N00b needs some help!!

Design Concepts
1

Hey people,

this is my 1st post… just discovered the MIDIbox site, looks like what i’ve been looking for… :slight_smile:

I am currently putting gear together for live PA, my style is breakbeat/drum n bass/electro/dub and I am looking for a sequencer.

I have an Emu PX-7 Command Station which is very good, very solid and also has some good drum sounds on it… but the sequencer is limited for me, in that it is more geared towards full songs than playing loops/patterns. I have also thought of the Yamaha RM1x, have not tried it but am told it can do some of what I want. However, the idea of designing a slim hardware sequencer and controller for my own needs is very interesting.

The features I want are:

  • independant pattern/track lengths, for polyrhythms and mixing short and long loops.

  • ability to quickly switch between patterns on a track, for fills/switches and bringing in new sections.

  • solo & mute buttons for each track

  • ability to store MIDI cc’s in sequences, that will set up programs in external gear before sequences start  (like on the Emu)

  • be able to record stuff in as the sequencer is playing, and quantize (with swing/shuffle) live.

  • being able to import/export MIDI sequences from my PC would be good, on the emu this can be done over USB - could something like this be implemented?

  • groove quantizing, for syncing to recycled breakbeats.

I have a degree in computer science, did a bit of assembler, so I should be able to get my teeth into programming this stuff (I hope!) … just the hardware/soldering i’m not too confident with.

If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be cool.  ;D

2

I would stick to that Rm1x more than making this one myself! The MBSeq is more thought for live-sequencing of a few synthies and just for having fun in the studio. It´s not a stand-alone-studio-in-a-box sequencer like commercial ones.

Greetz

3

If you read through some of my older posts (which I suspect you already did), you’ll see that those ideas (and a few more) are already all in the works with my sequencer … Patience  :)

Keep in mind that pay_c is right… The commercial variants are cheaper and easier, and take much less time.

I’ve never even heard a single person aside from myself mention the word polyrhythm, so it’s a feature you just won’t find commercially, but if you can live without it, I would  ;)

I am gonna take this opportunity to stake my claim though - a polyrhythmic MIDI sequencer is my idea. Let the pages of history say, I tried it first (unless you can find a record of someone else trying it - I can’t!). Just for the records  ;D LOL

4

The PX-7 can already do many of the things you want in a sequencer.

this was taken form the yahoo XL-7 user  forum. ( px-7 is same family)

"now, if i write a total different multi [lets say to sequenz externalgear] and if i later go back to a

pattern i made before the XX7 did not recognize the multi used originally

by the pattern.

>>>That’s because Patterns have no way of knowing what Multi was used at

that time, and it’s irrelevent anyway. <<<

It uses different presets and fx parameters.Whats the right way to save

patterns and multis to be able to acsess them at any time?

>>>That’s because Patterns also store this info, so everytime you recall a

Pattern, it will ALWAYS use the Pattern settings. Multi info is only

recalled when you Restore a previously saved Multi, otherwise Pattern have

priority. Basically, if you’re just writing Patterns, then save the

Patterns and don’t even worry about Multis. Here’s a quick rundown, this

is by no means a complete list though:

PATTERN DATA

  • Presets assignments for each channel.

  • Effects Types.

  • Effect Send amount.

  • Sequence data (notes, CC’s, sysex, aftertouch, etc)

  • Any other setting you make while in Pattern Edit (ie, output).

MULTI DATA

  • All of the above.

  • Screen contrast

  • Midi Menu settings.

  • Custom arps.

  • Controllers menu settings.

  • All global settings.

So you can see, that Multi’s save a lot more information than Patterns,

but in terms of making regular tracks and such, just saving the Pattern

should be sufficient. Multi’s come in handy when you want to set up the

Controller Knobs to control different synths externally, and you need

different CC’s for each knob depending on the synth. Just one example,

there’s literally hundreds more. I think this is covered in the FAQ too.

<<

rEalm"

the Px-7 is great piece of gear.  But this is the right place for adding some unique and custom controller,viewer, manipulation devices to yoru set up.

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/

Also with OS2.0 you can use there Xmix function which is really neat.  can take swap patterns oen at a time "morphing " them  as u change.

also you an do live edits whiel sequencer is in PLAY mode.  

The Emu’s are a great piece of kit.  And with Emu announcing the discontinuation of their hardware support for samplers.  Be a good time to pick up a sampler to round out your kit.

5

Stryd to reply to PM’s please!!!  

collaboration.  taking this too off topic forum

:wink:

6

Sorry mate!

I’m trying not to let the forum stop me from doing work…my boss would kick my @$$!  :-/ But I’ll PM you sometime today (in the next 4 hours before the weekend)..

Cheers!

7

The PX-7 can already do many of the things you want in a sequencer.

yeah true but I’m greedy!!

No I just feel that for my style I want to be able to do quick pattern swapping, for doing variations, fills switches etc… as far as I know the XX-7’s can do this with X-mix, but you have to wait for the end of the loop for things to change.

My ideal would be to have, say 4 pattern variation buttons for each track, which switch instantly.

The independant pattern length thing is slightly less important - this is available on the RM1x (allowing for polyrhythms), I still need to check one out.

On another forum (www.livepa.org) someone mentioned the Notron sequencer. This has a lot of interesting live performance features. Think they’re pretty rare now.

the Px-7 is great piece of gear.  But this is the right place for adding some unique and custom controller,viewer, manipulation devices to yoru set up.

Might have to be done … even though I dont really have the time! Need to get on with making music…

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/xl7/

I was checking this forum regularly a few months ago, helped me decide to buy the PX-7.

Also with OS2.0 you can use there Xmix function which is really neat.  can take swap patterns oen at a time "morphing " them  as u change.

also you an do live edits whiel sequencer is in PLAY mode.  

 The truth is I have not devoted enought time to digging into the PX-7. Its a wicked machine. However, it still does not have some of the features I imagined possible in a live sequencer.

The Emu’s are a great piece of kit.  And with Emu announcing the discontinuation of their hardware support for samplers.  Be a good time to pick up a sampler to round out your kit.

Did just that a couple of months ago. Emu samplers are the bollox!!

Also realised that using the the sequencer on the Ultra sampler alongside the PX-7 would allow for polyrhythmic stuff also.

8

the guy who made notron is getting something else off the ground

www.grexultra.com

although there are complaints that stuff has not shipped so you may want to hold off till stuff is shipping and there is some feedback on forums, it looks like this or the next thing he is planning may do the kind of things you are looking for.

9

yeah true but I’m greedy!!

No I just feel that for my style I want to be able to do quick pattern swapping, for doing variations, fills switches etc… as far as I know the XX-7’s can do this with X-mix, but you have to wait for the end of the loop for things to change.

Ugh what’s the point of that then? Yeh I totally agree with you on that one…

My ideal would be to have, say 4 pattern variation buttons for each track, which switch instantly.

Already in the design :slight_smile:

The independant pattern length thing is slightly less important - this is available on the RM1x (allowing for polyrhythms), I still need to check one out.

Nice :slight_smile: Can it do polymeters too? I usually don’t bother to mention them separately, cause theyre so interrelated…

This seems to be a feature that’s becoming more and more prevalent lately… Who uses it anyway? I don’t hear polyrhythms used in music generally speaking (unfortunately! … of course there are a few notable exceptions to this) and I’d never heard anyone mention it until very recently… Are the hardare manufacturers just follwing us muso’s around the net, trawling for ideas?  ;)

On another forum (www.livepa.org) someone mentioned the Notron sequencer. This has a lot of interesting live performance features. Think they’re pretty rare now.

Like hen’s teeth. I’ve been searching for years…

Might have to be done … even though I dont really have the time! Need to get on with making music…

I was checking this forum regularly a few months ago, helped me decide to buy the PX-7.

 The truth is I have not devoted enought time to digging into the PX-7. Its a wicked machine. However, it still does not have some of the features I imagined possible in a live sequencer.

Did just that a couple of months ago. Emu samplers are the bollox!!

Also realised that using the the sequencer on the Ultra sampler alongside the PX-7 would allow for polyrhythmic stuff also.

Sounds like more hardware than I have money for right now, but you can buy me one if ya like  ;D

Anyway I’d never heard of these things before this post, they must have been released while I was away, now I have to go find out what they are :slight_smile: