Torso S-4 | Pure inspiration (walkthrough)

video upload by Jay Hosking

"A walkthrough of how I'm making songs on the Torso S-4.

00:00 - Song
02:24 - Intro, tape machine
04:38 - Granular
07:36 - Resonator
11:45 - Drive, noise, colour
13:11 - Delay and reverb
15:32 - Drums and performance effects
19:18 - The magic of TEMP
19:56 - Pitched drums
22:43 - Making a pad
27:24 - Fourth track
28:56 - Performing with four tracks
31:14 - Concluding thoughts, USB multitrack out

I bought the Torso S-4 last month, thinking it would be an interesting device for playing with granular ideas with a few loops. As soon as I started playing with it, it was clear I had underestimated just how much more the S-4 is, and how inspiring it is. In fact, I basically never use it as a granular device!

This is probably the single most inspiring piece of hardware I've tried since I discovered the Octatrack. It transforms sounds, it is incredible for performing, and it has that perfect feedback loop between musician and instrument. In just a couple of weeks, I've recorded a whole album with it, which I'll release soon.

This is a walkthrough of how I'm making full songs on the S-4. In reality, four tracks is not quite enough for me to be making full songs, and in the final performances I add extra layers. But as a device to create new sounds, glue tracks together, sketch out a song arrangement, and perform some interesting parameter changes, the S-4 is nothing short of an epiphany for me.

Note that I'm using the 2.0 firmware beta, which is largely the same as the recently released 2.0 firmware. I'm well aware of the internet conversation on the previous firmware of the device, of hardware buttons not having any function and triggering a "coming soon" message, etc. I'm also aware of some quality/build concerns from some S-4 owners. I don't want to discredit any of those complaints, and I'm sure they are valid; but I can only tell you about my individual experience, which was largely flawless aside from a few bugs along the way.

Please also note that this isn't my usual sort of video, but rather one I originally recorded for my Patreon community. I'm having such a good time with the S-4, though, that I really wanted to share it more broadly. I hope you find it useful.

I look forward to sharing the album soon!

https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com"