The Joys of Hardware Sequencers (Story/Rant/Endorsement)

[vinyl_junkie]

Wow only one dude to mention the Roland MC-50...well imo MPC-2000XL and MC-50 make a killer combo for me

[Automatic Gainsay]

Does anyone have an Akai ASQ-10? I used one in college and remember really enjoying it.

[vinyl_junkie]

Does anyone have an Akai ASQ-10? I used one in college and remember really enjoying it.

Not me but my friend uses MPC-60 mk1 which is the same sequencer as on the ASQ, he uses it with a Roland MC-50..that's how I got introduced to the MC-50, it's got a great x0x style sequencer on it as well as some other cool things.
My fave of the old MPC's are the 3000 and 2000XL..I love how quick the XL is, the 4000 is a beast with is huge graphical display.

[nuketifromorbit]

I used to feel the same way, then I discovered renoise.

[qube]

when using the step sequencer I want to be able to tweak the controls as easy as I could with a real one but because there are so many I can't map them all to my controller in one go

Behringer BCR2000 is about $150 US, real AC supply and 32 knobs.

Not seen that before, thanks for the info.

[StepLogik]

Roland Grooveboxes make really good hardware sequencers. The MC-909 is particularly good and is one of my favorite hardware sequencers because it offers so much power, deep editing, piano roll editing (the UI for this is slightly tedious), X0X-style grid sequencing, separate 16 track mute buttons (i dislike it when the grid sequence buttons are overloaded for track mutes), and 8 sliders that can be used as assignable MIDI CC controllers.

The biggest disadvantage is that 16 tracks are hardwired to their corresponding MIDI channel. That can be a headache if you don't have a MIDI rechannelizer (I use MOTU Midi Express XT).

The MC-909 has a lot of sequencing power for a device that can be had for fairly cheap (I think they are averaging less than $500 on ebay) and includes an XV-series sound engine and a sampler. Also included: unfixed OS bugs (no surprises there, it is Roland) and some bizarre sampler quirks and omission of the popular 'Remix' feature from the MC-505.

[aeon]

I found my hardware sequencer: a Mac! (OK, j/k - I know it’s off-topic)



Modular synthesis, modular effects processing, modular sequencing — life is good.


cheers,
Ian

[dirtykeys]

im glad i found
this
ive been considering
a MC 50
and will probably jump
when i find one
i like computers and all
live is fantastic
but id like to have the same
setup
in hardware
in terms of recording
and editing
...

[smoothcriminal]

Like others said, im on computers 50+ hours a week, music needs to be separate to me. I honestly think Id be much less productive if I used software, prob end up IMin people, goin on ebay

I agree with the entirety of your post but this part is key for me.

The main advantage of software as I see it is being able to look at your composition and see all the chords laid out graphically (versus my MPC which has a basic grid/piano roll view but is more oriented towards drum editing than chord editing). So it's easier for me to write a more complex composition using software.

On the other hand I am finding the more performance-based sequencing on an MPC to be liberating, where I don't get caught up so much in minutae and trying to jam as many sounds/notes into a single measure as possible.

I could see a dedicated software sequencer like Numerology or Live being equally good when integrated into whatever MIDI controller/hardware/VST setup one prefers, but I simply have to get away from these LCD screens once in a while - definitely a personal preference.

[Alex E]

When started using Ableton Live, I never used another sequencer again.

[b3groover]

My first sequencer was a program for the C64 that I think was by SONUS. At least the MIDI interface cartridge was by them. Since I only had an original DX7 and since the original DX7 is not multitimbral, it didn't really help me much. But it did introduce me to sequencing.

The next step was the sequencer in the SY77, which I used and abused for years. I'm still so familiar with it that I sometimes use it to quickly make patterns rather than my computer. It's just faster for me. One of these days I'm going to get a Motif XF and I'll probably get back into hardware sequencing. For now, I use Cubase but I don't do a ton of sequencing. However, it is invaluable for a project I'm doing right now; creating horn charts from non-click track material (ie, a live band). Cubase easily finds and creates a solid tempo track so I can line up my MIDI parts and they translate into a score with minimal fuss.


On a side note... and this is not a rip against the OP... but I think it is telling that he/she has a pirated copy of a very expensive and complex piece of software but feels no desire to take the time to learn it. I think this is indicative of pirating itself. Since you don't pay anything for the software, it has no value and thus you don't feel the need to spend any time learning it. I'm confident that if anyone spends $500 or more on a piece of software, they'll value it more and take the necessary time to learn the ins and outs.

Again, this is not a personal diatribe against the OP: I've downloaded my fair share of pirated stuff, but it's just something I notice in my own behavior. The software I paid for (like Cubase, Alchemy, and hopefully Massive soon among others) I'm much more familiar with due to spending the time to really dig into it.

The same can be said of free music, I think.

Just blathering.

[ninja6485]

When started using Ableton Live, I never used another sequencer again.

i want to like ableton live a lot more than i should, and a lot more than i actually like it.

i love using my msq-100, although mainly for syncing, but i've run into a problem with the note capacity when using it in conjunction with my sampler. i was pleasently surprized to find how usefull my 909 was as a sequencer though. anymore i'll program a whole song into a tr and my 303, and take advantage of the 1 octave midi out of the 909 with my sampler. works great, and i think i'm generally happier when i spend more time on my synths, and i feel like it captures the essence of the machines a bit more than just looping a pattern, if only in my brain, which let's face it, is the ultimate destination for the satisfaction anyway. (and consequently, your's as well with your instruments.) it does admittedly however, presuppose you know what you're doing before hand to a certain degree, where as someone who's more confused by the operation of the sequencer or less certain about the form of their songs would have a lot more grey hairs...also enjoyable, maschine as a sequencer. yes it's software, but it doesn't feel like a daw in the least.

[Plumpudding]

The same can be said of free music, I think.

I can't really understand that. I mean, I don't necesarilly like/enjoy music I payed for more than free music. I enjoy free music and bought music alike. Only difference is my futile attempt to like music I don't like because I shelled out money for it.

Sorry, small derail.

[griffin avid]

Only difference is my futile attempt to like music I don't like because I shelled out money for it.

True tangent indeed.

I find it's the Quantity that makes the difference.
If it's for free, you're usually on a site with LOTS of free samples/VSTs/Sounds etc....

So most grab a ton of stuff at once and sift through it all very quickly- barely hearing any particular song fully since you've got soo much to go through....just like scanning through each VSTs presets to see which one is interesting.

Now if we bought a single album- we'd only have that to listen through and take our time to digest it. If you paid for a piece of software, you're going to the site to update it, look for add-ons etc. Spend time reading the manual if you get stuck- it's going to be an all night affair so you'll take your time.

If it doesn't do what I want it to, I begin to look for workarounds. Might even hit the company forum and see what's good. Now if it was cracked, I'd probably have that "Propelledheads Cracked Reason(s)/Fruity Loops Syndrome" and never go to the site or download the PDF manual and spend my time asking stupid questions. Where do I find Refills? Anyone use Sytrus? What's it for? Can recycle chop beats and how do I find it in reason(s)?

At any rate, I find downloading c**p takes up all the time and no real music ever gets done or listened to.

[Plumpudding]

^ I agree, though comparing free music with free software seems a bit unfair to me. May be because I don't really grab tons of free music from the web, don't really see the point. Better to grab just what you like/might like, and concentrate on that. Lots of interesting webreleases around.

Again, sorry for the derail.