I chose the Electribe ES-1

[sl23]

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[apapdop]

I've got an OP-1. Beautifully engineered slab of non-orthodox inspiration. My limited musicality means i rely on it for happy accidents more than anything else, and there are plenty of them to be had. It's different to any Korg gear i've used, the 4-track tape recorder is pretty unforgiving (no undo!!) but can be fun to use. The sequencers, bar one, are bizzarre!! Its all very spontaneous and seat-of-the-pants, twirling encoders until you hear something you like etc. A good thing to have when you fancy a breath of fresh air.

[circuitghost]

Mmm, well, the 6-second sampling time might be the blocker for me. Many of my loops are just longer than that, just anything around 127-129 with four bars well extend beyond that limit. So if I can't sample a decent loop and trim it within the OP-1 without worrying about a limit that's cut below an ordinary 4-bar disco loop, then I think this is not for me.

I know it can do tons and tons more things than that. But that''d be a primary use for me, to record external gear as I play them and then mix that with the OP-1:s internal synths, fx and other voodoo stuff.

[jpeg]

Yeah that's why I bought an sp505, but as you say it's more the romantic notions of vintage gear that appeals. The sound and FX of the 505 are great but I've gotten too used to the ease of use of newer hardware, I just couldn't be bothered with it in the end! Shame as it was bloody good!

I think part of the reason for my disappointment was that I had an sp808 years ago and that was far superior in every way. .

I would not class the 505 as vintage; u could make that vintage argument with sp808 thou

[circuitghost]

As it happened, I found an SP-303 at a bargain price. I could sell it tomorrow a make a buck (not much more, but still .

So I've hooked it up with the ES-1 and suddenly have myself a small semi-vintage (gear from early 2000's isn't exactly Mini Moog vintage, but still) sample rig.

What I was hoping for in the SP303, like I've found in the ES-1, is that it's not functionally limited in such a way that you can't build decent things with it, even if you're spoiled by today's standards. It has enough to let you express cool ideas, and rather than wish for more, you could make do with what's in there, and not so much compromise as just work with what you've got.

I've only spent a few evenings with it, but I'm finding that it's super easy to record stuff into it, chop it up, add (really nice!) fx and resample, and build something interesting with the sequencer once you're done. And that's about it But in that aspect, it's complete.

This, combined with the ES-1, makes for a feature-wise quite limited rig. At the same time, it helps me focus on the actual building blocks of music. There's not a whole lot to reach for. But there's no need, if you've got an interesting idea. And ideas tend to grow within limitations.

I'm quite excited to see where this micro rig will take me.

[sl23]

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[circuitghost]

Yes. The right features in the right combination, requires very little to get good stuff right. I'm still exploring the SP303. The rep of its sound is not overrated. It sounds really great.