TAETRO Unleashes the 1010music Bento: Portable Groovebox, Heavyweight Moves

Every brand is out here chasing the dream of the ultimate portable groovebox, but 1010music just crashed the rave with the Bento. TAETRO lays it out: this box grabs the best bits from the likes of Ableton Move, Roland’s arsenal, and Teenage Engineering’s pocket rockets, then jams them into one compact slab. You get eight tracks, a buffet of synth and sampling options, and a workflow that’s more clip-launching than menu-mashing.

The Bento isn’t just ticking boxes—it’s swinging above its weight class. TAETRO’s all about portable gear, and this one’s got the size-to-feature ratio dialled in. The touchscreen is massive for a box this small, and the I/O is generous (if a bit hard to read). If you want a sample-based sound design playground that doesn’t need a forklift to move, this is it.

TAETRO’s highlights? Granular synthesis that’s not just a tick-box feature—it’s lifted straight from the Lemon Drop and lets you get weird with two layers, modulation, and even live sampling. If you’re into slicing up your own voice or mangling synth sequences, this thing’s got you covered. The workflow is fast, and the touchscreen means you’re not menu-diving for every tweak.

Multisampling is a breeze: connect your synth, set the range, and let the Bento do the heavy lifting. You can sample velocity layers, tweak envelopes, and end up with a playable instrument that fits in your bag. The real-time looper is a performance weapon—quantised, multi-slot, and ready for building up tracks on the fly. Editing, mixing, and effecting each loop is stupidly easy. If you want to see just how wild the granular and looper engines get, the video’s got the sound demos you need.

No box is perfect, and TAETRO’s not afraid to call out the Bento’s weak spots. Patch preview was missing at launch (now fixed in beta), but session export is still a no-show—no easy way to get stems out, so you’re stuck with internal resampling. If you don’t name your samples, they might vanish into the void. That’s a rookie move, but it’ll bite you if you’re not careful.

Performance effects? Don’t get your hopes up. There’s no global FX for live tweaking, just per-track reverb and delay. Step sequencing on the pads? Nope. And USB audio? Forget it. These aren’t deal-breakers, but if you’re expecting a performance monster out of the box, you’ll hit these walls. TAETRO keeps it real: know what you’re getting so you don’t rage-quit on day one.

TAETRO lines up the Bento against the usual suspects. The SP-404 is a classic, but the Bento’s touchscreen workflow leaves button combos in the dust. Roland’s P6 is smaller, but you pay for it with menu-diving and a cramped display—especially for granular work. Ableton Move is slick but limited to four tracks, while the Bento doubles that and gives you deeper editing. Push 3 is a desktop beast, but you’ll need a gym membership to lug it around. The Bento sits right in the sweet spot: portable, powerful, and not trying to be a laptop replacement.

TAETRO’s verdict? The Bento feels like the groovebox Ableton should have built—balanced, focused, and not afraid to make a few compromises for the sake of portability. It won’t replace your Push or your iPad, but for standalone, on-the-go beatmaking, it’s a serious contender. If you want to see how it stacks up in the real world, the video’s got the jams and the gritty details.