Argh, haha, just replied to your wavetable question. For me Bento is basically a collection of quite capable synths and sample engines. Where it certainly lacks is how these single engines play together nicely and on the sequencer side
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I agree, it still feels like theyāve thrown together some existing technology without thinking about an overall workflow. It has the potential to be that ONE groove box but not sure it will get there. I do keep it as a special machine for some looping workflows, the very good granular synth and as an incredible mobile sketch pad.
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IMO:
Well, saying it has two envelopes means in practice that it has an amp and filter envelope, which was state of the art maybe 40 years ago?
The two filters are nice.
Yeah, the modulation sequencer is nice, but thats really your only free modulation source.
The mod matrix is awesome except you have so few sources its almost like they had grand ambitions but then ran into a deadline or something.
Almost any ios wavetable synth looks space age compared to the fireball.
Anyway, this is from memory, so i apologize if i got something wrong.
And then of course the sampling is super basic. You have zero ways to actually mangle a sample for instance.
I was truly sad that it didnt meet my expectations. It is, in theory, EXACTLY what I want from a portable device. I really hope they get there, eventually.
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Hi. Is the Bento still that bad today? Iām still following its progress, because Iād honestly be interested in getting one if it ever works properly.
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If you need Bento for loops, Iād hold back because there are still a few things that need to be ironed out for a fast and fluid workflow: eg visual feedback and proper count in when recording, multiple loops playback in the launch screen, filename management. In this area, Blackbox is still the more solid option in my opinion.
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Hi! Thanks for replying!
I hardly ever use loops; Iām more interested in knowing about some problems Iāve read about, like machine stability, accidental sound crackles, samples that stop playing, multisamples with errors in some notesā¦ I donāt know, Iāve read too many bad things.
Incan only say that it was a complete disaster one month after launch when I successfully asked for a refund because it was broken. Since then, the answers to questions whether or not itās still broken on were a bit mixed. I havenāt heard anyone say āeverything is rock solid now and it feels like a reliable and finished productā, while most people who recently bought one still complained about bugs. There was one user about two months ago who still encountered things like potentially ear destroyingly loud noises out of nowhere and for no reason. So I would suggest you wait. Iām also not sure 1010 will support Bento for years and not abandon it in favor of something like the new Blackbox or another new toy on this platform. Tha yea just my personal guess though thatās not really based on any sources or facts.
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True. Every two months or so, I ask about the status of this thing, but I always get the same answers. I had one too when it came out, and it was a disaster. But I like its shape, I like that it has a battery, and the inclusion of synthesizers. But if after more than a year they havenāt managed to figure out the problems, maybe I should just forget about it. Besides, it makes me not trust the new Blackbox. Soā¦
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I havenāt had these kind issues with mine but I bought it when most of these early major bugs have been fixed. It still feels inconsistent at some points and a bit like a lot of good ideas have been put in there without an overall workflow. Itās getting better though and there are some really great features: - the granular synth is really solid and the best granular synth next to my Tempera, - the form factor is great, itās small enough to fit in nearly every bag and itās solid and very playable with the very nice pads, -
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the granular synth is really solid and the best granular synth next to my Tempera -
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the form factor is great, itās small enough to fit in nearly every bag and itās solid and very playable with the very nice pads
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the UI and touch screen is quite nice
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looper and slice tracks are also nice an have a few clever tricks
,
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I like mine too - it sounds so good. Rebooted on me once but apart from that itās behaved. The sequencer is a bit clunky. I use it at home with guitars and samples so maybe not a standard user case. It needs continued support but itās already good fun. Not sure Iād rely on it in a live performance yet but equally I could learn it a bit more and that would help
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Iām glad to hear that not all the experiences have been negative. Thank you!!
Two more questions I forgot to ask.
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Can I create a sketch in Bento, using the internal sounds, and then change the tracks to MIDI while preserving the sequence data? It would be great if I used Bento to create sketches when Iām out of home, and then recorded these sequences in Ableton or Tonverk in the studio if I want to refine them.
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Is there already an option to package the samples used in the project folder?
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Bought this me of these at start of the year but only unboxed it today as was finishing album and had heavy workload in my job
Going to spend few weeks with it to see if itās for me.
Is there a tutorial anyone recommends or YouTube channel? Iāve updated to latest beta.
Only issue Iāve noticed today is when I unplug power the battery % drops slightly which seems weird but reading on their forum 1010 said thatās normal. Going to drain the battery and do a fresh recharge
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I really want one to use with my Sonicware deconstruct minimal if 1010 music ever gets the bugs sorted out. One synth friend uses one a lot and it sounds and looks fun! The blackbox 2 looks great as well. I like these tiny sized groove boxes for travel and wish it had battery.
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I know we just got some improvements to the sequencer with 1.5, but after using it for a bit, my head was spinning with confusion as to why we now have 3 Sequencers on the device which are all completely different.
It bugged me so much that I put together this little POC to think about the Sequencer for all sample based KITS to be either a focused STEP view or a collective ROLL view.
The focus of this POC is on the SEQ tab in the middle part of the UI.
You can see my thought experiment as a functional POC here:
https://echoopera.com/bento-poc/
just look at the tab bar here to focus on the SEQ view:
I added some additional improvements like:
- Press+Hold to scrub to either Add or Remove Steps quickly
- Press a Sample in the vertical list of the ROLL view to audition the sound
- Add since itās in the browser, use A-K and Z-, to play the pads and SpaceBar to start/stop playback
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Thanks for sharing your experience.
I was on the verge to buy it (live looping some fun & great) but after reading your post, Iāll try a tonverk that contains also a lot of bugsā¦ or Iāll buy again a Torso S-4
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1010musicās Aaron performing with two Bentos:
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Kind of you to thank me. I also have an S4, while the release of it was a proper shit show thatās well documented on this forum, that device in its current state is really a lot of fun and somewhat unique in its accessibility and workflow. Itās a looper and live sample mangler, even more so the latter than the former, at least thatās where it shines for me. In the way I use it itās sort of a competitor to my Octatrack more so than any loopers I own. Itās a much more focussed device of course, but the thing it set out to do it does really well to my mind.
The Tonverk also looks interesting, Iāve not touched one yet as I have plenty of gear already but depending on what you are looking for, this can be an interesting box also.
As for the Bento, I havenāt messed with it much at all since but itās worth noting that my 5 year old daughter actually loves it! She loves the colours on the pads, the easy track switching and the fast (midi) looping thatās possible on it. Itās quite nice for exploration for her, I set a scale for the project and she can jam away. 899ā¬ is a bit much for that use case maybe lol, but thatās still a big positive for me cause happy daughter happy baba 
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I bought the Tonverk.
With the latest update, it is amazing, and I have encountered no bugs so far.
PS I also own 1010 LemonDrop, Euro Blue Box, and Black Box (original).
Iām most disappointed that LemonDrop feels like itās unfinished.
I will not purchase any more 1010 products, until they work out the bugs first.
Live Disaster !
Iāve had my Bento for around six months. Iāve only used it live twice, but Iāve spent a lot of time programming and preparing it specifically for major performances, with the intention of trusting it with essential backing tracks.
Yesterday, during a solo show in front of almost 1000 people, with 99% of my backing tracks running through Bento, the output suddenly became extremely low, crackly and distorted . It was a disaster mid-performance. I dont wish that upon anyone !
This had happened once before, but unplugging and reconnecting the jack solved it, so I assumed it was an isolated issue. Clearly, it wasnāt.
I cannot stress this enough: for equipment designed for professional live use, reliability has to come before everything else ā features, updates, workflow, all of it. I wouldnāt wish this situation on any performer.
I really like the Bento, which is why I trusted it on stage. But after this, Iām genuinely concerned about using it live again.
Has 1010music identified the cause ā particularly any connection with low battery/power management ā and is there a confirmed fix?
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