ELZ_1 Play V2

Sonicware's ELZ_1 play V2 is a pocket-sized synthesizer that punches way above its weight, packing 17 wildly different synthesis engines into a device you can actually carry to a gig or jam session. The V2 update brought serious upgrades including Waldorf's classic wavetables from the Microwave and PPG synth range, plus the ability to layer up to three oscillators together for richer, more complex tones.

The synthesis engine is genuinely diverse. You get lo-fi 8-bit oscillators for gritty, retro textures, standard high-resolution oscillators running on 32-bit floating-point math, FM synthesis, granular engines, physical modeling, filtered noise voices, and even a built-in drum machine with five kits and 100 rhythm patterns. Each engine supports up to 20 voices of polyphony depending on which one you're using, with most offering at least six. The 37 velocity-sensitive keys feel responsive for a compact keyboard, and there's a multimode arpeggiator for generating harmonic patterns on the fly. Sound shaping comes from nine digital filter modes and 33 effects split between insert and master slots, including reverbs, delays, distortions, and more specialized tools like ring modulation and auto-wah.

The real compositional power lives in the four-track stereo looper. Each track can be overdubbed, quantized, or played back as a one-shot, with full undo and redo functionality. There's also a 128-step sequencer with variable step lengths and microtiming for precise drum programming. You can record directly from the keyboard, external line input, or USB audio. The device runs on six AA batteries or a 9V adapter, includes built-in stereo speakers in the side panels, and connects via USB-C, 5-pin DIN-MIDI, and has an SD card slot for storing looper recordings and firmware updates. At just over a kilogram and roughly the size of a small laptop, it's genuinely portable without feeling like you're compromising on capability.