Anyone else think the newly announced SQ-64 looks interesting? I looks pretty comprehensive to me. I have lusting after the Rene Mk2 but good luck finding one. It looks like they are targeting the modular crowd with their intro demo video using a small rack. With four lanes, stochastic and probability options, and lots of CV connectivity, I'm thinking it might be a good outboard sequencer and save rack space for other stuff.
I'm not waiting for this, partly because I still think Korg needs numerous repeated headpunches over their ARP 2600 (and a few other things besides) screwup saga...but ALSO because I know that Uli's planning to drop the BCR32, which is a smaller version of the BCR2000 that ALREADY includes the ZAQuencer firmware straight from the factory. And before anyone gets riled up, Uli actually got the rights from the ZAQuencer firmware's developer AND paid for that (or worked out some sort of arrangement per unit sold).
For those unfamiliar, the ZAQuencer is a 3rd-party firmware that runs on the BCR2000 knob controller to output up to three channels of eight steps via MIDI. It's also got a bunch of sneaky functions that are very useful and intuitive...and it's ALSO the reason why you don't see many BCR2000s on the used market for very long. The BCR32 even goes further, with CV/gate I/Os for each "channel" and a few ZAQ-centric additions. Think "poor man's MAQ16/3" here. So yeah, the Korg has more steps and what not, but it also seems a bit "closed-ended" in how it works, where the ZAQuencer is more adaptable and actually pretty agile in live use.
It indeed looked like an interesting sequencer at first, and looking at some videos, the user interface/workflow doesn't quite look appealing to me.
I'd rather wait for something like the OXI ONE which looks to have a better user interface to me and might look like an interesting mix between a monome-esque device, BSP, and SQ-64 :
Another interesting one, with quite a different approach though, would be the T-1 from torso electronics :
It indeed looked like an interesting sequencer at first, and looking at some videos, the user interface/workflow doesn't quite look appealing to me.
-- XODES
You noticed that too, hm? For one thing, the video I saw of it made it seem like it behaves something like one of those products from Roland's stagnation periods (mid-90s-ish). Plus, if Korg was on the ball here, they SHOULD HAVE made a reissue of the ARP 1604 sequencer to pair with the KARP 2600 and/or Odyssey (and a bunch of other things besides...similar to the 2600, the 1604 is ANOTHER highly-coveted ARP device). I guess they were busy budgeting for goofy-colored paint for the MS-20, or maybe they DID create one and then lost it in the same closet where they keep the KR-55 Pro's missing sync connections.
You noticed that too, hm? For one thing, the video I saw of it made it seem like it behaves something like one of those products from Roland's stagnation periods (mid-90s-ish). Plus, if Korg was on the ball here, they SHOULD HAVE made a reissue of the ARP 1604 sequencer to pair with the KARP 2600 and/or Odyssey (and a bunch of other things besides...similar to the 2600, the 1604 is ANOTHER highly-coveted ARP device). I guess they were busy budgeting for goofy-colored paint for the MS-20, or maybe they DID create one and then lost it in the same closet where they keep the KR-55 Pro's missing sync connections.
-- Lugia
About the user interface, first I would have gone with something slightly wider to use a somewhat bigger screen, as it looks like the workflow makes it essential to almost always look at it when editing. If the target users would have been "laptop only producers" that wanted to carry a small controller in their backpack I'd have understood the smaller footprint.
Another interesting solution could have used a smaller additional screen per row maybe, or any other eye-catching solution that would give instant feedback about what's going on with the grid, which in some modes kind of looks cryptic.
Not quite sure the grey background with white text on the screen will make things easily readable in any environment.
It still looks very capable, and it's interesting to see new hardware sequencers with generous amounts of I/Os, yet it would have been great that unlike the BSP they put output jacks for all of the drum triggers...
The LEDs above the output jacks is a clever idea and would be a nice addition to some other sequencers.
About the release of an analog sequencer instead, I'd say things usually can take time within Japanese companies, this is a cultural thing, and with the release of the miniKORG 700FS announced earlier this year, even though in limited edition for now, I'd say Korg might keep on going with these reissues vibe that started a couple of years ago. Let's hope so.
Save that the reissues are all but useless to average, everyday electronic musicians. For example, Korg's UK rep was finally forced to admit (several months after the official NAMM announcement) that the ARP 2600 FS was NEVER intended to go to anyone but certain "influencer" and "celebrity" types. I would surmise that the same is probably true of the miniKorg 700FS as well. In which case, these "reissues" don't help ANYONE. And it really isn't helpful when you issue the "everyone else" units and they happen to be "crippleware", as is the case with the 2600 mini, which is missing all of the 3620 keyboard module additions...which, oddly enough, Behringer was able to accommodate.
Yeah, I know...corporate Japanese culture and all that. But if you're making moves that are based in culture that conveniently ignore the needs and wants of your user base, it might just be time to wake up and smell the genma-cha. Korg, in my opinion, has turned into Hamamatsu's version of a dumpster fire at this point with both the divisive "limited edition" bullshit as well as numerous design and implementation miscues that have piled up over the last several years. And now, with the OPsix (Yamaha 6-op FM retread, albeit with a programming interface that humans can make sense of) and the Wavestate (retooled Wavestation A/D-ish) and their demented multicolor MS-20FS line ($1400 for a different color MS-20 mini with 1/4" jacks, while you can still get the electronically-identical mini for $500 and change), something CLEARLY seems to be very, very wrong with Korg. If they keep on this sort of tangent, I think it's safe to say that in about 5-7 years, they're done.
Interesting perspectives. Thanks. That it'll run three note lanes and a drum track, and at a $299 price point, I might give it a shot. I think it'll do what I want in my home studio. I won't be doing gigs with it.
Xodes you wrote "interesting to see new hardware sequencers with generous amounts of I/Os, yet it would have been great that unlike the BSP they put output jacks for all of the drum triggers..." It sure looks like it has 8 drum track gate outs like the BSP. Did I miss something?
I'd still love to have a Rene Mk2, but Make Noise isn't Korg, and the cottage-industry nature of Eurorack makes it a bit frustrating that sometimes you can't get the stuff you want. And in the case of Intellijel and 1U modules, need. Lugia, you ding Korg pretty hard for snafus and special editions and availability, and that's fair - they should have their act together given who they are and how long they've been at it. I sold my Prologue for a DSI Rev 2 - it's much more fun and feature rich. And I dumped the SQ-1 because I did not get along with its UI. Still love my Kronos 88 though.
It sure looks like it has 8 drum track gate outs like the BSP. Did I miss something?
-- TumeniKnobs
Both actually have 16 drum tracks, and only output 8, which means a MIDI converter is needed to get access to all their drum sequencing capabilities.
Lugia, you ding Korg pretty hard for snafus and special editions and availability, and that's fair - they should have their act together given who they are and how long they've been at it.
-- TumeniKnobs
Yes, and watching them gradually stumble like they have over the past few years is (and continues to be) upsetting. I have a LOT of Korg gear in my studio...but of that, the most recent has been a second MS-20 mini and a Monologue. I quit buying anything of theirs in the wake of the 2600 fiasco, which to me seemed to be the culmination of a LOT of screwy behavior on their part....or it DID, until they put out the multicolored MS-20 FSs for $1400 when you can still get the electronically-identical MS-20 mini for a fraction of that.
I've used Korg gear since I started, back in the late 1970s. And all through that period, they were ON IT...until they started trying to come out with "workstation" keyboards with dicey programmability around the end of the 1980s. Then after I and everyone else had gotten sick and effin' tired of the "M1 House Piano" on every Brit house track (check The Prodigy's "Weather Experience" if you've forgotten what that hyperused preset sounds like), suddenly they started coming out with REAL SYNTHS! Yay! And while things like the MS2000 were sort of...eh...this period also gave us the MOSS architecture that kicks ass wholesale. We got things like the KARMA and the Prophecy. Then the Volcas and the Odyssey reissue, along with the MS-20 mini. It's a pretty high peak to fall from, and they seem to be doing that as we speak.
Just a quick follow up note on this - I reserved one at Sweetwater and originally got a shipping estimate of "late March". I checked in with them yesterday and the new estimate is "early May". So it's quite delayed.
As noted in my original post I have been searching all over the globe for a Rene Mk2 and low-and-behold I found one on Reverb this morning and bought it, so I think I will be canceling my SQ-64 pre-order. Super excited for the Rene! Now if I can find a Bionic Lester Mk III...
Cheers.
Wow that Ground Control looks pretty freakin amazing. It's not cheap though. You could get two SQ-64s for that price and still have $100 left over. After a week of getting familiar with the Rene, I am actually thinking to keep my pre-order for the SQ-64. I believe there is probably not a lot of overlap. The Rene is an amazing instrument, and I have had so much fun just messing with it's up front features, but it's definitely not a traditional sequencer and I have a need for one.
Depends on your needs and budget. I started with a Korg SQ-1 sequencer with my first modular setup then progressed to in rack sequencers. Korg is ok but I much prefer my Eurorack sequencers like Eloquencer, Metron and Stillson Hammer now. I just ordered a new Doepfer 12U Monster case to stack on my Doepfer monster base case and reorganize my modular setup now that I have larger studio space. I probably will wait to end of year to order new mixers, sequencer and few more drum/voice modules plus more utilities like attenuator/attenueverts and so forth. One thing that I learned was to order the BIGGEST case and power you can afford as a beginner as you will quickly grow. I still have my 6u cases to throw a few modules in for jams in town once Covid ends and portable 14U MDLR case but that case is HEAVY and needs a tray to cart around.
I always had grounding issues with the BSP, so hopefully the SQ-64 gets that part right, but I'm not particularly interested in it myself.
@sacguy71 - Yes, the case size comment does hit home. I now have two 7Ux104HP cases full. I spent way more than I thought I would when I started at the beginning for the year, but modular is way more fun that I thought it would be. ;-) I'm going try to cool down my spending a bit and settle into going deeper with what I have instead of looking into a giant rack like the Doepfer 12U Monster case.
That said, in the last couple of weeks some of the SQ-64s have been delivered to users in Europe and some of the issues look to be pretty significant. Not unexpected for a new product, but knowing Korg, it might be a good long while before they iron out their issues.
So I am back to my research. Stillson Hammer and Erica Black sequencers looks interesting, but I'm still thinking I want one not in the rack.
@AudioResearch - Your grounding issue with BSP, were you using a power adapter or USB power? The KSP has come back into my sights, even though I am reticent to buy another keyboard.
@TumeniKnobs that is where I am at. When my 12U Doepfer monster case arrives hopefully this week, I plan to put my modules all in one spot and then just have the monster case/base and MDLR 14u in same area for patch opportunities. I would wait on the Stillson Hammer, as Scott has a new MK3 version coming out soon. Erica Black Sequencer looks great but wait for few firmware updates to fix the bugs as it is too new. The 512 Vector sequencer with expander is super expensive but that or a Cirklon would be the ultimate sequencer for me.
So I own one of these, and I've noticed that when I am using it as CV gates over the 3.5mm outputs I am getting a lot of line noise. I don't seem to have this issue when I am using the included TRRS midi interface. Maybe I just haven't figured out how to gain stage it properly, or I don't have all the settings tweaked just right. I typically connect it to the individual trigger CVs on a 1010 Bitbox MK2, and it's coming through enough to be noticeable on recordings that I am doing. When I turn it off an use other modules and trigger it from 3.5 mm outputs on my Arturia MicroFreak, it goes away completely, so I am sure it's the Korg SQ-64 that's causing it. Has anybody else run into this problem?
Have you tried a different wallwart supply? This sounds like a switching supply issue, because switching supplies tend to spew RF garbage when they're either in the process of failing, are being overtaxed by too much of a current draw, or just have sucky design in general. My bet is on #3, actually...find something with the right plug polarity and voltage but DOUBLE the available amperage. Fact is, there's a whole lotta processing going on in that box, and it might actually be overdrawing even Korg's own OEM wart!
...and even if that's not the issue, that bigger P/S will still be useful somewhere. But that's where I would start.
I have this sequencer. Its nice. 1 Problem that i cant fix.
I play my Bitbox with it over midi.
When i set all the midi channels its okey untill i unpower the sequencer.
All is saved but with the startup the channels are different or mixed up.
So i can not use presets on the bitbox. Maybe i am missing something?
@witgezicht - I just had a quick glance through the manual - I couldn't find anything - I would contact korg support and ask them how to save the midi channel data - everything in there about saving appears to be linked to projects - as far as I can see in 5 mins - it is possible that you have to save a project and then reload it on power up to get the midi channels correct - so maybe you need to use 1 project as a template with your midi settings saved in it
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities
@JimHowell1970 Thanx for the reply,
That was my plan. 1 empty template. Did not work. When you save a project the midi channels will not save.
I have contact Korg about the matter a couple of weeks ago. No reply..
Thanks Lugia, I am powering over the supplied USB cable, I bet that is the the problem! I will give that a try!
Thanks Lugia, I am powering over the supplied USB cable, I bet that is the the problem! I will give that a try!
-- MontanaScotty
Yep...that's approach #1, definitely. Your computer is basically a cesspool of random RF garbage on the inside, and it looks like the USB port is OK with letting that spew on down the cable.
So, approach #2 would be to use a USB cable that has a ferrite choke (it'll look like an inline "lump"), and put that choke near the computer when you reattach the USB cable, if possible. Ferrites are used in a lot of situations to eradicate noise that might move along a cable, as they effectively trap crud in higher frequencies and/or RF garbage from getting into other devices where they can cause trouble. If you MUST use USB for power, that is...otherwise, get a beefy and QUIET wallwart. Or if you have a LOT of DC-powered stuff that uses the same voltage (like 9V for stompboxes, for example), get a LINEAR power supply and then something like this: https://mfjenterprises.com/collections/power-accessories/products/mfj-1116 to serve as a DC bus hookup for those devices. This is actually rather similar to how I power my AE modular, which uses a hefty linear Tektronix supply to provide its operating DC.
Another idea, also...get a couple hundred feet of 16ga insulated wire and set up a "star ground". In my studio, this is as easy as interconnecting the various racks with a little snip of wire; your setup might require a bit more work. But the idea here is to set up a hardwired ground network that connects up to your mixer, and then making sure that the mixer is ALSO properly grounded. Done right, this not only helps with noise, but can also kill ground-loops as long as the chassis grounds are the same as the circuit grounds. When you have the star ground set up, a diagram of it should look as if everything branches off of that single mixer ground in sort of a "star" arrangement, with only that one connection point at the end of ground lines that make their way through your setup.
Thanks again Lugia, that is all good advice! I've got a power supply coming for it next week, I think I will just use the USB cable for firmware updates going forward. I don't really need the SQ-64 to be connected to my DAW anyway, I'm primarily using it to send sequences to my modular rack, then I connect my output module to an audio interface connected USB3 to my DAW if I want to record.
Had the same issue. The noise is due to the fact you are using the USB to power it. I am now using the power adapter and the noise is gone.
Now, litteraly 20 minutes ago i found an issue with my sq64. It cannot trigger the tiptop sd808. It works fine with the bd808 and hats808 but no way to have the sd808 working.
I just got the module and i tought something was wrong with it but i have manually triggered it using a MI ears and it works.
Anyone had the same issue? Ideas on how to solve it?
Thanks
Ciao
Hi,
I realized that the CV output of the gate was set to 5v. I've now switched it back to 10v and the sq64 triggers the SD808.
Now, the question is, is the sq64 triggering the tiptop drum modules correctly or i am not getting the the best out from them (e.g. gate too short, voltage right).
Anyone else use the sq64 with the tiptop drum modules? Experiences?
thanks
Ciao
Matteo
