It came with the Hapax actually. Just a piece of felt. Kinda want to do that for all my synths but it’d be harder for the ones with faders lol.
Will do when mine arrives hopefully later this month!
I’d initially posted this on the Squarp forum, but guess it may be best suited to this forum…
Whilst I’m waiting for Hapax to be delivered, I was wondering what Hapax owners experiences are with using this with Elektron sequencers? The question is focused mainly on whether you still use the Elektron sequencer tricks from the Elektron sequencer itself (i.e. use sequences and trigs already programmed on the Elektron boxes), or if you let the Hapax take over completely - or a bit of both?
A few other things I’m not sure about that maybe some existing users can answer:
-
Can Hapax do midi slides? I suspect not as think I saw something reporting this some time ago
-
If I’m using an iConnectivity MioXL (midi hub) as the centre piece for midi routing (I’m connecting ARmk2, A4mk2, OT, DN, Avalon, LXR-02, Minitaur and Faderfox MX12 into this), is it best to connect the Hapax to the MioXL as another host and manage the routing from the MioXL software, or is it best sending out all midi from the Hapax directly and chain the midi signals via all the separate synths using midi in/out/thru?
-
Am wondering now if clock drift will be a problem with all this kit, so was thinking of adding an ERM clock. Has anyone done this in a similar set up?
Many thanks!
-
Isn’t a slide just an overlapping note in Elektron devices? Hapax can of course to that, although it is a bit fiddly as you have to zoom in to make micro adjustments to the note end.
-
Connecting through usb to the mioXL will give much better timing than daisy chaining, especially of you send multiple notes/automation at once. I also route everything through the mioXL.
-
Clock timing through mioXL works fine here
1 Like
Thanks for your response 
- not sure how it works on Elektron devices actually, but I’ll experiment with this on Hapax when it arrives
- good to know and thanks for confirming
- thanks again - will see how that works for me
Cheers
-
slides … there’s no specific feature for this… but you can automate pitchbend (or of cause play it in with your pitchbend wheel) … also there are no midi envelopes, so in some cases this might work for you.
-
yeah, I route everything thru my mioXM … and connect that via usb.
-
I don’t see drift, apparently some did experience a bit early firmware.
however, Squarp have made some nice improvements on time in later firmware
ERM clock would help if you are using with a DAW/computer… but that’s general, nothing to do with Hapax (or Electron etc
), its to do with computer timing… how important, really depends on your system and also how important it is to you/your music.
this is a quite a general question in many ways…
you could almost phrase as
“how do you use multiple sequencers together? and why bother at all?”
obviously using ONE master sequencer for everything provides the most ‘integrated’ solution… as everything is stored in one project (well mostly)… also if you use one sequencer, you don’t have to worry about them being synchronised…
e.g. I setup Hapax as the sequencer, then I just trigger the Octatrack to play samples, or record etc.
so for simple cases, this is what I do…
so that turns to the second part of the question… why use two sequencers?
(e.g. in my case, why should I use the Octatrack’s sequencing)
as it makes things more complicated…
you now have two places you need to program (and so 2 projects) and you have to ensure the sync/timing between the two is good!
and the obvious answer to this is, some times there are ‘features’ that are tied to the specific machines sequencer… that either are not available via midi, or are just more cumbersome to use.
so a couple of examples… (on the Octatrack, as its what I have/use)
recording… if I want to trigger a recording (live), then the Octatrack has dedicated buttons I can press… so whilst I could do this using midi from the Hapax (and perhaps use an external controller)… its just easier to do on the Octatrack.
modulation, its very easy to program modulation on the Octatrack itself, again, possible via midi, but its just more hands on doing on the Octatrack…
so for me… if I want hands on control, then use I use both sequencers, Hapax and Electron sequencer (and have it sync’d).
if Im just using Octatrack as an ‘instrument’, simply triggering it… then I’ll do it from the Hapax.
I’d say, its 50/50 for me… with the mioXM, I have routing so I can do either with minimal setup.
the Hapax, has many (and more) of the features of the OT sequencer… and I find it nicer to program, and I never liked the 64 step limit on the Elektron. so if Im just trigging samples, that’s how I use it.
so pattern programming tends to be done on the Hapax.
But there is also no doubt, that sometimes, its just quicker (and more fun) to use the OT directly, and treat it completely separately instrument that’s sync’d - this is particularly the case when Im doing looping / audio mangling etc…
but as I say, its quick enough, to move from one ‘mode’ to the other… and you can also mix it up…
so, try one way, if that’s not working, move to the other 
I will say, it took me a while to decide how/when to use different approaches…
using two (or more!) sequencers in parallel, whilst having its complexities, does also open up a myriad of opportunities… but sometimes that was giving me ‘choice paralysis’.
so now I try to just start making music without thinking … and switch IF I find I need to.
4 Likes
Thanks for your response here and on the Squarp forum, it’s really appreciated!
I’m clear on the pitch bend and it seems like the Hapax will integrate with the MioXL easily via USB - looking forward to messing with the routing to get the best productivity.
Interesting on the use of sequencing approaches; it’s kind of what I’ve been conceptualising in my head as the Hapax delivery gets closer
I’ve been so tied into using projects on Elektron machines with all the sequencing managed locally, it’s going to be a little strange trying to adapt to a centralised system on Hapax.
I must admit that when I’m using 1, 2 or 3 Elektron machines on one project and I have to align all the projects manually, it is a bit of a pain in the ass, so I’m hoping I can adapt to Hapax and make that experience a little easier without compromising my musical approach - I’m very open to new ways of working though, so happy to experiment.
I just need to watch some tutorials before it arrives as I don’t like to RTFM unless I absolutely have to. I can see you created a YouTube video, so will absorb that over the next few days!
Thanks again for your input
1 Like
Oh my God, the Hapax is INCREDIBLE!!! I’m jamming out with it, and am turning a one bar loop into a whole live performance with almost no effort…everything is so intuitive, fast, right there…I’m really LOVING this thing, can’t believe they made it the way it is…it’s just the near-perfect performance sequencer for me!
I currently have it set up with an MPC Live as a sound module (using the plugins on 2-3 tracks) and my Digitakt as drum machine (one track on the Hapax set to Drum mode, all 8 tracks mapped to the grid so I can control the Digitakt’s 8 tracks from a single view).
This was my “let’s test this device” setup, I haven’t even gotten to implementing it into my studio setup properly, because this combo has been SO much fun and a great way to learn the Hapax. Plus, it’s brought new life to my MPC Live, as it replaces the MPC’s terrible piano roll for me and finally makes it all feel more tactile.
Here’s a photo from right now…two tracks, one bar — with the performance features, I can make that sound like a full blown live performance….amazing.
I wish the effects were a little faster to access and when it comes to muting, I’d love a way to mute/unmute tracks and rows on other tracks simultaneously (maybe there is a way and I just haven’t discovered it yet). But this is a minor gripe, given everything that’s available here already.
10 Likes
i have this problem on Ableton and just set up separate clips with the effect ON and OFF in each…not an ideal workaround but it’s simple enough. i don’t have my Hapax yet, but my understanding of how the patterns work (with effects being able to be programmed per pattern) suggests that should carry over similarly. maybe not the solution you were hoping for but it’s something.
your setup looks fun!
3 Likes
I can easily echo your words on the Hapax, it is so quick and intuitive that the first couple of times I used it I couldn’t believe how fast I ended in full jam mode starting from a simple pattern, maybe also created with a couple of algos magic.
About the muting, like @ecthroi wrote, I guess your best bet will be using the pattern mode.
I found my way using the upper patterns row with all the stuff laid down in it, like full drums, bass, lead, chords and so on, and then working backwards, going down into the columns of every track, simplifying things, adding variations/mute patterns and so on, and finally playing the build ups/breaks moving into the pattern mode accordingly.
I don’t have Ableton (yet) but I guess that’s the equivalent of its clip mode, or at least it’s like that in my MC-707 and that should be very similar to it.
I find very nice to have the same approach/workflow on different machines indeed
3 Likes
I just wanted to give a shout out to Squarp. Earlier in this thread I made a comment about double triggering when playing the pads percussively. I sent Squarp an email about this behavior, they were able to reproduce the issue and will fix it in the next firmware update. That’s some fantastic service. Merci Jean!
7 Likes
Posted these questions in the squarp forum earlier today…as I feel this place is a lot more active, I’ll post em here as well…would love to hear how some of you approach / solve the things I’m trying to achieve here:
I have a few questions in regard to using the Hapax with my Elektron gear, I hope some of you can help me with:
- I’m using a Drum track on the Hapax to control the 8 audio tracks of my Digitakt. I’ve got the DT’s tracks set up on ascending Midi channels, so Channel 1 = Track 1, Channel 2 = Track 2 etc…The DT is connected to the Hapax via the Hapax’s Midi C port. So on the Hapax Drum track, I’ve got the lanes set up accordingly, bottom one sending midi to Midi C / Channel 1 (Kick on the DT), second lane from the bottom sending midi to Midi C/Channel 2 (Snare on the DT) and so on. This works well, but now I want to add some midi cc control to the mix. I have an EC4 connected to the Hapax and ideally I’d use either the Hapax’s Assign function with its 8 knobs or my EC4 to control eg Filter Cutoff and Resonance on each of the 8 tracks of the DT.
My first question is, is there any way to assign the mapped CC knobs of the Hapax per track lane/row rather than globally per track? Either choose the output channel per knob or, even better, have 8 assigned knobs per selected track lane? (Maybe this is a feature request?) alternatively, I understand that each Hapax track listens to incoming midi data and then routes that to the specified track — but is there a way to send midi data through without having it processed by the Hapax? My aim is to have fixed controls on/through the Hapax to control each of the DT’s tracks’ cutoff for example…currently the only way I can see a way to do this, is to send the Hapax track’s midi CC output to my DT’s Auto Channel (in my case Midi channel 9) and then switch tracks on the DT when I want to manipulate a track via CC msgs. Equally, in this setup I’d have to record any automation directly to the DT’s sequencer, as otherwise any recorded automation on the Hapax would affect another track every time I switch tracks on the DT…I hope what I’m trying to achieve is somewhat clear lol. - Again using a Drum track, I’d like to control one audio track of my OT per drum track lane/row. I know how to set this up. My question is, is there any way to affect a note’s / trig’s pitch/midi cc on a per note basis on the Hapax (as would be possible on your average Elektron sequencer…hold the trig and change its note)?
I would like to programme steps of different pitches on a single lane (eg lane 1 of the Drum track is routed to Audio Track 1 on the OT…the first trig on the Hapax plays the sample in OT’s track 1 at eg pitch C4, the next trig at eg pitch D#4). Is this at all possible with Drum tracks at the moment?
I know I could set up one Hapax track per OT/DT track instead of messing about with Drum tracks for this, but that would take up an entire Project just for those two samplers (8 tracks + 8 tracks) whereas using drum tracks I get 85% of the functionality so far using only two hapax tracks in a project.
Any ideas / thoughts / experiences on this would be appreciated!
1 Like
Maybe some other hapax-ers have a better answer but as far as I know, you are correct that you can’t have individual cc midi channels on a drum track OR play multiple midi notes on a single lane of a drum track.
You CAN have one drum track triggering notes across multiple midi channels and then additional hapax tracks sequencing CCs for additional midi channels. But, yeah, this is kind of a place where syncing the electron sequencer to the hapax would probably be a smoother experience (so you can do all of your per track p-locking. On the plus side, I’ve found it to be a pretty tight and consistent sync between electron devices and hapax.
3 Likes
Thanks for your reply! Yeah funny, I’m so into the Hapax right now that I didn’t even consider just continuing using the Elektron sequencers for those tasks 
I mean, they are easy enough to use in live situations. It’s just so nice to have it all laid out in the 128 grid with direct access to all lanes…let’s see, I’ve already sent those two drum rack features (cc per lane/row and p-locking pitch in drum track lanes) as feature requests to Squarp…together with the request for a “mute prep latch”…where eg 2nd + mute would allow to prep mutes of tracks and track lanes across all 16 / 32 tracks and then, with another press of the mute button, are muted simultaneously… I think that would be amazing for live performances!
What’s good is that I’ve discovered that I can just use undo to unmute in certain situations. Also…muting a track lane and then messing with the trigs adds a second layer of information onto the lane…so let’s say I have a hihat playing at 1/8 across a bar…if I mute that lane and then place trigs on every 1/4 of the beat, it will play that, but when I unmute the lane it will revert to the 1/8 hihat pattern (and vice versa, when I mute again revert to 1/4 pattern)…this is a really cool feature.
I also thank @Ciaba and @ecthroi for pointing out patterns for creative use…the fact that pattern can be copied and pasted quickly while a sequence is running can make it a lot easier to create variation on the fly and switch between those (including mute states, automation etc). Will experiment more with this.
Lastly, I seem to have found a bug…on a regular polyphonic track in step mode, when “Algo” is on and set to “Symmetry” & “time”, editing the loop points with the “< + track” and/or “> + track” will lead to the Hapax adjusting the loop point but simultaneously switching to the track used to set the marker (eg if I shift loop start to let’s say the 7th column by hitting < + track 7, the loop start will be moved to the 7th column but the view will also switch simultaneously to track 7). Can somebody confirm that you can recreate this behaviour?
3 Likes
Glad you’re enjoying the Hapax - I’ve got mine arriving either this week or next and can’t wait to see if it’s something I can get on with. I love the Elektron sequencers, so I’m hoping that this is the piece of gear that ties all my hardware into one master controller. If I could just use the Hapax and the analog mixing desk, that would be a much simpler environment to create.
3 Likes
How long was your wait time from ordering to shipping ?
Not long actually. Ordered on the 9th Sep and was advised that the unit will arrive before the end of Sep - no exact date just yet
1 Like
Here’s my little setup - all running into a MioXM and then into the HAPAX. Ive got a template setup so I can open a project an instantly have all my instruments setup how I like them, so I can jam straight away!
13 Likes
Thibault from Squarp said yesterday that august orders will be shipped soon.
3 Likes
Been getting more hands on time with the Hapax recently now that I finally got it set up in a more permanent location. Figured out how to set up my instrument definitions for gear that didn’t already have them (check out at the squarp forums, there’s quite a few, I’m probably gonna do a few more as well). The .txt file looks a lot scarier than it is, that’s for sure lol. I made a Matriarch one, pretty simple overall but if you don’t want to do the work you can download it at the squarp forum.
But man, do instrument definitions bring a new level to the Hapax. I can basically program an entire patch for the Peak right on the Hapax if I wanted to thanks to the dope person that made that instrument definition over there. It’s so easy to set up automation lanes. Of course you can also send midi from the synth and it’ll record your knob tweaking but yeah. Hapax is super cool.
10 Likes