SequencerTalk Unleashed: MPC Sample, Tembo & MIDI Mayhem in Gameboy Mode

Akai is sending the MPC Sample into the ring—a groovebox that looks like the little sister of the legendary MPC 60, just in budget form. Three rotary knobs, a display with waveform, and pads that scream Tetris on speed: no menu odyssey here, just direct hands-on action. If you’re fed up with the DAW overkill of the big MPCs, this is pure sample feeling—no need to wade through a thousand menus.

The SequencerTalk crew loves this reduction: few buttons, but everything important is there—sample, sequencer, pad and knob effects, Flexbeat, and even warping. For just under 400 euros, you get a beat frying pan that doesn’t overwhelm you with features but invites you to just bang out beats. Whether this thing really brings pocket Gameboy vibes or is just a Casio calculator with groove remains to be seen once it’s out in the wild. If you want to see how this thing blinks and sounds, you have to check out the video—text just can’t capture the feeling.

Tembo is the step sequencer for anyone who ever wanted to make music like in elementary school—but with style! Here, beats aren’t clicked in, they’re placed with magnets on a stylish wooden box. Eight steps, five instruments, looper, sampler, effects, and even a built-in speaker—sounds like My First Groovebox, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

The SequencerTalk crew sees Tembo mainly in the education sector: for kids, schools, or just as an eye-catcher in the studio. The concept is as simple as it is ingenious—and if you think it’s just a toy, you haven’t understood the DIY vibe. Sure, nerds and pros won’t find their new live setup here, but for creative sessions or as a performance gimmick, Tembo is a real magnet. And honestly: who doesn’t want to build beats with colorful stones again?

MIDI setup chaos? CME sends the H12 MIDI Pro into the race—a hub that does everything except make coffee. Six USB-C ports, twelve TRS-MIDI connections, routing, filtering, mapping, and even a panic button for emergencies. Whether you want to connect USB controllers, synths, or the latest boutique gear: everything gets distributed and filtered cleanly so no data garbage clogs up your beat factory.

SequencerTalk praises the flexibility and power supply—finally, no more wobbly adapters or power problems! The editor runs as a standalone program and lets you set everything from routing to filtering with ease. If you’ve ever wrestled with MIDI cable spaghetti, you know: a tool like this is worth its weight in gold. For anyone who doesn’t want their studio to turn into a cable jungle, the H12 MIDI Pro is a real gamechanger. For details on operation and how it rocks in daily use, check out the video—it’s worth it!

With the 1.4 update, the Elektron Syntakt finally mutates from a pure drum machine into a full-fledged production station. 64 samples, Twinshot morphing, layering, choking, keytracking, filter pan—this turns the groovebox into a synth construction kit that can easily play with the big boys. The new features bring not just more sound, but also more performance power to the stage.

The SequencerTalk crew especially loves the creative possibilities: wavetables, polyphony, stereo filters, and a workflow that’s now even faster. Sure, the learning curve remains—but once you’ve wrapped your head around it, you get a tool that blinks, rattles, and is just plain fun. If you want to know how the new features hold up in real studio use, don’t miss the video—the sound examples say it all!