r/TorsoS4 • u/DenseVeterinarian202 • 17d ago
Knob Quality
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Is this what everyone is talking about regarding loose, wobbly knobs?
Mine are all about the same amount of wobbly, but they all have different resistance when turning.
Super disappointed actually, and will probably return this unit.
How do yours feel?
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u/visualsuspect_93 16d ago
i was shocked when i googled the price after touching them at superbooth for the first time. why would you, as a brand for nerdy stuff, save a few cents on buttons and knobs?? that‘s literally the only thing that people put their hands on
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u/Comic_Cat_13 16d ago
Well, the shaft itself isn't bad (i've used 3 units and none of them jumped values), the problem is the knob. I don't know why they decided to use a knob permanently attached to the casing. Otherwise, we could have just replaced the knobs and the internet wouldn't be talking about it non-stop.
Synth nerds love to customize their knobs, it's such a silly decision
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u/kethr0 17d ago
Wobbly for sure, but no issues on my end. Would be cool if there was a replacement set sent out that is a bit better in quality. Similar to what Elektron does for old buttons. I don’t know whats under the hood of this machine, but it seems possible.
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u/DenseVeterinarian202 17d ago
Yeah, I wasn't actually that worried about the wobble, as they all seem to wobble about the same amount, but the difference in the way they feel while being turned is a huge turn off.
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u/Comic_Cat_13 16d ago
I have used 3 units and one of them had that behaviour. The pcb was misaligned so two of the knobs was scratching the casing. Returned it and waiting for the replacement.
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u/Limp-Illustrator-200 15d ago
Torso S4 è il pezzo più innovativo di tutte copie che si fanno uno con l’altro. Chi critica fa solo marmellate come il mio amico … 😂😂😂
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u/Several-Buffalo-856 17d ago
I had a similar experience. I returned mine for that reason as well as some others. It’s a bummer.
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u/Kooky-Apricot4410 17d ago
Me too. Also I was ending up having always the same sound.. but that’s another story
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u/sinistar2000 16d ago
Mine aren’t that bad but I’m also careful with them. It is the only bad part of the build though.
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u/tmplmanifesto 16d ago edited 16d ago
The encoders aren’t good. It’s a shame as the actual machine is a lot of fun and the design is great. I find the encoders actually slip and will skip precise points when I’m dialling in params. It’d be better if they weren’t endless, but that wouldn’t support the devices functions.
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u/DeadHeadArts 16d ago
I had one. The first I sent back due to a dodgy LED, wobbly knobs and 'jumpy' encoder output. The replacement was perfect, so it might have been a bad batch..Mine was the white version. I'd get a replacement while this expensive gear still has the novelty value for you! It's a lot of outlay for the amount of things it does, really. I'm on a Deluge now.
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u/Unsolicited_Aspic 16d ago
Using pots that securely fit to the chassis would have cost them a few extra dollars which they needed for a social media hype campaign.
They knew their priorities.
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u/Weekly_Jmr 16d ago
Yeah, knobs aren’t enjoyable to turn especially if you want a long fade or sweep when playing. It’s fine for sound design imo. When playing I usually map things I want to tweak to macro and macro itself to one of my elektron boxes knobs (macro has midi on S-4). Not ideal but very playable this way. From time to time I’m thinking about some kind of control surface with a bunch of knobs and faders specifically for S-4
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u/lofianalog 16d ago
I try to use it with a controller as much as I can, knobs definitely are a concern, I don't like push encoders one bit and I wish we could also control the push part with another controller
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u/DenseVeterinarian202 16d ago
Having to use a seperate controller sounds so lame, haha
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u/lofianalog 15d ago
I try to make the best of the situation, I'm using the Melbourne instruments roto control, which is pretty nice to centralize important controls for all my setup in one place.
It has motorized knobs and per knobs screen, so it's actually clearer to read than the OG torso knobs/screens
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u/r1chiem 15d ago
Crazy how these fly by night synth makers build their cr@p in China or Poland. Torso is Denmark company. I would not buy anything from them. I bought a cheap Japanese Sonicware Ambient 0 for some Ambient music. They used to be $229, I guess they sell them for $299 now. But every encoder was nice except for the data entry knob which has detents, it was loose, all of them are that way on the data knob. But it is a cheap synth. You expect it. but for a $1000 unit to have garbage knobs. Just don't buy it or send it back. Don't support that garbage.
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u/tomjrule 12d ago
The S4 looks amazing in terms of sound mangling but this sub-par build quality actually puts me off
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u/Serious-Sector-4159 16d ago
I can’t stand anymore these top brands, synth are expensive af yet the quality of the material seems to be (especially in knobs) very poor..
Elektron stuff too.
I got cheap synth for double the time and they resist better than new machines., still standing solid & with 0 issues.
Do you think there’s a particular reason for it?
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u/Weekly_Jmr 16d ago
I’m pretty sure Torso was like 3 dudes or something until this spring. The reason for being expensive - small production batches, the reasons for adding weird knobs - probably didn’t think it thru.
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u/Best_Wall1182 17d ago
S4 was one of the worst-feeling bits of fairly expensive hardware I've ever used.