I don't know wether the gate duration is recorded as note-on command in MIDI but the gate outputs will only send triggers. As well as some text labels printed on the surface, there are illuminated markers that show when any of the outputs are triggered, a nice way of adding some at-a-glance feedback on your patterns. I guess a workaround is to add a positive 5 or 10 volt offset (depending on the global setting) to the mod output. All your patterns can also be freely chained and looped, making this the ultimate device for machine live!

Sonicstate have just launched a weekly newsletter, sign up for for the latest news, exclusive offers and more here.Probability dials down from 100 percent (where a step plays every time) to five percent (not often) and lends a nice degree of variation to your sequences. Is there a way to get the SQ64 to stop pumping out massive amounts of midi clock messages through the MIDI out ports? There doesn’t appear to be a step‑record function where you tap notes and have them added to the next step, and this feels a strange omission on a hardware sequencer. Another factor that could be of substantial use for live performances is the comprehensive set of save options in that each of the 64-step buttons also corresponds to save locations, for project, track and pattern; so plenty of room to run an entire show from, letting you stay hands-on with expressive controls, or other instruments.

A powerful and compact step sequencer, SQ-64 combines intuitive functionality with deep editing capabilities giving you seamless control over your software and hardware setup. It appears to take it's inspiration from the 3 melodic tracks and a drum track, like Beatstep and Keystep Pro from Arturia, but the way it addresses the steps and tracks is different. The sequencer has to make a decision as to whether the next step will be one forward, one backwards, two forward or the same step. I'm looking to busy out of the 16 step box my Volcas and pocket operators keep me in and out looks like the SQ-64 is the best way for me to go.

Luckily you can at least edit multiple step at the time by holding the buttons but this is limited and frustrating on a 64 step sequencer, especially live.

i love the modules like Melodicer that do that, i kinda hate the interface for them in modular format. Use the integrated arpeggiator to add further intrigue to your sounds - squeezing every bit of potential out of your digital/analog synths and soft plugins too. Three are melodic, with up to eight notes of polyphony, while the fourth is rhythmic and capable of pumping out 16 monophonic paths of percussion (eight over CV). The SQ‑64 is very at home with MIDI and all the polyphonic action is aimed at either a connected computer or external synths.This may become slightly bothersome as fall rolls into winter and I want to keep the windows open for as much sun+heat as possible (I’m told Chicago’s winters aren’t quite as warm as SF’s), but should be tolerable. This feels like an oversight, because once the notes are there you can edit all of them, and it appears to me that the same function could just as easily be used to turn on extra notes. If the item comes direct from a manufacturer, it may be delivered in non-retail packaging, such as a plain or unprinted box or plastic bag. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).