I absolutely LOVE this thing. It's a great easy sequencer to pump out some crazy detailed patterns and harsh sounds that I feed into the sp404. It's quickly becoming my work horse for grimy custom blastbeats and drum fills thanks to the "stutter" control and heavy fm basses (the presents are massive sounding even dry). Only missing feature for me is an unquantized record mode, but honestly... Not a deal breaker in the slightest.
I just got one and it is a dream come true! It honestly has so many features for such a little synth! I have other full size machines that have less features.
Cons: -No digital transfer (import) of samples. -Only one effect/reverb shared by all six tracks in a pattern. (previous Livens allowed for both 1 reverb and 1 FX or independent FX per track) -No auto-copy-paste of a pattern when a user doubles the length of a pattern (present on the Lofi-12 or one of the previous Livens). -The FM tracks seem a lot louder than the PSG and PCM tracks. -No option to delay the onset of LFO/sweep (present on previous Livens). Other than that, it's a really fun box and I genuinely love it.
I hear you can delay the LFO only in FM edit mode but I haven’t tried it yet it doesn’t sound very convenient 😢 How do you get around the step length limitation with long melodys that contain 16th notes other than finishing it on another pattern?
You can copy the pattern when extending the length of a sequence. It's in the manual. Hold shift and press Length then continue holding shift while turning the value knob. If you release shift it will change the length without copying the notes in the pattern. The key is to continue holding the shift button.
I got one coming this week, watching tutorials and taking notes so I’m good to go. I’ve been writing chiptune using various trackers and programs for awhile, but I haven’t been able to use them to the best of their abilities due to my lack of knowledge. I’m a lot more skilled using hardware then software and can’t wait to use this
If I change the note resolution to the dotted 8ths or 16ths, to what step-length do I need to change the sequencer for everything to sync up?? (For instance, when I set a sequencer track's note resolution to triplets, I set the pattern length to multiples of 12 for it to sync up with the metronome)
Dotted 8th notes are as long as 3 16th notes, and they are 16 16th notes in a bar. So 16 ÷ 3 = 5,333... That's inconvenient... So I'd keep the sequence as 16 steps long, and things would synchronize every 3 bars.
Great showcase of the LMS. I LOVE this machine. Such fun. I hope Sonicware bring out a Liven Gameboy/NES (basically take the 8bit Warps and replace the 4 bank looper with a 4 track, 4 engine (3 synth, 1 pcm/noise) sequencer).
Is there an intuitive VST to do the same thing is is this unique? I am looking for something to play with SmplTrek, would you say this is the best paired? Or Lofi12 (vs 12xt which costs double)?
00:37:57 could you patch the headphone jack into the line-in jack to sample itself into itself?... i guess you'd hafta be in both modes, sample and whatever you're sampling... that wouldn't work, huh?
That's actually a good question! Technically this should work, but the question is: can you play sounds and play sequences when the machine is in recording mode? If no, that means that we would need to record the sound to another recorder and then re-record it with the mega synthesis, which would kind of defeat the purpose.
I need more money. I want ALL of Sonicware's stuff. Bought 8bit Warps a few years ago, LOVED IT. Then the XFM. Loved that, too. Then, bills / financial hell. I want them all again. Thankfully they're not THAT out of reach.... hey Sonicware, would you mind donating a few units to me? Happy to make videos for you, help promote the units. Thank youuuuuuuuuuu
Is it easy to make sounds that differ from the videogame sonorities with that or is it heavily focused on it ? I like the workflow but I'm wondering if this is versatile enough to do hip hop or more ambient sound for example ?
I don't really know. The FM engine is versatile for sure, but you still have 2 tracks of 8 bit that will sound like retro games, and you have only one sampler track that will probably be used for the drums. So to do hip hop for example, you'd have only 3 FM tracks to do the instruments. For hip hop, maybe check the liven Lofi-12. It's 4 sampler tracks, so maybe that will suit your needs.
I’m currently using a Gameboy with Nanoloop for a live performance and want to incorporate more versatile sounds and sequences into my set. I’m torn between the 8bit Warps and Mega Synthesis devices. The 8bit Warps offers really sound amazing sound capabilities and versatility, but I also want to include drums and FX, and occasionally play some sounds on the fly. Which device would be a better fit for the live performance?
Hey! I think the 8-bit warps is a bit dated compared to the mega synthesis. The 8bit warps has good sounds, and can play 4 "tracks", but those tracks are actually audio recordings of what you played, so you have very limited control to play with them. Also it's not really made for drum sounds. The mega synthesis has a dedicated drum track (or rather a sampler track), 2 basic waveforms tracks (with which you can also make retro drum sounds, and 3 pretty powerful FM tracks. Which you can all come back to and modify. I'm just waiting for sonicware to add resampling to the mega synthesis and that'll be my favourite liven machine by far
Great tutorial 👍 I’m having a great time using mine. it took a while to get used to using the sequencer but I love the sounds! One thing that confused me was when writing a long melody I could either set it to 8th notes to have enough length or 16th notes but needing to play it over 2 patterns, maybe there is another way? Another interesting thing is it takes 6AA batteries that don’t last very long just like a real Sega GameGear or Nomad 😂 the power adapter is very much needed!
It doesn't need any software, it works as a stand alone. Though, you can still save patches on your computer with a MIDI to USB cable, in case you want to free some space in the machine.
To me this is one of the best as it has an FM synth + a sampler and 6 tracks. Though I wish it has resampling, and it's oriented toward chiptune. I also like the lofi-12 as it has resampling, but it only uses samples
It's the same than on the other livens (check my video on the liven Lofi-12 if you want an example of it in action). - plug something in the line input (guitar and mic don't work as it's a line input, but you can plug your phone or anything that plays a sound) - press func + sample, then you can check the level of the sound coming in - press func + sample again, and the machine will record automatically when it detects a sound - press ok to save
Salut Woochia! J'ai une question a laquelle tu pourras peut-être répondre: Quand je chain mes différents segments pour en faire un morceau complet plus long, il y a toujours une demi seconde de blanc entre les ségments. Sais-tu si il y a un moyen de supprimer ce temps mort pour avoir une transition plus smooth et du coup un morceau complet sans interruption? Merci d'avance pour ta réponse !
C'est étrange. Je vais vérifier sur le mien si ça fait la même chose, mais il me semble pas :/ quand un pattern joue tout seul il loop bien j'imagine ?
@@Woochia Effectivement quand un pattern joue seul, ça va nickel. Mais si j'en lie des différents j'ai une petite pause d'un quart de seconde. Je n'ai pas réussi à trouver de quoi ça vient.
Yes this has a MIDI input so you can control it. If it doesn't behave as you want, you can check the MIDI settings to set which part of the MIDI info it takes in.
Unfortunately, not at the moment, as each drum kit is just one sample. That's why resampling would be such a huge thing to add, that would allow to create our own drum kits among other things.
I think it would be suitable as it has good drums in the sampler and a powerful FM synth. Though, the lofi-12 may be even more suitable as it is all sampling, and it can even resample itself. Would be worth it to check it out
So much fun and very easy to learn. Sonicware is killing with these product releases. Great tutorial too. I'm living the dream right now. Good times.
I absolutely LOVE this thing. It's a great easy sequencer to pump out some crazy detailed patterns and harsh sounds that I feed into the sp404. It's quickly becoming my work horse for grimy custom blastbeats and drum fills thanks to the "stutter" control and heavy fm basses (the presents are massive sounding even dry). Only missing feature for me is an unquantized record mode, but honestly... Not a deal breaker in the slightest.
I just got one and it is a dream come true! It honestly has so many features for such a little synth! I have other full size machines that have less features.
Cons:
-No digital transfer (import) of samples.
-Only one effect/reverb shared by all six tracks in a pattern. (previous Livens allowed for both 1 reverb and 1 FX or independent FX per track)
-No auto-copy-paste of a pattern when a user doubles the length of a pattern (present on the Lofi-12 or one of the previous Livens).
-The FM tracks seem a lot louder than the PSG and PCM tracks.
-No option to delay the onset of LFO/sweep (present on previous Livens).
Other than that, it's a really fun box and I genuinely love it.
I hear you can delay the LFO only in FM edit mode but I haven’t tried it yet it doesn’t sound very convenient 😢 How do you get around the step length limitation with long melodys that contain 16th notes other than finishing it on another pattern?
You can copy the pattern when extending the length of a sequence. It's in the manual. Hold shift and press Length then continue holding shift while turning the value knob. If you release shift it will change the length without copying the notes in the pattern. The key is to continue holding the shift button.
@@MortChud You are incorrect. There is no shift button on the Liven Mega Synthesis. You are referring to a feature on the Liven Lofi-12.
Sorry I meant the function button. And yes, it can be done. Like I said, it's in the manual. Page 79.
@@dinogoldie9716we all knew he meant the function button...
Brilliant tutorial - there are very few around at the moment - thankyou!
I got one coming this week, watching tutorials and taking notes so I’m good to go. I’ve been writing chiptune using various trackers and programs for awhile, but I haven’t been able to use them to the best of their abilities due to my lack of knowledge. I’m a lot more skilled using hardware then software and can’t wait to use this
If I change the note resolution to the dotted 8ths or 16ths, to what step-length do I need to change the sequencer for everything to sync up?? (For instance, when I set a sequencer track's note resolution to triplets, I set the pattern length to multiples of 12 for it to sync up with the metronome)
Dotted 8th notes are as long as 3 16th notes, and they are 16 16th notes in a bar. So 16 ÷ 3 = 5,333... That's inconvenient... So I'd keep the sequence as 16 steps long, and things would synchronize every 3 bars.
@@Woochia Thanks. That's what I suspected.
28:50 the megaFM has detune also and is regarded as a faithful reproduction of the megadrive’s sound
It's not a reproduction. It IS the megadrives sound, sporting 2 of the same ym2612 sound chips. I own one myself and its amazing.
Great showcase of the LMS. I LOVE this machine. Such fun. I hope Sonicware bring out a Liven Gameboy/NES (basically take the 8bit Warps and replace the 4 bank looper with a 4 track, 4 engine (3 synth, 1 pcm/noise) sequencer).
The looper is the best thing in the machine,, I wish a memory card slot to save the loops😅,, please V2
I thought the left FX knob icon was some potion or something but it turns out to be Sonic's shoe..
Is there an intuitive VST to do the same thing is is this unique? I am looking for something to play with SmplTrek, would you say this is the best paired? Or Lofi12 (vs 12xt which costs double)?
00:37:57 could you patch the headphone jack into the line-in jack to sample itself into itself?... i guess you'd hafta be in both modes, sample and whatever you're sampling... that wouldn't work, huh?
That's actually a good question! Technically this should work, but the question is: can you play sounds and play sequences when the machine is in recording mode? If no, that means that we would need to record the sound to another recorder and then re-record it with the mega synthesis, which would kind of defeat the purpose.
Probably not plus you’d have a feedback loop
Great tutorial. Thank you
I need more money. I want ALL of Sonicware's stuff. Bought 8bit Warps a few years ago, LOVED IT. Then the XFM. Loved that, too. Then, bills / financial hell. I want them all again. Thankfully they're not THAT out of reach.... hey Sonicware, would you mind donating a few units to me? Happy to make videos for you, help promote the units. Thank youuuuuuuuuuu
I’d say just get this then you have 8 bit as well as FM plus sampling
how does the rmix effect work? Its like a looper but i dont know how use it..
Is it easy to make sounds that differ from the videogame sonorities with that or is it heavily focused on it ? I like the workflow but I'm wondering if this is versatile enough to do hip hop or more ambient sound for example ?
I don't really know. The FM engine is versatile for sure, but you still have 2 tracks of 8 bit that will sound like retro games, and you have only one sampler track that will probably be used for the drums. So to do hip hop for example, you'd have only 3 FM tracks to do the instruments. For hip hop, maybe check the liven Lofi-12. It's 4 sampler tracks, so maybe that will suit your needs.
Thank you man
25:32 where did you find the panel ? Is it given with the groovebox ? Thanks.
Oh the overlay ? Yes this came with the machine
I’m currently using a Gameboy with Nanoloop for a live performance and want to incorporate more versatile sounds and sequences into my set. I’m torn between the 8bit Warps and Mega Synthesis devices. The 8bit Warps offers really sound amazing sound capabilities and versatility, but I also want to include drums and FX, and occasionally play some sounds on the fly. Which device would be a better fit for the live performance?
Please Halp 🥲
Hey! I think the 8-bit warps is a bit dated compared to the mega synthesis. The 8bit warps has good sounds, and can play 4 "tracks", but those tracks are actually audio recordings of what you played, so you have very limited control to play with them. Also it's not really made for drum sounds.
The mega synthesis has a dedicated drum track (or rather a sampler track), 2 basic waveforms tracks (with which you can also make retro drum sounds, and 3 pretty powerful FM tracks. Which you can all come back to and modify. I'm just waiting for sonicware to add resampling to the mega synthesis and that'll be my favourite liven machine by far
For the batteries, should this use some sort of hi drain lithium batteries, rechargables ones or can I stick with alkaline AAs ?
In the settings of this machine, you can tell it what kind of battery you're using. So I'd say any of them!
@@Woochia Thank you for responding on this! Thats awesome
Great tutorial 👍 I’m having a great time using mine. it took a while to get used to using the sequencer but I love the sounds! One thing that confused me was when writing a long melody I could either set it to 8th notes to have enough length or 16th notes but needing to play it over 2 patterns, maybe there is another way? Another interesting thing is it takes 6AA batteries that don’t last very long just like a real Sega GameGear or Nomad 😂 the power adapter is very much needed!
128 steps of 16th notes was not enough ? :o you can change the length of the sequence up to 128 steps.
rechargable AA batteries are life. i have 20 total and able to have 8 charging.. I play this thing in the woods while walking my dogs ☺️
Do you need software for this, or to be conneted on DAW? Does it have its own software? Or it works like a analog synth and it has its own sound?
It doesn't need any software, it works as a stand alone. Though, you can still save patches on your computer with a MIDI to USB cable, in case you want to free some space in the machine.
How does this one stack up against their others? I’m thinking about picking one up, but not sure which 🙈
I think this one has the best quality when it comes to sampling.
To me this is one of the best as it has an FM synth + a sampler and 6 tracks. Though I wish it has resampling, and it's oriented toward chiptune. I also like the lofi-12 as it has resampling, but it only uses samples
How is the sampling done ? I've looked at two videos now and neither show how you sample ?
It's the same than on the other livens (check my video on the liven Lofi-12 if you want an example of it in action).
- plug something in the line input (guitar and mic don't work as it's a line input, but you can plug your phone or anything that plays a sound)
- press func + sample, then you can check the level of the sound coming in
- press func + sample again, and the machine will record automatically when it detects a sound
- press ok to save
Salut Woochia! J'ai une question a laquelle tu pourras peut-être répondre: Quand je chain mes différents segments pour en faire un morceau complet plus long, il y a toujours une demi seconde de blanc entre les ségments. Sais-tu si il y a un moyen de supprimer ce temps mort pour avoir une transition plus smooth et du coup un morceau complet sans interruption? Merci d'avance pour ta réponse !
C'est étrange. Je vais vérifier sur le mien si ça fait la même chose, mais il me semble pas :/ quand un pattern joue tout seul il loop bien j'imagine ?
@@Woochia Effectivement quand un pattern joue seul, ça va nickel. Mais si j'en lie des différents j'ai une petite pause d'un quart de seconde. Je n'ai pas réussi à trouver de quoi ça vient.
I assume i can use keystep 37 to control this? Thanks.
Yes this has a MIDI input so you can control it. If it doesn't behave as you want, you can check the MIDI settings to set which part of the MIDI info it takes in.
is there a way to create your own drumkits with 6 different sounds you pick yourself?
Unfortunately, not at the moment, as each drum kit is just one sample. That's why resampling would be such a huge thing to add, that would allow to create our own drum kits among other things.
Do you think this device is suitable for hip Hop Beats? Most of the people using ut for making old school gaming beats 😅 I want to use it for sampling
I think it would be suitable as it has good drums in the sampler and a powerful FM synth. Though, the lofi-12 may be even more suitable as it is all sampling, and it can even resample itself. Would be worth it to check it out
@@Woochia Thanks I ordered I sampling device that I can control with another MIDI keyboard
Could you do a complete tutorial for the Liven 8bit warps? pleaseeeeee :D
@@beepb0t check my channel it's already there. You can search by title or check the gear review playlist
just got one for my almost 3 year old, thank you for this video!
Groovebox with FM and samples (let alone classic sounds) for 243 bucks... Wow
Exactly my thoughts! I ordered one for my family vacation! 🤘
@@Tptkkyou did the right thing! get it while you can!
yup...resampling
Эта штука опаздала с релизом на 30 лет минимум
Better late than never! :p