Thank u!
Honestly was hyped on the midi looper but I really need to be able to do triplets big part of my percussion setup so that’s an easy miss for me.
I love my SQ-64, though I’m 90% sure the Hapax is replacing it. My only real gripe with it is that the selected pads are not distinct enough from the unselected pads. One is bright red, the other moderately bright red 
The limitation and workflow “bugs” people complain about are mostly just a factor of it doing things differently than a lot of sequencers out there. But it does what it does very well, and as a result can do things not many other sequencers can do.
Sound familiar? The same is true of the Hapax and Elektron boxes, and…
I’m fact, whenever a bunch of people are upset about the workflow of a thing, a good think to ask is “Hmm, I wonder what it can do that nothing else can?”
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triplets are much easier on the HAPAX than pyramid , as you can switch to a triplet grid for any time signature.
on pyramid you have to mess with time signature and/or play with note lengths and offsets.
this is example of what I mentioned above, where some ‘simple’ things being overly complex due to the pyramids focus on time signature and similar.
we have to give Squarp a lot of credit for the Hapax for really listening to users.
I think almost all the things users wanted, that they could not bring to the pyramid , have ended up in the Hapax. … as a pyramid user, when I first got the hapax, it was almost like ticking boxes off of pyramid feature requests !
Squarp’s experience in this area really shines thru on the Hapax.
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The SQ-64 has some cool things about it, but is mostly quirky and kind of annoying, IME. One of multiple devices on the way out of my setup thanks to my Hapax acquisition.
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Posting here instead of the MachinedrumX channel, since HAPAX. But weekly beats this week is Hapax + MachinedrumX/ MCL + Digitone. Composition is a bit simpler than normal, since I was working through how to make the Megacommand and Hapax enjoy each others company (while also discovering bugs/workarounds on both)
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I want to thank Squarp for not covering Hapax in that silicone/rubberised coating that slowly turns to a sticky gum.
And all the other wonderful technical marvels contained within this box.
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Anyone know if you can plug an OP-1 into the USB port and sequence it that way?
OP-1 is notorious for not working well with others meanwhile it’s best “LFO” is the MIDI one that I rarely see anyone use.
I’m planning on using my mpc live 2 as a sound module to be be controlled by the hapax…
So many great sampled instruments on the mpc… or just connect straight to Ableton
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Dear sequencer manufacturers:
Please stop doing that, instead put a sound engine and pressure sensitive pads.
/s
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what sequencer has pressure sensitive pads that are that small at that size at this price point?
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Using this a bit over the weekend, I haven’t scratched the surface of the functionality, but I have come to really appreciate the build.
The two OLEDs are fantastic. These are a later generation from what I’m used to or something in that they allow for two shades of gray in addition to “white” and “off”. And the UI makes the most of this. They’re not huge, but neither are they the obviously “small to save cost”, “squint to see” displays of early OLEDs. They feel Elektron sized.
My display covers are a little clouded in one or two corners, under the plastic. It almost looks like condensation, but is not. Not sure what to make of it, but they’re very small blemishes and impossible to see when the screens are on, so no big.
The plastic case feels like — I don’t know the name, but “modern” plastic. The kind that’s firm but not brittle or glossy but feels nice to touch. Know what I mean?
It feels structurally solid, not hollow or wobbly. Plastic-base-with-metal-plate is my new favorite synth material, I think. Feels as solid as the (all metal) Pyramid, but not as cold or capable of carving groves into tables with its corners. And speaking of corners, the Hapax corners are rounded off. Nice touch.
Strangely, the plastic from the case that I like so much feels very similar to the plastic used for the encoder caps, and I don’t like those at all. The shape is fine, with good knurls for turning and a flat top for clicking, but they’re thin enough or light enough or something that they feel cheap to me. And their smoothness is kind of a pain. I know everyone hates rubberized coating on things, but the knobs would really benefit from something to make them more grippy. My Pyramid’s rubberized encoders feel much better to my taste. Same re: my Elektron boxes.
Thankfully these are standard D shaft encoders, so replacing the knobs will be quick and easy.
The color LEDs are a tricky one for me. Individually they’re gorgeous. But if you see any two or three of them next to each other, you realize their colors are all slightly different (at least on my unit). This red is a little more violate. This one a little more orange. Subtle color casts, but definitely noticeable.
An easy way to see this is to go to step mode and repeatedly click - until zoomed all the way out. The light violate color that indicates the pattern boundary should be covering most of the screen, and for me this is a mottled checkerboard of near-gray with slight blue and red-ish tints: (I tried photographing this, but it’s all just “bright lights!” to my camera)
I imagine for a lot of people this wouldn’t be an issue, and may even be pleasing. It’s a subtle sort of marbling effect. But for me it can get distracting as, say, the white playhead shifts in hue as it rolls across the screen. Thinking about it, I don’t think I have any other gear with RGB pads, so I don’t know how common this is. Maybe it’s just the price we pay for color pads. And if so it’s worth it. But I wanted to point it out.
The pads, themselves, are all exceptional. Non-trig pads have a very satisfying “click” to them. The trig pad are the perfect balance between, like, the squishy membrane “sploosh” of an old 404 or electribe and the hard, unyielding, “did I click this?” rubber of a large velocity sensitive pad. Completely consistent. Easy to swipe your finger over to select a bunch in a row. Just a joy to use.
EDIT: I added a picture I was able to take after futzing with aperture. Oh! And I forgot to mention Squarp provides a power supply with their logo tastefully silk-screened on it with the Hapax. Maybe this seems like a frivolous expense, but as a guy with 12–14 power adapters hanging around at any given time, having a nice reminder of what goes with which is appreciated.
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For those who have one, how does the algorithms handle harmony when using multiple melodic tracks?
Sigh, June is a long way from now
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currently, the generator algo, just generates notes within certain pitch range , density and timing - it also respects a project scale if this is set.
you then also have the option on a track to use the ScalerFX to apply a scale to just that track. useful if you’re not using a project scale.
then of course, from there everything else works as if you entered the notes yourself… so for example it (optionally) can respond to the transpose track.
the way I tend to use it, is just to get some thing down on to the grid… find bits I like, then I’ll start tweaking away… this can be really nice to create new pattern variations.
also, perhaps not obvious… but if you select part of a pattern e.g. say a couple of bars, then generator can just fill that part (leaving the rest untouched)
so there are some more subtle uses that just - bang, here’s a new track 
but this is the start of algos … when I talked to squarp, they do see this (algos) as an area that can be developed over time, theres lots of interesting ideas 
(Id like to see them have ‘consolidate’ algo, that replicates the pyramid feature)
lol…
well I guess… if you can say a CON for a synth it doesn’t have a sequencer,
fair game, to say a sequencer needs a synth 
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I had the same issue with the cloudy corners on the underside of the display covers. I simply took off the top (you just have to remove the knobs and the 11 size 6 torx screws) and wiped them with a damp cloth. Made sure there was no dust or smudges left on the covers or the screens, and put the top back on. Looks perfect now. I think I noticed slight led color differences but I wasnt sure if it was real or my eyes just playing tricks on me.
I also will say the pads are just perfect, the best I have ever used and a real joy!
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I understand where he is coming from, comparing the prices to grooveboxes, but knowing all 3 geooveboxes loopop mentioned (and Deluge does NOT have velocity sensitive pads), I am quite happy, that square uses cpu and memory resources for good sequencing instead of skipping parts of it for semi good sound sources.
I am quite happy, that they focus on the sequencing part. And if you compare it to other sequencer that have around that featureset (and hapax is on its first firmware-version), the price is more mid-field.
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So true!
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Mine is out for delivery today but we live in a gated community and I doubt the DHL delivery peeps know the code…they are never in our area…I’m excited to get it but need to not get too excited in case they cant deliver it today.
Would be nice if they would put out a lengthy user guide like the pyramid has!
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