This would be an insta-buy for me if it could sample snippets of audio (say 30 sec if that’s the limit) to be used by the granular oscillators. I have too much gear with SD cards and I’m a bit fed up of fiddling with those tbh 
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Surely this feature will come in a firmware update? It would be bonkers not to enable that.
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There is no certainty about the existence and extent of future firmware updates. Never buy on expectation.
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I ordered the lemondrop yesterday. I don’t enjoy using iOS stuff with my DAW and there really aren’t many granular synth options in its price range, not to mention the fact that it doubles as an effects unit. The reverb especially sounds really good to me. I see it as a sort of beefed up MicroGranny, which I ditched for the reasons a bunch of you already mentioned. I can’t help but feel like we’d see fewer complaints if it was twice the size with no other changes. 
That said, it’s also only $399 in the US, which feels a lot more palatable to me than 450 EUR. It’s about $100 less for me after the exchange rate (and 1010 didn’t collect sales tax for me!). I probably would have thought twice at $500.
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I get the argument that an ipad/iphone app could do all of this, but if you wanted to incorporate it into your setup, you would have to consider purchasing a camera connection kit, an audio interface, and possibly a usb to midi din router if you want it controlled or synced with most external hardware sequencers, which adds to the cost and makes it way less portable than the Lemondrop.
I see the Lemondrop as a useful device for those with limited space and/or those who want to add something to a portable setup that they take with them on their travels or for live performances. I love using an ipad for sound design, but I sure as hell wouldn’t want to depend on one in a live context.
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Those are all great suggestions. I love using Norns scripts for sample mangling, but I do have one issue with the Norns ecosystem- there isn’t a way to send program changes to switch between different scripts on the fly, unless I’m mistaken…
it is a very fair comparison to Norns.
1010 could do well IF they do a multi-firmware option. Cautious users might not like the notion that Norns is ‘too complicated’ (which it isn’t) but like the idea of the nanobox offering firmware flash functionality swaps for a solid dedicated box without any complexity besides the app-as-the-whole-environment.
Can’t recall what it would cost to get a DIY Norns built these days - is it about the same as one of these?
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Depends - some people are selling them on eBay pre-built for ~£400 but I saw others recently for 350€. My Norns Shield cost around 250€ by assembling from DIY (not by me) parts including a RasPi B.
I’m imagining the lemondrop with the new green op-z module will be an immense portable combo, so I’m keen but might wait until the green module is actually available.
Buuuuut also curious what the new polyend groovebox is gonna be in case that involves some granular goodness.
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I like the granular option in my Tracker, it isn’t the most advanced (but I have software for that) but its very immediate and fun to control with PT…(which cost me about the same as these boxes)
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Since we’re comparing and contrasting the Lemondrop with other devices, what do people feel about the Organelle? The newest version (the S) is only $100 more than the Lemondrop, and while it’s not nearly as portable, it looks pretty rugged and has multiple knobs and buttons for potential live use.
I guess it comes down to the available patches though. Are there any quality ones for granular that can be synced with midi? And is there a way to change between patches with a program change?
@circuitghost Nice review and walkthrough of the features. As a former owner of the Blackbox, I can vouch for their durability and multitude of features in a small package. Looking forward to hearing more of your tracks incorporating the Lemondrop. Keep up the good work!
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@ARVE I imagine the GR-1 is super nice. I don’t have an Octatrack, but I do have a few other things I could use for something like the lemondrop: Digitakt, Squarp Pyramid, and also a Novation Launch Control XL mk2 which has a good number of knobs and faders.
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I had an Organelle briefly and felt like I’d rather use an iPad if I were going to use something that required that much setup. I’d also rather have the touch screen and fewer knobs versus the Organelle’s super tiny screen for this sort of thing. There aren’t any single patches that are going to cover what the lemondrop does, so I don’t really see them as directly comparable.
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@dhunterrr I’m also curious about what the new Polyend device will be. It’s kinda hard to really tell what it might be, but am quite intrigued.
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Form factor reminds me of these cheap miniature oscilloscopes in repurposed music player bodies (i even saw some in knock off iPod bodies!):
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I would easily pay a fee to turn my black box to either. I’m sure it would be possible, but might not be so feasible from a business standpoint.
Yeah my thoughts too when I clapped eyes on the form factor…
Mordax crammed into this would be great 
Duuuuuude. I don’t even really want a new Roland SP now.
This looks like the perfect companion for the blackbox especially the distortion and chorus would be very useful for blackbox resampling chaos.
I don’t know how long I can hold off on snapping a spot in line. Wish me luck folks!
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