Thanks!
Maybe a stupid question:
Can you step sequence a chord with the help of a midi keyboard like on a digitone etc? I.E. hold down a step on the sq64 with one hand, play a chord on the midi keyboard with the other hand, have the notes recorded to that step?
Maybe every sequencer does this, just want to ask before ordering.
Thanks!
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Haven’t tried with MIDI, but you can do it on the device with the view which shows both the steps and the extended keyboard, it’s very intuitive especially with scale correction
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Yes, I just tried.
Set track and keyboard to same MIDI channel.
Press Record, Select track, Hold step and Play Keyboard, records a single step with your chord.
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BTW there is a Firmware update (1.10) and the long awaited editor on Korg’s download pages.
Release notes
- Added support for KORG KONTROL Editor
- Fixed other minor bugs
There’s very little info about which minor bugs.
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Thanks so much! I think I will have to pick one up after I sell some other gear. I have a strange fascination with sequencers really…
Oh, could anyone confirm that the usb midi works?
I will want to drive Drambo on an Ipad Pro.
Thanks all!
How are you liking the sequencer compared to the DT?
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Its intentions are different.
Tacitly i like it far less- the buttons are less punchy(which also don’t register velocity as I understand it)
Diff set of features- you can mangle the data easier- for percussion its excellent. You can also mix up patterns between the tracks.
Kinda a cop out answer but, they’re not really comparable. They’re just two different ways of sequencing
I had one for about 3 weeks and the fascination with the unit quickly diminished. I wanted it to be half as good as an op-z for sequencing…which it wasn’t. I also wanted it to be as good or better than a key step pro…which it isn’t.
Glad i was able to return my unit and use the cash on a circuit rhythm…which i find infinitely more enjoyable to use than the sq-64. Yes i sometimes use it to sequence 8 channels over midi…
The sq 64 does seem a bit… unloved. But I want a midi step sequencer to emulate the tr 808 on/off steps, don’t care about the pads on the beat step pro , don’t want to spend more than $300, and like the idea of all the 4 bars being visible. It’s a quandary.
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IMO tools for the job. I think people generally want a sequencer to do EVERYTHING, and a few of them do. However, having a couple for specific tasks may actually be better.
Unless you want to wait on a list for a Cirklon, or dig up something rare, there are only a few viable options that can comfortably do it all in one box. (Elektron is on that list IMO, but few others.) I’ve had (and even designed) many sequencers. Some amazing for one task, some better for others. None really check all boxes (short of Elektron).
The SQ-64 looks amazing (for a few tasks). I actually plan to grab one soon, but would never expect it to handle everything I want to do.
This is the second time I’ve mentioned it tonight (and maybe it means I need to get one again) but the A4 does EVERYTHING. MIDI, CV, internal synth, song mode, etc. There’s not much like it, and now…. I have the GAS again. 
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Think of sequencers like synths … one for this and one for that
The sq64 is definitely its own thing … always best to consider what it offers rather than wanting it to be like seq X or seq Y … best just get X Or Y then
It’s not without its foibles; clearing a track wipes your settings for scale etc. The modifier buttons are firmer than seq buttons by design but it’s easy to forget this and not press positively.
It has a lot of potential to transform sequences on the fly and by design. It gets you to new places as the workflow is unique and the midi side is powerful. The CV side is also super flexible.
Everyone uses these things differently, but I think it’s possibly just a bit too flexible, it has a lot of power under the hood but this means keeping up to speed with it. It’s not immediate like a SQ1 and maybe the fact it takes a while to understand its full potential is a reason why it’s not more discussed. The other thing to know is that the unquantified realtime recording is a blessing (and for some a curse) - for me it gives it an organic looseness that I welcome, it means you need to appreciate how the sequencer stores stuff though … it can have 8 different timestamped notes per step … per step, in realtime recording and if you start in step recording everything will share a on-the-grid timestamp - although arp can fan notes out
It’s prodigiously capable, but as per say the octatrack, that can affect flow if you don’t stick with it and learn its operational potential - you can really transform sequences beyond recognition, long after you’ve stopped recording notes in - and like the OT, if you sit it out too long it’ll be harder to pick up than most simpler devices
It feels very premium in the hands, great size too. I love it and more-so the more time I put into learning it, it’s not for everyone of course, but it rewards curiosity and perseverance and you get to places you wouldn’t otherwise outside of a computer
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That’s helpful, thank you! [Edit:] I will probably pick one up and just enjoy the puzzle if nothing else, maybe along with some Streambyter or Mozaic programming to compensate for some of the limitations like not having an accent button etc.
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Are you using it with any other Elektron gear? I’m curious about pairing one of these with a Digitakt and making use of the drum sequencing options.
Yeah, I wanted to really love the SQ-64, but after using it extensively for some sets I just found myself having to jump through too many hoops to accomplish things I was able to do more easily on other sequencers.
I’m a bit of a hardware sequencer junky as well, so I know that I am very particular about what I want out of this type of utility piece of hardware.
Just be sure you buy from a place with a good return policy in case you hit some walls with it after a couple weeks of use.
It really is a shame because it is a loverly piece of hardware…just wish the software was a bit more modern and current with other competing pieces of sequencing kit,
Not sequencing Elektron stuff, just cv monosynths and a digital piano
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I’m using SQ-64 for MIDI Clock & Transport to DT.
You can play the DT with the SQ-64, but the DT sequencer is much better for controlling itself and I can assign 3 tracks on the SQ-64 to Werkstatt, Neutron, etc
It’s great for me. I have synths that are CV & a Korg Radias, so the SQ-64 fits right in. Most of the gripes I see are of people expecting something more than what it says on the tin. The recent update means you can back-up your projects now and makes assigning controllers/scales/etc easy.
I’ve got a Keystep plugged into the SQ-64 MIDI in.
SQ-64 - MIDI Out 2 to DT.
DT Midi thru\out to the Radias
All clocks up nicely.
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Spot on!
I just love working with patterns and on the fly mixes - The looping and reverse, random, stuff is great fun.
I haven’t quite got my head around the Pattern Performance mode. Although I made a few performances that loop around.
I think its a great bit of kit, but like you say, it has it purpose and offers some ways to produce music.
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Agreed. I originally bought it as a temp solution while waiting for my OXI to arrive, but I dig it and I just might end up keeping both for different setups in the end. I knew what it was about before going in, so I haven’t been dissapointed.
And I didn’t mind the absence of an editor. At least that meant that all features and settings were available from the device. Before buying the sq64 I tried my friend’s Beatstep Pro to see what’s up on the Arturia side of things, but I didn’t like how so many things seemed to be tied to the editor. Not being able to set up a drum map without software? Pffft, that’s a big no thank you from me. I prefer to stay on the hardware as much as possible.
Cool that there’s an editor now, but…Windows-only? And the firmware updater too? Or am I missing something?
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