zeptocore is an open-source handheld device for playing with samples, designed as a simple, tactile, and immediate tool for shaping sound in real time. it plays stereo 16-bit audio at 44.1 kHz from an sd card, organizing up to 256 samples across 16 banks, and pairs this with a set of built-in effects, a realtime sequencer, and a single-cycle wavetable bass voice. the interface is intentionally minimal and hands-on, encouraging experimentation through modes like jump, mash, and bass, while supporting midi, clock sync, and usb connectivity. powered by two aaa batteries or usb-c and built with a small onboard speaker, it’s meant to be portable, hackable, and fun—something you can pick up and play immediately, but also modify and extend as you like.
Specifications
- manage audio with zeptocore.com
- mono or stereo playback of 16-bit (internal 32-bit) audio files @ 44.1 kHz sampling rate
- SD-card storage for gigabytes of samples, recalling up to 256 audio files across 16 banks
- powered by two AAA batteries for up to 4 hours or powered by USB-C
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tempo-synced with a selectable BPM between 60 and 300
- loaded with 16 real-time effects like timestretching, delay, distortion, fuzz, tapestop, resonant filters, etc.
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realtime sequencer with optional quantization and performance-oriented controls
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MIDI (in + out) over USB for syncing with DAWs and external gear
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sync-compatible with any gear that has a clock input/output signal
- built-in speaker for portable playback
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open-source, wonderfully hackable (GitHub)
