Is this a modern-day Casio SK-1?

Sonicware recently announced another device, the LIVEN Lofi-12! The Lofi-12 is a retro sampling machine with a 12-bit Sampler mode that turns everything you sample into a crunchy, lofi sound. It comes in a small and portable form factor, just like some of Sonicware’s other products, the XFm, 8bit Warps, and Bass&Beats and it has a retro color scheme similar to an old Akai MPC.

So, the core idea is that you sample a short sound - 2 or 4 seconds, depending on the kHz, 12kHz can sample up to 4 seconds and 24kHz up to 2 seconds. This might seem short but you can easily sample a 2-bar loop in 4 seconds if you want to use a drum break.

Besides being able to sample stuff and play them chromatically using the built-in keyboard, the Lofi-12 also has a pretty cool 4-track sequencer with 64 steps, sub-divisions, and even Parameter & Sound Locking - a feature you often see on more advanced (and expensive sequencers).

To stay true to its Lofi nature, Lofi-12 has a Laidback knob that is used to delay the start of the sound playback on the sequencer. That means you can slightly delay some parts of your beat, like for example the snare, to create those drunken, lofi beats that we are all familiar with you. This a choice I haven’t seen on any sequencer, although you can also do this on sequencers that have micro-timing like the Elektron Digitakt.

Additionally, you will also find 11 effects that you can assign to each of the 4 tracks (1 per track) like Reverb, Chorus, Delay, and more. And on top of that, there are 6 Effects to choose from for your master bus. Those are 6 Reverb types, a Cassette Simulator, and a Vinyl Simulator to stay consistent with the Lofi nature of the instrument.

Finally, Lofi-12 has 10-note polyphony, an Envelope, a Filter, and an LFO per track so the sample tweaking can be quite extensive. You can have a sustain loop on your samples, just like the Loop function on the Casio SK-1 that I use all the time, you can reverse samples and sequence them using an Arppegiator with all the typical modes. And as a big plus, it can run on 6 AA batteries meaning you can use it anywhere you want!

The only thing I wish they added on the Lofi-12 would be a built-in microphone to be able to sample directly on it with no other cables or mics needed.

Conclusion

To be honest, at first, I thought that this device was a bit gimmicky because of the Lofi hype of the past years. But even if you don’t make Lofi beats, the Lofi-12 is a great little device for sampling sounds and playing them on the keyboard or sequencing them. Its workflow is quite fast and easy to learn and it has way more features than I originally expected. As I, personally, love the Casio Sk-1, I would easily replace it with the Lofi-12 which has literally dozens more useful features but still has the same vibe and sound as the SK-1. And it’s so cheap that you’ll probably never regret getting one.

So overall, I think that the LIVEN Lofi-12 by Sonicware is a great option for people that like this Lofi sampling sound and want something small, portable, and feature-packed. And it costs just 239$!