Casio teased a retro gaming-inspired sampler

Casio showed up to NAMM (CES for euphony cogwheel nerds) this twelvemonth pinch a prototype sampler called the SX-C1 that looks each spot the lovechild of a Game Boy and an SP-404. The apical has a directional pad and 4 buttons conscionable for illustration you’d find connected a crippled controller, flanking a 1.3-inch OLED screen. But astatine the bottom, location are 16 rubberized pads for triggering samples pinch crunchy pixelated number labels connected them.

The device connected show on the show level was not afloat finalized, truthful the specs are taxable to change. Casio says that the last type will person 16 sound polyphony and grounds samples astatine 16-bit / 48kHz. It will besides person 10 banks of samples, for 160 sample slots successful total, dispersed complete 64GB of soul storage. It will besides travel preloaded pinch samples harvested from classical Casio gear.

There are besides 2 effects slots, arsenic evidenced by the 2 thumbwheels branded FX1 and FX2. What effects and precisely really they’ll beryllium implemented is chartless correct now, though a bitcrusher and a hold tin intelligibly beryllium heard successful the demo clip below.

Similarly, there’s a grid-style measurement sequencer that’s giving superior TR-707 vibes. But again, location are nary specs for the sequencer astatine this time. One point we do cognize is that location will beryllium due sample trimming pinch a visible waveform for illustration you get connected the Roland SP-404MKII, the benignant that isn’t disposable connected much affordable and portable samplers for illustration Teenage Engineering’s PO-33 or PO-133.

The SX-C1 will person a built-in mic and speaker and tin beryllium powered by AAAs for genuinely standalone operation. But it besides has 1/8-inch line-in and line-out jacks, a headphone jack, and 2 USB-C ports. Those USB ports tin beryllium utilized for powerfulness and audio, truthful you could plug consecutive into your machine to sample your favourite YouTube clip.

This marks Casio’s return to the world of samplers aft a very agelong absence. Its ‘80s models, including the FZ-1 and SK-1, were iconic, but things person been quiet since then. When the Casio SX-C1 sampler mightiness beryllium available, really overmuch it will cost, and if it will ever moreover travel to the US are each chartless astatine this time, but we’ve reached retired to Casio for much details.