I hope so. Project back up and resample would get it most of the way there. I read on a reddit thread that they confirmed those were in the pipeline during NAMM so I hold on to it for that reason.
I agree with you. The sequencer, specifically the lack of a dedicated song mode) is the primary annoyance. That combined with low polyphony count, and singular FX make this a good but flawed unit. That said, I think these issues are going to upgraded via firmware in the future so much like the Digitakt, I'm hoping these issues will be nothing but a memory in a year.
The single FX thing bothers me because the manual (which I read on release day before mine arrived) kind of reads like you can choose a different effect per group. I was pretty disappointed when I found that wasn't true. Scenes are definitely annoying because of how linear you have to be in your composing. It's like they expect you to start with the intro first, then the verse, chorus, etc. I just don't work that way.
For me, the 4x3 pad layout is a step down from the 4x4 layout of the OG KO, means you can't do the logical 16 slices, and also means you lose the x0x style real time step sequencer too. Apparently the Group A,B,C and D buttons have the pressure sensors, so it would be feasible to have those as pads, and you could select groups by pressing Sound + Group. This would also get around something I've noticed recently where I accidentally hit a group button while finger drumming. Also the device backup can't come soon enough - I'm nearly out of project space!
I wonder if they will do any more updates. There is always a price vs features balance. It looks like they got that right. It's a real nice looker of a device
I personally think now with the limitations that it’s basically a MIDI controller. And the memory limitation is just mind blowing . It does make me finish my beats thoroughly before moving on to the next. This is my first TE piece so I’m lost when people complain. I also come from AKAI, so there’s that but I got gifted this in Christmas by the wife, so I’ve been trying to get this little machine down.
As much as I loved the visual upoun the relase I couldnt have justified the purchase due to lack of any extra functionality against my standard KO and Smpltrek. Then, video after video showed me a step down in intuitivness of the UI. Also the fact it isnt exactly "pocket" anymore added to it. On the other hand as much as I hated the idea of a Woovebox at first due to tremendous amount of function with even less buttons than KO I slowly warmed up to it due to clever tricks that actually make everything managable. It got to a point I am now checking 4x a day to see if the next batch is already available. Great vid btw.
I honestly think the lack of scene chaining and resampling are accidental omissions. A sampler that doesn't resample is just weird, especially with the limited memory on this. A workaround for full songs is the max 99 pattterns per scene allowing you to create a full song on just one scene. But crazy to think the. PO 33 had a proper song mode and this doesn't. How good the onboard sounds and rest of the interface are makes up for the flaws though. Killer little machine with a super usable onboard mic and master compressor
@@MattGreerMusic@MattGreerMusic lol yeah i dont have it yet but the mic seems super fun and apparently very decent quality for recording perc, voice, or guitar then messing the samples around. Also, sampling from TH-cam at double speed from your phone in mono to save space should also be fun and get that warm sound when you slow them down again. Im also with you on a version of it that would have more to offer to really compete with the more expensive samplers. For me ideally some onboard keys (OP1 style or even better like MPC Keys 37), lots of polyphony and memory and all the current annoyances fixed. I'd pay 600 or 700 for that. I'd get the OP-1 or Op-z but they seem crazily expensive and actually less fun than this. It's exciting times for people into sampling
@@electrosonicnebula I actually love my OP-Z and you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. It does sample and it's adequate at it but it's so much more than that. The OP-1 is beloved by some and hated by others. I used to have one but I sold it. I didn't really like the 4 track tape thing. I found it too fiddly to make full tracks with but it did sound good. The new one is just crazy expensive though.
It's sooooo tiny though but I'll take a more in depth look at it. I really like the simplified MPC approach and size of KO II. I mean "form factor'' of course hahaa. Anyways thanks for all the advice and vids. The examples sounds are great btw
@@MattGreerMusic that would be a cool commercial for the OP-Z to have skeleton in a coffin clenching it and some looters trying to pry it off. I guess my Circuit OG or Circuit Rhythm would be the ones I need to be buried with when the grim reaper comes for me. Or the espresso machine of course
Naw I've kind of moved on. I still love the SP's I have (most anyway, I don't use them all) but I don't really have any GAS for the new one anymore. Actually, I've kind of pushed the breaks on gear purchases in general. If my wife didn't get me this for Christmas, I probably wouldn't have it.
@@MattGreerMusic Gotcha. Thanks for the series on them and I am always contemplating the 555 since I play upright bass and could really utilize the phantom power mic input and loop feature.
The 555 has become my main piece for live gigs. The large format and additional I/O is really useful. And, as cheesy as it is, people actually like the D-beam too.
Both? As in the 133 vs the 33? They are definitely not the same. The PO-33 sounds like samples on a NES cartridge (with noise and aliasing) where the EP-133 sounds clean.
I love this machine but alas, I’m in the process of sending it back. It’s nice to jam on. The effects are nice. It’s just fun overall but I’m going for something with more power. 64mb should be okayish but I get turned off by thinking of situations where I would want more storage. It’s flimsy, I was scared of taking it with me. Conclusion: nice and fun machine but it’s just not it (for me).
You really can't go wrong with the One. It's basically a full DAW in a box. I'm building a set up for a specific project and my One will be the central brain of everything.
I hope you love it. My advice (not that you asked for it) is start with the basics and build from there. I was kind of overwhelmed by it at first and I had to set all the advanced stuff aside and just focus on the classic workflow for it to click.
Should I get it if I have a higher end MPC model? I want it primarily for fidgeting in bed or having meditative fun on the riverbank. But it’s also over $400 in my country which is also on the lower income end.
@@Powhart it's made by beat makers boutique. I highly recommend any of their cases. www.beatmakersboutique.com/collections/specialty-items/products/spo-xs-bkrsclb-edition
I have the KO2, SP404MK2, and the MPC One. I thought I’d love this thing but the workflow is kind of annoying, it’s SOO easy to mess something up and not know how to get back. I do like the unit but you have to be careful with every damn move. Good thing it was cheap.
There are some things about the workflow that I find very smooth and other things that are clunky or confusing. But yeah.. it's $300 bones. Some allowances should be made.
I had one of these before. I plugged it into my USB on my computer to use the browser based sample tool one day and heard a pop. Nothing different was done from the many times I'd done it before. After that "pop", the main output volume was very low.. Eventually it degraded to not having sound at all which sucked. I didn't trust the build quality of these devices to buy another one. I bought a MPC Live 2 instead and I couldn't be happier with it. Anyway, it was a great idea, but TE's execution is lacking...
Yeah that's a crappy experience for sure. First time I'm hearing of that one but no doubt there have been many quality issues. Did you get your money back? MPC however.. you can't go wrong with any of them but the new generation (like the Live II) are the best hardware going. Hands down best bang for your buck with most features in a "groove box.x
@@MattGreerMusic Hey Matt, yeah I had ordered it from Guitar Center and I was able to return it for a full refund. I bought the Live 2 from Guitar Center as well. Yeah the modern MPCs are absolutely amazing. I have a MPC One that I've had since it was released, but I'm either going to sell it or give it to a friend of mind in another state who is also into making music. I'd have to teach him the MPC workflow, so it may be a fun little project to work on....anyway great video dude! Stay cool!
This thing would be awesome if it actually worked. It doesn’t play samples all the way through. Can’t finish a single song because of it. Idk wtf it’s doing, it’s updated, has enough memory. I just cant get more than a few minutes of making a song until something goes wrong.
Mine likes to spontaneously dump all the note data out of one or more of the tracks while muting/playing with the live effects. And because it "saves as it goes" there seems to be no way to recover it once it's gone. It's infuriating.
@@MattGreerMusic So annoying dude. If this thing actually worked it would be fun. I want to break it in half. In the last hour I’ve deleted 3 projects because every fucking time whatever sample I use gets cut off after 1-2 seconds. Latest firmware and I only have about 20mb on it. Unusable.
@@MattGreerMusic So, here’s whats happening- Group A I’ll have my kick, snare, hihat, I’ll lay a basic beat… Then group B I will sample from splice or Spotify, a 10 second sample give or take, enough for 4 bars. Then if I try to add an open hihat in group b, the sample from group B will only play for 1 bar… And I listened to see if the open hihat was possibly choking the sample from group B, but it’s not. This happens on anything I’m trying to make, even after a factory reset. Maddening.
That sounds more like a voice stealing issue. Are the one shots for your drums set to "choke/mute" each other in the same mute groups? This thing doesn't have much polyphony.
So close to being a GREAT device. Still, a lot of fun, and maybe some firmware upgrades might take it to the next level.
I hope so. Project back up and resample would get it most of the way there. I read on a reddit thread that they confirmed those were in the pipeline during NAMM so I hold on to it for that reason.
I agree with you. The sequencer, specifically the lack of a dedicated song mode) is the primary annoyance. That combined with low polyphony count, and singular FX make this a good but flawed unit. That said, I think these issues are going to upgraded via firmware in the future so much like the Digitakt, I'm hoping these issues will be nothing but a memory in a year.
The single FX thing bothers me because the manual (which I read on release day before mine arrived) kind of reads like you can choose a different effect per group. I was pretty disappointed when I found that wasn't true. Scenes are definitely annoying because of how linear you have to be in your composing. It's like they expect you to start with the intro first, then the verse, chorus, etc. I just don't work that way.
For me, the 4x3 pad layout is a step down from the 4x4 layout of the OG KO, means you can't do the logical 16 slices, and also means you lose the x0x style real time step sequencer too. Apparently the Group A,B,C and D buttons have the pressure sensors, so it would be feasible to have those as pads, and you could select groups by pressing Sound + Group. This would also get around something I've noticed recently where I accidentally hit a group button while finger drumming.
Also the device backup can't come soon enough - I'm nearly out of project space!
Yes step sequencing is tedious on here. I much prefer the X0X style on the original KO. Your proposed solution sounds very logical and simple.
I wonder if they will do any more updates. There is always a price vs features balance. It looks like they got that right. It's a real nice looker of a device
I hate that they didn’t allow audio out and in through the usb-c
Yeah that would have been great. Sampling directly from a phone over USB is a delight.
I agree on the pattern chaining. I loved that about the original PO33
Same. So easy to knock up a progression and it was very forgiving if you wanted to change it or redo it as well. Just so dead simple.
I personally think now with the limitations that it’s basically a MIDI controller. And the memory limitation is just mind blowing . It does make me finish my beats thoroughly before moving on to the next. This is my first TE piece so I’m lost when people complain. I also come from AKAI, so there’s that but I got gifted this in Christmas by the wife, so I’ve been trying to get this little machine down.
Definitely wish it had more memory or a back up. That would be my third, key ask from TE.
As much as I loved the visual upoun the relase I couldnt have justified the purchase due to lack of any extra functionality against my standard KO and Smpltrek. Then, video after video showed me a step down in intuitivness of the UI. Also the fact it isnt exactly "pocket" anymore added to it. On the other hand as much as I hated the idea of a Woovebox at first due to tremendous amount of function with even less buttons than KO I slowly warmed up to it due to clever tricks that actually make everything managable. It got to a point I am now checking 4x a day to see if the next batch is already available. Great vid btw.
I honestly think the lack of scene chaining and resampling are accidental omissions. A sampler that doesn't resample is just weird, especially with the limited memory on this. A workaround for full songs is the max 99 pattterns per scene allowing you to create a full song on just one scene. But crazy to think the. PO 33 had a proper song mode and this doesn't. How good the onboard sounds and rest of the interface are makes up for the flaws though. Killer little machine with a super usable onboard mic and master compressor
I actually forgot it had a mic. LOL. Guess I need to try it out.
@@MattGreerMusic@MattGreerMusic lol yeah i dont have it yet but the mic seems super fun and apparently very decent quality for recording perc, voice, or guitar then messing the samples around. Also, sampling from TH-cam at double speed from your phone in mono to save space should also be fun and get that warm sound when you slow them down again. Im also with you on a version of it that would have more to offer to really compete with the more expensive samplers. For me ideally some onboard keys (OP1 style or even better like MPC Keys 37), lots of polyphony and memory and all the current annoyances fixed. I'd pay 600 or 700 for that. I'd get the OP-1 or Op-z but they seem crazily expensive and actually less fun than this. It's exciting times for people into sampling
@@electrosonicnebula I actually love my OP-Z and you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. It does sample and it's adequate at it but it's so much more than that. The OP-1 is beloved by some and hated by others. I used to have one but I sold it. I didn't really like the 4 track tape thing. I found it too fiddly to make full tracks with but it did sound good. The new one is just crazy expensive though.
It's sooooo tiny though but I'll take a more in depth look at it. I really like the simplified MPC approach and size of KO II. I mean "form factor'' of course hahaa. Anyways thanks for all the advice and vids. The examples sounds are great btw
@@MattGreerMusic that would be a cool commercial for the OP-Z to have skeleton in a coffin clenching it and some looters trying to pry it off. I guess my Circuit OG or Circuit Rhythm would be the ones I need to be buried with when the grim reaper comes for me. Or the espresso machine of course
Off topic but loved your SP series. Did you ever get the 404 MKII?
Naw I've kind of moved on. I still love the SP's I have (most anyway, I don't use them all) but I don't really have any GAS for the new one anymore. Actually, I've kind of pushed the breaks on gear purchases in general. If my wife didn't get me this for Christmas, I probably wouldn't have it.
@@MattGreerMusic Gotcha. Thanks for the series on them and I am always contemplating the 555 since I play upright bass and could really utilize the phantom power mic input and loop feature.
The 555 has become my main piece for live gigs. The large format and additional I/O is really useful. And, as cheesy as it is, people actually like the D-beam too.
Is it possible to add effects to a live voice via line in?
Yes it is but you only get one effect per project so it will have to be the same effect you are using on the beat.
Great content ! Question about the sound: is the bit rate different, 8 bit vs 16bit? or they both do a pseudo "8 bit" sound?
Both? As in the 133 vs the 33? They are definitely not the same. The PO-33 sounds like samples on a NES cartridge (with noise and aliasing) where the EP-133 sounds clean.
It would need to have a effect inert.
I love this machine but alas, I’m in the process of sending it back. It’s nice to jam on. The effects are nice. It’s just fun overall but I’m going for something with more power. 64mb should be okayish but I get turned off by thinking of situations where I would want more storage. It’s flimsy, I was scared of taking it with me. Conclusion: nice and fun machine but it’s just not it (for me).
What are you thinking about replacing it with?
@@MattGreerMusic I want to go for a MPC One+. I looked into the MPC 1000 too but many suggest to just go for a One.
You really can't go wrong with the One. It's basically a full DAW in a box. I'm building a set up for a specific project and my One will be the central brain of everything.
@@MattGreerMusic That's awesome. Thank you for your feedback. I'm excited for the One!
I hope you love it. My advice (not that you asked for it) is start with the basics and build from there. I was kind of overwhelmed by it at first and I had to set all the advanced stuff aside and just focus on the classic workflow for it to click.
Nice video. I hope they will fix all the tings in a later update.
Me too. I've found some workflow supplements that get around these things but I hold out hope they'll implement these as features in the future.
@@MattGreerMusic can you tell me or make a video about the workaounds?
I plan on making a video. Something like a "How to get The most out of your EP-133” format. Hoping to have it done next week.
@@MattGreerMusic nice. I'm looking forward for it.
That would be wicked! I am getting mine tomorrow - and I can't wait to get lost in it @@MattGreerMusic
Should I get it if I have a higher end MPC model? I want it primarily for fidgeting in bed or having meditative fun on the riverbank. But it’s also over $400 in my country which is also on the lower income end.
0:51 I'm sorry but What is this case for OP?! Now I want an OP!!!
@@Powhart it's made by beat makers boutique. I highly recommend any of their cases.
www.beatmakersboutique.com/collections/specialty-items/products/spo-xs-bkrsclb-edition
I have the KO2, SP404MK2, and the MPC One. I thought I’d love this thing but the workflow is kind of annoying, it’s SOO easy to mess something up and not know how to get back. I do like the unit but you have to be careful with every damn move. Good thing it was cheap.
There are some things about the workflow that I find very smooth and other things that are clunky or confusing. But yeah.. it's $300 bones. Some allowances should be made.
I had one of these before. I plugged it into my USB on my computer to use the browser based sample tool one day and heard a pop. Nothing different was done from the many times I'd done it before. After that "pop", the main output volume was very low.. Eventually it degraded to not having sound at all which sucked. I didn't trust the build quality of these devices to buy another one. I bought a MPC Live 2 instead and I couldn't be happier with it. Anyway, it was a great idea, but TE's execution is lacking...
Yeah that's a crappy experience for sure. First time I'm hearing of that one but no doubt there have been many quality issues. Did you get your money back?
MPC however.. you can't go wrong with any of them but the new generation (like the Live II) are the best hardware going. Hands down best bang for your buck with most features in a "groove box.x
@@MattGreerMusic Hey Matt, yeah I had ordered it from Guitar Center and I was able to return it for a full refund. I bought the Live 2 from Guitar Center as well. Yeah the modern MPCs are absolutely amazing. I have a MPC One that I've had since it was released, but I'm either going to sell it or give it to a friend of mind in another state who is also into making music. I'd have to teach him the MPC workflow, so it may be a fun little project to work on....anyway great video dude! Stay cool!
Love the updated Kelly O! Or is it the Kapowski O?
I'm sorry I'm not sure what you're referring to.
@MattGreerMusic he's referring to the picture you've put on the top of your EP-133
more Elektron!!!)) model samples please
Well I'm sure the M:S will show up on this channel again at some point. Is there something specific you'd like to see?
This thing would be awesome if it actually worked. It doesn’t play samples all the way through. Can’t finish a single song because of it. Idk wtf it’s doing, it’s updated, has enough memory. I just cant get more than a few minutes of making a song until something goes wrong.
Mine likes to spontaneously dump all the note data out of one or more of the tracks while muting/playing with the live effects. And because it "saves as it goes" there seems to be no way to recover it once it's gone. It's infuriating.
@@MattGreerMusic So annoying dude. If this thing actually worked it would be fun. I want to break it in half. In the last hour I’ve deleted 3 projects because every fucking time whatever sample I use gets cut off after 1-2 seconds. Latest firmware and I only have about 20mb on it. Unusable.
@@MyNameJeff.. Even with no other sample or sound playing it still cuts off the sample?
@@MattGreerMusic So, here’s whats happening- Group A I’ll have my kick, snare, hihat, I’ll lay a basic beat… Then group B I will sample from splice or Spotify, a 10 second sample give or take, enough for 4 bars. Then if I try to add an open hihat in group b, the sample from group B will only play for 1 bar… And I listened to see if the open hihat was possibly choking the sample from group B, but it’s not. This happens on anything I’m trying to make, even after a factory reset. Maddening.
That sounds more like a voice stealing issue. Are the one shots for your drums set to "choke/mute" each other in the same mute groups? This thing doesn't have much polyphony.
software update coming!!!!!!
When?
@@MattGreerMusic SOON, will fix all of your complaints...
Didn’t do a damn thing. Still cuts off samples after 2 seconds.
@@MyNameJeff.. wow no good,
@@clockspeed-nu4kj It’s just disappointing because I love everything about it.
This device doesn’t make sense. Buy Akai MPC Used. It is a toy for children
No, it's not and I own three MPCs. Each have their strengths and weaknesses.