LILLA is a new desktop multi-timbral polyphonic sampler with 16 voices powered by a Teensy 4.1 microcontroller.
Most musicians buy their instruments in a music store, online or offline in the city. Don’t forget platforms like Etsy. Here, you can find small, passionate, one-person companies offering their synthesizers. Mainly products that don’t make it into major retailers.
But be careful Etsy also has its deep gray areas where you can buy cracked software titles. Back to the good side. Last time I was browsing I found a new sampler from Italy.
Details
LILLA is a polyphonic, multi-timbral sampler. The core has 16 voices, runs at 44.1 kHz, and is based on a Teensy 4.1 microcontroller hosting a newly created engine.
According to the developer, there are three ways to work with the sampler. The first is probably the most convenient option. You put your samples (mono/stereo) on a microSD card and play them.
Besides this, you can also sample audio from an external source via the stereo input or play in real-time with the live audio stream. So, as a live sampler instrument.
The developer says the unit stores digital audio in three memory areas: microcontroller RAM, 16MB PSRAM (volatile), and 64MB Flash memory (permanent). This means working with large sound libraries is not a thing for this sampler. It’s more for “casual sampling.”
However, there is hope for more advanced projects. Thanks to the built-in layering function, Lillian also gives you options to create more complex and rich sounds. Then, you can adjust the playing mode for the samples: once forward, once reverse, loop forward, loop forward/reverse…
In a new step, you can also manipulate the individual samples using classic sample functions like adding an ADSR envelope, changing the length, or using digital effects. The latter includes a multimode filter, LFOs, delays with feedback lines, and more.
LILLA is very accessible. It has a color screen, 27 knobs, and ten buttons to tweak sounds on the fly. That’s a lot of hands-on controls for a sampler.
There is no detailed look at the backside. From the available information, I know that it has TRS MIDI and a stereo input for sampling.
First Impression
At first glance, it is an interesting project from a new, small developer. The features are not groundbreaking now. Deep sound design features, such as granular synthesis, chopping, etc., are missing. It’s, however, a little hands-on sampler that has the potential to grow. I hope that it will get more features in the future via firmware updates.
Lilla Audio Sampler is available now for 390€ + shipping from the developer’s Etsy shop. It’s designed and assembled in Italy.
More information here: Lilla Audio / Etsy Shop
Stop with the pop up video ads crap please! You will easily lose traffic with this sort of nonsense!
you are the first person reacting to it. Thanks for your feedback. For the year 2023, I can’t change it as it’s made by an learning algorithm that choose ad spaces. In the new year, I can make modifications if necessary. Please understand this. Haven’t seen a drop in traffic yet. I will continue to monitor it. It’s not crap, it’s part of ads otherwise I must turn the website either in a SEO BS website (this sampler is mind-blowing, this plugin changes everything…) or in a website with 100% sponsored and reviewed texts from the companies. I think no one wants to see both scenarios. Cheers
I understand your need to generate income, however on my IOS devices, it has been an annoying mess. I appreciate the thoughtful reply however.
Nope, you’re simply wrong, ads for weapons, concealed weapons licence, what in the world? You have ceded control of your site for convenience?
maybe you see that you are the only person on the field writing and writing about it. I didn’t get a single mail complaining about it. Why not using an ad-blocker? If you have problems with it, use it. I don’t forbid you to do it.
you get ads based on your cookies, maybe reset them 😉 I didn’t get a single ad about weapons or so.
Just bizarre, could be the random VPN with American location. Using as blocker currently.
I didn’t get any ads related to weapons or CCL’s….. bummer! Because I’m as deeply interested in that gear as much as I am in music production gear.
Jeez Louise, use a browser that blocks this stuff!
https://brave.com
Right, and I was not asking you nor care for your advice.
A Teensy 4.1 is a hobbyist single board computer based on an off-the-shelf NXP RT1062 microcontroller with flash memory and a proprietary bootloader. It’s not a microcontroller.
I just checked Etsy. It’s listed for $11,204.48. I don’t know if that’s a typo, but it lists that they only have one for sale. If that price is correct, they’re not going to sell many units.
He writes in the article page: “Please do NOT place orders: this post is only for showing the product, no item is available at the moment, production is in progress”.
I am in agreement. What is your actual turnover rate for any of these sorts of ads… the only clicks you get for them are people who miss click the X and accidentally get sent to a product they have ZERO interest in buying.
it’s a place holder and they will change it when they have new units.