What a delight. Sonicware has some affordable interesting stuff. I want them to send you their gear to showcase. BTW, the ELZ, Ambient and their granular thing would make a hell of a setup. All it's missing is for Sonicware to release a Drumbox and a no nonsense sequencer.
I've got it. The 2nd it's in your hands the price difference makes sense. It's super heavy for it's size and full steel body. The different engines are the selling point and how you change engines on the fly without altering filter, envelope, etc.
I pre-ordered mine back in march Finally on its way and it was £482.57 plus the duty carriage charges was £112 being that I’m in the uk. I think this thing is gonna be excellent and apparently it has after touch which the livens didn’t have and the synths are more lightly higher quality so it’s definitely worth it and worth the last 6 months of waiting. I’m So exited just waiting for it to be released from customs now. Ahah. Thanks for the video bud. 😉👍
I have the SmplTrek, and very impress with it. With 3 global track for audio, its like a 3 track looper. Sonicware are doing amazing stuff. I am very tempted, just because of the sheer size of having a keyboard and 4 track looper and synth all in one. I do a lot of dogsitting at other people houses, so small is package is a must. I also have a mini tracker from Polyend, which has half of the synth engine. With a promise of more coming. Be interesting to get a comparison of the mini tracker and ELZ_1 play. Similar price range as well.
This is literally soft synths/engines running on a SBC in a small housing with some knobs, buttons, a bit of I/O and a tiny screen. As long as you have the control surface(s) you like, including keybed, and a decent screen why it matters to some where the soft synth runs is beyond my comprehension. Many seem to love their kit though so I guess that does matter to them?
@@synthsamuraiproductions it is hard to beat for the price plus you just turn it on and go. At the same time some of the sound/patch sets for the great synths you already own are also a great deal.
It is "literally" not. you've either been misled or you are being deliberately misleading. This isn't a raspberry pi/arduino kit hosting off-the-peg VSTIs. This is a synth/audio interface/looper with over a dozen synth engines built from the ground up specifically for this device. There are digital synths using open source engines (e.g. Arturia's micro and Mini Freaks) but the Elz-1 Play is not that.
@@dinogoldie9716 where exactly did I state this is an rPi or arduino running essentially public domain software? Do you assert this is not a single board computer running software synths, loopers, and I/O control regardless of whether that was all written "from scratch" for this synth? Nothing in my initial statement was misleading.
"Pricey" how? It's a multi engine polyphonic digital synth/sequencer/looper/audio interface/kitchensink* (*probably not the last thing). It's got over a dozen synth engines and most of them are unique to the machine (unlike, say, Arturia's Micro/Mini Freaks which both reuse Mutable engines). . It's properly polyphonic and not just "paraphonic" like aforementioned Arturia synths. Also, there's the economy of scale. When I got mine, it was a limited edition side project by Dr U and not a mainline Sonicware product. That may have changed now.
soooo ...seein the more straight foward photos of the sonicware elz on reverb, the build quality/look of the plastic is a turn off even at the 400 pricepoint. If this thing had an op-1 looking build it would probably be pretty enticing...but it is kinda like the op-z, terrible build, confusing design and really expensive :/ sounds fine, but I don't hear anything special to set it apart from the other synths they are competing with which are way more substantial feeling...it looks like doo doo🤷🏻♂...also listed on reverb a year ago? I never heard anything about it before this stream
@@synthsamuraiproductions but also I think the video lighting is hiding the true feel of the unit... so black keys aren't fixing it for me... I am glad tho, I felt a twinge of panic bc only a few hours before your stream I had ordered the minifreak stellar and was like oh no!! is the elz a better box?? 🤣
@@synthsamuraiproductions yeahh I have the micro and love it... so a better built stereo version with more sequencer modes and effects was kind of irresistible! I sold a dfam to help fund it :)
Sonicware is killing it at the moment
Great stuff man if this was 400$ it would
Be mine
I’ve got one Sonicware, these are often funny machines. Nice review man. Each time you’re talking about something I want to try it 😁
Hahaha me too
Man that thing does sound really good!
Doesnt it man!!
What a delight. Sonicware has some affordable interesting stuff. I want them to send you their gear to showcase.
BTW, the ELZ, Ambient and their granular thing would make a hell of a setup.
All it's missing is for Sonicware to release a Drumbox and a no nonsense sequencer.
There drums in the elz_1 play my brother
The sonicware smpltrek seems pretty decent. Velocity sensitive pads.
Yes, but it's not knob per function. @@synthsamuraiproductions
@@HarmonicSonics.And the 12XT seems great as well.
They put out Cydrums and Sampltrek does drums
I've got it. The 2nd it's in your hands the price difference makes sense. It's super heavy for it's size and full steel body. The different engines are the selling point and how you change engines on the fly without altering filter, envelope, etc.
Hmmm very interesting
If it’s as good as the Teenage Engineering OP1 field, it could possibly be considered a steal.
I know my feelings exactly
I pre-ordered mine back in march Finally on its way and it was £482.57 plus the duty carriage charges was £112 being that I’m in the uk. I think this thing is gonna be excellent and apparently it has after touch which the livens didn’t have and the synths are more lightly higher quality so it’s definitely worth it and worth the last 6 months of waiting. I’m So exited just waiting for it to be released from customs now. Ahah. Thanks for the video bud. 😉👍
Keep me posted i want one. Would love to hear what ur thoughts are
I was able to snag a mint condition barely used for $450 + shipping + taxes. White keys but otherwise awesome. I can't wait to receive it
I'll be pairing it with my Yamaha SeqTrak. I think the pair will be unstoppable.
Pretty sweet deal man!!! Congrats
I have the SmplTrek, and very impress with it. With 3 global track for audio, its like a 3 track looper. Sonicware are doing amazing stuff. I am very tempted, just because of the sheer size of having a keyboard and 4 track looper and synth all in one. I do a lot of dogsitting at other people houses, so small is package is a must. I also have a mini tracker from Polyend, which has half of the synth engine. With a promise of more coming. Be interesting to get a comparison of the mini tracker and ELZ_1 play. Similar price range as well.
Yeah i wanna try it out
Ooooh it’s a mini freak with all the make noise plus stuff
I’d hold out for the first love fm
I dig that too man
Hi bro! In your opinion is it superior to the Minifreak? leaving aside the price
Havent played it but i would say not better than minifreak. But still very cool
the one on reverb for 400 is NOT the PLAY ELZ_1. careful folks
Its the Mk1
This is literally soft synths/engines running on a SBC in a small housing with some knobs, buttons, a bit of I/O and a tiny screen. As long as you have the control surface(s) you like, including keybed, and a decent screen why it matters to some where the soft synth runs is beyond my comprehension. Many seem to love their kit though so I guess that does matter to them?
The ambient 0 is amazing brother. Maybe be one of my favorite synth buys of all time
@@synthsamuraiproductions it is hard to beat for the price plus you just turn it on and go. At the same time some of the sound/patch sets for the great synths you already own are also a great deal.
It is "literally" not. you've either been misled or you are being deliberately misleading. This isn't a raspberry pi/arduino kit hosting off-the-peg VSTIs. This is a synth/audio interface/looper with over a dozen synth engines built from the ground up specifically for this device. There are digital synths using open source engines (e.g. Arturia's micro and Mini Freaks) but the Elz-1 Play is not that.
@dinogoldie9716 interesting
@@dinogoldie9716 where exactly did I state this is an rPi or arduino running essentially public domain software? Do you assert this is not a single board computer running software synths, loopers, and I/O control regardless of whether that was all written "from scratch" for this synth? Nothing in my initial statement was misleading.
Dullard
😂 whats a dullard
Does it have weighted keys?
The heaviest
These are 350 on reverb
Thats the mk1
Yeah, the ELZ_1 is - this is the ELZ_1 Play
Sounds 😌😌
Sounds gooood
"Pricey" how? It's a multi engine polyphonic digital synth/sequencer/looper/audio interface/kitchensink* (*probably not the last thing). It's got over a dozen synth engines and most of them are unique to the machine (unlike, say, Arturia's Micro/Mini Freaks which both reuse Mutable engines). . It's properly polyphonic and not just "paraphonic" like aforementioned Arturia synths. Also, there's the economy of scale. When I got mine, it was a limited edition side project by Dr U and not a mainline Sonicware product. That may have changed now.
Bro i love it!! Its just hard to compete with hydra explorer and minifreak for same price. But i love it man
soooo ...seein the more straight foward photos of the sonicware elz on reverb, the build quality/look of the plastic is a turn off even at the 400 pricepoint. If this thing had an op-1 looking build it would probably be pretty enticing...but it is kinda like the op-z, terrible build, confusing design and really expensive :/ sounds fine, but I don't hear anything special to set it apart from the other synths they are competing with which are way more substantial feeling...it looks like doo doo🤷🏻♂...also listed on reverb a year ago? I never heard anything about it before this stream
Yeah black keys are a must the white keys make it look toyish and cheap
@@synthsamuraiproductions but also I think the video lighting is hiding the true feel of the unit... so black keys aren't fixing it for me... I am glad tho, I felt a twinge of panic bc only a few hours before your stream I had ordered the minifreak stellar and was like oh no!! is the elz a better box?? 🤣
@nico37 oh man minifreak stellar cant be beat!!! No regrets man! Thats a beauty and a beast
@@synthsamuraiproductions yeahh I have the micro and love it... so a better built stereo version with more sequencer modes and effects was kind of irresistible! I sold a dfam to help fund it :)
@nico37 good call!! Wish i waited for the beautiful stellar version
Sounds nice 👍 but too much dinero
Minifreak territory
Dark grey keys would of been nicer (imho)
Red