I bought one a few weeks ago because I love and still own the SP-16 and AS-1 and this always appealed to me too so I wanted to give it a whirl, but I still haven’t gotten around to it yet.
It’s one of my favorite sequencers. If there was even pattern chaining , I would’ve kept it for sure. Super fun to use. Works with a lot of stuff, tight clock.
I just bought one on eBay to have a play ![]()
It’s the main driver for my Behringer TD-3-MO modded out 303 clone…and soon to also trigger DFAM and beats and keys from Maschine+ and Multi/Poly.
I love so much about it - if money weren’t so tight in my life, I’d have 2, easily.
Yeah, there are some things that would send it to the stratosphere, like 8-bar patterns and way to jam out with the amazing real-time sequencer manipulations on multiple tracks at once - but I’m not gonna get rid of it just cause it can’t do that.
I really really want more people to buy the Squid and demand updates! I have a soft spot for it!
That’s good to hear! Is it easy to program accents and slides?
I absolutely love mine.
The LFO-tempo control is the only thing I’ve seen do that outside of eurorack ?
and the way you can just record button presses for double / half time speed & pattern direction mode etc straight in is brilliant. You can get super-‘alive’ feeling sequences in minutes. The pads are also really nice to play & one of my favourite things is setting up the arp & then just kicking in on & off as a pattern plays for instant change-ups. The way you can record the arp into a pattern is great too & pattern groups make it great for live sets.
The Squid is great to perform with. really playable
I doubt I’ll ever part with mine
I think Squid was - but now mayyyybe the Hapax might be able to using some chain of MIDI effects and patching this to that…But with Squid, it’s one knob turn and you’re in business. I love it, its excellent for that Brazilian samba suinge rhythm - which is super rare in electronic music - and my secret weapon when I get back on stage…
yeah, it is.
Hold down a pad that contains a note, and turn either the VELOCITY knob or the LENGTH knob depending on the functionality of the 303 clone you use. Usually if a MIDI note is longer than one 16th note and it overlaps with the next note, a 303 clone will perform a slide.
Thanks for the explanation. I notice it has a Tie button? Can you not use the Tie mode for creating slides?
Ah…yes, the Tie button. That might also work! I use it rarely so forgot what it does, hah!
Hey I have bought one a few months ago, and I plan to make a tutorial series on YT when I get to it, it might take a while! ![]()
I assume you like it then?
I had one, it has some very unique functions, as mentioned in this thread but also there’s so much more potential only one or two updates away which never came because Pioneer …
From what I’ve used it, yes. I have read through many forums and a lot of recurring criticisms of how it works. But I think I understand the intention of how they made it in the first place.
We will see , I am working on rm1x tutorials which are a bit rough to figure out. Squid is on the list though!
After having played with it for a day, I think it is intended to be used like a DJ deck (which makes sense having been designed by Pioneer DJ), with each project being a song that you jam out live using the pattern sets and other MIDI tricks. When you’re done, transition or crossfade - DJ style - over to a song playing on another machine, maybe a DJ Deck, or a groovebox, drum machine, sampler or looper (after having captured a loop of the mix), then change the project on the Squid to load up the next song. I think it’s best not to have the Squid as master otherwise your whole set will stop when changing projects. The per track pattern changes will load up the next set of sounds/patches for you when you load up the new project. When you’re ready for the new song, hit start on the Squid and use the nudge function to line up the beats. Then transition back to the Squid. I already tested this workflow with my Xone PX5 DJ Mixer using the Ableton Move to capture audio loops and it works great IMO. If this workflow was their intention, and from the feature set I’m pretty sure it was, then they’ve totally nailed it.
Yeah your onto something here with the dj focussed design. Really makes sense to have two of them so you can switch out projects, or else use another sequencer between and tag team patterns as you go.
I like mine as an ideas box. Have used it as an add on for ableton/bitwig, also with akai force and currently just controls a Behringer 2600.
It could really do with an update. Patch program changes per pattern instead of per track is my main frustration with it, as well as longer patterns. Tried selling it but it’s not the cool thing nowadays, but honestly glad it stayed.
@x0x have you seen this?
I wondered if this video would ever pop up again ![]()
Very exhausting to shoot…
I’m using, but don’t expect firmware updates IMHO, I take it as it is, that’s not so bad
Do you still use yours with the Maschine+?
@RhythmDroid - I’m curious if you have any thoughts on using the Squid in combination with the Machine+ and Maschine Jam? I’ve been seeing your posts about all of these machines and It seems like you’ve been doing live stuff for a very long time so your expertise is a rare thing to have access to.
I’m getting a little tired of my current family-oriented setup of a deluge running into a tr8s with two Pioneer FX units.
I think I’m becoming a Pioneer Fanboy despite all of their faults. The tr8s is evolving into a sample player, so I’m looking at the sp16 now. The Pioneer FX units are getting upgraded to the RMX 1000 and possibly the Ignite.
What’s lacking in my setup now is scale locked chords and High Fidelity sounds. The Deluge is amazing but we end up writing the same patterns over and over again.
The squid is definitely in my future, the question is whether I link it to four different boxes or into a single Maschine/ MPC Live.
Thank you everybody for all the interesting discussion in this thread