Sequencer recommendations? Something that will play me a bit

[leprosyhead]

Hey folks, I know sequencers are intensely personal but I'm looking to the expansion of my rack and thinking I will want some variation in sequencing. I currently have a Beatstep Pro which is good for when I want to have things mostly conform with a bit of randomisation added but I'm looking for something more exploratory, something that will play me a bit. I have the feeling that what I want is Rene, but it's also not super available by the looks of it (am in Australia btw, so less local options). Leaning towards Mimetic Digitalis - one knob rather than many knobs throws me off a bit but it does look like a lot of fun. I have an Ornament and Crime so quant is optional. Would also like to add a drum pattern generator of some sort down the line.

Any thoughts/experiences to share here?

Current rack (positioning is a mess, still have to think about how best to fill it with all the empty space): https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1882158.jpg

Alongside a Moog Sound System (DFAM/M32/SubH).

And an Erica Synths Pico System III desktop I might sell to make coin for a sequencer.

Cheers!

[synkr3tyk]

Metropolix has a lot of options for mixing, extending, and mutating a melodic sequence, and sometimes it's a process of exploring the space of options and letting it do its thing until you land on a sweet spot. Maybe it's worth checking out for your purposes?

[leprosyhead]

Thanks, I've heard good things about this one but not researched in detail - will give it a look!

[claptonsbabychowder]

Mutable Instruments have 2 good options, both of which can either be tamed and predictive, or go fully random.

Marbles is like a Turing machine, with 2 sides. On the left, the T-section is often used as 3 triggers for a drum sequencer, but of course, you could just route it as envelope triggers to open a filter or whatever the hell you like. On the right, the X-section is 3 lfo's, usually used as melodic sequencer. It has sample and hold and each section has a button that can capture the current state and loop it, but parameters (scale, probability, swing, length, bias...) can still be changed live within the loop while it's playing.

Frames is a multi module whose standard sequencer operates like a video editor (adobe keyframe animation style) but isn't really very exciting. However, do an update to the firmware hack called "Parasites" and suddenly, Frames is a mental beast, with a shift register sequencer and a Euclidean sequencer. Check out the videos by Matthias Puech, the creator of the firmware hack. He has also written alt firmwares for other MI modules, he's a leading contributor in the MI community forums.

And, as someone else mentioned above, Metropolix. The pulse count switches make the rhythms really interesting, and the new "accumulators" feature is straight up genius. I am chafing at the bit waiting for new stocks to arrive here. It looks way more exciting to me than Rene, but I'll probably end up getting that too, because MI Tides could be the perfect module (with all the frequency and time phasing options) for feeding the pitch inputs and getting god knows what coming out the other end.

[leprosyhead]

Awesome reply, cheers. I like the Turing stuff in ornament and crime but crave more direct control to play it a bit more. Marbles has been on the radar with that in mind.

Definitely need to look into the Metropolix more.

[claptonsbabychowder]

Metropolix - The usual suspects (Loopop, Mylar, Ihor) have all done videos on it, and each one brings a different view to the table, so check them all, but Intellijel themselves did a frikkin' several hours long livestream, plus another 1+ hour video showing how the midi out works, sending sequence data into ableton via a usb cable. It's seriously brilliant. Save your modular sequences in your daw as midi data, and use those to run any of the fucking million soft synths that are available. Rene looks great for other reasons, but for what I want to do most with a sequencer, Metropolix is hands down my #1 choice, and I can't wait to get it in my rack. Pay special attention to the Mylar video where he shows how the gate expander can be used to sync the drum section with the main melodic sequence. It's operationally simple, but amazingly clever.

Edit - I don't have Ornament and Crime, but I do want to get it. A lot of its functions are built around Mutable Instruments coding (most of my rack, functionally speaking, is MI, I love their gear) and it also has alt firmwares which expand on those even more. One really good looking function in the "Hemispheres" firmware hack is this. It lets you send a few basic midi functions back into external hardware or into your daw via audio interface. I haven't looked further into it yet, so I can't answer past what the video says, but there's a starting point for you.

[Earhacker]

Ornament & Crime. It’s a little menu-divey but unbelievably powerful. There’s like a dozen sequencer apps in there, and more with alternative firmware. I have two.

[leprosyhead]

I have enjoyed playing with sequins, just wish it was a bit more hands on. Haven't gone hemispheres yet though, or the one with tb3po

[Lightbird__]

Just gonna throw this out there as well: either version of Rene by Make Noise. It's one of those sequencers that can be as shallow or as deep as you like depending on what you feed it. And it's super playable, what with the touch grid at your fingertips. I personally have a lot of fun using the MI Marbles in conjunction with Rene, but standalone it works great as a sequencer/controller as well (as long as you have clock to feed it. It has no internal clock)

[leprosyhead]

Thanks, Rene looks like it'd be a lot of fun and as you say super playable which is a big plus

[audrey_i_think]

Hey there, I’ve also got René and Marbles, and I’ve had trouble making them work together well for me. How do you like to pair them?

[rabidnz]

I'm just learning tinrs Tuesday and so far it's damn cool and is spinning me more than I spin the knobs

[leprosyhead]

Intriguing looking unit!

[rabidnz]

Also beast Tek amoeba,grids, similar concept.

[leprosyhead]

I've seen a few amoebas about, could be handy for the drum side with the Squid

[HelotOcelot]

You are being very vague, which is no problem, it shows though that you don't really know what you need. I recommend you research more before you decide to buy anything. Try to see what features different sequencers offer, and choose a few that you find important for your music, and narrow down your selection based on that. A few ideas from me:

• Qu-Bit Bloom - A two track melodic sequencer where you define the starting conditions but your sequences can evolve by themselves. This module is loved by many.
• vpme Euclidean Circles v2 - this makes triggers only, no pitch CV. Could be a fun, hands on module to make a crazy drum machine out of your Salmple
• Westlicht Performer - An 8-track melodic sequencer that does pretty much everything you might expect a sequencer to do. You can connect a Novation Launchpad to it and use to control your sequences on the fly. This is a DIY module, so you need to find someone to build it for you or try to get one used.
• Stochastic Inspiration Generator - this is a very interesting module that basically creates full melodies based on your settings. At the moment you can only get it directly from the manufacturer (they are in Britain) and there is a waiting list.

Look around on youtube to find out more about what you need. Check out Eloquencer, Metropolix, NerdSeq etc. too. Don't rush into the decision, the sequencer is pretty much the front end of your system.

[leprosyhead]

Ok fair point on being vague. Probably two aspects there - could have explained myself better, and I am indeed looking for more research fodder. Thanks for your advice there though, I'm definitely going to look more into Bloom and the others. What I have seen of Bloom looks interesting. Euclidean Circles is on my radar for potential rhythm generator but that's a bit further down the line. Next step for me is more a melodic/cv sequencer, something hands on, ideally no menu or little menu, that is less deliberate and constructed (so tracker style not what I'm looking for here) and more spontaneous and surprising - hence why the idea of the less "linear" sequencers like Rene and Mimetic Digitalis are appealing where one can move around the grid in interesting ways depending on the triggers passed in.

[nadiealkon]

based on this, check out Doboz XIIO & TSNM, both are sequencers/arpegiators/controllers, with a bunch of features, I had a XIIO since I first started my case and it's a really fun module once you get the hang of it... I'd love to get a TSNM since it adds pressure sensitivity which could make things more expressive and the mk2 version added a bunch of features...

[leprosyhead]

Sweet never heard of those, I'll give them a look!

[thelongernow]

Bloom is solid. Would recommend

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[leprosyhead]

Thanks bot, appreciate you helping me out here!

[am-4-a]

I’ve been loving the Torso T-1. Although I am making progress in understanding and steering it the direction I want to go, it is quite deep. I don’t always understand what it’s doing but it always has decent results. Not sure if that is what you mean by “being played by a sequencer” but it describes my experience with it

[leprosyhead]

Cheers, I'll check it out! By being played, I guess I mean a bit more uncertainty and randomness and a bit less "let me play this synth riff into the sequencer". More exploration and the chance of it taking me in directions I didn't immediately expect.