Hardware Sequencers

  On 4/30/2010 at 11:46 PM, wahrk said:

This, on the other hand, is pretty delish.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8U9vGMNAhY

Hahaha, that was BRUTAL.

This is pretty awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DISvTLDdhXk&feature=related

  On 5/1/2010 at 4:36 PM, wahrk said:

  On 5/1/2010 at 11:37 AM, slightlydrybeans said:

mpc is where it's at.

 

Sample-based, not much visual feedback for the sequencing. Not really feeling it.

 

Got any videos/tracks to change my mind?

Live and a Launch Pad has kinda pisses on the MPC's chips so to speak and I've heard very dodgy things regarding bugs in the OS on the newer models

  On 5/2/2010 at 10:53 AM, vasio said:

This is pretty awesome:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DISvTLDdhXk&feature=related

Sweet, though I'm a little disappointed in the lack of pattern changes.

  On 5/2/2010 at 12:58 PM, soundwave said:

  On 5/1/2010 at 4:36 PM, wahrk said:

  On 5/1/2010 at 11:37 AM, slightlydrybeans said:

mpc is where it's at.

 

Sample-based, not much visual feedback for the sequencing. Not really feeling it.

 

Got any videos/tracks to change my mind?

 

Live and a Launch Pad has kinda pisses on the MPC's chips so to speak and I've heard very dodgy things regarding bugs in the OS on the newer models

Getting away from software here. I've already got a complex Live setup with an APC40, a Remote SL 49, and an FC-300 (and sometimes a TriggerFinger). How's the pattern sequencing on the Launchpad though? That's one thing I wish I had on my APC40.

Bummer to hear about the MPCs.

  On 5/1/2010 at 12:24 PM, slightlydrybeans said:

mpc-500 is about the same price.

 

Man I'd love to have one of those.

mpc 500 strikes me as annoyingly limited. more suited to be a travel companion than a studio workhorse

have not actually used one, though. maybe the tiny LCD wouldn't suck.

one thing to note about EMX1 versus ESX1 (the red sampler): ESX1 can send any drum part through the filters, whereas EMX1 can only send synths through the filters (they are part of synth parameters). There are workarounds but if you are nuts about filters maybe get the ESX instead (no synths though). You can always use filters in FX sends on the EMX of course, the only downside being there are only 3 sends total.

  On 5/3/2010 at 4:12 PM, iamabe said:

one thing to note about EMX1 versus ESX1 (the red sampler): ESX1 can send any drum part through the filters, whereas EMX1 can only send synths through the filters (they are part of synth parameters). There are workarounds but if you are nuts about filters maybe get the ESX instead (no synths though). You can always use filters in FX sends on the EMX of course, the only downside being there are only 3 sends total.

So you need an external device to filter the drums, or no?

This is an important aspect.

There are 2 ways.

The first is to just use one of the 3 FX sends (these are built in fx like reverb, beat sync delay, filters, etc). These work fine but only have cutoff and resonance, whereas the synth filter has cutoff, resonance, envelope and drive. I just dont use the fx filters much because i like filling the slots with other fx.

The second way is to just use a 1/4" cable and send a drum part out of audio channel 3/4 and into the external input jack. Then you can use the "audio in" synth setting and use all of the synth parameters on your drum part. It's a roundabout solution but it works decently well.

Basically the advantage of the ESX1 is you don't have to do the external routing trick to use the synth filter on your drum parts. Honestly, you could probably do without the warning I posted, because if you want synth parts you should just get the EMX1. :P

If you want custom samples, get the ESX1.

If you want 5 synths, get the EMX1. :)

I can probably manage with that.

Selling my cheap ass violin today, which will give me some money towards and EMX. Though I do also need a POD X3 Live for my bands. We'll see which one takes priority.

well I guess i'm interersted in teh mpc because of the non-step method for sequencing. You can do step sequencing, but it's much more free than only that.

you have like 70 tracks or something obscene also which is badass.

It is sample based itself, but can be a full on midi brain for your whole set up also.

in use: this guy is badass too. :p

http://vimeo.com/9731643

as far as the OS is concerned, no one really uses the built in one :D

http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mpc1000/

Apparently this guy used to work for Akai, and got burned there so he released his own OS for the boxes. ha. Apparently it's way more interesting than the default one. looks like it also includes a synth in the package.

This is what I really love to hear coming out of an mpc though.

HTF do you embed up in this bitch?

  On 5/3/2010 at 9:10 PM, slightlydrybeans said:

in use: this guy is badass too. :p

http://vimeo.com/9731643

loopsloopsloops

  On 5/3/2010 at 9:16 PM, slightlydrybeans said:

This is what I really love to hear coming out of an mpc though.

 

 

HTF do you embed up in this bitch?

Cool. And the "Insert Media" button to the right of the smilies and formatting stuff is what you're looking for. Doesn't work for Vimeo though apparently.

[vimeo]video ID number[/ vimeo]

thanks vagio

FINALLY got an EMX. It's got Groove Tubes in it too. :) I'm currently in the waiting-for-it-to-get-here phase.

(Really really want a Monomachine in the future though.)

congrats

get a friend over to jam with you and play guitar while you fuck around. it will motivate you to try out everything it can do as fast as possible. after an hour of jamming youll have like 10 patterns that are all totally different and maybe you can use one to start a track.

  On 7/2/2010 at 6:39 PM, iamabe said:

congrats

 

get a friend over to jam with you and play guitar while you fuck around. it will motivate you to try out everything it can do as fast as possible. after an hour of jamming youll have like 10 patterns that are all totally different and maybe you can use one to start a track.

Just gotta ask one of the other three musicians in the house. XD Our bass player and I are starting a live electronic group that will probably use my EMX with my Novation MIDI keyboard, my microKORG, a Poly-800, an X50, maaaaybe my laptop/APC40, and maybe even some bass/guitar. Should be dope.

I just got one too (an emx). Used them plenty in the past, had an esx for ages. Happy to have electribes back in my life. I'm using it mainly to sequence synth parts on my nord modular :

It's amazing how they become totally new boxes with high quality tubes in them though. I replaced the one's in my esx right before I sold it with JJ's and it was like "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...you CAN get rid of the mud and fx CAN sound better" :)

picked up an rm1x last night, fairly other than waiting...

  On 7/2/2010 at 7:20 PM, Brandi_B said:

I just got one too (an emx). Used them plenty in the past, had an esx for ages. Happy to have electribes back in my life. I'm using it mainly to sequence synth parts on my nord modular :

 

It's amazing how they become totally new boxes with high quality tubes in them though. I replaced the one's in my esx right before I sold it with JJ's and it was like "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...you CAN get rid of the mud and fx CAN sound better" :)

really? i read that replacing the tubes barely changes the sound and that the factory tubes sound crunchier than other tubes you can find. What tubes did you replace them with?

  On 7/3/2010 at 9:06 PM, iamabe said:

  On 7/2/2010 at 7:20 PM, Brandi_B said:

I just got one too (an emx). Used them plenty in the past, had an esx for ages. Happy to have electribes back in my life. I'm using it mainly to sequence synth parts on my nord modular :

 

It's amazing how they become totally new boxes with high quality tubes in them though. I replaced the one's in my esx right before I sold it with JJ's and it was like "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...you CAN get rid of the mud and fx CAN sound better" :)

 

really? i read that replacing the tubes barely changes the sound and that the factory tubes sound crunchier than other tubes you can find. What tubes did you replace them with?

These:

http://www.amazon.com/JJ-ECC83-12AX7-Vacuum-Tube/dp/B0002M728Y

Sounded so much better imo

^ seconded

Got my EMX yesterday and it rocks. I've been barreling through the manual and making funny little things and crazy noises. I think I might even make some tunes for our game studio with it, as there were a lot of inspiring sounds here and there.

make a bunch of 16th hats. modulate pitch with a very fast and deep LFO and you get instant squishy IDM.

also play with the arpeggiator alot. when i have no inspiration for sequencing a melody i press the notes of a scale i like and jam with the arpeggiator. it's one of the more fun hardware arps to use.

might try to pick up one of these korg sequencers at some point... looks kinda groovy, really interested in the ribbon controller... do they all have the same midi capabilities?

ive got an mc303 which rocks, standalone its a bit shit, but definately workable if you fire it thru some hardcore fx... also the midi timing isnt really good enough for triggering breaks

the arpegiator on it is quite wild and the groove quantize can do cool stuff to patterns

mine is sending 8 channels of midi thru a kenton control freak out to a jomox airbase 99 drum machine, 2x fat freebass synths, a novation a-station, a super bass station (which sends cv and gate to mc202) and a cheetah ms6 = ifuckinloveitacid.mp3

also use a yamaha rm1x which i reckon is cool as fuck too, i dont use the internal sounds on it much, but in a push its usable, it does class midi tricks, pattern manipulation and event edit type stuff

mine controls an emu morpheus and a yamaha a3000 sampler

bought an alesis mmt8 recently and i think thatll be an amazing sequencer to muck around with, especially for live jam type stuff, offloading other parts and experimenting - the 303 has a micro edit record mode which lets you use the jog wheel to cycle back and forwards thru a pattern which also sends out midi notes so i can 'scratch' midi patterns into the mmt-8

i use a tr505 and a cheetah md16 drum machine as sequencers too, basically to me, its about sources and destinations and hooking all that shit together

thats the thing that i like about hardware, when you buy something that has good midi capabilities it just expands all your midi gear

the possibilities just extend out and multiply in ways that are sometimes unexpected, but connected and unique to the gear you have...

anyway :tldr: