Korg sq1 or ensoniq sq1?
Korg! Although if you have the opportunity for an Ensoniq, take it…
The Korg SQ-1 is similar to the SQ-10 that was part of the original MS-20 range. Very small, but also very powerful - you can have 1x16 or 2x8 independent sequences, sequence glide or gate width and use multiple playback modes. There’s a lot of scope for live interaction, too, like creating temporary sub-loops or playing the sequence like a keyboard. It also does MIDI, so it could be interesting with the Akai as well as the K-2. My guess is it’d do more to expand the K-2 than a Keystep would - especially if you had the MPC sequencing notes on the K-2. That’d give you two independent, synced CV & gate sequences to use on parameters.
WOW! This sounds like something I need to look into. Found two used for around 70 bucks. Here I was debating on just picking up the Crave to have modulated loops. I think thats what I’m wanting to shoot more for. Ansome and Surgeon do modulated loops that run the track with drums over them… Which I believe is the way I’d like to go. just felt that only having the K-2 would be limiting since I feel I need another sound source like the Crave or even a Neutron. Id snag the DFAM but the lack of being able to sync it is what holds me back the most.
That’s a good way to go. One of my band mates is working on an ambient album right now using only his ms20 and an sq1 (korg). I went to his house to check out his progress the other day and I was very impressed with what he was getting from this super simple setup.
Side note re: ensoniq sq1. Don’t confuse it with the esq1. They’re both great but very different. Esq is a proper synth, sq is an unusually great rompler. I have both and love them but I’d be disappointed if I bought an sq expecting an esq.
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Im thinking the way to go would be to use the sq1 to run an ambient sequence with the k-2. Throw some percussion and kicks on top. Hell, I may just grab both sq1’s that are available and see just how far down the rabbit hole a K-2 can go.
BTW, do you have any samples of your friends stuff he’s making? or a YT video of him doing it?
I don’t but I’ll see if he has anything recorded that he’s willing to let people outside of his music making collaborator friend group hear. He’s not quite done with the album.
The sq1 is new to him but he’s has the ms20 for years (plays it in our band).
would love to hear some of it to see what he’s doing with it. If I have to wait until the album thats fine as well. Just be sure to post in here when he’s finished and its released.
I’ll hit him up later today and ask if he has anything to share yet.
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Ordering one of the SQ1’s right now… thanks for the tips!
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Further down the line the SQ-1 will happily work as a device to sync the DFAM to a MIDI clock. But one caveat I should have added is that the SQ-1 only has a MIDI out - so it has to be the master clock device. In your setup you’d need to use the SQ-1 to send MIDI clock to the MPC in order to sync the CV/Gate sequences it sends to the K-2. This isn’t a huge hassle, but apologies for not adding it to my initial post.
You can send sync to the SQ-1 via USB MIDI, so if you’re using a DAW too then that’s an option. I expect you could also send a sync / gate message from the K-2 to sync the SQ-1.
I don’t mind the SQ1 being the master, just trying to figure out how I would change BPMS
Sorry, still trying to get a handle on midi since I’ve only ever plugged a keyboard into a computer to use Ableton in the past. After doing some searching, it seems as if the SQ1 being the master clock would just mean that it would sync all tempos together, and start/stop the MPC along with the K-2. I’m assuming I can still select what tempo everything runs on the MPC alone? I’m not finding anything on the SQ-1 that talks about selecting tempos.
Dis maybe /for live techno /headless horseman kind of stuff
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Or if u can spend a bit more- Digitakt?
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Its on my list… Just wasn’t ready to spend that kind of cash just yet.
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There’s a tempo (speed) knob on the SQ-1 but no display, so you’re setting it by ear if the SQ-1 is the master. The MPC will follow that tempo when the SQ-1 is playing, but you should be able to play the MPC at its own tempo while the SQ-1 isn’t playing (e.g. for editing MPC sequences separately).
I think you said you have the 8 outs on the MPC, is that right? In that case you should be able to sample a click that will drive the SQ-1 via its sync input. There’s a sync mode that simply advances one step per clock signal - see here for details. So in this setup up the MPC would remain the master (actually I guess if you’re not using the MPC as a sound source then you don’t need the 8 outs) and the SQ-1 would follow the MPC’s tempo.
This can be quite a creative solution because you don’t have to send simple 16-note clock signals from the MPC - you can experiment with different patterns. You would need to have a track (or pad) for the sync sound in every pattern.
Hopefully that makes sense - I can have a go at using a sample to clock the SQ-1 later and feed back.
In practical terms, setting the tempo on the SQ-1 will work OK once you’ve done it a couple of times, but since you can’t save any kind of project / session info on the SQ (such as the master BPM), you might be better off with the MPC as the master.
It’ll all be worth it when you see what the SQ-1 can add to the K-2. If you do decide the setup is something you want to stick with, you could add a dedicated MIDI to clock device like the Doepfer MSY-2 to properly sync the SQ. There’ll be semi-modular synths that can do this, too.
I’ve been reading up on this and it sounds as if sending a click track to the sq1 would be the way to go. I do have the 8 outs on both the mpc and the s3200xl. The 3200 is a beast of a sampler, so I usually end up not using the mpc as a sound source. I’ll have to experiment and see what way will work with what I have. I just got the new mixer and started plugging stuff in and realized I don’t have enough cables for everything lol. Need to make another trip to Guitarget for ways to plug in everything. So far I haven’t been able to sample any drum sounds off of the laptop due to not having the correct cables.
I’m sure that with a 1/4" to 3.5mm mono cable you could find an impulse or click sample that will clock the SQ-1 - as I say, I’ll give it a try myself and see how I get on. My 2000XL is out of commission but generally if the sample is suitable the sampler doesn’t really matter (and as I recall the 2000 outputs are fairly hot, which can help).
I went back to check and I see you’re using Reaper - so if you have a MIDI interface (not sure if the K2 does this) you could have the MPC controlling Reaper, and Reaper syncing the SQ via MIDI. There are a few options open to you, so I’m sure you’ll find one that’s a good fit.
I do have reaper. It’s not set up until I want to actually record something. I may have to start using it more often since I could sync the sq1 that way as well. Just wanted to stay away from the computer as long as possible. Really wishing at this point I still had ableton