Superbooth 23: Sonicware LIVEN Texture Lab
The Sonicware LIVEN range is further bolstered by Texture Lab, another unique and interesting tabletop device with granular sampling and effects.
The team at Sonicware are clearly not ones for resting on their laurels. In recent months, they have added a fourth instrument to their successful LIVEN range, the brilliant LoFi-12, as well as making a huge impact with their innovative SmplTrek. And now they have added the Texture Lab to the LIVEN line up.
The Texture Lab comes in the familiar LIVEN case with its unmistakable buttons and layout. But what makes this different to the rest of the team? Grains. That’s what.
Grains Are Good For You
Granular synthesis, most commonly associated with sampling, is the process of slicing a waveform into incredibly small pieces, known as grains. The grains are manipulated in numerous ways to produce new and unique tones. The ‘play head’ is moved between grains at varying speeds or cycled through a single grain.
The resulting tone can be a completely different sound to the source. Or it can be a new interpretation. How you play with these grains is up to you. There is no denying that this has been one of the most interesting developments in digital sampling in recent years.
Texture Lab: More Synth, Less Groove
New tones are one question answered by granular synthesis. It is also used to create amazing effects. The recent trend of big shimmer reverbs is directly attributable to granular technology. And the Texture Lab claims to do both. Unlike other models in the LIVEN range, the Texture Lab comes across as much more of a traditional synth rather than a groove box.
This is an interesting development, and a welcome one too. What this means is that the user interface is a bit less cluttered and ‘menu-divey’! In fact, this is the first LIVEN to not come with a keyboard overlay!
Familiarly Different
This box is all about getting some audio in and spitting grains out. The signal path and workflow is laid out on the surface and LIVEN users will find the workflow instantly familiar. As well as being an instrument, the Texture Lab can be a pretty spectacular FX unit. Audio can be fed into the Texture Lab and processed by an envelope generator, filter and shimmer reverb.
The Texture Lab is 4-voice polyphonic and can record 32 samples of up to 6 seconds at 16/32kHz mono. The Texture Lab can also resample internally. The 128-step sequencer can be used to record notes as well as changes in granular processing parameters. This can be done in both real and step time.
Pricing and availability:
Sonicware’s LIVEN Texture Lab looks set to add another unique and incredibly inspiring tool to the range. Users can get their hands on the Texture Lab at Superbooth 23, Booth W317.
Order the LIVEN Texture Lab from Thomann now until July 14 and receive a €40 discount (deducted in cart).
Shipping outside of Europe starts June 9th, with an MSRP of $239.
More about the Sonicware LIVEN Texture Lab:
Videos:
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