thank you!
ya i bet this is much more powerful - I ended up shelving mine as the initial firmware was a bit too basic and my MIDI love hate relationship entered yet another hate period at the time
edit: ohhhh, metronome headphone out is a simple and huge feature for me… nice one Bastl!
I want to like it, on the basis of what it can do … but I think that UI (the two 7-segment displays) would drive me nuts.
I was also concerned about that too (especially after watching the manual videos and puzzling over what was actually happening), but in my (so far limited) practice it is a non-issue, the UI is really slick and the display is only used for certain information, the lights throughout the panel also display information based on which setting/mode is selected and I found it a little bit daunting reading through the manual… but now I’m ripping around on this thing like I’ve had it for a year!
I’m usually pretty pumped on new gear I get, but… this thing is genuinely a triumph of design and usability! I really want others to try it out, I think in a setup with something like a Digitakt, Digitone, Octa, etc type of MIDI brain, this is so complimentary!
Are you able to do really long sequences. I like looping really long ambient pieces sometimes a few minutes and then trim around that.
I’m thinking of ordering this. I already have the midi looper from Future Artist but the strange thing about it is that it will start recording when you start playing (or the next clock signal when slaved to external clock). I would like to use external clock and that the looper starts recording at the beginning of the next bar when I tell it to start recording (like a normal audio looper). Do any of you know if Bastl midi looper does this? Would be strange if it didn’t but I couldn’t find out for sure
I can’t access pattern group A1 - C2. The buttons “Length” and “Quantize” just won’t light up when changing pattern group.
Anyone having the same problem?
This was an impulse buy of the worst sort: I just learned of it and was looking for articles/reviews when I saw one go on sale on Reverb. Jumped on it without thinking twice and immediately regretted it.
It came in last night and I had about an hour before bed to get the basics down.
OMFG.
I hooked it up to a Virus Indigo and made a quick multi. Instant Berlin in a box.
I hung onto an MPC1000 and a Command Station to do this sort of thing on the Virus. It sounds great but it’s clunky and a bit time consuming to set up.
My MachineDrum is my current box to do this but having to step program isn’t always the sequencing style of choice for me.
The Midi Looper does everything I want in multi-channel looping but with a teensy box the size/weight of a couple decks of playing cards.
I’m spending tonight trying to get this setup to follow the MachineDrum clock and then incorporating beats.
Fun times!
Yeah I bought two, they are awesome. Make sure you’re on the latest firmware, it’s huge!
Same here, I’ve been having it for some months now and use it with everything. Its beauty lies in its simplicity. And it’s pretty reliable.
With MD or MnM, it’s pretty cool to record notes on one track (transposing them, changing pattern length, etc.), and CC’s on another track, of a different length, so you never get the same thing twice.
All this with a few button presses.
I just ordered a 5-pin to 3.5mm MIDI cable to run the Bastl off of the MD’s clock.
But I also have a drum pad that I may use to sequence the MD via the Bastl. Then the MD will have a workflow similar to a Nord Drum. It also looks like a way to do polyrhythms without having to build a Mega Command.
I think there are going to be applications for this that I haven’t thought of yet as well. Cool stuff.
I hope you’re better than me at playing on time.
Since I totally suck at that, I’m really grateful they included auto-quantize!
Timing???
Those who can, do.
Those who can’t, play abstract ambient soundscapes. 
I will let you know the release date for my new album, “Music For Airports Volume IX: Sbarro’s Cheese Slice and Beer Combo”
But yeah, auto-quantize is my friend.
Does anyone use this as well as a Pyramid? Midi looping seems to be what I do most of the time on the Pyramid. Are there aspects of the Bastl that might be preferred?
Could describe a bit how you use looping on the Pyramid, for the sake of comparison?
For sure.
set up multiple MIDI tracks corresponding to whatever channel, either notes or CC data; pre-determine each track length or live record.
Once tracks are rolling can play around with track/note lengths, time signatures, velocities, CC data. A few Midi fx (delay, harmonization, random, chance, etc), muting/unmuting tracks. Stuff like that.
Just curious if anyone has used both and if they have any thoughts about what might draw them to use the Bastl.
I can’t speak to the Pyramid itself. It does appear to be a great center piece of an electronic rig.
In that sense, it could be similar to my experiences with the MPC1000 and the E-Mu Command Station/MP-7. Those were standalone instruments (one is a sampler, the other is a rompler) that also worked great as the brains/heart of bank of synths/samplers.
I loved both (well, I liked the MPC1000 well enough) but my tastes run more toward subtractive synthesis and less so regarding samples or orchestrating a huge palette of sounds.
One of my favorite setups is my Virus Indigo and something allow me to create multitimbral loops. I can keep myself (and sometimes others) entertained for days with just the synth and a trusty old Boss DD-20 pedal set to a long delay with the feedback cranked up.
The downside of that set up is that the timbre of the loop is unchanging. I can layer and fade but I can’t change what is being looped.
I’m still at the start of my experiments with the Midi Looper but I spent a couple of hours last night with just the Virus and the Midi Looper. Being able to manipulate the loop using the controls on the Virus was a revelation. I could do a set with just those two pieces and a PA system.
From what I can tell about the Pyramid from the website, it may be a more capable Midi looper.
It definitely looks like an easy to maneuver piece of kit compared to the short cuts in UI in the Bastl that is necessary because of its small size.
It also looks like you can manipulate the tracks much like Ableton or FL Studio. The Bastl only allows three parallel loops, even if loop length is adjustable.
If I wanted a fully capable MIDI controller/sequencer, the Pyramid might scratch every itch.
The beauty of the Bastl is in its simplicity. Having the MachineDrum sitting on the sidelines allows me to be more complicated when the need arises.
Thanks for that. Yea I wouldn’t expect it to be as capable feature-wise, given it’s a compact thing, lower price point etc. But it looks like a cool
Box and figure it might bring something unique to the table.
I love to play with the midilooper. But it has a few bugs. It froze a few times while playing.
I wonder if anybody has the issue of not being able to save more than three patterns? I can’t select a pattern group to store the pattern into. The group seems to be set to the oct/transpose indicator. (I sent a support request to Bastl)
Edit: Andreas has the same issue
Yes. I have this and sent in a support request. I just typed the same question just to stumble upon yours shortly after.