Universal Audio only got into the hardware guitar effects game about two years ago with the Golden Reverberator, Starlight Echo Station and Astra Modulation Machine. It quickly capitalized on its initial success by introducing three amp simulators in pedalboard-friendly formats. And now the company is adding three more units to the lineup: the Del-Verb Ambience Companion, Galaxy ‘74 Tape Echo & Reverb and Max Dual Preamp & Compressor.
These $349 pedals aim to capture the sound of several classic effects with powerful digital emulation. The form factor is the same as the rest of the UAFX pedals — so you get two foot switches, six knobs and stereo ins and outs, enclosed in a beefy aluminum enclosure. The only immediate difference between the new members of the family and the original six is the price. Universal Audio is one of the few companies actually lowering prices. The company says some minor changes were made to the knobs and packaging, and that the feature set is actually slightly simpler than past pedals, which allowed it to shave $50 off the price.
The Del-Verb Ambience Companion combines delay and reverb into a single pedal. One half of the pedal lets you pick between a spring reverb modeled on a "60s American guitar amp" (presumably a Fender Deluxe), a vintage German plate reverb or a late 70s digital reverb. The other side houses a tape echo emulation, an analog bucket brigade delay (BBM) and clean digital delay.
Galaxy on the other hand, goes all in on specifically modeling the Roland Space Echo. That includes its much loved preamp and spring reverb effect. There's even a tape age parameter for dialing in just the right amount of lo-fi grit. UA claims it's "the most authentic emulation of the classic mid-'70s Roland Space Echo hardware", but I'm sure Roland would beg to disagree.
Lastly the Max combines emulations of several iconic compressors with a recreation of Universal Audio's own 610 preamp. You can choose between the UA 1176, Teletronix LA-2A and DynaComp compressors, which cover everything from gentle tube squeeze to lo-fi crush. Multiple compression algorithms can even be stacked with the UA preamp to get some truly wild tones and textures.
It has no effect on the sound quality, but these are also probably the best looking of the UAFX pedals yet. The combo of baby blue and rich brown on the Del-Verb is delightful, and the single bright-red knob plus deep blue inset on the Max has a lovely vintage charm. The Del-Verb Ambience Companion, Galaxy ‘74 Tape Echo & Reverb and Max Dual Preamp & Compressor are available now through all of the usual retailers for $349.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/universal-audio-adds-three-more-stompboxes-to-its-high-end-guitar-effects-line-190051649.html?src=rss
Standalone sequencers are something of a luxury in the modern music-making landscape. These days, even the cheapest synths and samplers have at least rudimentary sequencing capabilities. And while many MIDI controllers have on-board sequencers, they’re usually meant to back up live performance rather than replace it. Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule (Arturia’s BeatStep Pro remains incredibly popular even eight years after it was introduced), but you have to start looking into the complex and often intimidating world of Eurorack and modular synths to regularly come across devices whose sole purpose is playing back strings of notes for you.
Eventide, best known for its high-end effects units like the H90 and TimeFactor, is not an obvious candidate to delve into the world of Eurorack. But that’s exactly what it decided to do with Misha, its first sequencer. Now, nobody would have blamed the company for playing it safe with its first foray into the space. Instead, it decided to chuck the usual conventions out the window and make something unique that is equal parts fun and confounding, especially if you’re deeply entrenched in traditional music theory and keyboard-based composition.
I am not an adept pianist. Nor do I have a particularly deep knowledge of Western music theory. And even still I initially struggled to wrap my head around Misha. That’s because the buttons on its face don’t play specific notes. Instead they play intervals related to the last note played within a scale.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The easiest way to explain this is through an example. Let’s say we’ve set the Misha to play a C Major scale. Below the screen, which shows you the key and scale, are nine colored buttons labeled -4 through +4. If you press 0, you get a C right off the bat, because that is the root note and it is zero intervals away from the start of the scale. If you press the +1, instead of getting a C#, you’ll get a D, the next note in the scale.
So far, so good, right? But if you press the +1 again, you won’t get a second D, and instead you’ll get an E, one interval higher in the scale. To get a second D note, you’d have to press 0. And if you wanted to go back to C, you’d have to press -1. It’s not complicated necessarily, but it breaks a basic expectation that any musician would understandably have – that if you do the same thing, you should get the same note. If I play the fifth fret on the low E of a guitar, I expect to get an A every time. If the notes continued to climb by five steps, without moving my hands, I would have a much harder time playing anything.
But this is the core concept of the Misha. It’s not built around absolute pitch and instead forces you to compose based purely on the relationships between notes in a scale. If that idea sends you running for the hills, then this probably isn’t the sequencer for you. If, however, you’re like me and intrigued by Misha’s unique approach, hang around and let’s dig a little deeper.
Hardware
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Before we go too far down the rabbit hole of scales, modes and sequencing, let’s take a step back and look at the hardware. While my unit came with a dedicated pod for housing the Misha, it’s ostensibly designed to live in a Eurorack setup. At 28hp wide, it’s a relatively large module, but it’s quite shallow at just 19mm deep, meaning it should fit in even the most portable skiffs. That width is kind of necessary, though. The 17 buttons, two knobs, microUSB port, microSD slot and and 16 ¼” jacks for MIDI, audio and control voltage would feel impossibly cramped on anything smaller.
The layout feels just spacious enough to be viable as a performance tool, without completely dominating a smaller Eurorack setup. The nine interval buttons are well-spaced, the screen is large enough to deliver all the necessary information and the knobs are sturdy. My only issue hardware-wise is that the shift buttons have a hollow spring to them that feels a bit cheap and they make an audible popping sound.
The 12 CV (control voltage) jacks are split across three tracks, with three pairs of gate and CV outputs as well as two inputs each. This gives you a decent amount of options for controlling multiple synth voices or modulating the Misha’s sequencer. There’s also MIDI in and out jacks, as well as stereo out and a clock in. The microUSB port can also be connected to a computer keyboard for use with custom keymappings. You’re not gonna be wanting for connectivity options here.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The screen in the dead center gives you all the info you need about navigating Misha’s interface, though it can take a bit to figure out how it all works. I highly recommend reading the manual. It’s not long and can save you lots of time and frustration. Once you come to grips with how the Misha works, it’s almost deceptively simple. In fact, I frequently felt like I had to be missing something. That, for sure, this module, with all its buttons and knobs and 1-inch screen, was hiding features from me.
Definitely take time to customize those four user buttons, though. While the default functions of up and down one octave (button one and two), and up and down one chromatic step (three and four) are useful enough, they can offer a lot of performance power when mapped to meet your specific needs. Personally I like swapping in “move pitch” for the chromatic steps, and setting it to a fifth. That adds a bit more spice than a simple octave, but generally still works well musically with whatever else is going on.
One last thing worth noting is that Misha has a built-in oscillator that you can turn on in the settings. But, beyond providing a simple sound source for auditioning melodies and generally getting a feel for the sequencer, it’s practically useless. In fact, it’s not even mentioned in the manual.
Composing
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Misha ships with 100 preloaded scales ranging from basic (Melodic Minor), to exotic (Enigmatic), to microtonal insanity (48 note equal-tempered). And, if somehow that’s not enough for you, there are 100 user slots for loading your own scala files. Between the various scales, modes and keys, the musical options baked into Misha are seemingly endless.
The most immediate way to start exploring them is to select a scale and then start pressing the interval buttons. This is actually a pretty satisfying way of playing an instrument, too. I don’t have a big rig to stick this in, but I paired it with Cre8Audio’s East Beast and West Pest, as well as the Moog Subharmonicon and Elektron Digitone all to wonderful effect.
This is not the sort of process you go to when you want to translate a melody you hear in your head to the real world. Perhaps someone could train themselves to think in intervals to use Misha that way, but it would take a lot of work. Instead this can create happy accidents. You just have to pay especially close attention to what you play to make sure you can recreate anything that catches your ear.
Now, yes, there are ways to lock a controller to a specific scale, similar to the Misha – basically making it impossible to play out of tune. But there’s something about playing intervals instead of notes that feels both intuitive and surprising, in a way a keyboard never could. Crafting melodies becomes a rewarding exploration where I’m basically forced to cede control, rather than a frustrating attempt to use my limited theory knowledge to turn ideas into reality.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
One of the few things I have to decide beforehand is how many octaves I want to play around in. Setting the note range to two octaves, for instance, means, once I climb beyond that cap, the intervals will swing back around to two octaves below my root note. It’s probably best to try and avoid going all the way around, though. Jumping down two octaves can sound a tad harsh.
The octave limits also apply when using Misha as a sequencer, so you can play a melody line spread out over four octaves worth of a scale before starting over. The sequencer, though, is where things get a little dicey. It’s built around the idea of a “tone row,” a device used in serial composition where all twelve notes in the chromatic scale are played, without repetition, to create a motif. The innovation here is that this concept of a tone row can be applied to any scale, not just a twelve-note, Western chromatic one.
This method of composition definitely falls on the experimental end of the spectrum and with certain scales it can come off a little awkward. This also means that the number of steps in a sequence is dependent on which scale you’re using. A single octave sequence in a minor pentatonic scale will only have five steps, while two octaves of the quarter tone scale will have 48 steps. While I appreciate the novel approach, part of me really wishes that the tone row was a mode you could turn on and off. I’d love to see Eventide add a more traditional sequencer through a firmware update where notes can be repeated.
There is also a chord mode that allows you to send three-notes out over MIDI or divided between the three CV outs. If you have a Eurorack setup with multiple synth voices, this is a great way to create some complexity and variation, especially if you have other utilities that can further modulate what the Misha puts out. For example, you can send the root note through a simple arpeggiator for the bass while using the other notes to play leads or pads. Unfortunately, there is no onboard way to sequence chord voicings. You can manually change it while performing, but it’s kind of a pain. Alternatively, you could use another sequencer to send MIDI CCs to Misha and change chord voicings, which seems like overkill.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Easily the best way to use the Misha is as a performance tool paired with an external MIDI controller. Here, the white keys give you an even broader range of interval jumps (nine in either direct) as well as quick access to the root note, while the black keys can repeat a note, play a random scale note or move chromatically up and down one step at a time. And, of course, you can still hit the four user programmable buttons on the front of the module or even map other notes on the keyboard to put more variables at your fingertips.
Wrap-up
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
At $599, Misha is not cheap. And that jumps to $699 if you need a Eurorack pod and power adapter. But it’s also truly unique. If the allure of interval based performance or tone row sequencing is what you’re after, well, this is the only game in town (at least that I’m aware of). I’m sure that there are ways of getting a similar effect using software, but when it comes to hardware, this is it.
I do wish that Eventide made a few more concessions to traditional composition, though. I want to be able to repeat notes or program passages that are an arbitrary length, rather than be limited to the number of notes in a scale. Maybe those will be added in a future firmware update, at which point it might be harder to come up with reasons not to buy one. For now, Misha is a pricey, niche tool that’s also undeniably playful and creative.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eventide-misha-review-a-playful-sequencer-that-says-to-hell-with-tradition-170058588.html?src=rss
Standalone sequencers are something of a luxury in the modern music-making landscape. These days, even the cheapest synths and samplers have at least rudimentary sequencing capabilities. And while many MIDI controllers have on-board sequencers, they’re usually meant to back up live performance rather than replace it. Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule (Arturia’s BeatStep Pro remains incredibly popular even eight years after it was introduced), but you have to start looking into the complex and often intimidating world of Eurorack and modular synths to regularly come across devices whose sole purpose is playing back strings of notes for you.
Eventide, best known for its high-end effects units like the H90 and TimeFactor, is not an obvious candidate to delve into the world of Eurorack. But that’s exactly what it decided to do with Misha, its first sequencer. Now, nobody would have blamed the company for playing it safe with its first foray into the space. Instead, it decided to chuck the usual conventions out the window and make something unique that is equal parts fun and confounding, especially if you’re deeply entrenched in traditional music theory and keyboard-based composition.
I am not an adept pianist. Nor do I have a particularly deep knowledge of Western music theory. And even still I initially struggled to wrap my head around Misha. That’s because the buttons on its face don’t play specific notes. Instead they play intervals related to the last note played within a scale.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The easiest way to explain this is through an example. Let’s say we’ve set the Misha to play a C Major scale. Below the screen, which shows you the key and scale, are nine colored buttons labeled -4 through +4. If you press 0, you get a C right off the bat, because that is the root note and it is zero intervals away from the start of the scale. If you press the +1, instead of getting a C#, you’ll get a D, the next note in the scale.
So far, so good, right? But if you press the +1 again, you won’t get a second D, and instead you’ll get an E, one interval higher in the scale. To get a second D note, you’d have to press 0. And if you wanted to go back to C, you’d have to press -1. It’s not complicated necessarily, but it breaks a basic expectation that any musician would understandably have – that if you do the same thing, you should get the same note. If I play the fifth fret on the low E of a guitar, I expect to get an A every time. If the notes continued to climb by five steps, without moving my hands, I would have a much harder time playing anything.
But this is the core concept of the Misha. It’s not built around absolute pitch and instead forces you to compose based purely on the relationships between notes in a scale. If that idea sends you running for the hills, then this probably isn’t the sequencer for you. If, however, you’re like me and intrigued by Misha’s unique approach, hang around and let’s dig a little deeper.
Hardware
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Before we go too far down the rabbit hole of scales, modes and sequencing, let’s take a step back and look at the hardware. While my unit came with a dedicated pod for housing the Misha, it’s ostensibly designed to live in a Eurorack setup. At 28hp wide, it’s a relatively large module, but it’s quite shallow at just 19mm deep, meaning it should fit in even the most portable skiffs. That width is kind of necessary, though. The 17 buttons, two knobs, microUSB port, microSD slot and and 16 ¼” jacks for MIDI, audio and control voltage would feel impossibly cramped on anything smaller.
The layout feels just spacious enough to be viable as a performance tool, without completely dominating a smaller Eurorack setup. The nine interval buttons are well-spaced, the screen is large enough to deliver all the necessary information and the knobs are sturdy. My only issue hardware-wise is that the shift buttons have a hollow spring to them that feels a bit cheap and they make an audible popping sound.
The 12 CV (control voltage) jacks are split across three tracks, with three pairs of gate and CV outputs as well as two inputs each. This gives you a decent amount of options for controlling multiple synth voices or modulating the Misha’s sequencer. There’s also MIDI in and out jacks, as well as stereo out and a clock in. The microUSB port can also be connected to a computer keyboard for use with custom keymappings. You’re not gonna be wanting for connectivity options here.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The screen in the dead center gives you all the info you need about navigating Misha’s interface, though it can take a bit to figure out how it all works. I highly recommend reading the manual. It’s not long and can save you lots of time and frustration. Once you come to grips with how the Misha works, it’s almost deceptively simple. In fact, I frequently felt like I had to be missing something. That, for sure, this module, with all its buttons and knobs and 1-inch screen, was hiding features from me.
Definitely take time to customize those four user buttons, though. While the default functions of up and down one octave (button one and two), and up and down one chromatic step (three and four) are useful enough, they can offer a lot of performance power when mapped to meet your specific needs. Personally I like swapping in “move pitch” for the chromatic steps, and setting it to a fifth. That adds a bit more spice than a simple octave, but generally still works well musically with whatever else is going on.
One last thing worth noting is that Misha has a built-in oscillator that you can turn on in the settings. But, beyond providing a simple sound source for auditioning melodies and generally getting a feel for the sequencer, it’s practically useless. In fact, it’s not even mentioned in the manual.
Composing
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Misha ships with 100 preloaded scales ranging from basic (Melodic Minor), to exotic (Enigmatic), to microtonal insanity (48 note equal-tempered). And, if somehow that’s not enough for you, there are 100 user slots for loading your own scala files. Between the various scales, modes and keys, the musical options baked into Misha are seemingly endless.
The most immediate way to start exploring them is to select a scale and then start pressing the interval buttons. This is actually a pretty satisfying way of playing an instrument, too. I don’t have a big rig to stick this in, but I paired it with Cre8Audio’s East Beast and West Pest, as well as the Moog Subharmonicon and Elektron Digitone all to wonderful effect.
This is not the sort of process you go to when you want to translate a melody you hear in your head to the real world. Perhaps someone could train themselves to think in intervals to use Misha that way, but it would take a lot of work. Instead this can create happy accidents. You just have to pay especially close attention to what you play to make sure you can recreate anything that catches your ear.
Now, yes, there are ways to lock a controller to a specific scale, similar to the Misha – basically making it impossible to play out of tune. But there’s something about playing intervals instead of notes that feels both intuitive and surprising, in a way a keyboard never could. Crafting melodies becomes a rewarding exploration where I’m basically forced to cede control, rather than a frustrating attempt to use my limited theory knowledge to turn ideas into reality.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
One of the few things I have to decide beforehand is how many octaves I want to play around in. Setting the note range to two octaves, for instance, means, once I climb beyond that cap, the intervals will swing back around to two octaves below my root note. It’s probably best to try and avoid going all the way around, though. Jumping down two octaves can sound a tad harsh.
The octave limits also apply when using Misha as a sequencer, so you can play a melody line spread out over four octaves worth of a scale before starting over. The sequencer, though, is where things get a little dicey. It’s built around the idea of a “tone row,” a device used in serial composition where all twelve notes in the chromatic scale are played, without repetition, to create a motif. The innovation here is that this concept of a tone row can be applied to any scale, not just a twelve-note, Western chromatic one.
This method of composition definitely falls on the experimental end of the spectrum and with certain scales it can come off a little awkward. This also means that the number of steps in a sequence is dependent on which scale you’re using. A single octave sequence in a minor pentatonic scale will only have five steps, while two octaves of the quarter tone scale will have 48 steps. While I appreciate the novel approach, part of me really wishes that the tone row was a mode you could turn on and off. I’d love to see Eventide add a more traditional sequencer through a firmware update where notes can be repeated.
There is also a chord mode that allows you to send three-notes out over MIDI or divided between the three CV outs. If you have a Eurorack setup with multiple synth voices, this is a great way to create some complexity and variation, especially if you have other utilities that can further modulate what the Misha puts out. For example, you can send the root note through a simple arpeggiator for the bass while using the other notes to play leads or pads. Unfortunately, there is no onboard way to sequence chord voicings. You can manually change it while performing, but it’s kind of a pain. Alternatively, you could use another sequencer to send MIDI CCs to Misha and change chord voicings, which seems like overkill.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Easily the best way to use the Misha is as a performance tool paired with an external MIDI controller. Here, the white keys give you an even broader range of interval jumps (nine in either direct) as well as quick access to the root note, while the black keys can repeat a note, play a random scale note or move chromatically up and down one step at a time. And, of course, you can still hit the four user programmable buttons on the front of the module or even map other notes on the keyboard to put more variables at your fingertips.
Wrap-up
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
At $599, Misha is not cheap. And that jumps to $699 if you need a Eurorack pod and power adapter. But it’s also truly unique. If the allure of interval based performance or tone row sequencing is what you’re after, well, this is the only game in town (at least that I’m aware of). I’m sure that there are ways of getting a similar effect using software, but when it comes to hardware, this is it.
I do wish that Eventide made a few more concessions to traditional composition, though. I want to be able to repeat notes or program passages that are an arbitrary length, rather than be limited to the number of notes in a scale. Maybe those will be added in a future firmware update, at which point it might be harder to come up with reasons not to buy one. For now, Misha is a pricey, niche tool that’s also undeniably playful and creative.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eventide-misha-review-a-playful-sequencer-that-says-to-hell-with-tradition-170058588.html?src=rss
A lot of Roland's recent instruments, that aren't just rehashes of classic gear, take an "everything and the kitchen sink" approach. Sampling and drum synthesis? Why not. Presets numbering in the thousands — plural? Of course! A dedicated vocal effect section and phantom power for running a condenser mic? Would be silly not to. The SH-4d follows the same basic formula, it has basically any feature you could want, and few you wonder who would want them, but sticks it in a box focused synthesis and sound design (mostly).
Unlike most of Roland's newer fare though, the SH-4d has plenty of hands-on controls. There's a full two octave keyboard, 16-step sequencer buttons, four faders and 32 knobs. It even has motion controls for some reason — You can actually pick up the synth and tilt it to change parameters. I'm not sure what the appeal of that is, but you know what, I'm just glad to see Roland adding controls instead of stripping back more.
Under the hood is a robust sound engine with 11 oscillator types, ranging from emulations of classic analog sounds from Juno-106 and SH-101, to metallic FM tones, PCM samples and 31 different wavetables. There's a multi-mode filter, an amp envelope, and LFO and a multi-effects engine with 93 different options, including nine reverb types and five choruses. The 128 x 64 LED screen isn't the sharpest, but it's definitely an improvement on the somewhat archaic seeming displays on the Verselab and TR-6S
Based on the demo clips, it seems like the instrument is leaning heavily into Roland's legacy as a cornerstone of techno, house and other electronic dance music. But it's it will likely be versatile enough to work for other genres as well. As long as you're pairing it with other instruments.
But the SH-4d doesn't stop at sound design. There's also a five track, 64-step polyphonic sequencer with motion recording and three different playback modes. The first four tracks can control any of the 11 oscillator models, The fifth is a dedicated rhythm track that can play back a selection of 439 different samples and virtual analog waves.
The sequencer and rhythm section turn the SH-4d into more of a groovebox than a synth, which has kind of been Roland's specialty over these last few year. But its interface definitely screams synthesizer, which is a welcome change from the menu-divey affairs the company has been pumping out recently.
At nearly four pounds and over a foot wide, not to mention almost eight inches deep, the SH-4d isn't super portable, but it can be powered four AA batteries none the less. You can also power it with a standard USB-C charger like you might use for your phone, which is nice. Plus, at least you know it won't eat up too much desk space. The Roland SH-4d will be arriving sometime in March for $650.
IK Multimedia has been in the guitar rig emulation game for a long time. It released the first version of AmpliTube way back in 2002. And while the company has branched out quite a bit since then into synths, microphones and studio monitors, it hasn't given up on the world of guitar just yet. In September it released Amplitude ToneX, an AI-powered update to its long-running modeling software. And now it's combining that cutting edge software with its line of AmpliTube effects pedals to make a play at the increasingly popular market for hardware amp emulators.
The ToneX Pedal, at least physically, appears to be nearly identical to the other members of the AmpliTube pedal family. Though, rather than just offer a selection of delay effects, it can play host to entire rigs — from amplifies, cabs and even effects pedals. Users can capture and recreate their own gear if they want, great if you've got a lot of heavy (and expensive) vintage gear that you don't want to risk at your next gig at the local punk rock bar. Just make a digital emulation, save it to the pedal and plug that straight into the venue's PA. Of course, what will be of more interest to most is the library of over 1,000 Tone Models that are included with the ToneX Max software, and the over 6,000 user generated models on ToneNet.
The pedal can store up to 150 presets at a time that model everything from modern metal rigs to individual pedals. What's more, if you've got a collection of impulse responses (IRs) you've collected, you can load them on the pedal as well to customize your selection of cabinets, and the pedal even has mic simulation built in, so you can plug straight into your DAW without having to sacrifice "room tone".
Beyond that, the ToneX Pedal has a noise gate, EQ and compressor circuits, as well as five reverbs borrowed from the AmpliTube X-Space pedal. Plus it integrates with AmpliTube 5 on your computer, and can even be used as an audio interface for directly capturing guitar tracks, and it has MIDI in and out to make sure everything syncs up right. The ToneX Pedal is available now for $400,
IK Multimedia has been in the guitar rig emulation game for a long time. It released the first version of AmpliTube way back in 2002. And while the company has branched out quite a bit since then into synths, microphones and studio monitors, it hasn't given up on the world of guitar just yet. In September it released Amplitude ToneX, an AI-powered update to its long-running modeling software. And now it's combining that cutting edge software with its line of AmpliTube effects pedals to make a play at the increasingly popular market for hardware amp emulators.
The ToneX Pedal, at least physically, appears to be nearly identical to the other members of the AmpliTube pedal family. Though, rather than just offer a selection of delay effects, it can play host to entire rigs — from amplifies, cabs and even effects pedals. Users can capture and recreate their own gear if they want, great if you've got a lot of heavy (and expensive) vintage gear that you don't want to risk at your next gig at the local punk rock bar. Just make a digital emulation, save it to the pedal and plug that straight into the venue's PA. Of course, what will be of more interest to most is the library of over 1,000 Tone Models that are included with the ToneX Max software, and the over 6,000 user generated models on ToneNet.
The pedal can store up to 150 presets at a time that model everything from modern metal rigs to individual pedals. What's more, if you've got a collection of impulse responses (IRs) you've collected, you can load them on the pedal as well to customize your selection of cabinets, and the pedal even has mic simulation built in, so you can plug straight into your DAW without having to sacrifice "room tone".
Beyond that, the ToneX Pedal has a noise gate, EQ and compressor circuits, as well as five reverbs borrowed from the AmpliTube X-Space pedal. Plus it integrates with AmpliTube 5 on your computer, and can even be used as an audio interface for directly capturing guitar tracks, and it has MIDI in and out to make sure everything syncs up right. The ToneX Pedal is available now for $400,
I almost never leave the house without some device dedicated to exercising the creative part of my brain. Sometimes this is as simple as a camera or a field recorder. Other times I bring my Teenage Engineering PO-33 with me. It’s not that my phone and a few apps couldn’t accomplish the same thing. It’s just less satisfying. Less tactile.
I have also made no bones about my love of strange, esotericmusic gear. Bastl Instruments’ Microgranny fits the bill for both these wants. It’s tiny, battery-powered and super weird. But I didn’t click with it immediately. I owned a Microgranny 2 briefly a few years back and ended up selling it. Yet, there was something about its crunchy lofi character that I couldn’t shake. So when Bastl Instruments launched the $246Microgranny Monolith, I decided I should give it another shot.
Hardware
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The Monolith is the Microgranny in its “final form.” Though, ultimately, it’s not terribly different from the Microgranny 2 that I slightly regret parting ways with. It’s a 5.5 x 3 x 1.8 inch monophonic sampler powered by a 9v battery (or 9v guitar pedal power cord). It has a built-in microphone for capturing the world around you in glorious 22,050Hz, 8-bit fidelity, as well as a line in and a microSD card preloaded with samples. There’s also a full-size MIDI in and audio out jack on the back.
The controls are pretty easy to figure out, though there is a slight learning curve to things like the recording and instant loop features. On the front are the six “big buttons” for playing back your samples, each of which also has a shift function. There’s also six smaller buttons and six knobs for controlling various parameters. All of this is in the exact same layout, with the exact same labeling as the Microgranny 2.
Physically, the only notable differences are in build quality. The Monolith is made out of dense PCB material instead of acrylic. And the knobs and buttons are all much more satisfying than the usable, but kind of toy-like ones found on the Microgranny 2. The text is also easier to read thanks to the brighter font and dark case. All-in-all, it’s a substantial physical upgrade.
The one thing that hasn’t changed, that I really wish would have, is how you put batteries in the Microgranny. Bastl is a small company that makes instruments for weirdos, so I try to cut it some slack. But replacing the batteries on this thing is aggravating. You have to unscrew the bottom plate and take it off, which inevitably causes the sides of the instrument to also come off. Then, when you’re done shoving a 9v battery in there, you have to carefully realign all the pieces and hope everything stays in place while you screw it back together.
Fighting with the battery is really only an issue if you want to take the Microgranny out of the house with you. Otherwise you can use a standard 9V AC adapter, like the one most guitar pedals use. Thankfully, I happen to have plenty of those laying around. Obviously, this somewhat negates the portability factor, but as I’ll get to in a bit, that turned out to be less of a lure to me than expected. It’s also worth noting that the output is a little noisy when turned all the way up, so definitely stop at about 75 percent if you’re not into low constant whines.
Granular
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
What sets the Microgranny apart in a sea of portable and affordable music gear is that it’s a granular sampler. Now, Bastl is careful not to use the words “granular synthesizer” in most of its marketing materials. And that’s smart. Because if you’re coming here expecting the lush, alien and often ambient soundscapes usually associated with granular synthesis you will be sorely disappointed.
For one, as mentioned earlier, the Microgranny is monophonic. That means you can’t play chords on it unless you’re sampling one. And two, the sound engine can only playback a single “grain” at a time. On something like the 1010music Lemondrop, for instance, you can get up to 16 bits of an audio file running simultaneously, creating complex and often unpredictable textures from the source material. The Microgranny, well, is more like a playable CD skip. But once you embrace that unabashed lofi nature, that’s when you can really connect with it.
Using the controls on the front, you can change the size of the grains, but you’ll never get smooth single cycle waveforms even at the smallest end. Instead the sound is broken and glitchy, like a corrupted MP3 you downloaded from Kazaa in 2002. You can control the speed and direction the playhead travels through your sample using the shift speed knob. It’s almost like very rudimentary time stretching. It doesn’t change the pitch of the sample you're playing back, but it can drag it out in an unnatural and artifact-riddled way.
Then there is sample rate, which changes both the pitch and speed of a sound, similar to an old school sampler. And crush – an absolutely unforgiving bit-crusher — that takes the already crusty character of the Microgranny to full meltdown even at lower settings. When cranked, crush turns any sample into what can only be described as an Atari 2600 trying to approximate the thunderous approach of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
There are also knobs for controlling the start and end points of a sample, as well as the attack and release. They’re basic things that you’ll need, but don’t impart much character. The other important controls are all shift functions found under the big buttons. Hold down FN and press those to turn on legato, set a sample to repeat, sync grain playback to a MIDI clock signal and randomly shift the playback head.
Then there are two other options – RNDMZR – which does what you’d expect: randomize all the parameters for the last played sample. This is the quickest way to complete aural chaos. And “tuned,” which has two different effects. For one it locks the sample rate options to semitones, instead of smooth pitch shifting. And two, when you connect a MIDI keyboard it will transpose the sample for melodic playback. When this is inactive, a keyboard will play back individual grains instead. The latter sounds great in theory, but I’ve honestly had a hard time finding a practical use for it.
In use
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Initially I was excited about the idea of the Microgranny as a go-everywhere, granular noise maker. Obviously everyone’s tastes and use cases are different, but I’ve found that it’s just not ideal for me in that role. For one, the limitations of the monophonic granular engine mean that it’s kind of hard to create something full and musical by simply snatching samples around me.
There’s no sequencer, so I can’t save a fun found-sound drum pattern for later use back in my home studio. I have to remember what I played and rely on my admittedly lackluster sense of rhythm. And the microphone just isn’t particularly sensitive. Even with the input cranked the source needs to be very loud. I turned my phone up all the way, placed the speaker less than half an inch away from the mic, and it was still pretty quiet. Your better bet is using the input jack directly connected to another audio source, like a synth or external mic.
While the granular engine is definitely fun for getting glitchy stuttering sounds, I find it’s best deployed in moderation. Treating the Microgranny as a more traditional (if exceptionally lofi) sampler, though, delivers extremely satisfying results. Since there’s no way to play a sample chromatically in real time on the device itself, that does mean you’d need to sample individual notes or chords to create something melodic without the aid of a MIDI keyboard. Or, you could take one sample, copy and paste it across the six big buttons and adjust the sample rate of each to create a scale.
This isn’t to say that the Microgranny isn’t a fun or melodic instrument. It’s just that it feels more useful in the studio than out. I love it for creating rhythmic loops that I can import into my DAW or processing samples to get a nice digital patina on them. And with a MIDI keyboard attached you can get that crispy pitched sound that makes the Casio SK series of keyboards so sought after (and insanely expensive) even 28 years later.
It’s not the easiest thing to do, but you can even chop up samples on the Microgranny by copying and pasting the same sound across multiple buttons and changing the starting point. It can be a little fiddly since you’re dealing with a really basic seven-segment LED display. But it can be done. This was honestly some of the most fun I had jamming with the Microgranny on its own. Load up some disco or house tracks and you can easily flip them into some lofi Daft Punk-type beats. Max out that crush knob and well, you’ve just created the ideal soundtrack for a rave at the end of the world.
Wrap-up
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
I think I probably gave up on the Microgranny too quickly the first time, since I was too focused on the mobile and granular aspects. When I couldn’t create otherworldly clouds of atmospherics or sketch out a song with multiple tracks, I went straight back to my PO-33 without digging any deeper. I failed to truly explore its potential as a more studio-bound instrument.
At $246 it’s not expensive, but it’s costly and quirky enough that it will only appeal to a particular niche that wants the most authentic lofi sampling they can get. Obviously you can change the sample and bit rate of a file on your computer. But – and this is my opinion – the Microgranny just imparts more character. And it’s the sort of character that’s hard to get without springing for a vintage sampler that might not be in perfect working order. So, if your preferred flavor of lofi grit is more cheap 80s digital than aging tape deck, the Bastl Instruments Microgranny Monolith is definitely worth checking out.
These days it’s not necessary to go to a giant studio with overpriced, pro-grade gear to record a Grammy-winning record. You can do it right from the comfort of your own bedroom in fact, using tools priced for even the most casual of hobbyists. It's not news that the tools of creation or the avenues for distributing art are accessible to more people than ever. But the cultural institutions that have dominated popular music for so long can no longer ignore the bedroom producer or budding Soundcloud star.
Maybe you've been inspired to build your own home recording studio. And maybe, you're not quite sure where to start. Well, an audio interface, a good mic and a decent set of headphones will get you pretty far. But the first thing you'll need is probably staring you right in the face: a computer.
Computer and a DAW
Ableton
Justin DeLay, Director of Product and Category Marketing at Reverb, drives home just how important the computer is: "You can strip away everything else and as long as you have a computer you can still create music," he told me. He suggests you "spend the money on a good computer and get other gear — such as audio interfaces, mics, headphones, etc. — used or at reasonable price points."
But, truthfully, you can do quite a lot with whatever computer you have on hand. Joe Pecora, the engineer and producer at Red Room Studio, says your set up "could be as simple as an iPhone/iPad with Garage band." (I know someone who recorded an entire album this way.) While he agrees that the most important part is your computer, he argues it doesn't have to be super powerful. It doesn't even have to be a desktop. JDilla famously created many of his beats on a Roland SP303, and you can basically recreate that experience with an iPad and the $4 Koala Sampler for iOS. And don't forget that Gorillaz recorded an entire album on an iPad.
Which leads us to the next thing you'll need: a DAW, or digital audio workstation. If you're a Mac user, then you're lucky enough to have access to Garage Band, a surprisingly capable free option. And upgrading to Logic Pro X is only a $200 investment. If you're on Windows (or just don't like Logic), I often recommend Ableton Live (starting at $99). But honestly there are plenty of great options out there, like FL Studio, BitWig and Cubase all of which start at $99. And often, stripped down versions come free as part of a software bundle when you buy music-making hardware like MIDI controllers and audio interfaces.
Assuming you already have a computer and you just need the accessories to get recording, you can pick up everything you need for under $500 new. But, if you’re patient, you could build a well equipped bedroom studio with used gear for as little as $250.
MIDI controller
Engadget
Speaking of which, one of the first additions to your studio should be a MIDI controller. DeLay says this is a piece of gear often overlooked by beginners. "It's not just for playing keyboard sounds," he explained, "it can be used to write drums and percussion, to control mixes and more. It's the creative interface of music production, and you don't have to play the piano in order to harness its power."
Unfortunately there's no gear that will magically turn you into a breathy pop goddess, but a decent mic and audio interface can at least help you sound your best. Now, you could get a USB microphone, like Blue Microphones’ $130 Yeti, and it will certainly get the job done. Heck, that album I mentioned earlier was recorded using the wired headset that came with the iPhone.
But, honestly, your better bet is to get a regular XLR mic and an audio interface. Pecora specifically warns against splurging too much here. "People will look at their favorite artist and see that they use a certain mic or preamp or plugin and want to use the same thing thinking it will get them the same sound." On early singles like "Ocean Eyes" Billie Eilish used an Audio-Technica AT2020 condenser mic, which costs just $100. And I’ve stuck almost exclusively with cheap Shure SM58s and 57s ($100 new, $50-$75 used) whether I was recording demos with my band in college or voice over for review videos at Engadget.
If you fancy yourself a future pop sensation and want to make sure your vocals are the star of the show, you could consider using a significant chunk of your budget on something like the Rode NT1-A ($229) or Shure SM7B ($390). You will get better results with more flexibility for post production, but you can clearly get excellent results with more affordable options.
Audio interface
Scarlett
As for the interface, there are tons of great options out there. Companies like Focusrite, Arturia and Tascam make excellent ones. But our new favorites in the budget interface space are Universal Audio’s Volt series. If your budget allows for it we strongly recommend the $299 Volt 276. Though, the $189 Volt 2 is also excellent, it just doesn’t standout from the crowd quite as much.
If you’re trying to save a few bucks, it's hard to beat the Scarlett series from Focusrite (just make sure to get the second- or third-gen models). You can get the latest Scarlett 2i2 for around $130 used, but it's just $180 new (and includes a huge bundle of very useful software).
The reason to opt for an audio interface instead of a simple USB mic is because it offers you a lot more flexibility and room to grow. For one, it offloads a lot of the audio processing from the CPU. Second, it will allow you to connect not just mics (and swap in different ones for different purposes), but also instruments, turntables or anything with an audio-out jack. An audio interface is also necessary if you plan to connect a pair of studio monitors.
Studio monitors and headphones
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
This is an area that DeLay advises caution. While a good set of studio monitors will obviously be better than the speakers on your laptop and will result in a better mix, it's too easy to get caught up in what he calls monitor envy. "The reality is that monitors at a $300 price point are going to work just fine in most spaces," he says. Plus, your bedroom probably doesn't have the space to really make the most of large, powerful monitors. So, save your money.
And if you're just starting out, you're probably better off getting a decent set of headphones. There're tons of amazing and affordable studio quality headphones out there for under $200, like the $179 Beyerdynamic DT990PRO (currently down to just $179 on Amazon). But one of our favorites is an old workhorse from Sony, the MDR-7506. They're well under $100 and actual pros have used them for decades to mix music.
One tip DeLay offers for novices: Double check your mixes in the real world. Headphones can over emphasize bass, while smaller studio monitors can have trouble delivering accurate bass response. So make sure to listen to your track on laptop speakers or in a car to get a sense of how it will sound in the wild.
And that's really the key — have the patience to develop your skills and make the most of the gear you have. It's really easy to catch a bad case of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) when you're first starting out — trust me, I know. But there's no need to shell out thousands of dollars for high-end gear to start making music. You don't even need to buy new gear. Pecora suggests the only thing you absolutely should buy new are headphones. And, presumably, that's just because you don't want to be wearing years worth of someone else's sweat on your ears.
These days it’s not necessary to go to a giant studio with overpriced, pro-grade gear to record a Grammy-winning record. You can do it right from the comfort of your own bedroom in fact, using tools priced for even the most casual of hobbyists. It's not news that the tools of creation or the avenues for distributing art are accessible to more people than ever. But the cultural institutions that have dominated popular music for so long can no longer ignore the bedroom producer or budding Soundcloud star.
Maybe you've been inspired to build your own home recording studio. And maybe, you're not quite sure where to start. Well, an audio interface, a good mic and a decent set of headphones will get you pretty far. But the first thing you'll need is probably staring you right in the face: a computer.
Computer and a DAW
Ableton
Justin DeLay, Director of Product and Category Marketing at Reverb, drives home just how important the computer is: "You can strip away everything else and as long as you have a computer you can still create music," he told me. He suggests you "spend the money on a good computer and get other gear — such as audio interfaces, mics, headphones, etc. — used or at reasonable price points."
But, truthfully, you can do quite a lot with whatever computer you have on hand. Joe Pecora, the engineer and producer at Red Room Studio, says your set up "could be as simple as an iPhone/iPad with Garage band." (I know someone who recorded an entire album this way.) While he agrees that the most important part is your computer, he argues it doesn't have to be super powerful. It doesn't even have to be a desktop. JDilla famously created many of his beats on a Roland SP303, and you can basically recreate that experience with an iPad and the $4 Koala Sampler for iOS. And don't forget that Gorillaz recorded an entire album on an iPad.
Which leads us to the next thing you'll need: a DAW, or digital audio workstation. If you're a Mac user, then you're lucky enough to have access to Garage Band, a surprisingly capable free option. And upgrading to Logic Pro X is only a $200 investment. If you're on Windows (or just don't like Logic), I often recommend Ableton Live (starting at $99). But honestly there are plenty of great options out there, like FL Studio, BitWig and Cubase all of which start at $99. And often, stripped down versions come free as part of a software bundle when you buy music-making hardware like MIDI controllers and audio interfaces.
Assuming you already have a computer and you just need the accessories to get recording, you can pick up everything you need for under $500 new. But, if you’re patient, you could build a well equipped bedroom studio with used gear for as little as $250.
MIDI controller
Engadget
Speaking of which, one of the first additions to your studio should be a MIDI controller. DeLay says this is a piece of gear often overlooked by beginners. "It's not just for playing keyboard sounds," he explained, "it can be used to write drums and percussion, to control mixes and more. It's the creative interface of music production, and you don't have to play the piano in order to harness its power."
Unfortunately there's no gear that will magically turn you into a breathy pop goddess, but a decent mic and audio interface can at least help you sound your best. Now, you could get a USB microphone, like Blue Microphones’ $130 Yeti, and it will certainly get the job done. Heck, that album I mentioned earlier was recorded using the wired headset that came with the iPhone.
But, honestly, your better bet is to get a regular XLR mic and an audio interface. Pecora specifically warns against splurging too much here. "People will look at their favorite artist and see that they use a certain mic or preamp or plugin and want to use the same thing thinking it will get them the same sound." On early singles like "Ocean Eyes" Billie Eilish used an Audio-Technica AT2020 condenser mic, which costs just $100. And I’ve stuck almost exclusively with cheap Shure SM58s and 57s ($100 new, $50-$75 used) whether I was recording demos with my band in college or voice over for review videos at Engadget.
If you fancy yourself a future pop sensation and want to make sure your vocals are the star of the show, you could consider using a significant chunk of your budget on something like the Rode NT1-A ($229) or Shure SM7B ($390). You will get better results with more flexibility for post production, but you can clearly get excellent results with more affordable options.
Audio interface
Scarlett
As for the interface, there are tons of great options out there. Companies like Focusrite, Arturia and Tascam make excellent ones. But our new favorites in the budget interface space are Universal Audio’s Volt series. If your budget allows for it we strongly recommend the $299 Volt 276. Though, the $189 Volt 2 is also excellent, it just doesn’t standout from the crowd quite as much.
If you’re trying to save a few bucks, it's hard to beat the Scarlett series from Focusrite (just make sure to get the second- or third-gen models). You can get the latest Scarlett 2i2 for around $130 used, but it's just $180 new (and includes a huge bundle of very useful software).
The reason to opt for an audio interface instead of a simple USB mic is because it offers you a lot more flexibility and room to grow. For one, it offloads a lot of the audio processing from the CPU. Second, it will allow you to connect not just mics (and swap in different ones for different purposes), but also instruments, turntables or anything with an audio-out jack. An audio interface is also necessary if you plan to connect a pair of studio monitors.
Studio monitors and headphones
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
This is an area that DeLay advises caution. While a good set of studio monitors will obviously be better than the speakers on your laptop and will result in a better mix, it's too easy to get caught up in what he calls monitor envy. "The reality is that monitors at a $300 price point are going to work just fine in most spaces," he says. Plus, your bedroom probably doesn't have the space to really make the most of large, powerful monitors. So, save your money.
And if you're just starting out, you're probably better off getting a decent set of headphones. There're tons of amazing and affordable studio quality headphones out there for under $200, like the $179 Beyerdynamic DT990PRO (currently down to just $179 on Amazon). But one of our favorites is an old workhorse from Sony, the MDR-7506. They're well under $100 and actual pros have used them for decades to mix music.
One tip DeLay offers for novices: Double check your mixes in the real world. Headphones can over emphasize bass, while smaller studio monitors can have trouble delivering accurate bass response. So make sure to listen to your track on laptop speakers or in a car to get a sense of how it will sound in the wild.
And that's really the key — have the patience to develop your skills and make the most of the gear you have. It's really easy to catch a bad case of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) when you're first starting out — trust me, I know. But there's no need to shell out thousands of dollars for high-end gear to start making music. You don't even need to buy new gear. Pecora suggests the only thing you absolutely should buy new are headphones. And, presumably, that's just because you don't want to be wearing years worth of someone else's sweat on your ears.
When Arturia launched the MiniFreak, it also promised that a plugin version, MiniFreak V would also be available soon. Originally it was only available to those who purchased a hardware MiniFreak, but now it's being offered to anyone who wants access to the dual digital sound engines and 22 oscillator modes without eating up any more physical space in their studio.
MiniFreak V brings all of the features of the hardware synth to your computer, save for the analog filters. Instead the V version gets modeled analog filters. Arturia has long history of delivering excellent emulations of analog hardware, so this isn't a cause for concern. The software version even has the same limitations, like six-voice polyphony. So if you've been tempted by the MiniFreak, but haven't pulled the trigger yet, this is an excellent way to take it for a test drive.
You still get a robust mod matrix, customizable LFO curves, two LFOs per voice, four lanes of modulation sequencing, a 64-step sequencer and 10 effects with three slots. It doesn't quite have the raw power of Arturia's Pigments, but it does have a number of features that lacks — most notably those nearly two dozen oscillator modes.
In addition to putting the power of the MiniFreak in your DAW, the V version can also sync with the hardware instrument. So you can control it straight from your computer. Of course that's been available to owners of the synth for a while now, but it's just icing on the cake if you pickup the VST now and decide to snag the real deal down the road.
The UI largely mimics the physical instrument, down to the orange highlights and patterned mod / pitch strips to the left of the keyboard. It does offer a lot more visual feedback, however, including animated wave shapes for the oscillators, LFOs and envelopes. Arturia's MiniFreak V is available now at for $99 or bundled with V Collection 9 for free. After the intro period is over the price will go up to $199.
Update 12:08pm ET: The original version of this article incorrectly stated the price of MiniFreak V as $149. It has been updated to reflect the correct pricing.
