A good hardware sequencer??

aquanaut · Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 4:08 pm Post subject: A good hardware sequencer??

That's it...my hatred of all things virtual as contaminated Cubase. I'm not having fun making music with a soft sequencer and believe me i tried and i tried. Now i need an hardware seq better than the DR-770 (Boss drum machine) with which i like to work. Apart for an MPC and any analog 16th note grid, what would be a good hardware sequencer?

elektro80 · Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 4:38 pm Post subject:

It all depends. What kinda music do you want to make?

Infectioninstruments is making one awesome hardware sequencer called "Zeit"
You can find the link in the linkssection. The guy who designed it and runs the company is a member here.

egw · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 4:04 am Post subject:

Zeit looks very nice, but too large for me.
Two reasonably priced, but powerful hw sequencers are the Emu XL-7 and Yamaha RM1x. Are you looking more for realtime/performance or programming? Recording or playing patterns?

aquanaut · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 9:40 am Post subject:

Mohoyoho · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 10:42 am Post subject:

I'm a bit ignorant regarding hardware sequencers. I am familiar with step sequencers in my Waldorf Q and my soft synth Reaktor. The Zeits seem simple enough. . .they send midi signals to whatever synth it's connected to. But what about these seqencer/groove boxes like the MC series from Roland or the Yamaha RM1x? They produce their own sounds, but do they send midi to other synths as well? I don't want a drum machine which many of these seem to be, but if you can send signals easily to a Waldorf Q, MicroWave or Alesis Ion, that would be neat.

egw · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 11:20 am Post subject:

Yes, almost all of these boxes let you send midi to external devices.

Mohoyoho · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 11:26 am Post subject:

So rather than getting drum sounds you can get a synth patch from your favorite synth(s)? Can these groove boxes send out different sequences simultaneously on differing midi channels allowing you to sequence more than one synth at a time? (See, I told you I was ignorant.)

paul e. · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 12:37 pm Post subject:

on the external sequencer you can have, say 16 tracks, that correspond to 16 midi channels

so you could have one pattern on track one on midi channel one, and then you set up an external synth to receive on channel 1

and you could have another pattern on track 2, midi channel 2,and set up another external synth to receive on midi channel 2

and so on

seq ch1---midi ch 1 out----synthA rcv ch1
seq ch2---midi ch 2 out----synthB rcv ch2

Mohoyoho · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 1:01 pm Post subject:

Wow. I have been dismissing these groove boxes as merely drum machines. This interests me greatly. How can you tell how many channels and sequences one of these boxes (say the Korg ER-1) outputs? I have been to the website, but the specs sheets don't seem to tell you a whole lot.

egw · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:30 pm Post subject:

You'll need to get a pdf of the manual.
Or, get on the mailing list and ask about it (there's a list for just about everything). Or just ask here, maybe someone knows.
I don't know about the ER-1.
But I can tell you about the RM1x, XL-7, DX-200, MAM SQ-16, Notron.
And now of course the Nord Modular G2 can send out midi, so it makes a nice HW sequencer (of the pattern generating sort, not the recording kind).
With a little creativity, these "groove boxes" can do some very un-drum-machine-like things.

Mohoyoho · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 7:18 pm Post subject:

What about the DX 200 and the RM1x?

Kraken · Joined: Aug 10, 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Spain

Salud!

The Yamaha RS7000 is a beast of a sequencer (plus minisampler + tone generator). Is has some functions over the RM1X's sequencer (two MIDI outs, some more pattern length options, better workflow for me). The Yamahas QY100 and QY700 are very nice, too. And the Kawai Q80.

Mohoyoho · Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 5:51 am Post subject:

Yes, since my last posting I have been looking into these more. Those Yamahas seem very good. A used RM1x is in about my price range. They appear to go for around $300. That RS7000 looks fantastic. I wish I could find one of those for about $300-$400.

Kraken · Joined: Aug 10, 2004 Posts: 26 Location: Spain

Salud!

If you want a solid hardware sequencer, the RM1X is perfect for the role once you get into the right mind frame.

qwave · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 8:58 am Post subject:

I am using the Manikin Schrittmacher stepsequencer. It got 32 lines of 16 steps. Each line is running at the same tempo but with differnet length or step wide (if you like poly rhythmic structures).
The interface is superb to my needs:
- 16 endless rotary knobs with clicks. Each click will change the parameter (like: note pitch, controllers, velocity, stepwidth of other lines) value by one unit. And clicking the knob will put this step into skip or pause mode. Nice bicolour LEDs will show the current status of the step (being paused, played or skipped).
http://www.manikin-electronic.com/en/index.html

elektro80 · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 9:01 am Post subject:

does it have directional controls.. as in fwd/backw ?
like.. if some port goes high or low .. then the direction changes.. etc etc etc
Very Happy

qwave · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 9:19 am Post subject:

There is no remote control for changing the playback from normal to reverse or "forward till the end and then reverse" mode.

elektro80 · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 9:23 am Post subject:

Yeah.. well.. I can see why.. it is midi only. It seems good though... very good.. nice specs.

Mohoyoho · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 9:41 am Post subject:

You have all got me very interested in sequencers. I have been looking at the RM1x, DX200 and the QY700 (all Yamaha). For the money they seem really useful. Anymore information would be appreciated regarding these machines. I would like to know how people are using them.

aquanaut · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 11:00 am Post subject:

You can get forward/backward/upward/downward/loopanywhere/change direction/different tempo for each line with the cellular grid machine from Paul Webb. http://www.robotsoftware.co.uk/

the software is for mac 9. if you can't get it anymore, i have a copy. it's a free app.

elektro80 · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 11:22 am Post subject:

elektro80 · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 11:36 am Post subject:

FUNKSTÖRUNG?

I heard them live once. I found it a bit boring. On the other hand, Elton John played here last year. That concert was really boring.

aquanaut · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 12:24 pm Post subject:

elektro80 · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 12:42 pm Post subject:

hehe.. no wonder. Which one? One of the releases after 1978?

Oskar · Joined: Jul 29, 2004 Posts: 1751 Location: Norway

I used to have an AKAI ASQ10, which disappeared when the repair shop I'd taken it to (along with my trusty Roland D110) went bust. That more or less put paid to my programming; Since then I've done some stuff in Opcode Musicshop and ProToolsLE, but when it comes to creating nice, organic rhythm tracks that doesn't come close to that ol' ASQ10. In my opinion the ASQ10 was very intuitive to work with, only a very little display, which made you use your ears instead of your eyes - always a good thing when it comes to music, I find. Cool

I haven't tried any of the new generation Akais, but I suppose they've a similar user interface; At least, they LOOK similar. I don't know how they compare price-wise, or how they would suit your working methods, especially if you work with lots of filters and stuff, but I found it extremely fast to work with, and when I needed to do some editing (deleting unwanted notes, thinning controller data, moving a note in pitch or time - you know low level stuff) it was quick to work with. Slightly menu-based, but not horribly so. Check the new ones out, or if you find an old ASQ10 or MPC60 ( I think) they may be good bargains. Good luck hunting! (No relation to Will)