I would suggest you research the Deluge a bit more. The community firmware Updates have really given it a second life. The sequencer functions are as comprehensive as you probably want and the grid matrix invites to melodic writing. It has a fairly steep learning curve to master it but you get results fairly quickly. It is not much larger than my iPad A4 paper dimensions and weights next to nothing for a device that can do so much. It is also battery powered. Yes the synth engines are a bit meh and sound packs may be a bit of a resource hog which then limits your polyphony. Sadly this is probably one of the biggest drawbacks but can be overcome by resampling directly. Another advantage is that you can quickly transfer ideas from being on the road to a home studio environment. All you need to do is to pass out some of the tracks as midi or CV and control external more sophisticated gear or a daw. As others said, none of the groove boxes are perfect. The Deluge would be my desert island maschine probably followed by a analog rytm or A4 but they are more focused on rhythmic programming compared to melodic stuff.
ā¦I am aware that it does all those things, which is why I suggested it. It seems great, I just donāt need one and didnāt like its workflow quite as much as I do the OP-XY and tonverk. I also have an oxi one mk2 I use when I want to do grid-based transpose and piano roll style grid sequencing and that sort of thing, so Iām just not really lacking for any of its tricks.
also quite a newbie, just over a year into proper attempt at electronic music. but been doing a lot of checking-out of gear + studying music. I would also say, Digitone mk.2 even though costlyā¦ could be worth checking out thoroughly. Especially lf sample-based workflow is not terribly interesting.
I have looked at Deluge and it has a bit of a learning curve, even though this older machine is still receiving support (=updates once in a while) and there is now a new, more newbie-friendly OLED screen in the newer hardware pre-installedā¦
Guess depends also what kinda workflow rocks your boatā¦
I personally like sample-based stuff so I got Digitakt mk.2, then two synths to cover the melody and drum aspectsā¦ although you can mess with stuff like single cycle waveforms and loop them to create pseudo-synth out of DT2ā¦ I seriously considered Digitone2 though.
Then there is also Analog Four mk.2ā¦ but if you want a good sequencer with longer steps (A4mk2 has 64-steps, also pricey)ā¦ DN2 has 128-steps.
alsoā¦ at some point (spring? summer?) Casio is attempting to release this, although sampler, might be fun : New Casio Sampler
Once you have heard 20 recommendations, yeah welcome to Elektronauts. I suggest Digitakt or Tomverk.
I donāt think what you want really exists if portability is paramount. Iām thinking an iPad + knobby midi controller is the best bet
If you want portable and generative that can synth and sample and you have money then try the op-xy, or the cheaper option is op-z with line module and an fx box if your wallet and travel bag stretch to it.
The issue with Teenage Engineering synths is they lack a little oomph if you want to go noisy or super lush. Therefore an external fx unit can really help.
If I was starting from scratch the Move does look appealing as a ādo everythingā portable box. Not sure how generative it can get though. If generative is less important than sound quality, consider a Roland box. MC101 is a great travel companion, but the SH4D might fit you better: 4 synth tracks and drums, sounds great, lots of knobs to twist, decent screen, should fit in a backpack, runs on AA batteries.
Iām really enjoying the Bento and as of now am incorporating recording my guitar into it.
However, I am hoping they will bring improvements that better incorporate the looper into the wider song construction process.
That may not be in their plans, but even so I like enough about the device to remain a happy customer.
1010nusic have a history of introducing improvements after releasing their products - though Bento was clearly introduced too early in its development they are committed to bringing significant updates, so it will get better from its current state.
If you already travel with an iPhone or iPad in addition to the Circuit Tracks, you could look at using the Tracks more as a controller/sequencer only.
I think the Tracks gives you four sequencers over midi between its two synth and two midi tracks, plus the drum tracks (which I donāt think are very flexible for midi sequencing at least on the OG Circuit).
But yeah, it can get a bit janky, but this could be a really flexible setup using iOS synths, especially when you can use the Tracks knobs via midi learn to control them.
Another alternative is to stick with the Tracks and get some kind of digital recorder like the Zoom R4 that gives you a bit of limited multitracking and overdubbing. Still do a little bit of sequencing on the Tracks but otherwise use it mostly for building up arrangements with live takes.
Anyway, just some slightly different suggestions given what you want unfortunately doesnāt really exist, except maybe the OP-XY or an MPC, but these each will have their drawbacks. Good luck!
oooo thatās something I hadnāt even considered yet - Iāve messed around briefly using the Circuit Tracks pads as a keyboard in my DAW, but never actually considered using it for sequencing purposes, let alone on iPadā¦
Well yeah, if you already have an iPad itās definitely worth having a look into apps like AUM, which is basically a modular mixer that can host other audio apps - synths, drum machines, generative midi sequencers, fx, etc and record the output.
I come from a similar background to you (guitar bands) so perhaps I can add to the knowledge already dropped here. I also started out with a Circuit Tracks (the gateway drug eh?) and also quickly found the limits frustrating. That led to lots of exploration both in hardware and software, trying to find a setup that worked.
But to zoom out for a sec, itās also worth thinking about what role you want hardware to play in your setup. Where Iāve landed is I like the HW to give tactile control, but I currently donāt finish tracks there - so idea generator is the role they play for me. It would be good to hear how you see that, are you looking to finish tracks in the DAW, or to try and do it all on hardware, because that will make a big difference to the recommends.
Having said that, there are a few devices that spring to mind to explore, though be warned there is no perfect option here.
If itās all about generative stuff and you want a generative MIDI controller, thereās a few out there from the cheaper/simpler such as the Keystep mk2 and Launchpad Pro mk3 (mk4 potentially coming soon). Though at that point you might as well just keep the Tracks and use it as a MIDI controller. Towards the pricier end of the range, then thereās Torso and Oxi One, both are portable and very in depth. These look fun but you will always need that 2nd device to generate sound, and you mentioned all in one. But if you were happy to have a laptop/iPad in play, then arguably something like the Torso/Oxi will give an element of hands on control, without sacrificing the power of the computer.
On the hardware front, itās hard to beat Ableton Move as a Tracks/Rhythm upgrade. Itās a seriously great travel companion but the caveat there is that it doesnāt do generative stuff so well. Iāve seen some folks attach a Launchpad Pro to it to give it an element of generative capabilities, and that combo costs a lot less than some of the more expensive grooveboxes out there. While it isnāt performative like Tracks, that doesnāt bother me because Iād rather add those effects on the computer.
The best generative stuff Iāve come across in a portable device that also makes sound is the Polyend stuff. Play+ has lots of a sequencing flexibility, but canāt sample and it has a small screen. The sequencer isnāt as advanced as something like the Oxi One, bit it makes sound and exports stems. Tracker+ has the same generative fun features, stem export and a nice big screen, but the interface is a love/hate thing (I like it because it makes you do things differently.) Tracker is easier to make full songs on with the song mode. But Play is a bit more flexible in having things like different lane lengths for playing with sequences. The Polyend devices arenāt that much bigger than a Tracks and you only need a USB-C for power. Sometimes the Play has a few issues being a bit laggy and buggy, where the Tracker is rock solid. If weāre talking pure portability, sticking with trackers thereās Tracker Mini and M8 to consider too.
You mentioned how the Polyend devices only have 3 synth engines, which is true, but they do put that to good use. Tracks gives you the use of 4 sample tracks for drums, 2 synth and 2 MIDI. The Polyend devices give you 8 sample tracks, and 3 synth. So youāre gaining 4 audio channels and a synth. But with the Tracker/Play, you can create a chord within a single track by using the chord mode, either with a sample or a synth. The drum synth occupies just one track and can play multiple sounds too. So you can extract a bit more out of that to get a fuller sound.
At the top end of the pricing bracket, I do see a lot of people raving about OP-XY, or Deluge. Iāve never gone for one of these personally but Iāve been very tempted. Having a single device instead of many (where I ended up) is potentially a workflow enhancer if you just want something to pull out on the go and have that be very familiar while travelling. Those devices are pricier, but they cover off many of the features you might want in a single device.
This is a decent comparison of some of these though itās the OP-1 not the XY heās talking about, but it still compares some of these devices quite nicely.
Really though, we all just want a Circuit Tracks Pro!
Iāve been thinking a lot about this lately, youāre 100% right - I do need to really define the role I want this to play
Ultimately, Iām not expecting a complete song to come out of one of these devices - what I am wanting though is a sketchpad where ideas can be generated and fleshed out to a reasonable extent.
Iāve found with the Circuit Tracks that only two internal synth engines and the (also unfortunately constrained) sample navigation and playback to inhibit what Iām wanting to do.
I need something where all samples and patches can be browsed quickly for auditioning, not just banks of sounds pre-assembled on a clunky computer/web browser interface. *
Iām wanting something where I can continue to expand beyond measely two synths to start layering up - whether this means more synth engines, multisample support or both is really up in the air.
And Iām wanting it to be portable and intuitive - quick to begin laying out ideas and changing them up.
I donāt think a tracker is for me.
Iām loving what Iāve seen from the Oxi and Torso as mentioned above, but they require an additional device (likely computer in my case) to actually produce sounds.
Iāve looked more into the Polyend Play+ and see the value in itās random / generative functionality, but the lack of battery power + larger size has me wondering how much more value Iād find in it compared to an Oxi One. That being said, the Play+ is definitely on the list as I learn more about the unit and itās capabilities.
*if you canāt tell, I do really love some of the key characteristics of the Circuit Tracks - the pads, the portability, battery-free operation, etc - but geez itās just so constricted. if samples + synth patches werenāt divided into packs, but instead globally available, maybe Iād like the unit a bit more. I find relying on the computer to pick and select specific samples really inhibits inspiration in a way that I was not necessarily expecting, partiulcarly given that the stock samples in the Novation packs are meh at best.
One can only wish for a Circuit Pro, with a screen, better sample management, hardware synth programming and the generative/arp functions found on the launchkey MK IV series. If Novation refuses to produce such device, then another manufacturer will eventually.
In the meantime, the closest thing that would ressemble an Circuit Pro is the OP-XY, but its price tag is what it isā¦
100% agreed. I often imagine if someone would basically take the inner workings of the Play/Tracker and put that in an interface like the Tracks, that would be one hell of a device.
I think the closest thing to this is probably (on balance) the Ableton Move, though that comes without generative features. Combining Move with a Launchpad (pr another sequencer) gives you a lot in a reasonably small footprint, that you can also use in multiple ways. I could see a setup where you have the Move only, the Move + LPP, or use the LPP with the computer. Torso and Oxi look great in that regard as well, though with more depth, which is kinda opposite to the selling point of the Tracks. Some have said the 4 tracks of the LPPmk3 map perfectly to Move.
The main reason I would recommend that is because it comes closest to your original description of a sketchpad where ideas can be fleshed out. If I look at my boxes here, Play is good for loops and it can do more but I think thatās a sequencer/sound generator to get going with. Can be a sequencer or a sound source, and itās fun but itās not perfect. Tracker really does do full songs but youāre not keen which is fair enough. But in terms of workflow, Move really is up there, especially given the cost. If you have other hardware you can of course always sample directly into Move which is fun.
Iād go for the MPC ONE+ or the Ableton move.
Good luck.