Bastl Microgranny.

[Arpangel]

I just ordered one of these, I’ve been using my 2hp Play a lot lately, but this is going to great for more advanced sampling duties, if you’re into soundscapes, and lo-fi stuff this needs checking out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qbrAfQa6vM

[Martin Walker]

Nice sounds and features!

Why on earth did they call it the MicroGranny though

Martin

[Wonks]

Nice sounds and features!

Why on earth did they call it the MicroGranny though

Martin

Easy. It's the next step smaller after 'MiniMum'.

[nathanscribe]

It's the next step smaller after 'MiniMum'.

Genius.

[Guest]

Microprocessor Granular = MicroGrany?

[Guest]

Or maybe micro=small

Yeah got to be: small granular.

[Martin Walker]

Yes, I can see the derivation makes sense, but I'm afraid the name still puts me right off buying one

Martin

[Arpangel]

Yes, I can see the derivation makes sense, but I'm afraid the name still puts me right off buying one

Martin

Don’t worry Martin, take consolation that things with silly names can still be amazing, I have to live with my Grandmother so……….

[BJG145]

I'm afraid the name still puts me right off

Perhaps you'll find room for their forthcoming space-saver, the Nanonanny.

[Martin Walker]

Now that one I could get behind

[Eddy Deegan]

Is the flagship model called a Maxigramps?

[Arpangel]

First impressions, almost unusable for an old person with even vaguely defective eyesight, knob/button labels unreadable to me without a magnifying glass,
Poor build quality, noisy, even though it’s low bit.
Illogical workflow, no built in speaker, which would have been useful.
On the plus side, it’s got character as they say these days, it’ll suit my music, but it’s uses will be very limited.
Definitely not meant for old impatient musicians with falling eyesight and poor dexterity.
At the price, definitely a bit disappointing.
Others will have different opinions, and I’m not going to send it back, I’ll get used to it, I’m going to immerse myself in it, the only way in these circumstances.

[Guest]

I have the opinion that the older you get the smaller printed text is.

Updates to my Kindle have also gradually made the text smaller, I used to use font size 2 and now I need 5.

Things used to be so much better.

[Hugh Robjohns]

First impressions... knob/button labels unreadable to me without a magnifying glass, Poor build quality, noisy, even though it’s low bit. Illogical workflow, no built in speaker, which would have been useful....

Most points being fairly obvious from the YT video you linked, surely?

[John Stafford]

What I love about the Grandmother name is that it doesn't sound like it was chosen by a marketing consultant.

"Any ideas for a name?"

"We've had Slim and Little Phatty. What could be phatter than that?"

"Yo Momma?"

"Don't they make cellos?"

"Let me think..."

[Arpangel]

First impressions... knob/button labels unreadable to me without a magnifying glass, Poor build quality, noisy, even though it’s low bit. Illogical workflow, no built in speaker, which would have been useful....

Most points being fairly obvious from the YT video you linked, surely?

I think like I’m still twenty five, not the age I really am.
"It’ll all be fine, I can cope with that"

[Arpangel]

I’m making headway, I haven’t a clue what I’m doing yet, but good sounds are coming out, especially sampling my synths through my monitors with the built-in mic, it’s a question of when is too much dirt too much dirt? But it’s fulfilling my expectations, and doing the job I wanted, managing samples in this is like trying to keep a frog in your hand.

[Martin Walker]

Phew!

Martin

[Arpangel]

Phew!

Martin

Yes, phew.
You know how you can think something is going to be really great, but it isn’t, well, this is that.
I’m sorry to say I made a mistake getting this, it’s got nothing to do with the sound, it’s more than interesting, it’s the way it works, the file system especially, it’s just too much for my addled brain.
I may keep it, to mess about with, but honestly, it’s a chaotic process, I really don’t know how I’m getting what I’m getting, or where it’s coming from.
It’s a frustrating little thing, I need something just a bit more user friendly, a sampler with a better user interface, but with a similar sound.

[Martin Walker]

[Arpangel]

I’m giving it more time Martin, I’ve got my Zoom effects unit on it, and I’ve wiped the internal memory of the MG, so it just has my samples in it, wherever they are!

[Ben Asaro]

Life is too short to spend time putting square pegs into round holes. Shift the MG and move onto something you enjoy more! I have never been into sampling, probably never will be, I guess I enjoy boring bleeps and bloops more!

[Drongoloid]

First impressions, almost unusable for an old person with even vaguely defective eyesight, knob/button labels unreadable to me without a magnifying glass,
Poor build quality, noisy, even though it’s low bit.
Illogical workflow, no built in speaker, which would have been useful.

Good review. Bought one of these years ago and have never had the first idea about how it works or even to get it to do the same thing twice. Useful once in a while...but yes totally illogical. I did write to them once and got a very polite reply which made the whole process even less logical than it already was. Twiddle knobs get some 'sound'...'sound' never to be found again.

[Arpangel]

Twiddle knobs get some 'sound'...'sound' never to be found again.

But that’s just it, sounds like modular, fifty years ago.
These days, I’m getting much more out of sounds I get from things that aren’t predictable, or that I understand, I’ve got pedals going into pedals, going out to something else, into the four track, out of the four track, the Microgranny, some fantastic low-fin sounds that are truly gut wrenching, but gone forever as soon as I switch it off.
But that’s OK, I’m liking it, I’ve got a folder on my computer called "compost" and I put these sounds in there for future use, and every time I audition one if these sounds, I haven’t a clue how I got it! ir what I used, all I know is that my music is benefiting, it’s still interesting to me, that’s the main thing.
The MG is no different to my modular, in concept, regarding repeatability, or predictability, and I never really know what I’m doing with my modular, it leads me, I don’t lead it.