Synthesist Floyd Steinberg shared this overview and demo of the Wee Noisemakers PGB-1, a credit card sized groovebox that pushes the envelope on what’s possible with tiny ‘noisemakers’.
With 16 tracks, 16 patterns, and a song editor, the PGB-1 lets you create music not only with the internal synths and samplers, but also with external MIDI gear.
Topics covered:
00:00 hi, what is this?
00:50 hardware & architecture overview
02:15 creating a new song
02:32 song, tracks, patterns, and their roles in a song
03:11 bass drum track
03:35 synth parameter setup, using the touch strip and the arrow buttons
04:55 parameter locking: synth parameter control, repeats, and more
05:25 snare and hihat
05:52 bass track
06:22 custom oscillator shapes!
07:26 chords
08:12 sampling (here, using the internal microphone)
09:15 adding a chord progression
10:22 adding more patterns and adding them to your song
11:40 pattern chaining
11:56 live effects: stutters, filters, repetitions…
13:02 conclusion: wow
14:04 demo track: PGB-1 internal synths while sequencing XSynth
16:58 price, where to get it, and some thoughts
17:29 do the YouTube thing
Wee Noisemakers calls the PGB-1 “The Ultimate Pocket Synth”. Does it live up to the hype? Check out the video and share your thoughts in the comments!
Pricing and Availability:
The Wee Noisemakers PGB-1 is available now, priced starting at about $300 USD.
Now that’s cool… but 300 bucks, no way.
Yeah. There’s no debating that this is an impressive piece of work, but do people really want a Pocket Operator on steroids?
IDK if people do, but I do!
Portable hardware groovebox/drum-machines are always on my radar. Seeing boutique boxes like this one, as well as the Drumboys (mini and pro), with super deep features is pretty exciting. Unlike @LLL, I think the pricing is pretty fair considering all the costs involved (parts, fabrication, assembly, software development, packaging, support, ads, comping review units for publicity, tariffs, etc). Seems like these units are bringing more flexibility but with tiny screens.
Pgp1 is built like a tank and gives you the chance to modify its firmware, it is a complete groovebox and definitely has its own character !
That’s not a selling point to most people, but for me having access to the source, being able to modify and extend the device is huge. Especially with a groovebox, where little tweaks can go a long way in making the device more usable for you.
Having a firmware written in Ada, the PGB-1 is a strange beast. Curious what led them there, and curious how involved the community will get given the more niche language.