In the video they said shipping in August, but this is a new product, so I expect some bugs in the early versions. Keep that in mind.
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Totally agree a new hardware MPC with a couple of GB flash ram, modern FX busses some basic synthesis & loop stretching and keep the sample layering layering and sequencer hey presto perfect machine for me.
From watching these videos it looks like they are really trying to go after the ocotrack. The downside to the Toraiz at least with launch firmware is no Midi sequencing. Once they add that I think this thing would be killer.
This tells me that they plan more midi functions down the road. Other wise they would have said āonly supportsā, ānot at time of releaseā.
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So Iād say with the next firmware update some time after launch they will add midi sequencing.
It still looks to me like you can only have 16 samples on the padsā¦
there are no bank buttons and right in Pioneerās literature it says you can load 16 samples to the pads lol
A kick, ghost kick, 2-3 high hat variations, 2 snares and a rim shot is gonna take up 8 samples
this is [strictly] for DJs unless iām mistaken
256 samples per project, so ideal for live sets Id say. With the 16 samples per pattern and the change of samples per pattern this is much better product for how I work than the octatrack ever was. I think Ill be buying one asap.
I agree that companies like Roland seem to be crippling products lately. Itās so annoying. My MPC 4000 still has more sequencing abilities than any current sampler in the market, though the OT is innovative with itās use of scenes and layout.
The OT kills the Pioneer after checking out the Toriaz manual. The OT may have only 8 tracks, but you can slice up samples and use 1 track to sequence several one shots. From the Toriaz manual it looks like you can only assign one sample per track and canāt sequence many samples within one track like you can on the OT or the MPC. Heck, for decades now on an MPC you get 32 note polyphony (64 on the 4000) and at least 4 banks on 16 samples per bank (and basically unlimited pattern length and advanced sequencing functions.)
Iāve been curious about the Toriaz because itās a standalone sampler with a modern interface (and analog filters.) Unfortunately the sequencing is so basic as to make an MPC60 blush. WTF happened to the industry? 15 years ago every product that was released was supposed to be bigger and badder then the last. These crippled one shot machines are great for a certain market, but Iām still waiting for something to replace my clunky MPV 4000.
Love my OT and RYTM however.
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Assuming that the pad sensitivity on this thing is decent & they allow or introduce mute groups I honestly think this machine will be FAR more suitable for many people myself included than the octa is.
For me the super convenient 16 slice mode is worth the price of entry alone. I think this machine is going to get into the arsenal of the live hip hop & glitch hop community and the experimental finger drummer crowd and be very successful.
Certainly Im looking forward to getting my hands on one.
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The devilās in the details. Iām about to get an Octatrack again but this is an interesting option.
Though I have a feeling, this oneās exactly what it says it is - which is great, of course. But the Octatrack is so much more than what it appears to be. Which is even greater.
Having said that, Iāll hold my decision until the reviews are in. Itās certainly interesting.
The OT tracks are stereo afaik.
New Electribe sampler does that.
Octatrack has stereo tracks.
There is no info on playing loops longer than 4 bars. Probably not implemented yet.
16 scenes are like 16 banks in OT with 16 patterns. In a project OT can store 4x more samples then SP-16 (because of 4 parts per bank).
Itās not clear if you can use slices the same way as in OT. So many unanswered questionsā¦
The biggest win for me so far is 16 vs 8 tracks, but for that amount of money itās possible to get OT + some other device.
4x more samples?? i can store at least 64 samples on 1 track of the OT
cats are getting their hopes up and i hope they are rightā¦but i am skeptical
Other kind of monophonic, funnily enough this is the second time this weekend someone says that!
Iād say the quality of the effects have some relevance to the value of this Toraiz thing. People still kill to get their hands on the SP303 because of the way it sounds. And one of the stronger cases for the Rytm is what it does to your samples when you put it through the works.
So what this piece of gear does to the tone of your samples, will in the end be most interesting to me. Features be damned, of course you can make great music on this thing. But would you care? Iād say that comes down to the way it sounds.
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certainly looks like they took some cues from elektron as well as othersā¦ but yeh Im skeptical tooā¦ the Tempest was supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread, with Roger Linn (the original creator of the MPC) and Dave Smith at the helmā¦ and we all know what happened there
this looks more like something a DJ would use to incorporate original music into a standard DJ set (of pre-existing tracks), so it could be a whole new concept in that way - but pioneer is unproven in the sampler/sequencer arena, so weāll see
also, id say its pretty expensive for whats on offer
btw the analog filter is not per track, its just a master effect - and to me thats almost worthlessā¦ im not a DJ tho
To be fair the tempest IS an incredible machine. Its just not really a drum machine. Its an analog groovebox really 
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Yeah, Iām gonna have to second that. The Tempest is pretty damn awesome. I never did mind or notice the bugs that caused that forum storm, but whatever was fixed, most likely made it even better.