Thats it; Ive officially multi-classed into Bard.
I say this because Ive become completely enamored withTeenage Engineerings latest sound product, the $300 EP-1320 Medieval.
Its a sound sampler and groove boxpretty much the same as last yearsEP-133 K.O.
Teenage Engineering’s EP-1320 Medieval is such a gorgeous device, but all that flare doesn’t exactly make it easier to use.Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
IIbut with a Middle Ages twist.
Medieval, as a term, is often pejorative, but in modern days, its an aesthetic.
The EP-1320 acknowledges that in subtle and overt ways despite its silly nature.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
The devices text is very indicative of Carolingian script.
You really have to get your nose close, but the scent is there.
Its also a more difficult unit to parse than the K.O.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
The text is more ornate and harder to read.
No, it wont be your top-end rig for true creationit may be worse than even the K.O.
IIbut at $300, this unit quickly has become my instrumental sandbox.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
It will tide me over from my dreams of learning to play hurdy-gurdy, at least for now.
We were keen to find the key differences that dont relate specifically to aesthetics.
The EP-1320 has 128 MB of storage.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
We dug into the devices files and found that around 64 MB of memory houses the onboard samples.
Teenage Engineerings web-based sample tool shows that all sounds are locked to the rig.
Effectively, the Medieval is an EP-133 with the added 220 default medieval instruments and sound effects.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
you’ve got the option to still load your own sounds and samples onto the EP-1320.
We found that we could also easily download medieval sounds onto the EP-133.
More on that later.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
I enjoy all the different samples that come on the equipment.
There are a few added benefits for the Medieval than the K.O.
Teenage Engineering redesigned the punch-in and other sound effects for this release.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
The effects have a different sound and tone than the EP-133.
More than before, these seem especially built for the pre-installed samples.
If you compare the effects side by side, there are stark differences between them.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
Dungeon echo has a darker sound with less high frequencies than the comparative delay on the 133.
The distortion works very nicely on samples like Gregorian chants.
Various punch-in effects also behave differently than the K.O.
It seems to me this equipment was tuned especially for the on-equipment mixed samples.
Ive tried importing the sounds from the K.O.
II and some other high-quality samples on hand.
The effects were so much better on the instruments installed with the Medieval.
They had more range and supported more frequencies than those that came from without.
That presents a dilemma for most amateur music makers more interested in combining old and new on one gear.
In the end, your choice of rig comes down to looks.
I prefer it to the gray of the K.O.
The equipment is a mish-mosh of anachronistic and semi-historical terms, but thats the entire theme of the 1320.
This is probably the most fun Ive had with any equipment in a long, long time.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
Teenage Engineerings Latest Super Toy Is an 80s-Inspired Sampler
The EP-133 K.O.
II is half toy, half instrument, and all delight.
