We’ve been following Momo Müller’s software add-ons for a while. But this latest addition for Elektron’s Model:Samples is special, because it unlocks some of the power of this budget box.

Maybe they’re feeling generous after getting bought by Etsy for $275 million. But whatever the reason, now you can have some 50 libraries of classic drum machine samples, for free, from Reverb.com.

Renoise, the gorgeous, obsessive production tool that makes the tracker modern, gets a point release with some very good stuff. High res UIs, custom envelopes, native time stretching – and yeah, it’s a host and a plug-in, too.

The remote town of Narrandera, New South Wales has its hemisphere’s biggest guitar – like “the guitar that ate Australia” big. And it’s already inspired plenty of free music, plus a free sample library you can download for yourself.

The OP-Z is the aggressively minimalist, love it-or-hate-it compact synth. But now an update makes it make way more sense – with sampling available, this pint sized synth turns into the instrument it was meant to be.

Delaydelus 2 is a devilishly clever box that’s really two devices in one – it’s a sampler, and it’s a pitch-able delay with feedback. And the whole thing is patchable. Meet the latest from Daedelus and Dr. Bleep.

It’s meant as a “spiritual successor,” say the creators – with both emulation of the classic E-mu sound and new features. But the SP 2400 in preorder still hope to bank off the renown of one of the most popular samplers ever, the genre-defining E-mu SP-1200.

Elektron’s Model:Samples was always appealing – some of the best bits of an Elektron groovebox, but with a smaller size and price tag. But one limitation might hold you back: six tracks, and only six samples? That changes with an update: now you can change samples inside a pattern. Sample locks are here.

At about $400 street, with tons of hands-on control and simple samples, the Elektron Model:Samples has more in common with classic Japanese grooveboxes than the company’s flagships. So what’s it like to use? Here’s our review.

What if you could take the deep powers of an Elektron groove box, but bring them to the surface? And what if that box were small and cheap? That’s the first impression of the Model:Samples – and it could add up to a big hit.