😍😍🍎

[@lordg3803]

Dope. But 4 seconds? The SP-12 had 5. The SP-1200 had 10. C'mon.

[@mpchead]

4 sec for each sample.

[@lordg3803]

@@mpchead Ahh. I see. No doubt. Do you know how much time in total? Peace.

[@ruudvincent6078]

Sounds good to me. Looks awfull. Want.

[@BestKeptSecreization]

Only 4 seconds sample time 😮

[@dinogoldie9716]

It's 4 seconds per sample and you can have 128 samples on the machine.

[@barrysmith7896]

I never really have much hate in my heart for anything in this world but I hate this sampler so much just because its so close to perfection but totally fails at the final third. Why can't you sample at 12khz upto 44.1? Then why only two seconds of sample size at the max rate? With d/a chips and flash memory cheaper than they've ever been why just stick with these arbitrary numbers??? And the third massive problem is no sd card slot or USB socket, no way on earth am I going to start messing around with midi to back up sounds, so idiotic it's untrue. Basically they have given this machine, just like the Volca Sample before it an Akai paint job but neither are anything like one. Dead easy, someone make a sampler with 12 or 16bit, selectable 12 to 44.1 (or even 48)kHz and allow at least 4 to 5 seconds of sampling on a single sample. Drum loops anyone??? And then add a way to transfer samples in or out of the machine that most people have been using as a method for nearly 20 years now, removable media or USB connectivity.

[@spliffsoldier]

First

[@nicedude_wav3308]

Nice sir!

[@tothefxckinmoon4540]

Love this thing...I really think it's going to become a cult classic. I just wish they allowed SR

[@mpchead]

Hopefully it becomes one, it has what it takes.