Liven Lofi-12

I've been a synth geek for 45 years now. The first Sonicware Liven synth I got was just a few months ago, an Ambient 0. It was quirky with a learning curve, limited in odd ways, and instantly addictive. Then I got a Texture Lab, an XFM (I know how to program a DX-7 from scratch) and a second Ambient 0. Even though I have other hardware samplers, I couldn't resist grabbing the LoFi 12. And it has hit me the same way as the others, after only two days with it: musical and addictive. The Liven series isn't for everyone, I get it. AR instead of ADSR envelopes. A single shared LFO. Corners cut for that $239 price point. But on the plus side, once you figure out how these are laid out, they are perfect for live semi-improvised solo performance, which is exactly what I'm working on right now--an impossibly complicated and expensive rig that I hope to hit the stage with in a few months. The LoFi 12 was the missing link for me. I have an SP404 Mk II, and for some reason I've never gelled with it sonically or UI-wise. Given my Ambient 0 experience, I don't even have to think about playing this thing. Start with held notes and noodling on the various four tracks, then start unmuting sequences, then you have a bed for moving onto other instruments. I could never get a proper pluck sound out of the Ambient 0, so my LoFi 12 immediately got a whole bank full of newly sampled plucks from various synths. Krautrock wackiness ensued. Yes, you can make this sound like Tangerine Dream with some real-time step sequencing skills! :)

After just over a week of learning and playing with the LoFi-12, I'm really happy with it and want to reinforce what I've seen in other reviews. Pros: It's feature-rich; FX, mixing sequence counts/notes, resampling, chopping, advanced sample editing, and I'm still finding stuff. It's totally self-contained. Battery power and the built-in speaker make it easy to just grab and start. Once you learn the basics, it's really fast and easy to start a project, especially in a lo-fi style. Sampling is very easy and can be done in the regular workflow. The unit size is a great compromise between portability, features, and playable button/keys (compared to other micro keys). I like buttons and knobs over screens probably because I'm old. Cons: It feels plastic and toyish. Grey on grey lettering is hard to read in some lighting. AA batteries or a slightly unusual 9V adaptor make me wish for USB and an internal battery. I wish I could save patterns externally. Four seconds is a bit of a challenge for some sounds/loops and a few more Banks to save samples would be nice. And the learning curve... this is NOT intuitive out of the box. You will miss 80% of the features by just guessing at what the buttons and knobs do. Find a few good YTs and prepare to learn for at least an hour, several hours for all the features. And remember to take notes. BUT, overall, I love it. Somewhere between a tool and a toy, it's got me excited in a way few other musical gadgets have gotten me. It's like being 16 and getting my Tascam 4-track. Suddenly, I can make slightly janky versions of my musical ideas in no time, almost anywhere, and it's awesome.

Great little travel synth/groovebox. Lots of fun once you get the hang of it. YouTube is your friend. Lots of tips and tricks to get you started there.

I struggled for months to decide between the several entries of the LIVEN series synths, but I settled on the LoFi-12. I'm very happy with it so far - all of the controls are functioning well, although I hope the control knobs and piano buttons survive the first year of use. I've only really begun learning to use the LoFi-12, but I recognize it as a powerful synth with effects that really only requires playful experimentation to learn alongside having the manual in hand. I've sampled some instruments that I loved from the 16-bit era of gaming, I've created drumkits, and I'm ready to learn using this as a sequencer with patterns like my old days of Modtracker. So far? So good. However, I think there's a few weaknesses to this product out of box: The first is a lack of USB connectivity. That is available on the XT series, but at a much higher price. The second is the software needed to really make this device yours. At $240, A VST to help it in modern DAWs via my separate MIDI to USB cable would be very nice. A modernized and easier-to-use sample wav to system file converter for MIDI-OX, which is an ancient tool, would make this device even more powerful. Sadly, I've yet to find a pipeline that allows me to directly import wav, brr, and similar sample files to the LIVEN's own system file format. I'd appreciate the company stepping up and filling that hole for users. If you buy this as a newcomer, you will likely need to buy some accessories/cables for it to get the most out of it. UPDATE/EDIT: Unfortunately, while the unit responds to my FLKey Midi's controls, these changes aren't clearly reflected in the device - resulting in ruining something I was working on, and I have no idea what I actually changed. I have to say this doesn't play nice with other devices without extensive experimenting, knowledge, and testing of control and program signals, and I have to downgrade it to 3 stars as a result.

Gran herramienta para componer música usando samples. Recomendable para empezar en este mundo de Samplear. Es intuitiva y fácil de usar aunque tuve que ver varios tutoriales en YouTube para usarla mejor

Ok here is the deal. A little about me first, I am a huge synth person. I had at one point every piece of synth gear you can think of under the rainbow except a PPG wave. So I know a tad about synth gear etc. I have been making music since the 80's. So on to this piece of gear... I have 2 of these. Yes, 2 (TWO) of them plus I just got a Texture lab a few days ago from them as well. I use them for something unique, I won't explain but if you do not have a one of these 2 models you are missing out. As for the lofi-12, if you miss your Akai S950 or never got to experience one like I did then this 12 bit toy will satisfy that needs. I should not call it a toy due to the price sticker, but I am referring to it material wise. It is ALL Plastic! Does it sound good, YES it does. Now to my issue, why 4 stars? and not 5?... Well let me explain. I owned a manufacturing company many many moons ago. So as a retired business owner I have this thing. It's called Honesty and transparency. I will be honest, had I known before I dropped 239+++ dollars on this lofi-12 including the tax, only to find out as I am typing this Aug. 9th that Sonicware just released a Limited ed. of 500, Lofi-6's for 299 from another retail company as a exclusive. I feel that all the stuff on this new unit could of been added originally on the lofi-12 so its kind of to me a marketing tactic which kind of makes me feel I wasted money when I could of bought their new limited version. As for transparency it's just I feel I have to now be cautious when buying from Sonicware, because you do not know what will come right after you dropped a lot of money on one of their items. I just hope other buyer's who see this understand they make good items, not perfect which I can understand because they are a small company but this boutique manufacturing style is kind of unorthodox (when asking for $239+ something a pop) and misleading if you are on a limited budget, like many musicians I know. Hopefully someone at Sonicware reads this, maybe make it up to those of us who dropped a ton of money on their units and update our lofi-12's to have these extra options or those of us who paid for 2 of the same unit (lofi-12) and give them a discount or gift us one of the lofi-6's for buying from them a lot and supporting their company. Just a thought.

It felt cheap and plasticky. Menus and presets are as far as I got. I wanted to love this groovebox, but other tools did the same thing better.

My adult kids like it. They started making music pretty fast... Though it is a bit complicated to figure out at first. After that that no issue. Be sure and get batteries. It comes with none. You want to be portable. Very lightweight. Would be nice if they had a case for it even if it was listed as a separate item to buy.

Interesante máquina para empezar pero un poco limitada una vez tenga más conocimiento

平らなところに置いてもぐらつきがあり、操作に集中出来ません。

Bonjour bon produit autonome compact portable prise pour midi 5 broches j ai recommandé la même marque sonicware

hatt meine Erwartungen an Vielseitigkeit und verbindungsmöglichkeiten noch übertroffen. Meine Schlafzimmer - Beats waren nie angenehmer

I've purchased in the past a few other devices like the Korg sample 2 and po-33, but for me the lofi-12 is definitely a step up and a great piece of kit with good value. There's a learning curve when first using it which is probably best solved by watching the you tube tutorials. It's slightly on the large side but has a better feel as a musical instrument than its rival devices. It has a few minor annoying things like the pattern chaining not allowing the same pattern to be chained several times, but it's generally nice to use and fun, allowing spontaneous music creation. Sound quality seems really good, and the FX features are also great.