I love my Korg SQ-1 when it comes to hardware sequencing but the vibe it get is most folks here would fall into the beatstep pro camp where you can trigger big multi part things.
I have an old Yamaha QY8 which I’ve been meaning to learn.
the SQ-1 is also great for the price if you have any modular gear, but it’s very limited melodically.
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re: my own quest for finding appropriate gear
keystep is right out because they only go up to 32-key, and those digital strips are trash compared to regular mod and pitch wheels. even the new keystep pro (4-track polyphonic sequencing!) has those strips (and costs over 400 to boot)
sadly the (much more palatable, also pricey) keylab lacks any sequencing whatsoever… i have no idea why!
everything integrates with ableton, which i don’t use. nothing integrates worth a damn with fl studio, which i use incessantly. i don’t have any space but there’s not much point to get another 49-key midi controller when i already have a very solid one.
ugh, this is unnecessarily difficult
yeah with keyboard controllers it’s always been tough because the major trends in the last few years as far as hardware goes is 1. modular, 2. individual smaller pieces of gear that are easy to play on their own but require a little more than usual to get integrated with a broader setup and 3. hardware/software integration with the big software manufacturers
so if you’re in the market for a new keyboard controller you’re also basically buying into the software they’re making. the novation keyboard you linked above looks really nice but it’s mostly ableton integrated, native instruments is always going to be developing for maschine and akai is mostly ableton, despite throwing FL a bone with that sequencer controller it has
arturia with their keysteps are the closest thing you’ll have to a universal keyboard controller but yeah, only 2 octaves
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the thing is, arturia has all the software i want too. i’m probably going to end up getting the keylab anyway. there was a sale at kraft music recently where you could get the V collection 6 free with a keylab mk2. (keylab already comes with the analog lab, which is the v collection lite: presets-with-some-variables, whereas v collection is the entire range of arturia analog emulations with full access to all parameters)
i should have fucked with that sale because v collection on its own is expensive as fuck. maybe it’ll come back around?!
however, the keylab is not playable without a computer or outboard gear, so i’m back in a catch-22
the actual answer is something idiotic like “get a montage” except those are 3-4K
so… back to MODX? fuck
quad posting to say the MODX has 64-voice 8-operator frequency modulation synthesis
i mean, come on that’s fucking sick
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Quick partial set up photo. I’m constantly switching stuff around but this is what I was playing with most recently. Currently I’m running the Neutron, and the Volca Modular from the SQ-1’s cv outs and the Microgranny from its midi out. With the creative use of the step jump feature you can spice up the resulting patterns. Each runs into separate channels of my mixer, which has a cheapo multi effects pedal as an insert effect. Before I had the step sequencer, I would use a loop pedal after the mixer to build up textures. It’s not set up like this now, but I sometimes run out the aux out on my mixer into the microgranny so I can live sample myself. I’m the old days, I did this instead with a SK-1 and a five way audio splitter and thankfully nothing ever blew up.
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free apps from korg and moog
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details on polyend tracker! the tracker workflow improvements are sooo nice coming from LSDJ and like, 4 buttons and a dpad
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finally managed to get the retrokits rk-006 set up with everything and it is FANTASTIC
it is doing midi sync from the octatrack to the mc101 and nts-1 I have, does sync pulses to the gameboy AND does CV/gate sync to the acidbox all while acting as a MIDI host for the midi controller I’m using so I don’t have to do so much menu diving in the octatrack. INCREDIBLE
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it’s lockdown so i’m getting back into modular 
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i have a yamaha rx-11 now
having a lot of fun just jamming with it
anyone here interesting in hearing some super lofi jams i’ve been messing with
it’s not too “techy”, it’s very homespun and simple but maybe you wanna hear it? my adventures in gear are just beginning so i think it will be neat to look back later
also i just love unplanned recording
Just post in the songs-u-made thread!
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I had a roland mc101 and wasn’t feeling it in my setup so Ben prunty and I set up a trade and now I have a synthstrom deluge? kinda excited, always thought a monster synth box would go well with the octatrack
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