Torso Electronics S-4 (sculpting sampler)

The Lounge Other Gear
#163

Samplr interface with Torso engine would make best of both world

2 Likes
#164

But what are the 4 symbols representing?

    1. (green triangle) Erase
    1. (yellow square) Stop
    1. (blue hexagon) Capture
    1. (red cogwheel) Record

(its on the screen)

And the symbols below the 8 knows?

    1. waveform?
    1. Sequencer?
    1. Filter?
    1. Looper?
    1. Reverb/Effects?
1 Like
#165

It’s already known:

  • Tape player (looping)
  • Granular (polyphony fits here)
  • Filters (the resonator with filterbank may go here?)
  • Color (Bit crushing, drive, and compression)
  • Combined reverb and delay with pitch-shifting and shimmer

Also, the 4 symbols are performance oriented controls depending on the active screen.

4 Likes
#166

Loopy can also be set up to do this. Might need a couple additional AUv3s. But you then have to design your own control interface.

#167

Is it the 16th yet? :upside_down_face:

Rethinking my whole workflow with the S-4 and Renoise working hand-in-hand.

Need more polyphony info please :slight_smile:

1 Like
#168

New teaser!

8 Likes
#169

Sounds gorgeous. I think the S-4 is going to be endless fun and inspiring.

1 Like
#170

The li’l tape stop at the end of that brief clip is what made me excited.

#171

I checked their instagram, and it seems that some of their older reels may already have audio from this device, for example the ones with the cases. I wonder if the T1 video of the American beauty theme was also made sequencing this.

#172

That seems very likely

1 Like
#173

Important info in the description

Pre-order on the 16th of November

:neutral_face:

#174

All my S-4 heads, stand up!
Will you be able to do 4 tracks internal sample playback AND external input audio / effect mixing?

#175

I’m mostly excited to see hardware support class compliant audio interfaces to increase the # of inputs: “Expandable number of inputs/outputs with class-compliant USB interfaces”.

I’m so deep into iOS that I don’t see myself picking this up, but I could see this be an amazing upgrade for those who use the octatrack mostly as a performance looper (among other things).

2 Likes
#176

Never been much of sampling guy, but my experience with the T1 has me interested.

But what does this whole “Tape Machine” terminology actually refer to?

“Tape Machine. Capture your surroundings. Use S-4 as a transformative four-track tape machine.
“tape-era workflows“
“Stereo tape and sample players“

And what’s the difference between a “Tape Player” vs ordinary sample playback? Can’t simply be some tape stop FX.
I’m confused. :upside_down_face:

#177

My guess is that it will be somewhat similar to the op-1 workflow, where you have 4 audio tracks that can be overdubbed any amount of times, and each of them can have loops etc. Basically you’re working with audio instead of sequencing midi.

5 Likes
#178

To me this particular bit seems like it would be quite a simple sample player as you say, so I’m guessing pitch linked to playback speed but maybe with some tape emulation thrown in for warbles, degradation and saturation, etc. Plus the aforementioned overdubbing and looping.

1 Like
#179

Gosh, I think I’m a bit to hyped for this device. I will probably be let down, but we’ll see.
I’ve come to find that I’m enjoying my creative output most when I puzzle sampled vocals/piano/guitar on the Octatrack. What I’ve felt missing from samplers is inter connectivity between each sample and or tracks (Assimil8or is treading slightly into that realm but not quiet), like audio modulating parameters of other tracks and so on, like a network of modulation which interact with each other, changing one parameter on one track changes parameters on other tracks and so on.

Reading the specs and especially the 20 modulators part has gotten my hopes up that this device could be it. I’m probably reading too much into it, but we’ll see. I will probably be one of the first to jump on this :laughing:.

7 Likes
#180

more than anything meaningful, it sounds to me like a marketing parlance trying to capitalise on the (presumed) target audience’s obsession with nostalgia. ‘tape wobble’ wows and flutters some. fear and awe! :sunglasses:

I just hope this doesn’t imply their algo ties speed to pitch, like tapes do. at least ‘speed’ and ‘warp’ are on two separate knobs, but who knows what the ‘warp’ is…

3 Likes
#181

My interest in this unit entirely depends on how advanced/easy the audio editing features are (the ability copy/paste clips, automate volume/parameter changes, etc.) and how good the FX sound.

2 Likes
#182

I suspect that audio modulating audio makes sweet spots much harder to find. I keep looking at A8r demos and threads, even though it is big and expensive and I don’t have room for it, because of the possibility to have CV modulating CV (where much more control is possible) and the result modulating audio. I really doubt the S-4 will do much in the audio->audio area. Even the A8r features that can be classified in this manner don’t seem to be used much (apart from FM).

1 Like