“Bastl” is Czech slang that’s roughly equivalent to the maker culture or DIY. We got our hands on a their infamous Microgranny, a hackable, happily lo-fi sample mangler. Load up your sounds on SD card, then manipulate them with hands-on controls or via MIDI. You can loop, change the sample rate, crush, and add envelopes.
“Most of the components we get are from local distributor, PCBs are produced in small town Blansko 20km north from Brno, laser cut parts are made by our friends in Razzia in Brno. All of this comes to our tiny “factory” office, gets sorted into kits and the assembled instruments are made by locals who are partly from the Bastl generation (50+).”
Full Specs
monophonic mono sampler
microSD card (storing + recording samples, storing presets)
6 sounds with full adjustments storable in a preset at once
60 presets in 10 banks (6 preset per bank), stored as .txt files on microSD card
wav sample playback from microSD card (mono, 22050 Hz, 8 or 16 bit, two letter file name)
8-bit 22050Hz wav recording via line input or onboard microphone
hold button
sample rate (tuned or free run)
crush
start, end position with repeat, instant loop
granular settings: grain size and shift speed (positive or negative)
amplitude envelope attack and release
MIDI Input – responds to note, cc and clock (synchronize loop and grains)
MIDI side chain envelope restart
copy, paste
input & output volume knob
power switch – plug / battery
hackable – arduino based
Pros : Really fun to use and capable of some very deep granular sounds, MIDI connectivity and size factor are best suited for live performances.
Cons : Build Quality, knobs and battery housing could be improved. Also, both units we received had issues ejecting the memory card, so the unit had to be opened up to remove it.
Contact us if you want to buy one.
https://soundcloud.com/bastl-instruments/grained-piano
I’ve been a DJ since 2001, having played at prestigious clubs, festivals and other dance music events, I head the DJ department at Beatworx. I’m a technology enthusiast, and love sharing my knowledge and experiences here.
