Hi all, refreshing my live setup after years of Octatrack plus various synth connected.
Searching into old sampler I found the Yamaha su 700, which to me appears beautiful and I liked the few demos that I heard on the web. Does anyone of you know it? Suggestion in other sampler mangler?
I also have a torso s4 which I’ll couple to, plus as always various synths.
None of the really cute ones are going to be very practival or be a very good substitute for an octatrack. I think that if you can’t mangle samples with the S4 you probably aren’t going to have much luck anywhere else either.
I think that in the studio you can do whatever, but don’t expect to use an old sampler in a live setup if you aren’t prepared to deal with things like super long load times, really frustrating inaccurate sampling, expensive and rare upgrade parts to improve things like load times or make it so you don’t have to work with archaic media like floppy discs and also replacement parts to fix behaviors like the SU700 encoders which die on almost every unit ever made.
The architecture that would probably make the most sense would be something like an SP303 which while less glamorous than a kinda cool and funky looking, rare and effects rich machine like the SU700, it will have quick operation, has several banks of samples that you can quickly access as well as a not too expensive memory card option. Most of all it samples fast and has onboard resampling and effects.
Something like the Vestax faderboard has some interesting features and a cool format, but it’s expensive and rare, and I’ve read that it’s also pretty unreliable and while it might be good in a home studio environment for playing around it just won’t have the flexibility or reliability of a modern device.
Most old samplers aren’t truly manglers. There are some akai rack units which can do pretty interesting things, like I think it’s the Z series (z4 and z8) that lets you do a lot of cool stuff with using samples as oscillators and other sound design, but the interface will not be conducive to playfulness.
Again, as an S4 owner myself I would restate that if you can’t mangle samples with an S4 you probably will not have much luck with any other machine. Vintage samplers are better picked because you enjoy their character and can live with their limitations for your use case. I know it may not be the answer that you want but for live use specifically, I’m not sure if an SU700 is practical.
If you pick one up super cheap then you can see for yourself, but I’d make sure that it already has the SCSI board and if possible, has already had the encoders replaced.
Good luck and welcome to the forum.
5 Likes
I don’t think there is other hardware that can fulfill all the roles the OT mk2 can.
Maybe if you add a dedicated looper like the RC 505? Or something like the DB4?
1 Like
I never said that I can’t mangle with Torso S4, I don’t know why are you talking about it.
I just like fresh things from time to time.
I own some old Akai sampler, with the Zulu scsi nowadays you can have with a hundred dollar of investment a reliable and fast enough machine to play with.
A Yamaha su 700 maxed out contain 20 minutes of samples, more than enough for a gig.
I’m not searching the best mangler in the world, I probably already have some of them.
I’m searching for character and fun, which the su 700 to me seems to have.
Unfortunately I’m not intrigued by the Roland sp sound, apart the sp 202 which I really like.
Other fun unusual ones that you know of?
Tonverk
1 Like
I’d say that it’s not important to me the amount of things the sampler can do, but it should have a strong character and a fast to work with interface.
I have other instruments and sequencers for more advanced things
Don’t like the sound of the fx from what I’ve heard unfortunately, nor did I ever particularly liked these of the Octatrack
I have plenty of old keyboard and synths, I’m not scared by repairs.
For me the OP-XY has completely supplanted the OT in my setup. While it’s not quite as powerful as the OT, it has a pretty easy workflow, can slice and do basic mangling, and its effects to my ear sound much better than the OT’s.
Working with a nearly 30 year old sample / groove box to me sounds like it will be awful.
That’s an interesting one I didn’t considerate, I’ve had the ko ii for a brief time, I found it amusing, but wasn’t completely fond of the fx. It’s a lot of money unfortunately, and I fear not a lot of character, but I’d like to try it.
I don’t understand why there is such apprehension towards old instruments, my experience with them is excellent.
I really like the eps for example, but it isn’t suited for live usage
The OP-XY has some pretty cool live functionality, but it’s hidden behind a small screen which can be a little frustrating. Also, there’s not really a global mute mode which can be a touch annoying, different key presses depending on what screen you’re in. Still, it’s more able than you’d think and worth a look.
I would personally vote for the Digitakt II, it does a lot of the same things the OT can do and more in an easier interface. I know since getting mine I’ve not felt the need to break out my OT for gigs, and it was my main live tool for over a decade.
1 Like
I suggest an in person interview in that case. Not enough is made of the sound of Tonverk, it’s outstanding. Its light years ahead of the OT in that department.
Sounds like someone doesn’t understand how to work the old google machine. Good luck with your search.
2 Likes
I had the digitakt before buying the Octatrack, great machine, easy and fun, good sound although modern. I had the mki, does the mkii sound the same?
Maybe in the future I’ll buy it again, but now I’d like to find less sequencing and more sound editing.
Not really, it’s only that for products other than the more famous one it’s not so obvious to find info or first hand experience.
This insinuation and that of the torso s4 before, I don’t understand why you’re trying to offend me.
Yes, I’ll do it for sure
E-mu SP-1200
Ensoniq ASR-10/ASR-X
And considering some of your replies, some good FX pedals.
I never had the MK1, so I don’t know, sorry.
I like the sound of the asr 10, it really is a bulky thing though, not so great to moving around. Maybe I should search an asr x, but they are not so common near me.
The sp 1200, I saw there are various remake, it’s a possibility, an expensive one!
Fx pedals, that’s something I hadn’t thought about, thank you, I’m gonna search that way too. Do you have any suggestions on brand or specific pedal? I love time based fx and phasers, once I had a Finegear dust collector and really liked it, sold it to fund family things, maybe it’s time to re buy it.
Also rack fx then should be another way, suggestions in this sense?