Andertons Synths, Keys and Tech Unleash the 1010Music Nanoboxes: Pocket-Sized Rave Weapons?

Andertons Synths, Keys and Tech kick things off with a classic Jack Duxbury disclaimer: he’s got no clue what’s about to happen, and that’s exactly the point. The 1010Music Nanobox series lands on the table—three neon-coloured, palm-sized boxes that promise to deliver heavyweight sound without hogging your desk or your wallet. These aren’t just toys for the TikTok crowd; they’re pitched as real-deal synths and samplers for anyone who wants to squeeze a studio into a backpack.

From the jump, it’s clear these Nanoboxes are all about versatility and immediacy. Jack’s armed with a MIDI controller, a stack of manuals, and a healthy dose of British self-deprecation. The vibe is: plug in, poke around, and see if these little monsters can actually bring the noise. If you’re expecting a polished tutorial, forget it—this is a raw, honest first encounter with gear that’s meant to be played, not just admired.

First up, Lemondrop. This yellow beast is a polyphonic granular synth with four voices, two granulators, an extra oscillator, and a touchscreen that’s surprisingly fun to poke. Jack’s instantly vibing with the ambient pads and lush textures, flipping through presets and grinning at the XY pad action. The Lemondrop’s got SD card support for your own wavetables, USB-C power, MIDI in/out, and even clock sync—basically, it’s a modular fiend’s dream in a box that fits in your coat pocket.

Next, the Razzmatazz. This one’s a drum machine that mashes FM synthesis with sampling, giving you eight pads of percussive filth. Jack’s finger-drumming skills might be questionable, but the sounds are anything but—deep kicks, snappy snares, and hi-hats that cut through like a broken bottle at a warehouse rave. The sequencer is dead simple, effects are on tap, and the whole thing just begs to be abused. Finally, Fireball brings the heat as a polyphonic wavetable synth with eight voices, two wavetables, and a load of presets that range from cinematic pads to face-melting leads. The touchscreen workflow takes a minute to get used to, but once Jack starts scanning wavetables and tweaking envelopes, it’s clear this thing can hang with the big boys—at a fraction of the size.

The real stars are the sound demos. Lemondrop spits out ambient pads and shimmering textures that wouldn’t be out of place in a Berlin bunker at 5am. The XY pad lets you warp sounds in real time, and Jack’s not shy about pushing the filters and envelopes to see what breaks. Razzmatazz is all about rhythm—FM kicks, sampled snares, and enough DnB energy to make your neighbours call the police. The sequencer is basic but effective, letting you build patterns on the fly and mangle them with effects.

Fireball, though, is the sleeper hit. The presets are lush, the wavetables are wild, and the ability to scan through them with a swipe or a knob twist is addictive. Jack’s programming experiments show off the synth’s flexibility, from soft pads to aggressive leads. There’s even a moment where he dreams of Velcroing the Fireball to his Nord just to get that wavetable goodness on stage. If you want to hear what these boxes can really do, you’ll need to watch the video—words can only take you so far when the sounds are this filthy.