Hey all, I‘m not sure if this is the right subreddit to ask in, so feel free to point me elsewhere if there's a better fit.

Making music has been my hobby for a while, but lately I've had trouble finding the motivation to sit down and create. I'm looking at a hardware groovebox mainly to make the process fun again rather than to chase a specific sound. Musically I lean towards shoegaze/dream pop/lo-fi rock, so a groovebox would be a deliberate contrast.

What I’m hoping to get out of it:

- A step sequencer for programmed drum patterns

- The ability to import my own samples and play them in real time, not just sequence them.

- Fully portable and standalone: battery powered, with a headphone out.

- Sample based with an easy way to load samples onto it.

- Budget around 400€, used is totally fine if it gets me more for my money

I've been eyeing the Novation Circuit Rhythm but have zero hands on experience with it. If anyone's used one, I'd love to know how the sampling workflow feels, whether it's fun to just pick up and jam on, and whether it holds up for both sequencing and more real time playing.

More generally, what grooveboxes have you used that you'd actually call fun, not just capable on paper? Doesn't have to match my exact use case, curious what's worked for others too.

Thanks in advance!

TL;DR: Lost motivation to make music lately, want a fun, portable, sample-based groovebox ideally under 400€ (used is fine) with a step sequencer for drums and real-time sample playing. Considering the Novation Circuit Rhythm but have no hands-on experience with it. Curious what grooveboxes others found genuinely fun to use.

I have a Roland jdxi, and I’m looking for a way to add some sequence tracks. After asking my friend who knows a bit more about this stuff than me, he suggested to get an arturia beat step pro, and a korg volca fm2 with some cheap audio mixer. Will this setup work well? I’ve been playing the piano and different keyboards for 13 years now, but I have close to zero experience with synths, sequencers or similar hardware, so if any of you have experience with similar setups, any advice or tips would be much appreciated.

MOLOCH 303 - Tranceference

https://moloch303.bandcamp.com/track/tranceference

Album:

Paradigm

Full album link:

https://moloch303.bandcamp.com/album/paradigm

Hi, I’m 23 and I like to make instrumental liminal ambient music and I have 0 friends I really am not doing well, I really just wanna connect with someone around my age and be friends and talk about music and preferably even collab with someone who also makes similar music to me around my age, please if anyone wanna connect that’s around my age please reach out to me thank you

Hi. What’s the sound of electric piano on “Misty Mountain Hop” of Led Zeppelin?

Here’s my latest Synth playlist. Please save and share with your friends. Lots of great new songs from this decade 👍🏻

Hey everyone, I’m working on a desktop utility and figured I’d ask here if any hardware synth owners would be interested in helping me test it.

I currently only have an OB-6 and a Pro 3, so there’s only so much I can check on my own. I’d love to get it in front of people with other synths and see how it works with their setups. One synth or a room full of them, either works! I’m keeping the details private for now, but I’ll explain everything to anyone selected before they decide whether to participate or install anything. Mostly looking for people who want to try it with their synths and give me honest feedback. It runs on Windows and Linux at the moment. Beta testers will get private access and a free copy of the finished software.

If you’re interested, comment or DM me with the synth models you own and which operating system you use. I’ll reach out privately with more info. Thanks!

Me descuido un poco y ya esta arriba del sk20 !

Hey all! I've created a music sketch app that's entirely in-browser ("Sketchbox") It is a bit of fun and will remain free; not trying to make anything off the back of it, just wanted to see how much one could push a browser application to perform multitrack music production (albeit very basic). It's wildly un-tested, specifically on iPhone, as I'm afraid I'm an Android user. Please be gentle with me! If you'd like to play around and feedback any issues or feature requests, you can check it out at https://www.fullfelt.co.uk/sb1 There is the full manual under the ? button on the interface. Most of all, have fun!

Three covers played through the timeless voice of the ‪Intellijel‬ Atlantis.

One from Metallica, Interlude I from Alt-J, and Birds in Dm from Revolver.

MOLOCH 303 - Secret Passage

https://moloch303.bandcamp.com/track/secret-passage-2

Album:

Paradigm

Full album link:

https://moloch303.bandcamp.com/album/paradigm

Hi all. I'm the developer of RackDroid, an unofficial port of the VCV Rack 2 engine to Android. Version 0.1.3 came out today and it is the first one I feel comfortable showing around.

What it is

A modular synth on your phone or tablet: you drag cables between modules with a finger, pinch to zoom, long-press a knob to type a value. It opens the same `.vcv` patches as the desktop app.

- 66 modules built in (Core, Fundamental, and a set of 808-style drum voices)

- 21 optional packs you install on demand: Bogaudio, Valley, Befaco, Audible Instruments, Impromptu, Stoermelder and others, about 1000 modules in total

- USB and Bluetooth MIDI, an on-screen keyboard, WAV recording

- A "cable parking" bar on the edge of the screen, for patching two modules that never fit on screen together

What is new in 0.1.3

Most of the work went into audio. Phones are very different from each other, and crackling was the main complaint.

- The engine now picks how many cores to use for your phone and your patch, and remembers it

- Groups of modules with no cable between them are computed in parallel, so a rack made of several separate voices holds far more

- Square and saw edges now match the desktop

- A light theme, mouse support, saving patches anywhere on the device

What to expect, honestly

It is a phone, not a desktop. A patch where everything is connected tops out at around 90 Fundamental modules on a mid-range device. How low the latency goes depends on the manufacturer: some phones keep the fast audio path for their own apps.

Links

- Download and what is new: https://rackdroid.org

- Source (GPLv3): https://github.com/nowheel/RackDroid

It is free, with no ads and no accounts. It is not on the Play Store, you install the APK. Not affiliated with or endorsed by VCV.

If it crackles on your device, the app can export a log and I read every one. Feedback and bug reports are very welcome.