1010 Music Bento Sampler

Mobile production lab – 1010 Music Bento with sampler, sequencer & touchscreen

1010 Music’s Bento combines a user-friendly sampler with an easy-to-use sequencer. This compact device is designed as a mobile all-in-one sampling production lab with a focus on professional performance tools. Bento is capable of looping audio material live, launching clips in parallel and sequencing the synthesiser setup – all at the same time, of course! The 7-inch touchscreen is Bento’s central control element. You select what you want to do next using the labelled buttons below it; the endless encoders automatically adapt to the actions on the touchscreen.

The 16 pressure-sensitive pads allow you to programme dynamic rhythms, enter MIDI notes and set triggers to play back samples. The excellent 24-bit AD/DA converters ensure studio-quality sound. A total of 8 tracks are available, to which you can assign various functions such as Loop, Granular, Multisample, Slicer or external MIDI tracks. For the audio tracks, there is an effects section featuring delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser and overdrive algorithms. Furthermore, level, pitch, pan, FX sends and modulation can be freely adjusted. Provision has also been made for internal resampling of individual tracks and the master output. This allows you to further develop sounds and loops without having to sacrifice any of the effects section’s features. Anyone who has already worked with modern grooveboxes will quickly get to grips with Bento. The sequencer operates on a scene-based system and can be programmed in classic TR style, using the piano roll or trigger probability. Rigid sounds are the last thing Bento is about: the comprehensive modulation system, consisting of LFOs, envelopes and a step sequencer, ensures plenty of movement when required. For recording loops and one-shots, Bento offers various options such as clock sync, audio level threshold or defining the recording length, enabling you to achieve results quickly.

For users who enjoy creating layered dub recordings, the device is also the perfect companion. Even as a dedicated recording device – for example, for a DJ mix – Bento performs admirably, as it can record for up to 4 hours. Bento comes pre-loaded with 155 patches and over 5,000 sample files, so you can get started straight away. You can store an (almost) unlimited number of additional projects on the microSD card.