In the market for a portable monosynth. I’ll be sequencing it with an Octatrack and dedicating 1 audio track of FX to it. I also have an AR. Which should I get?
I had a SE-02 and currently have a AS-1. While not as tactile, I prefer the AS-1. It has FX and I prefer its sound quality.
The SE-02 just didn’t fit what I was doing. It’s an aggressive synth.
2 Likes
The Se-02 is a really nice synth, i realised its so much more subtle if the amp & volumes arent driven to far.
Plus Ive wrangled the 1.10 update !!
2 Likes
I’m not super concerned with the lack of knobs since I’m mapping things in the OT anyway. I’m mostly interested in sound versatility and build quality. I was originally attracted to the AS-1 because if the Pro One comparison (always wanted one but don’t really need a large synth with keys). Threw the SE-02 in there because it seems to be a favorite at this price range.
What does that update entail?
se02 sounds awesome. AS1 is more versatile although the se02 is by no means limited in scope.
although i should mention about the se02:
care must be taken with the length of notes, as regards Dec. and Sustain. sometimes clicks happen between notes … if sequencing from the Octatrack, and there are two notes two sixteenths apart … if there is a medium tail on the sound patch being used, and the length of a note is one sixteenth, well there could be a click at the start of the next note.
a simple way to fix things is to p-lock the length of note on the Octatrack’s midi sequencing … or use the CC controls to p-lock the Dec. or Sustain parameters from the OT to the se02. Actually the se02’s own sequencer allows a single p-lock per note.
i don’t know the detail of why the clicks have the potential of happening. the se02 does have true VCO’s, three of them, although i don’t know what role that plays as regards clicks or lack thereof. interestingly, the envelope is digitally defined from a set of measurements taken from the Moog Model D, it could be the digital element that might not have some kind of auto-interpolation function ready to go if a new note envelope is signalled when a previous note envelope is still in the process of playing out.
all that said, love the se02.
How is the build quality of the Roland? I’ve heard the AS-1 is a tank. I’ve been a little weary of the boutiques because of the wobbly knobs. Ugh, I’m listening to so many demos of both of these and they sounds great. This is a tough decision to make.
build quality is moderately good, and yet those rotaries are petite. not ridiculously so.
the keyboard stand that is an available accessory is worthwhile even just to have it on a friendly angle. although my original reason for the keyboard stand was to assist with note entry (hold a trig, press a note). although have only currently used the OT sequencer.
personally i think it’s amazing and really the choice is more se02 or Boog D.
i would like a Minitaur and Boog D for layering options… in the future.
currently going to explore layering the se02 with a Rev2 desktop module.
in fact the se02 sounds amazing when the same bassline is layered with two different patches (record one to OT then change patch, record another version of the bassline with a different se02 sound).
i like that the se02 has the option to perform an auto calibration of the VCO’s.
three VCO’s … pretty awesome.
also the third VCO has the option to modulate the pulse width of the other two, for maybe some very cool tech bass futuristic funk.
Something I’m curious about with both of these synths is how midi-in interacts with the onboard sequencer. Does midi just override stored patterns? On the AS-1 you can lock a sequence then use the keyboard to transpose it. Could be interesting if this still worked when sequenced with the OT.
quite possible i guess although there is the transpose option on the Octatrack.
btw the Midi Out of the se02 is able to play notes on external synths, and it also functions as a Midi Thru, allowing me to sequence a Jomox mBase11 on midi channel 2 whilst at the same time sequencing se02 on midi channel 1, direct from the OT.
i couldn’t figure out how to use the Control Channel rotaries on the OT midi section and so eventually read the manual … Function-Click a rotary to make it usable! Very cool, i hadn’t come across this type of functionality with Elektron devices previously.
the se02 onboard sequencer only has one page, thus one bar, and no pattern chaining.
but there is Song Mode, and then i guess four patterns could be realtime edited whilst playing.
i would like to explore the se02 sequencer for sure, i have a feeling the Swing setting is going to be super funky.
I just picked up the AS-1 on the weekend for exactly this reason. I wanted a small powerful monosynth for basses that could fit in a backpack with Octatrack 
I’ve been playing live shows on a mk1 AR. A4. and OT for just over a year, but recently I was offered a gig where I had to play in a DJ booth. I had to fit my rig in a smaller area (about the size of a CDJ deck) so I opted to go just OT, a few pedals and a small tweakable mini synth for live basslines. I actually ended up using a korg volca for the basses. It actually sounded really awesome when put through some good FX, but volcas, though small, are a bit limited in their feature sets. I’m really digging this backpack rig and wanted to expand the sound. I researched a bunch of small synths that would suit my needs. The SE-02 was an option. The roland SH-01a, Moog Mother32, Moog Minitaur - there are tons of options. Ultimately I went into a music store and tried a few. The AS-1 blew everything away. Its described as 1 voice of a DSI Prophet 6, but I would say it’s even more beefy than that. The FX section is fantastic - I’m going ballistic with the Ringmod and Phaser combo hahaha. I watched some reviews that describe it as limited in it’s feature set. I would say that yes the panel doesn’t have a massive amount of controls, but under the hood EVERYTHING you need is there. I also thought scrolling through a menu for the values would be annoying, but the encoders they chose for this are very quick and snappy and you can zoom through very quickly. Also there are shortcuts to get you quickly to the FX section of filter section etc. Where this thing really shines is the variable waveshapes in the oscillator section - there are some very wonderful sweet spots you can find that simply SHRED. This combined with the oscillator sync or using the second oscillator as a LFO to shape the first osc, you can get amazing tones I wouldn’t have expected from a synth at this price.
If you want to know anything more please feel free to hit me up.
Here’s a quick little jam from last night:
1 Like
Ahhh I forgot to mention in my post - I did try the SE-02 at a friends house. The sound is very very good, and the amount of controls on the interface is great, but ultimately they are a bit small and fiddly most especially for a live setting. A lot of shows I play are in very dark environments with lots of visual distractions. I would say a simple interface with larger knobs is better. This is why I opted for the AS-1 that touch strip with the red lights and the latch mode is great for performance. I can’t comment on midi for the SE-02, but the AS-1 responds very well to OT’s sequencer. I save some patches with sequences from the AS-1 (or write them on the fly) but other patches I have saved with no sequence and I sequence from the OT. I also found that you can store the bank/program # on a per part basis so you can have the AS-1 switch to the required patches automatically as you play through your OT patterns.
Diggin it so far - will try and share more demos as I make some.
1 Like
Thanks for the detailed response! I’m in the exact situation you described. Playing live with an OT & Rytm and looking for a little more live performance synth work to lay on top of the sample beds I have in the OT. I think you sold me on the AS-1. Have you managed to get program changes from OT to switch patches on the AS-1? I spent hours last night listening to demos of most of the synths you listed and the AS-1 just sounds special to my ears compared to the rest.
1 Like
Any time my friend. I was just talking to a friend about it via text as well. He’s going to pick one up as well I think.
We both agreed this one is a VERY undersold synth. Some of the features I’ve found on my own aren’t even discussed in the demo or review videos.
You can set the patches to change with your OT parts by using the bank and program # value in the midi control menu. It’s the same menu where you set the channel. It’s a fiddly menu I think you have to push down the encoder to be able to set the value then push down again to confirm. If you don’t confirm it, it will revert back. AS-1 responds to the prg change instantly. It’s on a per-part basis. I haven’t yet discovered if it’s possible to p-lock this value anywhere.
Will check back in if I discover more in my next jam.
2 Likes
Just chiming in on the AS-1 love, it’s a great little synth, sounds amazing and is built like a tank. The lack of knobs is a bit frustrating, but the free Soundtower editor works pretty well (there are paid versions that add librarian features or work as VST/AU in your DAW, but the free version is fine for me). the touch strip is actually quite cool, you can modulate a bunch of parameters at once.
One thing that is worth bearing in mind if you use the internal sequencer: there is a bug where if you change patch/pattern it’ll go out of sync. Not really a problem for me as I only sequence it from my Digitakt or Logic, but it’s kind of annoying that Pioneer haven’t fixed it yet.
1 Like
Oh is that still an issue? I assumed it had been solved by now. I’m definitely using OT to sequence so it’s not a huge problem. Thanks for chiming in.
It hasn’t. When you change patches, the tempo could change depending on the patch. That may effect tempo sync’d FX, LFOs etc.
I only have an SE02 so cannot compare to the AS-1
I find the knobby interface of the SE02 to be a great complement to the elektrons. For some reason I do not find the knobs to be at all fiddly, and I have changed a few critical knobs to the elektron encoders so as to see them better. I do realize peoples opinions differ alot wrt this…
I hear the SE02 got discounted? Might be a good idea to check prices from several places, you might be able to get a very good price for one.
I know this board always heavily favours menudivey synths with as much as features as possible (especially if they have any digital bits, FM or granular), but IMO the SE02 is a very good complement to an elektron box.
As always, just my two cents
2 Likes
If you decide to live sample an AS-1 pattern into an OT recorder buffer and then crossfade into another AS-1 pattern (is it called the transition trick?), that would be a problem I’m assuming because of the sync issue in the AS-1 sequencer. Or maybe not since AS-1 is receiving MIDI from OT when doing that? Not sure.
I loved the sound of it but didn’t like the lack of controls and the sync issue. So close to perfect but it feels like Pioneer has abandoned it since there hasn’t been a firmware update in a year.
I had the SE-02 and much prefer the sound of the AS-1.
1 Like
Yep, seems like it. I get the feeling we won’t see any more Pioneer synths, either.