They said a long time ago that 16 voices was possible, so I was expecting it. It’s like Elektron, and other companies, that you buy it then go through the firmware updates until it’s a finished product. I’m used to it now.
In my opinion (imo) Isla instruments made an amazing hardware sampler similar to the sp1200 (never used 1) but now are making the firmware to something usable in the 2200’s.
I really respect Brad, Mickey and the crew.
Peace out (kip quote).
Edit I’m quite drunk and realise the 2200’s is wrong lol.
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Just learned that these will go out of production for a while (Brad posted this news on IG). Might be a year or so until production resumes.
In the meantime, I’m excited to see what product he comes up with using currently available parts. He picked up an S950 for ‘research purposes,’ hinted at a floppy reader for something or another, and afaik still has plans to make FX or filter boards for the s2400. The 2400 is a marvel to behold.
Perhaps unlikely, but a poly sampler like an Emulator, based on 2400, but with currently available parts, would be hard to pass up.
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Ugggggg Noooo, 16 voices and going out of production for a year.
I can’t think of any modern samplers with the build quality and sound quality of this one. I ordered it. I guess my hardware compressor savings has gone out the window now :-/.
This is actually going to be my first hardware sampler that is not an old rack unit, so I am very interested in seeing what it is like to sample, play, sequence, etc. and make beats all on one unit.
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I had one for a bit and liked it but sold it…now with the update and slow production…hmmmm…gawd, too much hardware!
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Sold mine too. No regrets.
Wow an hour after ordering and my package has already shipped, so far so good lol!
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Any particular reasons? Cost of getting it to UK has stayed my hand a few times.
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Quite a few. I was in it from the beginning. And was full of enthusiasm. But as the firmware became more and more stacked with features which sound great on paper they made me rethink. Its a box that originally was a retake on the SP1200. Now Brad said its not a clone. Yet he still took the motto A legend Reborn and stood with it. And then sat in front of me after the initial excitement wore off i started to hanker after a SP1200 reissue for some reason(im not the first to say this in the Isla forum btw). The Pads are not great and def not Dynamic. But the Workflow wasnt fun. Not like the SP1200 which is all about fun(albeit not sample length :)). And as the firmware continued to get more and more add ons its started to feel like Just fix things first and slow down mate stuff. He kept saying what about this idea/that idea. Again most of it was thumbs down. He pushed the developer to the brink. And im not sure hes going to hang around forever. Dont get me wrong their a great bunch of guys. But hes a bit of a winger(Maybe the Essex lad you cant get away from). I found myself looking more and more at the Lcd screen as it became more important as menus got bigger and bigger. Spoke to Oora Music and a few others who didnt enjoy the workflow. It sounds great(As Ricky Tinez said). But the fact is it didnt feel enjoyable. So much so i sold it and preordered the Rossum SP1200 reissue. Which does a lot less for more money. BUT it doesnt get in the way. And ideas flow from it as history as proved. Anyway thats my thoughts. It was close but no cigar for me. Hope this helps🥳
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I gave mine a break for a while so they could sort out bugs and round out features. My personal experience with the machine has been really positive since then and especially since 16 voices. If you like 12 bit samplers and groove boxes that can do a lot, it is great. As is the case with most of those devices, its not quite so immediate like an acoustic instrument or simple device like an sp-1200. It can be in a way, if you ignore additional features youre not using, but naturally that’s not always easy for everyone - possibilities alone can slow people down. But workflow is overall great for me and obviously many others. If you click with something or just want to learn it badly enough, you can really learn a device. If you don’t, no reason to waste your time where you should be enjoying yourself.
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im waiting on puesa version, stil in development no idea when its out.
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Great insights - the balance of workflow and features is very tough in the social media influenced market. I am deep diving on poly synths at the moment and there is a similar dynamic of sound / playability / feature limitations. And I don’t think you will really know until you have a piece of gear for a while and you adapt to it whether it’s right.
Thanks. It wasnt that i didnt try. I really wanted it to work. But those distractions! Not that as someone said just overlook them. But there their in the menus. And that LCD is becoming more and more important. For me now workflow is the most important criteria. Ive wasted too much time getting to know a machine that i want to fit into the studio. If you know the feeling. 
And those pads.
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Has helped my gas at least. Thanks for sharing.
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Well thats a result i guess!
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I think early on some hardcore sp1200 fanatics were really down on the machine not being 100% accurate recreation or rossum involved, and aggressive toward Brad about it and vocally bashing online? It seems like there was a turning point where isla started adding more features and changing the aesthetic design to make it more original (perhaps in light of the criticism) and because it was clear the purists would never like it anyway. @sabana does that sound right at all? I ordered/started following closely only halfway through the campaign, and am trying to piece it together
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There were a few bashers online. Notably Shawn Luv which was a bit overboard. The selling point was it sounds just like the SP1200. The Boom Bap gritty 12 bit sound. There was a lot of small updates to fix firmware that didnt always work at it should. You wont know till you try yourself and you may love it. If you are a finger drummer beware however as the pads dont always respond and are not dynamic as advertised. The sliders were okay for me but many didnt like the loose feel of them. Brad put a lot of work into it but Mickey Delp (developer)deserves the most credit. He was always online to help. But when hes gone i do think Brad will struggle to keep up as he looks for new projects. Just my 50c.
I really hate buying vintage gear, it is so expensive to repair and upkeep and retrofit for the modern world with midi, sd card readers, etc. And I have a real problem with the sound of modern samplers (sorry octatrack, I love you anyway). I am just happy there is new gear that sounds like the sp1200. And 16 voices as an upgrade doesn’t hurt either :-).
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Yeah mute and solo pads definitely are insensitive for many people, something happens to many units in shipping and you have to unscrew the unit reseat it to get them to work properly (supposedly, I havent tried this though, I’m not using them enough to care.)
The main playing pads are totally fixed at this point though. No double triggering, failures to trigger, or other annoyances that persisted for way too long. The latest FWs have finally got that core stuff ironed out.
All your workflow concerns are still valid obviously, especially lcd reliance. But with the numerous minor annoyances ironed out, the additional features are far less stressful for me personally, and I struggle with attention
Mickey really is the mastermind there, super helpful and knowledgeable and has clearly worked really hard.
But the pads are not Dynamic. They have to be set up as per Mickeys instructions…Yes the double triggering seems to be resolved but at a cost.
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