franco_ferrer's Reviews
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156
Excellent sampler, perfect for drum machines
When my drum machine craze started (thanks to The The's song "Giant"), I was looking for something similar to a LinnDrum or Oberheim DMX/DX; the initial candidate seemed to be the Digitakt, but there was a problem: the Digitakt is/was unable to load samples on all 16 pads unless you were doing a sequence, which severely limited its use (especially considering the multi-sound nature of the Linns, Oberheims, and E-Mus). So on the search went, until I happened upon the new electribe (lower case is deliberate!), this one. I had heard about some of the drawbacks (including the fact that the samples had to be stored on the SD card), so I was weighing my options (even considering an HR-16 as well). In the end, the pros far outweighed the cons, and so I bought the electribe sampler. Turned out that most of whatever limitations this thing had didn't bother me (the SD card limitation still does, though), and uploaded almost all the sample-based drum machines, as well as recreating their original layouts as intended by their makers; I immediately put it to use, recreating many of the '80s drum patterns and a few '90s ones and even "Feels", the then-recent one (and even creating a few of my own, using it as a sketch pad for drum patterns).
SD card shortcoming aside (which is why I give it four stars instead of five), this is a good drum machine (which is what I use it as, instead of the sampler it purports itself to be). Definitely kills the Digitakt (or at least did at one point, I'm not sure), and you should get one.
Preferred Settings + Usage:
As mentioned, the ability of the electribe sampler to load samples on all 16 pads means that I was able to recreate the sample-based drum machines (the 3 Linns, the Oberheim DMX family, the Drumulator [both in its stock kit and the Rock Drums kit], the DrumTraks [both its original sounds and a more HQ version of the sounds, which were from the LM1, LinnDrum, and DMX], The MXR 185, and even the Roland TR-707; still missing from this collection is the Movement MCS Drum Computer, which no-one in their infinite wisdom sampled) initially in 16/44, but later uploaded in their original respective qualities (that is: 28kHz for the LM-1; 24kHz for the Drumulator [though could be the same as the Emulator, 27.7kHz], the DrumTraks [that is, until I decided to use the original sounds from the Linn LM-1 and LinnDrum and the Oberheim DMX] and the MXR; 32kHz for the DMX; 35kHz for the LinnDrum and 37kHz for the Linn 9000; only the TR-707 stays in 44 because there wasn't a set sample rate for that one), as well as recreating their original layouts as intended by their makers (the MXR and Linn 9000 use a modified version of their original layout; and in the case of the Linn 9000, only one hi-hat is found, controlled by the decay).
156
Casino Killer
So, what can I say? The title of this review says it all, I feel. I was hoping to buy, after realising that Sérgio Dias from Os Mutantes used a double-cutaway hollow body with single coil pickups, one similar to it in either body (the Gretsch Electromatic, but it has mini-pole humbuckers like many Gretsches) or in style; in the latter, the Casino would win (given that it was the same kind of guitar Sérgio's idols, The Beatles, used), but the limitation was: the cutaways started just below the 16th neck join. I seriously considered the Casino Coupé, but then I ended up finding this guitar, and I immediately gravitated to it. Sure, the neck join's at the 17th fret, but it has it beat in that the cutaways are deeper than that of the Casino/ES-330, giving it a big advantage, especially for solos. I play mine both electrically and acoustically, given the size of the body. This, as the title implies and states, absolutely **destroys** the Epiphone Casino/ES-330, which it clones. It, sadly, is discontinued, and finding one right now is a bit as rare as hen's teeth, but if you do manage to find one, get it **quick** -- you won't regret the purchase; I certainly don't.
156
A worthy replacement for the 2004 version of the Planet Lock strap
Back in 2011 I was looking for a strap after the then-recent version of the Planet Lock failed on me; that new system seemed cheaply built, and in a few months, or quicker, I believe, the lock stopped working on me -- suffice it to say, the original was better, but that's a different story. Anyway, I happened to find the Lock-It Straps, and I put one on my ESP EC-50, and so far, it hasn't been a problem. As I've said on the headline, this is a worthy replacement to the original Planet Lock Straps. I have two, and with 7 stringed instruments, I have to alternate (I'd bought one strap for my Mando-Strat 8 in 2014). The system for this is a bit different from the ratchet system for the Planet Lock, but definitely a good system. I'd recommend it for all guitarists and bassists.