GR-2 from Tasty Chips

The Lounge Other Gear
1

On Kickstarter

GR-2 from Tasty Chips
GR-2 from Tasty Chips516Ă—355 34.7 KB

Comes in black and silver.

Specifications

  • 16 voices polyphony (per layer)

  • 4 layers

  • 128 grains per voice (up to 4000 grains system wide)

  • 1/4" stereo inputs, and 1/4" stereo outputs

  • 1024x600 7" true color display.

  • 4 engines:

    • granular
    • sampler
    • tape
    • spectral

  • Play button for audition and droning.

  • Touchscreen voices with hold mode.

  • Fully polyphonic voices with 4 envelopes, and 1 multimode SVF per voice.

  • MIDI firmware

    • supports multiple MIDI sources at the same time
    • MPE mode
    • full MIDI stack including keytracking, assignable mod wheel, polyphonic aftertouch
    • all parameters have 14 bit CC (NRPN) support

  • Granular engine

    • 2 window types, one with AM, and another that is better for smooth attack and release.
    • grain size 5ms … 5s
    • stereo or mono
    • fwd/rev bias grains
    • granularization of live recordings
    • several modes to lock rate and grain size, and scan control ratios, but also the possibility to go 100% free.
    • Spray, and Pan Spray built-in macro controls
    • pitch per grain, or per voice
    • panning
    • sync with divisions
    • key triggering
    • clock retriggering per voice
    • slice mode

  • Spectral engine

    • 256…8192 window size
    • polyphonic (3 voices max)
    • chord mode to extend polyphony up to 36 notes
    • spectral effects like phase smear (“Paulstretch”) amp smear (make it less tonal), reducer (create MPx like artefacts)

  • Sampler engine

    • traditional sampler like oldschool AKAI S

  • Tape engine

    • Sampler engine that uses tape-like scratching

  • “Orthogonal” design: each engine utilizes the same controls: Scan, chord mode, spray, forward/reverse direction.

  • Mod matrix:

    • polyphonic
    • 24 sources: 4 LFO’s, 2xCV, 4x random, MPE 5 dimensions, MIDI: mod wheel, key tracking, aux env, pos, env follower
    • 120+ destinations (including macros)
    • curve
    • (uni/bi) polarity
    • Draw and replay your own X/Y modulation

  • Effects:

    • Chorus
    • Compressor
    • Delays: normal and pingpong
    • Distortions: cubic and tanh
    • Flanger
    • Parametric 5 band EQ
    • Reducer
    • Reverb (large and normal)
    • Ring modulator
    • Vibrato

  • Full MIDI control :

    • DIN MIDI IN,
    • DIN MIDI OUT/THRU
    • 2x USB3.0 A
    • 1x USB C (DAW)

  • 2x 1/4" input, unbalanced

  • 2x 1/4" output, unbalanced

  • 2x USB-A 3.0 to connect MIDI controllers, USB sticks, audio interfaces, and hard disks.

  • Firmware updates via USB stick, or USB C connection to PC/Mac.

  • Sample file formats: WAV, AIFF, FLAC, SFZ (multi sample)

  • Max sampling time: 5 minutes 49 seconds.

  • Max loaded sample time: 60 minutes.

  • USB C audio: 8 channels in, 10 channels out → DAW.

  • Headphone output with dedicated volume knob.

  • Power supply: 2.1 mm barrel jack, center positive, 12V, 2A.

  • Power button for soft shutdown and startup.

  • Dimensions: 25x19x7 cm

20 Likes
2

Yes sir :black_cat:

noir
noir1920Ă—1109 141 KB

6 Likes
3

Kickstarter is a hard pass for me. Especially when the Early Bird pricing is so limited it’s sold out in the first hour.

4

What they say comparing the three models :

It’s smaller than it’s precedessor, the GR-1, and yet borrows a lot from its bigger brother, the GR-MEGA.

GRs Compared
GRs Compared680Ă—318 45.8 KB

The GR-2 addresses many wishes from GR-1 users:

  • built-in audio inputs
  • stereo samples
  • quick and easy saves
  • higher polyphony
  • effects
  • spectral engine (“Paulstretch”)
  • easier menus

We chose encoders over potentiometers this time. We only use potentiometers for hard controls, that cannot be modulated or controlled in any other way: master volume, for instance. The absence of vertical faders is notable, but the top side encoders cover for this. It’s not possible to change 2 LFO’s at the same time, but you do have 4 LFO’s and more options in the Quick Access pages.

The GR-MEGA remains our top level synth. It offers a much larger control surface, faster and bigger storage. See the FAQ for more an in-depth overview.

The GR-2 and GR-MEGA firmwares are essentially the same. Both models will benefit from eachother. The GR-2 initially benefits from the GR-MEGA’s firmware, and the GR-MEGA wil benefit from a bigger pool of users which will ultimately lead to a better feature set, and higher quality.

12 Likes
5

Are you wanting a black one? I just looked and there’s one early bird left for silver.

1 Like
6

I couldn’t justify a GR-Mega, but I’ll have this one.

2 Likes
7

Love to see this. GR-Mega is a significant upgrade on GR-1, but the price is indeed very steep. GR-2 seems like a nice middle ground between the two.

The layout kind of reminds me of Iridium Core.

2 Likes
8

More about the difference between the GR-MEGA and the GR-2 ( info from KS FAQ ).

  • GR-2 is smaller and so lacks some of the direct controls.
  • GR-2 doesn’t have a sequencer
  • GR-2 audio inputs and outputs are unbalanced ( ADDED : ?? See three posts down. )
  • GR-MEGA has more and faster storage and can hold more samples in memory
  • GR-MEGA has higher polyphony
  • GR-MEGA has some luxury interfaces like HDMI output, and a LAN port
  • GR-2’s MIDI OUT port doubles as a soft MIDI THRU
8 Likes
9

By the way, and god forbid not to point fingers at anyone, but I do appreciate how Tasty Chips are willing and capable of providing a roadmap publicly - and miraculously not going down by doing so:

“GR-Mega firmware roadmap
1.7: July ’26. Granular engine features & optimization
1.8: October ’26. Spectral engine rework & features
1.9: January ’27. MIDI, focus on getting the most out of the popular MPE controllers.
1.10: April ’27. Slice mode & multi-samples
1.11: June ’27. Templates.
(April 14, 2026)”

Apparently there is no casual link between transparency and imminent threat of economical extinction, who would have though that lol.

Hopefully after SB there’s going to be a little bit more info on what’s “less samples in memory” (FAQ on Kickstarter) in GR-2 compared to Mega. No sequencer, hard to tell, maybe it’s okay depending on midi implementation (?) but I guess we’d need them countless gigs upon gigs of storage considering “supported SFZ (multi sample); max sampling time 5 minutes 49 seconds, max loaded sample time 60 minutes”?

Either way, all this looks cute and promising. Fingers crossed! Please share your thoughts if somebody gets to play with the prototype this weekend in Berlin! :white_heart:

5 Likes
10

Maybe those who are capable of providing a roadmap are less prone to economical extinction?

Yep, from all the granular hardware out there this looks like the sweet spot between price and capability. Everything that bothered me in the GR-1 appears to be addressed here.

1 Like
11

I found this stated clearly in two different places on their KS page. And yet they have this in their YT promotion for the GR-2 :

GR-2 Video Balanced
GR-2 Video Balanced1876Ă—990 130 KB

In fact it is on their video thumb nail. So i’m not sure.


At 35 seconds in.

3 Likes
12

Will certainly keep an eye on this. I did take myself off the GR Mega list as last thing I needed was another massive hardware box. It looks feature packed as is

2 Likes
13

It’s pretty neat how they have packed so much into that small a box. The GR-1 is now a “massive hardware box” too, in comparison.

The GR-2 touch screen now fills up a major portion of the top panel.

1 Like
14

Yes the touch screen looks fantastic

15

This looks brilliant. I have their reverb pedal, and it’s bananas.

1 Like
16

Off topic but…

I’ve never worked anywhere that’s able to actually stick to a roadmap, not least of all because shit happens.

Making a roadmap public is brave and risky. Broken promises are worse than no promises.

On topic…

This looks great, shame there are fewer faders but I’m glad to see the GR1 evolve and not just become a footnote in the synth encyclopedia.

3 Likes
17

Lfg. This is exactly what I was looking for, without the insane price tag and real estate of the MEGA.

Rip the resale value of my GR1 though :skull:

2 Likes
18

Yeah I’ve had my eye on that pedal. Just haven’t gotten round to pulling the trigger. It’s pretty unique to have convolution reverb in a hardware unit. Especially a pedal. I presume Push 3 can run the max4live convolution plugin in standalone mode ?? At any rate it’s still a rare thing

I did however totally back this kickstarter. So I guess the reverb will have to wait

1 Like
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5 Likes
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That drawing modulator looks pretty great.

2 Likes