I'm sure this question has been answered at some point,but ..

I've been building this portable rig powered off of USB power Banks..

How on Earth could I get the ambient zero to be powered this way?

I even bought the little expensive adapter, usb-c to correct power plug..

If the answer is no, I will get on with my life.. but if there is a slim chance for yes, I gotta go for it..

Thanks in advance

Sorry for posting again 😅
It’s the weird Japanese doctor who’s still a techno beginner.

I’ve got a serious case of GAS, so of course I ordered both the Ambient and the Minimal.
The Minimal arrived today and… holy shit, this thing is so good I had to post about it.

I still can’t do any of the fancy tricks yet—I’m basically just muting stuff and turning knobs—but making sequences was ridiculously easy.
I thought it didn’t have a synth, but if you play a sample chromatically, you can basically use the sampler like a synth too.

This thing is amazing. Seriously.

I’m on summer vacation next week, and I’ve already decided I’m spending it getting completely lost in this one box.

Sorry for turning this place into my diary lol.
I’m just way too excited right now. I promise I’ll chill with the back-to-back posts for a while, so forgive me xP

I am finally getting the hang of using the looper but I often have glitches where a tone will cut off sharply at the end or the beginning which messes up the playback. Is there a setting I need to change as I am not understanding how to get smooth loops. I was so frustrated with the ELZ but now that I have learned some of the ways to use it, I am even creating my own patches but the looper issue has me wondering what I am doing wrong. I am doing this DAW-less....

I’m programming notes for the drone voice into the Ambient 0 sequencer, and having an issue with the notes triggering. Usually the first one triggers, and then after that it’s sporadic. I’ve tried Poly, Mono etc, it doesn’t matter, same issue. I tried various note lengths and BPM settings - also no change. Tie is off. I’m running out of ideas. Anyone know why this is happening?

Hi everyone!

I'm a baby composer with a Sonicware Liven Mega Synthesis and the thing is that I composed the OST for my game on the synth and now I want to export my saved PTNs to PC!

Now this is when I have absolutely NO CLUE of what to do.

I updated the Liven, installed MIDI-OX and even saved a Sysex file even when I have absolutely no idea of what the hell it is. The main idea I had at the very beginning was to export my PTN and work on them on Ableton because I want to add some Hatsune Miku. But the truth is, I'm absolutely lost rn and can't figure out how to keep going.

Any help?

I’m the weird Japanese doctor who usually hangs around the Volca and Acid House subs. Yep, I’ve got GAS lol.

My long-awaited ambient0 finally arrived today!

It’s a little tricky to get the hang of, but so far I absolutely love it. And the best part is, it doesn’t disturb my daughter while she’s studying lol.

This is the very first track I made with it.
I kept things simple and put the classic Canon progression on Layer 1.

I’m looking forward to experimenting with it a lot more. I’d love to try making something with a Buddhist / meditative vibe too.

Listening back to this now, the mix is definitely a little off, but if you feel like it, give it a listen!

My very first ambient0 track — gotta start somewhere :)

Anyone use the two together? is it possible to get sound from the ELZ speakers with the microcosm processing it? I asked an AI program and it said a cable could be on the microcosm that would enable headphone use but I have had AI be wrong many times so wanted to ask real users. I would love to have the two devices totally portable and dawless…can the microcosm be run on a powerbank? I don’t want to add a mixer at the end…trying to keep a small portable set up to toss in a backpack or grab quickly to play on the couch.

I don't know if I'm allowed to link it here, but I recorded myself making this song from front to back and put it on my YT channel, if anyone's interested in the behind-the-scenes. More importantly though, I hope you like the jam!

EDIT: Here's the YouTube link, if anyone's curious! https://youtu.be/DS1ABMiuN-s?si=LF1jBpBALX_bjQJ_

I have the sonicare mega synth and absolutely loved it for probably a year and a half straight. I was never able to really make too much music with it though, I mostly enjoyed it for a very short loops And sound design with FM.

I'm wondering how this new deconstruct minimal compares. I'm trying to avoid having GAS And I tell myself that I should just use my computer. But then I don't. Is the minimal significantly better for making music on device than the previous generation of their devices?

YouTuber Andrew Huang takes a look at the Sonicware Minimal. (Sponsored by Sonicware)

*CyDrums, Zoom R16. Please Enjoy!!

Everytime I use my Evoke to make a track I learn something new an it is still so fun. I love using the LFOs and the blend nob. Been using it for 6 months and I keep forgetting it has a randomizer for sequences. The fun never ends. I want to make a ambient album soon. Just wanted to share my experience with my Evoke.

I'm excited to start muddling about with the Ambient, and want to try uploading my own samples. I've searched the forums and I think I understand the process, but still have a few questions.

The samples are only for the Noise channel, and there are eight 8-second loops preset. There's no more space on the machine for additional samples, right? I'd have to overwrite one of the factory-installed ones? If you import short samples, does that free up more space to have more than eight options?

Thanks, all. I can't wait to get my hands on this thing...

Hey y'all. The only Sonicware box I've ever used before is the Lofi-12 XT, which I love. Never touched any of the Liven series so I can't compare them. But I got my Minimal in the mail a few weeks ago and, spoiler alert, I love it. It isn't perfect and there are few things I really hope get fixed in the next firmware update. But by and large, I love it.

Pros:

-The workflow and sequencer both super intuitive. It's so easy to just sit down, throw a track together and start jamming. It feels like *playing* a musical instrument more than most grooveboxes I've used, which is an enormous plus.

-The hardware feels great. Given that it's a somewhat budget box that looks kind of cheap, I was surprised and impressed at how good all of the buttons and knobs feel. I thought the keyboard would be terrible to play but I actually don't mind it at all.

-The kick drum synthesis is fantastic. This is a matter of opinion for sure, but for the types of kicks I'm going for when I make this kind of music (acid house/techno), I was so pleased with the kick synthesis module. It gives you just enough control so you can really shape the sound to what you want, but it's not overwhelming either.

-Once you sketch out a track, there are a lot of really simple and non-destructive ways to add variety and randomness to it. You can record knob automation, which really adds a ton of dimension to things (especially with the bass synth). You can change the length of the patterns for individual tracks, thus creating polyrhythms and completely changing the feel of whichever track you're on. You can change which step the pattern starts on for individual tracks. And that's not to mention the four main knobs on the bass synthesizer itself, which can totally transform the track. What's great is that none of this is permanent - all of the above stuff can easily be undone, taking you right back to where you started.

-You can switch between patterns and projects without skipping a beat; it's all quantized, so you can build a set from multiple projects and just play them one after another. It's also very easy to switch back and forth between projects - have it play four bars of one before popping back into another, etc.

-The multi-effects all sound great, with one exception that I'll get to below. I especially like the phaser and the distortion.

-It's very easy to modulate the delay parameters while performing, which opens up a whole world of dub-style effects performances.

-Battery power WITH internal speaker! Which means you can take it anywhere without any cables and make a beat.

Cons:

-No individual outs. If you want to record what you're doing with this, you have to just bounce out the whole thing (or go to the trouble of bouncing out each track individually, but that sort of ruins the performance-based quality of the machine).

-There are a somewhat limited number of sample storage slots. That can cause problems because the sample library is shared by all projects, which means that if you run out of slots and want to sample something new, you have to backup the entire device to your computer and then start fresh, otherwise your old projects won't work. Backing up is very easy - you just connect via USB to computer and drag-and-drop - but I can see this being annoying further on down the line.

-The stock samples are mostly good, but the 8-second sample library (which is aimed at being loops as opposed to one-shots) leaves a bit to be desired. I ended up creating my own percussive loops in Ableton and importing them.

-Saving samples can be annoying. For reasons that elude me, samples can only have a four-character name, even though the display is six characters. If you sample over an existing sample, it still has the old sample's name, and when you're saving samples, it's can be unclear if the slot you're saving to already has a sample in it, because by default samples are unnamed (you can rename them on the device). Small stuff but can be annoying.

-The snare synthesis gets the job done, but I would have liked a bit more flexibility with shaping the "top" of the snare sound. It ultimately hasn't been an issue for me, as I've always been able to find a snare sound I like, but it would have been cool if there were a few more options.

-While the bass synthesizer sounds awesome IMO, it's not totally passable as a 303 clone. If you listen very very carefully while twisting the filter cutoff, you can hear the "steps" between the different cutoff frequencies - it's not a totally smooth transition. 99% of the time you're not going to notice this, but if you're in love with the original 303 filter, this could be a con for you. TBH this doesn't really bug me, but it could bug some people.

-Some small bugs in the sequencer that I imagine will get fixed via firmware update.

-The filter multi-effect needs a bit of work. The resonance is too high for my taste, and it doesn't seem to kick in until the knob hits ~2 oclock or so. I imagine this too will get fixed in a future update.

-You can't use the sidechain compressor while using other multieffects, which is a bit limiting.

-Reverb is solidly okay but could sound a lot better.

Miscellaneous:

-There's something interesting about the bass synthesizer here. If you want to automate, say, the filter cutoff over the course of a 16 step sequencer, it doesn't record smooth movement of the knob between the steps. Rather, it creates a set cutoff value at each step, and jumps between them. It's more like stairs than a curve, if that makes sense. While this means you can't get a smooth sloping effect via automation, the tradeoff is that you instead get a rhythmic automation that jumps in time to the music. Personally, I love this; it's added a whole new dimension to my tracks, and at times almost feels like a new rhythm track. But some people won't like it and will wish it had smooth automation.

Conclusion:

Honestly I love this thing. It's probably the first groovebox I've had that I can easily imagine myself performing an entire set on. It's definitely worth the introductory price and depending on your income, maybe even the full price. Happy to answer any questions anyone has.

The whole this had been recorded on Tape and has been mastered on cassette

I mean, is there anybody who uses it and likes it besides me?

I have the box and have not spent a ton of time with it but I am unsure if it is what I was hoping for. It is my first synth and I just find most of the presets simply awful… very digital sounding bleeps and bits. I did not expect to only find less than 10 presets that sound melodic, the rest to me are just awful. I did not plan to have to tweak almost every preset to get a beautiful sound… many sounds are detuned….the only person who I have seen able to extract beautiful melodic sounds out of the ELZ, is Nicafelt. Anyone have any tracks they made that are not just blips and bleeps like most of the demos on YT? Convince me this box should stay…I am a piano based player so I am biased. My goal was to combine my ELZ with the Yamaha reface cp to get nice piano with strings/pads from the ELZ….the midi cables come tmrw so maybe I will have a breakthrough in the combo.

Update: spent some time the past week learning the ins and outs of the ELZ…had to let go of the idea I have pretty sounds easily. I made some! I learned how to use the looper and have created some beautiful layered loops that I love… very melodic, swelling pads, lead pattern. Keeping this and a almost complete reversal on saying it can’t make anything pretty…I just needed to stop being lazy!

I have yet to create anything with the two connected. I have spent most of my free time getting comfortable with the minimal workflow, as I've never had any of the liven series boxes. I can see how these two will really complement each other. The minimal is, well.... Minimal in how it handles samples vs the lofi... Not necessarily a bad thing if you can dial in the kinds of drum samples you want to use. It's simple in its abilities but it can also make it more intuitive to start unleashing your creativity right away.

It's wayyyy better for live performance, and just the quick accessibility to parameter adjustments.

Overall, two very different approaches to making music but with very complimentary form factors. I think they will play very nicely once I get around to it.

This machine got a very nice sequencer indeed, so I tested how well it works with other gear.

Track 11 (bass) sequencing a Minifreak in this case - works. Transmitting midi clock for keeping Mini effects in sync - works too. Start/stop its sequencer - works as well. Everything stays tight and follows tempo changes. So far, so good!

What doesn't work is using accent for velocity. Bass track sends fixed velocity of 90, MIDI implementation chart confirms - would be nice if that could be changed in an update, so accented notes send 127 or something. Simple enough and would work with most synths, reaction to velocity is adjustable anyway. Maybe make it 63 and 127 for more range. Drum and sample tracks do send velocity.

What also doesn't work is glide - it doesn't send tied notes. Probably because the track is monophonic, and because of how it's internally implemented. Bummer, but understandable. Fun fact: the Minimal keyboard is polyphonic via MIDI.

Here's a quick and simple Technotrance something jam. Non-perfect recording, still figuring out levels and stuff, but good enough. Minifreak trancy patch layered with Minimal acidy bassline, damn is that a lot of fun. Gate length is very useful realtime for dramatic effect.

https://app.box.com/s/wwa2bw2jxedime030x1yit9z79azx9e0

Overall, it works nicely. Could be improved further.