Hi mate. It was the other way round actually: I added the squid to the T1. Essentially, I love the T1 for generating ideas, but the squid is a more complete, linear sequencer. The combination works really well, however.
At the moment my setup is: Squid out 1 to Rev 2 via a merge box; and squid out 2 to T1 (for clock and transport). The T1 output 1 goes into the merge box (no clock or transport); and output 2 goes into the squid (again no clock or transport). The 2nd output port from the merge box goes to my analog rytm.
This means I can choose to use the squid or the t1 to sequence the rev 2 (both layers on different channels) and rytm (or other synths from the thru port).
I can also use the t1 as a midi keyboard (set to a specific channel, usually for layer 2 on the rev 2) for the squid, which has benefits such as filtering to different scales, harmonizing or capturing and reordering the notes in the squids sequencer.
It is a bit over the top in a way, but in essence the squid is much better for writing chord sequences and the T1 for generating melody ideas around that - I pretty much start all tracks like this. If I had to have only one, it’d be the squid, but I’ll never sell the T1 as its inspiring and ace. My next experiment will be playing with the CV inputs on the Rytm with the T1.
How do you find the Pyramid - that seems a step up in terms of complexity to the T1 and squid.
Yes, but also you don’t need to just record, you can play through the digitone midi-tracks by ensuring the midi track on the T1, the DN and next piece of gear from the DN’s midi out all match. Incoming midi overrules the note data on the DN’s midi tracks, but this has benefits such as having one track playing 2 parts: A from the T1 and B from the DN’s midi track. B will be played when A is muted.
Using the T1 with the DN’s synth tracks is just like using a midi keyboard.
@PekeDorty, I think that plocked CC values still trigger from the DN midi channel when the T1 is playing another synth through the DN.
I never use the T1 as master clock - the Squid is. I just turn it off on the desktop application. Only 1 adapter came, but I bought some nice coloured male midi to 3.5mm breakout cables off ebay - I’ll dig out the link.
That was not the question… my question: How many MIDI adapters are included (from the website it’s only one) … so I’ll have to clock the T1 somehow. Do I need to buy one … I guess yes … how else should I be able to clock it with DIN MIDI?
I’m not sure you need either music or math theory to use the T1 - its more led by ear and of course by luck, especially as you do not have constant visual prompts as to what notes are playing like many other sequencers or the piano roll.
I quite often have it sounding bad for quite a while, and other times sequences start off sounding very samey - but then you twist a few more knobs and good and unique things happen.
That’s very interesting. Thanks for the response. I’ve had the Squid for about a year and half and, honestly, I didn’t use it much until recently. I used to just use my Digitakt as the main sequencer and system clock.
I started using the Squid more a few months ago. Sequencing is pretty straightforward and I really enjoyed the Harmonizer and Chord options, but kept feeling like the Randomizer was too limited. I’m really venturing more into more generative music and one thing that would make it very interesting to me is if you could trigger the randomizer with like a CC from some other device…at least I have not found a way to do it other than just me pressing the button. On a similar note, I would love it you could trigger the Mutate option the Novation Circuit Tracks with an external CC as well.
I bought the Pyramid to give me a bit more control over the euclidean sequencing and the MIDI FX. I find the Pyramid incredibly powerful, but am just not loving the workflow. I do love the definition files, I just switch to a track and just load the info for my Microfreak, or Volca FM or Monostation or whatever and just have the CC names pre-defined and available. On drum machines like the Drumbrute Impact, it’s nice to have the definition files specify the drum part mappings to notes so you can just see on the screen that you are sequencing the Kick or the Open Hat etc.
One thing I would love is if you could create LFO FX on a track and Assign it as the mod source for another track’s FX. You can sort of manage that with a MIDI patch cable going from MIDI OUT B back into itself on MIDI IN. But being able to do it right from the menu would be much nicer.
I think all of that highlights the mindset of working with the Pyramid. It’s powerful and has some ability to play in the generative space, but you sort of need to know/plan what you want to do with it. It’s not a workflow that, for me at least, lends itself to exploration and playing around. The T-1 is attractive to me because it has enough capability/power/flexibility while being very hands-on/immediate. I don’t mind giving up some “control” over the generative capabilities as long as there is enough variety and flexibility.
T-1 arrived yesterday. I can confirm:
-Build quality: definetely sturdy, nice metal feeling, encoders are top notch, padsmove slightly but overall it feels to last;
-Dimensions: perfectly fits in any bag and desktop;
-Complexity: well, very easy to get started with rythms, but there is definetely a learning curve concerning the melody part and learning the secondary functions. Using it for the first time I had to continuosly let me show the parameters on the grid;
-Manual: it’s good, and the video help a lot. But I had to read it multiple times and there are a few concepts that you have to see in use to understand;
-Creativity: definitely interesting to create ideas but they make it look a lot easier in the reviews (it’s not a con!). If you go totally random you wont make usable things. Maybe they can sound good on their own but the complexity is to make different semi-random things playing good together and I found myself thinking a lot more than expected to achieve this (again, not a con, just something to be aware of). I think you need to know musical theory to use this proficiently.
Final note: with multi-timbral synth this is ace. Became instant best friend with my Digitone, injecting completely new life in an old and stale pattern. Use this in conjunction with P-Lock and modulations on Elektron sequencer and it gets perpetually evolving. Best way to use it: to create a foundation to improvise on. Once you set it good, it frees you from the necessity to think about the pattern and you can go crazy with noodling around.
Why? Set root note and scale for all tracks and you can go nuts. IMO the only thing that can be difficult to achieve is a specific melody pattern or phrase.
Yes, agreed. As with all music, music theory is great but being led by ear and taste is probably more useful and fun.
I learnt violin (not to high standard) as a kid and sometimes get caught in the basic rules I learnt then as just that: rules - not guides.
For me, the T1 allows me the break out of that a bit as I can’t see the notes. You can’t draw a melody or chord line in (like on a piano roll) and then press play. There are no visual relationships to form habits with.
Well this is how I thought it would work. But if you just put the same root note on every track it becomes boring quite rapidly (IMHO). If you put random roots you don’t always end up with usable patterns. Things get really interesting when you start thinking about what you are doing and program the scales or the pool of notes from which randomization will occur, then you enter into algorithmic composition. And to do that proficiently you need a solid foundation of music theory.
Playing the first 20 min … pretty nice … I’m too lazy to watch the tutorials right now. But it seems pretty nice. I just dislike the raster knobs … why can’t everyone use the one Elektron uses. My fingers are traumatized -– still vibrating from the knob twiddling!: also they’re pretty loud … does anyone know if I could remove the raster?
"[The clickyness] can not be removed.
In the prototype the knobs were smooth, but after a lot of feedback and since most of the parameters have discrete steps we chose to change to the detented version for better tactile feedback. "
Removing detents from encoders involves desoldering and disassembling the encoder then resoldering - much easier to replace with a non-detented one… encoders are usually very cheap….
I prefer having detents generally and I dont mind the T1 encoders at all.
You may find that swapping the knobs for softer ones will dampen the clicking for you - if it bothered me that’s what I would try….
Sorry - wasnt meaning to suggest it was a good idea! But that is how you can remove the detent… I dont think there is any other way….
(I’ve desoldered a fair few encoders and disassembled them and I suspect, with the amount of use the T1 will get, that I will probably have to replace some of them one day!)