The target is to have minimum gears and no computer (except for recording).
Currently my setup is an AR and a Blofeld.
The little waldorf is amazing and its only downsides are the limitation of outputs and the lack of internal sequencer. Unfortunately, the AR can’t “fix” it as there is no external sequencing…so i have to use a laptop
Even if I love the AR and its features, I miss my old MD UW + drive and its 16 tracks, external sequencing…
that bring us to my question:
Should I trade my AR for a MD UW +drive?
Any other alternative? Like a compact smart external sequencer that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg for my blofeld?
It mays sound like a non-problem, but I need minimum gear to stay focus and optimise my setup. Else, I am too distracted and superficial…
As a fellow “essentialist” I can appreciate your situation.
I’m currently using an AR and A4 but keeping falling back on the same old trackbuilding methods. I’ve been flirting with the idea of getting a MM again (which I used to own with a MD UW), possibly to replace the AR, and was asking myself the same “Am I crazy?” question.
Other alternatives would be the octatrack. You can use 8 voices for drums and 8 midi tracks to target the multis of the blo. You can do multiple drum hits on 1 voice, like open/closed hihats etc.
Or have a look at those new electribes. Never had an electribe but they seem very capable. Maybe you can replace the blofeld with one of the new tribes, they have internal sequencers and a nice synth engine.
How about a used MPC1000 or a BCR2000 with the zaquencer firmware for handling sequencing duties? The BCR + zaquencer combo should be quite an affordable solution?
Do you need the 16 tracks of external sequencing, or just a sequencer for your Blofeld? If it’s just for the sequencing, you might want to consider getting an iPad and looking at all the different sequencing options available. You could still have a minimal setup, keep the AR, sequence the Blofeld, and have a host of other sound creation options available.
I love my MDUW and wouldn’t recommend against owning one, but if sequencing is the main thing you’re looking for, I’d consider keeping the AR and looking at a more capable midi sequencer than the MD.
if you only want to sequence your blofeld, do it with an Arturia beatstep (you can get it for 99,-).
Use your AR as master and send its clock to the beatstep.
But keep the octatrack’s infamous cc-late-bug in mind. So if you need to p-lock your external gear, you need a MnM or a MD. [/quote]
Hmm I wasn’t aware of that, I never p-lock midi notes. But it seems a workaround is to sequence the cc’s on a different midi track.
[quote=“SB-SIX”]Other alternatives would be the octatrack. You can use 8 voices for drums and 8 midi tracks to target the multis of the blo.
[/quote]
But keep the octatrack’s infamous cc-late-bug in mind. So if you need to p-lock your external gear, you need a MnM or a MD. [/quote]
I’ve got all three machines and have used them for sequencing/p-locking external gear (although very little with the MD), and have absolutely no idea about what you are talking about. Can you elaborate or link to something about this?
i have a similar setup to the one you’re currently working with and trying to completely remove the pc, only difference being: a MM which i also use to sequence the Blo (AR,MM, Blo)
perhaps the only thing that could push me to swap an AR for a MD is the sampling capability of the latter (although an OT is always there on the shopping list…one day!) but it would be a though choice because, well, as any Elektron machine, you’ll probably need all of them
i would suggest, as others have done already, to either use the computer to sequence the Blo or an iPad. risk is, once the pc is on, you could end up staying too much time on it (again) or else, get an hardware sequencer just for the Blo, a Midibox would probably help (but you need some soldering experience) or else, what about the [url=“http://www.arturia.com/products/hybrid-synths/beatstep”]Beatstep?
I love the Ipad, and it’s certainly an incredible tool. However, as a sequencer, I have always been disappointed. I have not yet found an app that is rock solid, and I’ve tried about 90% of them. They all have pretty serious jitter issues. Of course, it may not be an issue for you, depending on the kind of music you do, but it’s something to keep in mind.
However, the Ipad can do other things as well, so it might be a good solution if you are looking for more sounds. That being said, I’m not sure there’s much difference between an Ipad and a laptop, to be honest
Beatstep is definitely cool, cheap, and does one thing well !
If I sum up my alternatives to a swithc AR/MD:
[ul]
[li]Octatrack: Hell no! Sorry but it is not for me. I had one and it was not a good experience…[/li]
[li]Beatstep: I had one as well. Cool for sequencing but you can’t save the sequences or really do advanced sequencing…[/li]
[li]Ipad: I have an old one, first generation, as said before, I am afraid that it will be buggy and unreliable. Besides, it is very close to a laptop…[/li]
[li]Cirklon or midibox: that would be good but big and difficult to get.[/li]
[li]An old RM1X or Electribe: why not…not excited about it [/li]
[li]MPC: probably the best option and value. advanced sequencing and more samples capabilities[/li]
[li]Trigger Finger Pro: My last discovery. It looks cool but it is a new product so there is not so much feedback or video online. It seems that the sequencer is less powerful than a MPC.[/li]
[li]Design my own sequencer with Arduino solution. Time consuming and distract me from the musical composition…[/li]
[/ul]
I haven’t had much success on the ipad too. Spend around $300 on music apps, not using anything seriously. Sequencers with piano rolls are especially dissapointing. That just doesn’t work with touch. Trying to edit notes in a piano roll on an ipad is pure torture.
I am getting a 6$ connection kit for the test as well.
We will see
I liek the fact that it would be quite compact and flexible and may even invest in a Ipad mini if the tests run good.
i would rather go for something hardware rather than software though.
unless buying an iPad is something you really need or was already in the plan, you may find yourself spending more than you would like to…not sure about prices though but if i had to spend say €300 to buy an iPad just to use it as a sequencer i would rather look for an hardware solution that does what i’m looking for, rather than another pc …and you already have one
sure the iPad is more portable than a laptop but each time i use it, i always miss the feedback of a knob and if there’s no available USB on the machine you want to use (assuming you can use the iPad with that) you’ll need a computer (once again) to do all the USB->MIDI stuff, more cables…perhaps is just me, but i would probably leave the iPad option as the last one
Baddcr:
There are not tons of option for IPad1 as connection…
Sync between AR and Blofeld/its sequencer is a good point.
Ableton is already a bitch for this matter and has to be master rather than slave (different topics about this in the forum).
Anyway an ipad editor for the blofeld would be cool…not much to lose.
Guga:
Ipad mini was just an idea. it is so cute
It sounds more and more like a MPC is the best solution: it could master everyone, give more samples capabilities (no voice conflict). more output, extended midi sequencing…
MPC500 vs MPC1000?
[/li]
…and you already have one