Review: Sonicware Liven Lofi-12 – Lofi Hip Hop Hardware Sampling

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Source: Sonicware

Think you don’t need a hardware sampler? The Sonicware Liven Lofi-12 sampling groovebox says otherwise, but makes a pretty compelling argument.

Sonicware Liven Lofi-12

“A hardware sampler in 2023? Definitely my computer is all I need to digitally manipulate audio.” It wasn’t 1989, now sampling is as easy as dragging a .wav file into your DAW. But this misses the point for some, as the fun is in working not just with hardware, but with decidedly lo-fi hardware. Check out used prices for old school samplers from Akai and E-mu. That means there are plenty of musicians for whom the low-bit, muffled crunch of classic samplers can only be a good thing.

Japanese company Sonicware clearly recognizes this, and this time it focuses on the hardware sampler market. Dubbed the Liven Lofi-12, the latest in the company’s Liven groovebox series, like the Volcas, it combines a sound generation engine with a robust sequencer that packs into a tabletop box without breaking the bank. . This time the engine is a sampler, and unlike its closest rival his Volca Sample, it can actually sample. Hallelujah. While its name alludes to his lo-fi hip-hop courtship to his crowd (and many presets back this up), there’s no reason it can’t have wider appeal, as we’ll see later. .

Sonicware Liven Lofi-12

Design and Layout: Back to the Old School

With its beige coloring and gray and red accents, there’s no doubt that this Liven is a nod to Akai’s classic S-series samplers. In the end Akai blew up the sampling market and made it such a phenomenon and if you were on the market but you can’t justify the cost this will certainly scratch that itch it’s me too Yes, and I even have his S2000 in my rack.

The layout mirrors that of other Liven units, with various knobs at the top, function buttons in the middle, and the company’s signature keyboard buttons for chromatic scale playing at the bottom. Size-wise, it’s roughly the same dimensions as the iPad, but noticeably thicker. The thickness also allows room for six AA batteries (9-volt power adapter not included) and built-in speaker. This size is an acceptable compromise between portability and having enough space to contain all the sizable number of parameter controls.

The look is inspired by old Akai samplers

Sequencing: Locking These Parameters

The heart of the Liven Lofi-12 is the groovebox. Like other of his Liven devices, it has four tracks and sequences can be performed live or step recording. There’s also direct recording that lets you capture your performance while it’s playing. Each track can have up to 64 steps and a total of 64 patterns. The step length can also be adjusted from 1/32 to full bar.

The Lofi-12’s sequencer features parameter locking as part of the package, making it pretty robust, especially considering its low price. Similar to note recording, there are three ways to capture performance data. The first is a direct input that turns a knob while pressing a step button. Next is real-time input, which behaves like motion control on Korg devices. Finally, there is a sound lock input that captures note and performance data simultaneously.

Additional sequencer controls include adjustable swing and laidback to offset the timing of samples on the track. This emulates the erratic (sometimes called drunk) timing used by artists such as Flying Lotus.

Stochastic and random phrases and stutter performance effects round out the sequencer.

Sonicware Liven Lofi-12

Sampling: Catching 1’s and 0’s

Liven Lofi-12 comes with 5 banks of 16 samples of different sounds, but the real fun is recording your own. (There are 3 user banks and samples can be exported via the SysEx librarian.) Capturing samples is very easy. Simply connect an external device to the line-in jack, record and play. It uses gain triggers to automatically start recording and sampling can be done at clean 16bit/24kHz or dirty 16bit/12kHz. Sampling time is fixed at 2 seconds at 24kHz and doubled at 12kHz. For even more crunch, you can put the entire device into 12-bit mode with the push of a button.

Liven Lofi-12 offers all the sample editing features you’d expect, including truncation, loop points, reverse, and basic attack and release envelope settings. You can chop the same loop the old-fashioned way by copying it into multiple sample slots and editing them individually, but without time stretching (sorry) or automatic loop chopping. Editing the sample is easy. Sonicware includes a paper overlay that can be used in sample edit mode. (This information is not printed on the unit itself, so don’t lose it.)

Sonicware Liven Lofi-12 with Sample Edit Overlay

Synthesis and Effects

Edit the sample to your liking, then shape it however you like using the onboard synthesis controls. This includes a multimode resonant digital filter with various lowpass, highpass and bandpass settings with built-in envelope shaping, an LFO that modulates the pitch and cutoff frequency, and a unique filter for automatic raising or lowering of pitch. Includes sweep function.

In addition to sampling and sequencing, Lofi-12 also includes an array of effects. These run the gamut from delay and chorus to distortion and compression. Each track can get its own unique effect of 11 available using a separate bank for the output busses. It’s confusingly called reverb, but it also includes tape emulation and vinyl simulator. Perhaps it makes more sense to call this Global ?

The effect is uniformly solid and goes a long way in giving your samples a realistic feel. The inclusion of dirty effects such as bit crush and tape emulation can push the lo-fi experience into overdrive when combined with 12-bit mode and low-frequency samples. filthy and lovely.

Korg NTS-1 Sampling

for whom?

So to your first question, do you need a hardware sampler in 2023? If you’re working in the lo-fi genre, the Liven Lofi-12 is an absolute must. Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Heads will absolutely love sampling records. The fact that it can be sampled cleanly and broken down as needed will also appeal to producers in other sample-heavy genres such as UK garage and jungle. Even synthwave and his 80’s retro musicians will find something you like. If you’ve never heard an analog synth he played in 12-bit, you’re missing out. This is mostly how I use it. In fact, it seems like I’ve been waiting forever for his 12-bit sampler in this price range.

Analog synth sampling made fun and easy

Conclusion

Sonicware has a clear understanding of the market. Liven Lofi-12 is perfectly designed for lo-fi producers and others working in retro or nostalgic genres. It has great sound, lots of features, lots of connectivity (MIDI in/out, Volca-style sync), and has an incredible value for money. You’ll be hard-pressed to find anything with this much functionality at this price.

It’s not all positive. With so many features, it can be difficult to organize all the buttons and functions. It’s not incredibly intuitive either. During his first week, he returned to the manual many times. But once you get used to it, it doesn’t bother you anymore.

If you need more than what the Volca Sample can do (hello, chromatic scale playing) but aren’t ready to buy a Roland SP-404, this is the sampler for you.

For more information

Sonicware’s Liven Lofi-12 is available for around 320 euros.

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