Introduction to the EP-1320 Medieval
Only Teenage Engineering would take the phrase “sampler workstation” and respond with “What if we made it Medieval?” Enter the EP-1320 Medieval—a fully functional portable groove box, completely reimagined through the lens of lutes, bards, and tavern fights. A big fan of medieval era history and media, when I first heard about the EP-1320 Medieval after it’s launch in 2024, I knew this was something I had to try.
Built on the same hardware platform as the KO II, the EP-1320 shares a lot of DNA with its sibling. But don’t make the mistake of thinking this is just a simple reskin. While they may look similar under the hood, this device is very much its own beast—designed to be a complete standalone instrument with a distinct personality, sound palette, and performance style. If the KO II is the urban beatmaker, the EP-1320 is the court jester with a broadsword and a sequencer.
Let’s dive into everything this quirky piece of gear does—and why it might just be your next favorite sampler, even if you’ve never set foot in a Renaissance Faire.
So, What Exactly Is the EP-1320 Medieval?
At a glance, the EP-1320 is a “medieval beat machine” with pressure-sensitive pads, real-time effects, multi-track sequencing, and a healthy dash of absurd medieval flair. It’s battery-powered (4 AAA), has a built-in speaker and mic, and fits easily in a backpack or satchel.
The moment you power it on, you’re greeted not by a sterile boot logo but by pixelated minstrels, castles, and shields on its custom display. Button labels are written in Latin-inspired text—with options like Sonus for sound, Ignito for power, and Claves for keyboard mode. And the sample library simply drips of medieval goodness.
And that’s just the surface.
Sound Engine & Sample Library: Where Ye Olde Meets Ye Bold
This thing comes pre-loaded with 96 MB of medieval-themed samples in it’s ROM memory, covering over 150 sounds. We’re talking hurdy-gurdys, lutes, flutes, battle drums, choirs, horse hooves, clanging swords, tavern fights and more. Most aren’t just one-shots either. The melodic instruments are multi-sampled and looped, meaning you can play realistic phrases without awkward sample cutoffs.
It’s a playable medieval soundtrack out of the box, ready for scoring fantasy RPGs, dungeon synth records, or the weirdest mixtape of your life.
You also get 32 MB of space for your own samples, recorded through the line-in or built-in mic. This may seem minimal, but believe me when I say that it is more than enough for a project, even if you record many samples. Where I do feel this could have been mitigated is if there were an option for a micro SD card, to expand memory. However, this isn’t a deal breaker.
Sampling wise, the editing process is smooth: trim, normalize, set loop points, assign to mute groups, and you’re off.
Finally, regarding the built in samples: while there were issues in the past with preset samples being deleted with a factory restore on the KO II, Teenage Engineering has since made it so that the factory samples on this (and the KO II) for that matter can be restored with a factory reset.
Sequencing: Deep, Flexible, and Surprisingly Powerful
At the heart of the EP-1320 is a flexible, high resolution sequencer. Each of your 9 projects holds 4 groups, and each group can store up to 99 patterns. Patterns themselves can be up to 99 bars long, with 12 tracks per pattern—plenty of space for layering drums, melodies, textures, and more.
You can program in real time by tapping pads or enter notes step-by-step. There’s quantization, swing, pattern chaining, and even several full songs for you to jam to — labeled “demus mode.”
And yes, there’s polyphony. Up to 6 stereo voices (or 12 mono) can play simultaneously. This is plenty enough for most medieval jam sessions or live sets.
Effects & Pocus: Sound Shaping with Personality
Teenage Engineering renamed the effects section “Pocus”—a cheeky nod to medieval hocus-pocus. But make no mistake: there’s no need to be a witch or a warlock. The effects are easy to activate, and they sound great.
You get seven send effects (delay, reverb, chorus, etc.), all tailored to the theme—“Dungeon Echo,” “Torture Chamber Reverb,” “Bardic Ensemble,” as well as a brand new “Dimension” effect which uses a delay to separate the incoming signal. But those weren’t my favorite of the effects. No, instead, I truly enjoyed the live punch-in effects: the tape stops, reverses, stutters, and glitchy chaos—all perfectly programmed on the EP-1320.
Best of all? You can assign these effects to the pressure-sensitive pads and record automation in real time. Want to mangle a lute loop into a ghostly swirl and resample it with gritty reverb? Two button presses. Done.
Fader and Knobs: Your Hands-On Arsenal
To sweeten the performance workflow, the EP-1320 includes four assignable knobs and a side-mounted multi-purpose fader. The knobs can control anything from sample tuning and filter cutoff to effect parameters and envelopes. With a quick modifier key (labeled Altero), you can access secondary functions per knob.
The fader, on the other hand, can serve as a crossfader, a tape scrubber, a filter sweep, or even a live mix control between different patterns or groups. It’s deeply assignable and instantly expressive—one of the EP-1320’s best performance tools.
The New Arpeggiator: A Hidden Gem
Here’s one big bonus: unlike the KO II, the EP-1320 includes a dedicated arpeggiator. It’s perfect for repeating melodies, layering rhythmic runs, or programming classic hi-hat rolls on drums. It adds a melodic edge to a device already dripping in texture.
Between the ARP, pressure-sensitive input, and real-time effects, you’re never short on ways to make a pattern evolve and breathe.
Design & Interface: A Love Letter to The Medieval Era
I’ve spent a lot of time praising it’s performance, but let’s be honest—design wise, this thing is ridiculous in the best way. Every screen is filled with custom icons. The font looks like it came from a scroll. The quirky sounds can sometimes elicit a chuckle, because it’s just so unexpected in a sampler. This is one of those things you’d never think of yourself, but you’ll be incredibly glad Teenage Engineering did. It’s what the bards and medieval minstrels would play if they had AAA batteries or USB power.
That said, the interface isn’t always the easiest to manage for a newcomer to Teenage Engineering. While it was done to go along with the medieval vibes, the latin themed text can make it harder to locate standard functions like tempo, volume, or parameter values at a glance. The included manual does a great job of explaining these, however you’re used to straightforward UIs, it may take a little more time to get up to speed. But once you learn the lingo (Sonus, Claves, Codex), it becomes second nature—and pretty fun to boot. Don’t let it intimidate you, because it truly is a fantastic device.
Now, one nitpick and it’s a minor one. I was told the number keys were supposed to smell like cocoa. All I smelt was plastic. Teenage Engineering, where’s my chocolate pads?!
Where It Shines
- Instant inspiration from a truly unique sound set
- Fully portable with speaker, mic, and battery power
- Excellent sequencing tools with long patterns and deep automation
- Live performance features: pressure pads, punch-in FX, fader, and arp
- Themed effects and interface give it loads of personality
- Works well with external gear via MIDI and sync
Where It Stumbles
- Limited user sample space (only 32 MB)
- Themed UI sacrifices some readability
- No SD card or memory expansion
Who Is It For?
That depends on what you want out of a sampler.
If you’re looking for a self-contained, creatively inspiring groovebox with a completely off-the-wall sound set and bags of charm, the EP-1320 delivers in spades.
And frankly, it’s not just for novelty. The sounds are genuinely usable. The workflow is tight. The added arpeggiator and sample looping give it an edge over the KO II in some creative scenarios. The EP-1320 is weird, yes, but weird with a purpose.
It’s hard not to love a sampler that invites you to write tavern bangers, record with goblin choirs, or resample a lute solo into a trap beat. For producers, sound designers, RPG musicians, or just gearheads who want something different, this thing is a riot.
Final Thoughts: Ye Olde Studio Companion
Teenage Engineering’s EP-1320 Medieval is here to inspire you, to make you laugh, to get your fingers tapping out grooves at a forest clearing or backstage at a Renaissance Faire.
Under the middle ages-themed paint job, it’s a clever, capable sampler with just enough quirks to feel magical. And at just $299, it’s an affordable entry into the Teenage Engineering family, in the event you’re not able to afford some of their more advanced machines. If you can embrace the fun absurdity it might become your most creatively fulfilling purchase yet.
Sometimes, a sampler doesn’t need to be serious. Sometimes, it just needs to party like it’s 1499.
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