"Why I didn't keep my Sonicware SmplTrek" 🤷♀️ | My review of the new sampler / sequencer groovebox.
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- Опубликовано: 24 ноя 2024
- Some of you knew this was coming, but its time to say goodbye to a piece of gear. Sad to say, I was very very hype about this new sampler / sequencer / groovebox since sonicware announced it and the kickstarter went live... so why didnt it live up to that hype? Did any of you have similar thoughts about the smpltrek? Or did you absolutely love it? Let me know your experience in the comments because I'd really love to know!
Also, if this video was helpful to you at all, or youd like to see similar videos for other gear, let me know too! As always, like/dislikes, comments, and subscriptions are welcome and appreciated eternally! Stick around to see more fun stuff! (or disappointing music production gear reviews 😅)
:3
As mentioned by someone else the new firmware was released 2 hours ago, they seem quite reactive to upgrade possibilities or fix issues
They just ended up marketing to the wrong people. This thing is not for MPC users / hip-hop producers. It's an amazing arrangement tool, especially if you play one or more instruments. It's an incredible looper, a decent sequencer and the single drum track is enough for a long of song writers. Personally, I find the workflow to be the most intuitive I've come across, but then I've never used an MPC.
could be right! I didn't try recording any audio direct to the global tracks, but depending on how they sound, it might make it much better tool for some people.
Sonicware didn't market the Smpltrek to the wrong people. The "wrong" people didn't pay attention to the marketing video and press releases from Sonicware. It was never marketed or claimed to be an MPC or SP404 replacement or killer. That was just over eager RUclipsrs. This was always marketed as a song writer's device.
@@dannyvalentino328 yeah, well put!
@@cliffcoleman2298 with the 2.0 update it’s amazing.
I think you underestimate mpc users/hip hop producers 🤔
I like the SmpleTrek so far. It has some limitations, especielly with the drum track but you can resample the track so it's okay to me. I also think the screen will be a plus when the sun is shining outside. I love my MPC One but it's almost impossible to see something when you're sitting outside and the sun is shining. I have to test that with the SmpleTrek.
the screen is fine outside, but just like the circuits, the *pads* are the problem when you're in any kind of bright lighting.
New update has more drum tracks available
@@particular_noise yeah man. So good!
This kinda isn't a very useful info at this point as the current firmware let's you export slices as Kits and allows 4 drum kits per project... maybe they'll add per track swing by the time I post this... I wish they had performance FX like the T.E. P.O. series or actually more like the polyend boxes... still I'm keeping the SmplTrek at least to see where the next firmware drop goes. My biggest gripe with the SmplTrek is the reverbs on the Send FX are just not super cool. A performance mode on it would definitely bump it up to next level.
The updates on the Smpltrek in the last year were superb. So much easier than the SP404’s endless shortcuts now
Oh...hadn't heard of this one before...might have to check it out! Thanks for your open and honest review, tho!
The SmplTrek was clearly not aimed at hip hop BeatMakers but at songwriters. It has one of the best arrangers in a stand-alone box. The three song length audio/vocal tracks with multiple takes are killer features. Only the Maschine plus is better in that respect and the MPC song arrangement functionality is just a joke in comparison.
It only costs a bit more than a Novation tracks or rhythm but those devices , although they are well designed and have some merits, especially for performance, look just like toys in comparison.
You should consider checking out v1.2 they just dropped.
That won’t make it cooler looking on your videos but they more than addressed the issues with drums and chopping.
my unit is gone already, but I'll check out the details anyway!
@@WhiteWhiskerMusica in short, you now get up to 4 drum tracks and can auto-create drum kits from chops. They also now allow up to 4 instrument tracks and fixed bugs.
Still no global swing though. But considering how much they’ve been listening to feedback, I would guess it’s in the works.
Hi White Whisker , at first I didn't agree with your review and reasons, since Smpltrek IS to me something that (in theory!) gives me all I need:
- it handles samples, midi, loops, shots, drum kits...
- great polyphony, chords,
- midi tracks to serve as brain to other devices
- scenes, in order to make your complete song
- full export of wav track files, to mix and master in a Daw
- many many improvements with latest firmwares ("live performance" mode, more Fx, lots of new functions....)
BUT nevertheless the truth is that I rarely take it out of his box!!!.... I tried to understand the reason and I think that the main, big problem to me is the small screen. It's always been the main con to me. And still is. You spend a lot of time switching from screen to screen, and for all the new functions they added, you have to cycle many overlaying little panels, with smaLL characters difficult to read, etc.... even to compose a drum pattern, even finger-drumming, you often have to understand what's happening, increase the size of the pattern, navigate notes on the small screen with the arrows... I'm realizing that most of the times, even if I'd need its great pros, I don't use it because it makes me waste a lot of time.
Another thing which is not so great to me, is that I started to work "dawless" to free myself from computers and their "dispersive" workflow, and this device is great since really complete.. but.. it's for the same reason also very similar to Ableton Live in concept, so it's bringing me back to what I was escaping from...
So I have to decide if sell it or keeping it to use it just sometimes, maybe as a midi brain, maybe to sketch or compose some tunes.
No global swing and the screen is rough, but being limited to one slicer is a no go. Thanks for the solid info on this
yeah exactly, so basically either use the drum track for drums and eat up 4 - 8 (of 10 total) with individual sample slices, or the other way around. not really ideal when the reason I want to use a sampler is to... play with samples 😅
Well, that's solved in today's update.
Yeah that was also my biggest hang up about it. But as of update 1.2, now a grand total of 4 drum tracks along with up to 4 instrument tracks which actually beat the original specs of 4 total blended instances of either promised in the campaign.
Mine is sitting all nice and cosy in its box waiting for a new home.
Dang they just added 4 drum tracks and longer samples in the latest update. But yeah it's not a life play instrument really.
With any new piece of gear... Future updates are always key within the first year. Smpltrek has done a great job getting this machine up to par. It now does everything you mentioned and more. The 2.0 update is fire! As an MPC key 61 and live 2 owner... I honestly can say the smpltrek is my goto songwriting tool when traveling or at work. Smpltrek is for producers. Maybe not so much for someone who just wants to make beats.
Get your smpltrek back bruh!
A 2 month delay on a Kickstarter delivery is basically 6 months early, Sonicware took a risk getting the hardware into backers hands as quickly as they did, despite the firmware being fairly stripped down.
As for hip hop, it’s not really the target audience, you could argue the advertising sonicware put out out was aimed more at 🏃♂️ running up stairs than it was at hip hop producers.
I would have preferred waiting 2 more months for it to actually be ready when it comes down to it though.
That’s fair enough, plenty of folk who felt that way left it in the box waiting for the firmware updates to mature.
Cool vid, there are a lot of thoughts here, you should have put a table of contents! I make songs and need a DAW-like device to make music away from my computer. The SmplTrek seems to be the machine for me, more than a MPC/SP404 right? Thanks!
if you want to make full tracks with no daw, definitely look for an mpc, preferably the Live 2. if you check through my more recent vids and music on spotify, a number of my tracks and videos have been done using just the mpc!
Well, you were a bit too fast: today's update takes away a large part of your critique, especially around the drum track. Other than that, it's valid that you mention why you didn't leep it, but the use case of that 'it doesn't look good on video' is not relevant to most users of course. If you still have it, I would reconsider your views....
it's too late for me, but I'll be glad for people sticking with it if they have improved some things
The lo-fi 12 seems more interesting to me
Yup. Sonicware should have consulted at least one hip hop producer during the development of this box.
glad to know I'm not alone on that one. sure polyphony is great, but we use samplers for sampler things like chopping!
@@WhiteWhiskerMusica I LOVE my Livens (especially the XFM and the Lofi12) but my kickstarter Smpltrek has barely come out its box. It's as if Sonicware saw the Roland Verselab MV1 and thought "That. but even less user-friendly." They should've gone screenless. They should have made each track/voice a slicer channel. There's per-track swing on the Livens so why not this? Ah well.....
@@dinogoldie9716 for sure ! I love the bass n beats too
@@WhiteWhiskerMusica I think auto-slicing to a drum kit would go a long way. For now, I pair it with my Rhythm and they cover each others weak spots for my workflow.
and of course....new firmware drops exactly that feature. Gotta admit...the Sonicware team listens to feedback and works to improve.
Thank you
Direct recording to track 🥊🥊🎼I guess for the price its pretty good for what you getting. They added features that Roland Mkll and Novation don’t have. It’s ugly looking 😂, when I buy mines, I’m gonna have to change it up with another color , with the company Style Flip. I have too much gear, I’m gonna see what new MPC is coming out b4 I buy this. Hopefully Mpc drops a small device with a flip screen to get in the competition.
Great review man. If prices are about equal, would you buy this new or an MPC ONE used? Thank you.
save and get an mpc live 2 tbh, but definitely the mpc one or a 404 over this.
A "brand new" product with the old USB port is a problem with me. It shows poor product management.
my big issue is that there is a lack of decent sounds. there is only 24 generic instruments, 2 basses, 2 pads, 2 synth leads 1 guitar, its very sad. nobody talks about the lack of factory sounds from this $400 toy. there are some very generic drum kits but thats it. i dont have weeks to build a sample library. when you open a $400 toy you exepect to be able to play with it for more than an hour. after an hour youve used all the factory sounds and the tracks sound bad. im shocked no one is talking about this. the updates made it better function wise but not fun wise and sound wise.
How much more basic trap music does the world need again?
Bruh I must be old school what’s with guys painting nails tf
I'm getting old too, I just got style 😎😅
@@WhiteWhiskerMusica if u wanna call it that
@@WhiteWhiskerMusica sweet
You say it's harder to make good content with the Smpltrek because of the lack of performance features, but the videos you've made with it have some of your highest view counts. People make interesting content with far more limited gear. If you need flashing lights to keep viewers interested then I'm sorry to say it likely you're probably just not making interesting content.
Yep not made for hiphop. It is clear with the other Sonicware products that they aim at the chiptune community. Even the gameboy like design of the smpltrack is a hint. The sad thing is the chiptune community don’t want a sampler. And if ever they want one, they will use and M8 which is far far far closer to what they know. Even a Polyend Tracker before that. But my reason not to get a smpltrack was the performance thing. For me, the only reason to use hardware is as a performance tool. There is plenty of hardware small and big, homemade or not that fits the bill. (I got plenty of bills because of that!) But Smpltrack mos def doesn’t fit it.
cherry picking part of your comment to say that the m8 definitely looks fun, but I'm not sure how much use I would personally get out of it, but goddam it does have a vibey appeal. good point about them being aimed at a more chip tune, lofi electronica audience though.
I think you're bailing too early. I think some awesome firmware features are on route, and another comment on the latest firmware illustrates that. I loaded the new firmware last night and I can't quite explain it, but it's suddenly more intuitively "playable'. Still needs a lot of improvement though. For the price they could have specced the memory and microcontroller much higher, which is a bit of a peev... But then, look at the Circuit(s)
it's alright, I have other gear to work with that will be better for me, and spend less time fighting with the smpltrek, seems like the update is being enjoyed though
Smpltrek is amazing and improving, too bad you didn’t keep it!
nah, mpc has been much better to me.
@@WhiteWhiskerMusica MPC too big and bulky to me, Smpltrek all the way!!
when the buttons aren’t clicky enough >:(
ITS VERY IMPORTANT
It's kind of misleading to say it's good as a handheld device. It's better to play on a surface.
you're not wrong, but it is *possible* when needed.