Torso S-4 POLY Engine: Turning Samples Into Synths (Torso Explorations Vol. 34)

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"In Volume 34 of my Torso Explorations series, we are diving deep into the POLY engine on the Torso Electronics S-4 sculpting sampler. While the S-4 is an incredible texture and ambient machine, the POLY engine transforms it into an expressive, 8-voice polyphonic synthesizer by arranging samples chromatically across the keys.

I walk you through how to configure and play the POLY engine using two external MIDI controllers: the Keith McMillen QuNexus keyboard for manual playing, and the Korg SQ-1 for sequencing.

The POLY engine gives you per-voice control over amplitude and filter envelopes, allowing you to sculpt raw samples into beautifully playable synth patches.

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🎵 What's inside this video:

• Track 1: Demonstrating the core mechanics and envelope shaping of the POLY engine using a built-in stock sample.

• Track 2: A quick, live workflow showing how to sample an external acoustic instrument (my mandolin) using the S-4’s internal microphone and instantly flip it into a polyphonic synth patch.

This entire performance was recorded live in one take, with light mixing and mastering finished in Pro Tools. The video is fully annotated throughout so you can easily follow the exact parameters and routing I'm altering in real-time.

If you enjoy these deep dives into the S-4, please consider liking the video, subscribing to the channel, and leaving a comment with how you’re using your S-4!

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00:00 - Intro
00:37 - Setting up a first POLY track
04:24 - Sending Audio from one track to another
06:12 - Quickly recording, trimming, and saving a new sample
07:05 - Using the new sample to create a second POLY track
08:34 - Let's add some drums?
09:03 - And let's play!"