Casio SXC-1: The New Sampler Syncs Loops, But Will it Chop Them?
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Casio SXC-1 · Source: Casio
Casio SXC-1 · Source: Casio
Casio SAMPLER · Source: Remise 3
Casio Japan has officially announced its SXC-1 Portable Standalone Sampler. It looks pretty cool – but we still have questions.
Casio SXC-1 Portable Standalone Sampler
Casio SXC-1: New Information
One of the biggest surprises of this year’s NAMM came from Casio and the announcement of a portable standalone sampler. With its retro video game looks and promise of vintage Casio sampler presets, it had many people excited – me included. I live in Japan and have lots of Casio gear in my studio, so I was very excited indeed to hear about this. Today, Casio dropped new information about the SXC-1 with an official product page now on its website. But I still have questions.
First, here’s the new information: the SXC-1 will feature 80 banks of samples, with some presets sourced from the SK-1, SK-5, CZ-101, and MT-40, aka the Sleng Teng keyboard. Accordingly, we’ll get not only one shots but also loops, with a Beat Sync feature automatically syncing loops to the master tempo. Onboard effects include a filter, phaser, flanger, and bitcrusher, plus four types of roll and two types of delay.
In terms of editing, you can edit the waveform with the dials on the OLED screen to set sample play start and stop points. You can save up to 50 sequences, each with a maximum length of eight bars. There will also be a smartphone app for waveform editing, sequencing, file transfer, backup and firmware updates.
The lack of hardware MIDI is a bummer, though, as is the confirmed two-hour battery life.
Casio SXC-1: I Have Questions
Now, what I’d still like to know: the Beat Sync function looks cool, but will this work with imported audio files too? And if so, can we chop beats and assign slices to different pads?
But my biggest burning question is about MIDI. There’s no mention of MIDI specifications in the video or on the page, other than that the USB-C ports allow data transmission of MIDI and audio with smartphones. Can I hook it up to my computer and use it with a DAW?
Casio SXC-1: Pricing and Availability
According to the video and site, the SXC-1 will sell in Japan for ¥39930 (about $250) starting on 28 May 2026. There’s no mention of sales outside of Japan yet. People on Reddit are speculating that it will sell in the US for $299, which seems about right to me.
- Casio SXC-1 product page (Japanese)
Future Retro Handheld Beat Maker – Is This the SK-1 Reborn?
[23 January 2026] The first big surprise of NAMM is the Casio SXC-1 Sampler, an SP-404-like machine with a built-in microphone, 64GB of memory and retro Casio sounds.
Casio SXC-1 Sampler
Casio is such a perplexing company. It goes along, releasing wave after wave of home keyboards, and then suddenly drops something completely out of left field. There was the CT-S1000V vocal synthesis keyboard (which I still really want), the Millennium Falcon groovebox thing, and now this, the Casio SXC-1 Sampler.
This handheld device looks to be part of Casio’s long-lost line of samplers from the 1980s that included the SK-1 and FZ-1, the latter being a big part of the Aphex Twin’s early sound. SAMPLER, as this new device was tentatively being called, looks more like a modern Roland SP device than a sampler of old, but the fact that it’s Casio is giving me junior high SK-1 sampling flashbacks.
Casio SXC-1 Sampler: So Much TBD
First off, I should say that this device is very much unfinished. A glance at the one-sheet at the booth in NAMM shows a lot of TBD, or To Be Decided, meaning that it’s still in development. But from what we’ve seen so far, the Casio sampler looks very, very cool.
So, the sampler (now officially called SXC-1) is a portable, standalone sampler with a built-in mic and speaker. It’s got 16 pads arranged in a 4×4 pattern like an SP, with large, Casio-style calculator numbers emblazoned on them. It’s got 10 banks of samples with 16 per bank (TBD) that you access by pressing the PlayStation controller buttons and D-pad. There’s also a sequencer, with an onscreen grid that’s giving me strong TR-707 vibes. That screen, by the way, is a 1.3-inch OLED display.
What else? It records in wav format at a 16-bit, 48kHz sampling rate. Internal memory is a whopping 64GB. This includes the preset sounds, which come from vintage Casio music gear. I’m gunning for the brass and Reese patches from the CZ-101, but I’m sure the drums from the VL-1 will be in there too. And maybe the “hello” from the SK-1. Maximum polyphony looks to be 16 stereo voices (TBD) with both one shots and loops.
The Casio sampler will also have effects, with a dedicated FX button and FX dial. What effects it will have, however, is TBD.
Casio SXC-1 Sampler: Hardware
The device comes housed in a very cool giant calculator-style box with backlit silicon pads. It’s got headphone and analog audio outs plus an analog audio input for sampling, plus USB-C for data and power. Looks like battery life is a projected two hours. The SAMPLER will also run on four AAA batteries.
Casio is hyping the portability of the device with a target weight of 315 grams. “Perfect in your hands, on a desk, on the couch, and on the go,” the sign says.
Pricing and Availability
Unfortunately, there’s no price or release information available at this time. As soon as I hear, I’ll let you know.
More Information
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4 responses to “Casio SXC-1: The New Sampler Syncs Loops, But Will it Chop Them?”
The sampler looks like fun, I hope it’s not too expensive.
Looks like a junk toy you find in the dumpster
I have a Casio watch.
My first Casio sampler was a SK 5 i was 14 years old.