As 2023 draws to a close and we look ahead to 2024, we’re bringing you our picks of the best new gear this year, from drum machines to turntables.
Best new sampler 2023: Sonicware Liven Lofi-12
There were a number of good new samplers released this year. From the more conventional end of the scale, Akai’s MPC One+ updated that legendary series once more, freshening up the One with new features and sounds (you can read our review of that one here). On the cheaper end of the scale, we can’t wait to get our hands on the Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO II as soon as more units land in stock.
But one surprising contender which really won our hearts this year was the Sonicware Liven LoFi-12, a humble little groovebox from a relatively young Japanese brand. The LoFi 12 arrived with minimal fanfare earlier this year, quietly shipping alongside the more expensive SmplTrek (a very capable sampler in its own right). There are hints of retro beatmaking all over the LoFi-12 even beyond that name and the hint that we might be getting into gritty 12-bit 1980s territory. The colour scheme screams early Akai MPC, particularly the legendary MPC60 with its genre-defining combination of characterful sampling and powerful sequencing.
The LoFi-12 proves quite different to an old MPC in practice – there are no pads, and the keyboard isn’t velocity-sensitive, so the emphasis is less on banging out beats than programming patterns – but there are similarities in terms of sound. The LoFi-12 actually does quite clean sampling if you want, but switching to its retro 12-bit mode is what it’s all about to bring out the character of the sound engine. The result is instant lo-fi vibes, but you can then get really creative with the four-track sequencer and its parameter locks, the array of 11 track effects and the six master effects (including fun vinyl and cassette tape simulators).
The LoFi-12 is limited, of course, but you’d expect it to be at this kind of price point. The fun is in working within those limits to try and get the most out of it. With a little practice, you can achieve a hell of a lot from chopped samples, loops and filters. This is, after all, a groovebox based on exactly the same principles which defined vast swathes of classic hip-hop, house and techno. For under £250, it’s a seriously fun little unit in a very literal sense: it’s hugely fun, but serious enough to make fully realised tracks. A lowkey lo-fi hit.
Greg Scarth
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