A powerful sampler with huge potential—still a work in progress
The S-4 is a great instrument with a lot of potential, but it’s clear that it’s not quite finished yet. Three of the buttons are still labeled “Coming Soon,” likely to be activated with the next firmware update (v2). However, there’s little transparency about when that will actually happen. Communication is mostly limited to their Discord channel, which might not be ideal for everyone.
That said, the interface is very intuitive, and the granular engine, ring modulation, and sound shaping options are impressive. However, there’s still no way to save your settings as a reusable template—only as a project—so it’s not as flexible for performance or iterative work as it could be.
Another downside is the relatively high noise floor on the analog outputs. On the bright side, the 10 inputs and 10 outputs over USB-C are fantastic for routing, even if the mapping options could use more flexibility.
Overall, the S-4 could become one of the best hardware tools for working with field recordings and samples, but in its current state, it feels incomplete—which makes its price tag feel a bit high.
I’m honestly still debating whether to keep it or not. Some days I love it; other days, I really don’t.
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