I only want to use it as an external synth sequencer though, is that crazy?
Not once you’ve started using it; it sounds delicious.
It was one of my favorite pieces of gear before the A4 came along.
I would’ve bought another one, but the P12 filled the necessary void in my heart/soul.
The MnM sequencer is mono and only 64 bars?
Is that right?
The reasoning for the MPC-1000 with JJOS is the idea that you can hit record and go nuts as long as you want for 300,000 steps/control changes.
I need length.
I need to rephrase that last sentence.
As far as polyphonic sequencing on the Pyramid, yes, it can, but it’s still limited to a very short–IMO–bar count of 64.
When I saw it I was extremely happy, but then I read the specs in deeper detail and got extremely sad.
Now, I’m afraid it’s either MPC-1000 with JJOS or a Cirklon.
The MPC still wins for me because it does exactly what I want and gives me extra percussion options as well as the ability to play my OT like a Rytm.
zfigz
42
That’s exactly what I use mine for, it controls everything that has to do with melodies/chords/etc…
I also used to use the MnM for drums, and that worked pretty well when you designate a track for each kind of hit (Track 3 for hihats, 4 for claps, 5 for snares, and 6 for kicks) so that you can mute your drums easily.
zfigz
43
The MnM midi sequencer has some crazy high limit of how many notes you can put on a single step (I think it combines all the steps that are currently playing).
As for only 64 bars, it is, just like any other recent elektron, but used in tandem with its song mode, you can do a lot of interesting things (change the offset or length of a pattern, transpose an entire pattern or transpose individual tracks, automate bpm etc).
vos
44
Whenever I need sequences longer than 64 bars i make a chain. So I can record a track in Live-mode that spans all the patterns of the chain. Ofcoarse there’s the limit of max. 64 trigs per pattern. The advantage is that the long sequence will be automaticly devided into seperate patterns, what makes it easy to for me to edit later-on.
128 patterns > 64 steps > makes a maximum record of 8192 steps tho, and it’s only intern or CV.
But if I understood you, that’s not what you’re looking for and you don’t want chaines. Maybe until you have what you need ?
Good luck !
If the limit to 64 steps was not an issue, which would be better for my needs? The Pyramid or the MnM? My intention is to sequence external gear with live polyphonic recording on multiple tracks that I can manipulate and mutate live. It’s near impossible to find anybody online using the MnM just to operate a bunch of analog gear and when I do -everything has already been programed into the machine so I can’t discern important things like whether or not I can play chords in real time to the sequencer like I can with the AK. I basically want to give my P12 the brain of my AK so they can better work in harmony. The Engine came so close, but isn’t polyphonic. I hear you on the MPC and that sounds like a great fit for you, but I’m a simpleton and I know myself enough that if it’s too much of a learning curve I just won’t use it.
I can always give up and get another multitrack looper that slaves to midi clock but hell, that’s TOO easy.
Yes.[/quote]
Thanks Peter!
1 Like
If the limit to 64 steps was not an issue, which would be better for my needs? The Pyramid or the MnM? My intention is sequence external gear with live polyphonic recording on multiple tracks that I can manipulate and mutate live.
I’d go for the MnM over the Pyramid, but I’m unsure if it can do polyphony in terms of you playing a chord on your keyboard and it recording it into the step=sequencer.
I would think it’s monophonic like the sound engine (well, until you go into 6-note polyphony mode).
I know step-wise it can do chords via programming.
In short, I’d grab another MnM in a heartbeat if I had the money; it really is a beautiful instrument.
I’m not sure how geared it is towards your needs, but someone should come along soon enough to say.
[quote=““Flopass””]
If the limit to 64 steps was not an issue, which would be better for my needs? The Pyramid or the MnM? My intention is to sequence external gear with live polyphonic recording on multiple tracks that I can manipulate and mutate live. It’s near impossible to find anybody online using the MnM just to operate a bunch of analog gear and when I do -everything has already been programed into the machine so I can’t discern important things like whether or not I can play chords in real time to the sequencer like I can with the AK. I basically want to give my P12 the brain of my AK so they can better work in harmony. The Engine came so close, but isn’t polyphonic. I hear you on the MPC and that sounds like a great fit for you, but I’m a simpleton and I know myself enough that if it’s too much of a learning curve I just won’t use it.
I can always give up and get another multitrack looper that slaves to midi clock but hell, that’s TOO easy. [/quote]
seek out a mk1 MM if you only want to sequence midi with it. They go for $500-$650.
The mk1 MM had 64 steps, unlike the mk1 MD.
All the Mk2 upgrades won’t effect your midi purposes one bit.
I’m going to throw a plug out there for the OT as a midi sequencer/controller.
It’s awesome when used in conjunction with other Elektron gear. Currently:
[ul]
[li]OT midi tracks 1 - 4 sequence and control various parameters of tracks 1 - 4 on the A4[/li]
[li]OT midi track 5 controls the A4 FX page[/li]
[li]OT midi track 6 controls the A4 Performance page[/li]
[li]OT midi track 7 controls the AR FX page[/li]
[li]OT midi track 8 controls the AR Performance page[/li]
[/ul]
This set-up basically allows me to control almost every aspect (except for mutes) of all three machines with one! And I’m managing pattern switching by staying on the Song Edit page where I trigger chains - dipping in and out of song mode.
Seriously fun and creative as the OT has a pretty powerful and P-lockable ARP. Multiple LFOs can be assigned to CCs. So, say you want to send an LFO to a Performance pad…whoa. AND you can design your own LFOs.
The OT is where it’s at right now - well worth the money because you can throw some samples in there for good measure.
Finally, the independent scales per track is great for longer sequences. Just 1/2 the speed.
And then there are the one-shot trigs - YES!
Oh and you can just sample or record up to about 6 minutes of your performance…I love the OT
The MC-909 let’s you set the pattern length for a very long time. I don’t have mine anymore to check this but if I recall, it was 999 bars. In effect, allowing you to use it as basically a linear sequencer where you could lay down your whole song and not even have to use multiple patterns. 16 tracks of midi and also records knob movements.
Beyond that, it’s fairly vanilla but in some cases, vanilla is exactly what you need.
edit Of course, it is fairly large.
1 Like
So I pulled the trigger on the MPC1000 with JJOS2XL, I may or may not get the XLCD screen.
I got it for a steal, so why not?
In other news, I put my name down on the waiting list for a Cirklon . . .
rests head in hands
I’ve got a fucking gear problem, you guys.
