I didn’t had any of those before, but https://sonicware.jp/ has some small boxes…
Can’t tell anything about them, but I guess that could fit into what you’re looking for.
Much as I love it, it’s explicitly out of OP’s budget.
Otherwise, another vote for the Model form factor for this (though I’ve only played with the Samples, not the Cycles)
The Cycles appeals more than the samples as I already have a more capable sampler in the form of the PT so I want something that isn’t just a worse version of something I already have.
It’s a pretty tall order to have all those boxes ticked. The M8 does them all and while it is pricier than most, you get what you pay for. Nothing comes close in terms of portability and being a complete package. You can do entire albums on the M8, soup to nuts. And the developer is top tier, very active. The updates keep coming.
This was suggested recently:
op-z ticks every box.
M8 Would be the dream, but it’s hard to justify for the cost.
Cycles, CR, and T-8 all probably work so it seems budget devices can hit the brief.
DS Lite + Nanoloop 2 cartridge.
Hands down the most creative I’ve ever been with a portable music platform. Versatile enough that you can go beyond chiptune and get into weird territory, but also limited enough that you can quickly get ideas down.
How about a Nanobox Razzmatazz?
Anyone have experience?
Model:Cycles with a USB battery…
If you are in the right age range (or maybe even if not) you will appreciate this… I have considered buying one several times and he has options for if you want it assembled or to buy it as a kit with various levels of included components depending on what you already have available to you so even at the max cost it’s not ridiculous priced and can be rather cheap if you have parts and do things yourself. Anyways, it looks incredibly fun and he wrote a whole UI custom for it, so it’s not a SWAG product:
OPL Studio from Cheerful Electronic on Tindie
OPL Studio - OPL2 / OPL3 MIDI Interface | Hackaday.io
It looks like he just sold out but they’re back in stock pretty frequently so if you like it you could get on the list or email him about when he expects to have more.
you will see it, in it’s intended housing on the pages linked, it’s not just the circuit board and screen.
That’s very cool.
Unfortunately distributed by DV247 who I will not deal with.
Razzmatazz is practically perfect for this use case but, melody is really not its thing or is limited/challenging to achieve.
I’ve had mine about a month now and have lost any apprehensions I had about the device. It better serves the role that I wanted M:S to cover as a sidekick/extender for tracker.
It has pretty much replaced casual phone interactions with casual audio nonsense winning
It has some quirks of course but, it’s a pure delight to use.
Is it nice to work on the device?
I was suspicious of the BoBeats review where he says how great it is, but always sequences it from another device.
I like pocket operators small and quick to get a fun groove cooking fast
I was really suspicious of the interface at first and bought it with the plan of sequencing externally.
I wound up really enjoying the internal sequencer and use primarily stand alone.
SP404 mk2 maybe… it’s another sampler, but different/fun/fast workflow and runs on batteries.
Quirky workflow though. Im thinking of selling mine and getting the circuit rhythm instead
I have a dream that someone will make a M8 crossed with the sequencer of a Polyend Play on its side for musical Tetris.
Yep, I’m on board with this. Feels the most standalone and useful since you can fly solo with it for long periods of time. That said @monquixote has the tracker which I don’t know if you think they are too similar? The only thing I would say is the Tracker is like a surgeon’s scalpel and the Rhythm like a butter knife. Can be fun!
Oddball suggestion maybe, but what about a second (used/old) phone that isn’t connected to the internet? Put some stickers on it to make it feel more like an instrument. Uninstall all apps that can be removed.