From swalker@phoenix.cs.uga.edu Thu Jul  7 15:45:33 1994
Date: Thu, 7 Jul 1994 18:38:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Stewart S. Walker" <swalker@phoenix.cs.uga.edu>
To: map@cs.washington.edu
Subject: information I've found...

I know you were previously interested in the realm of sequencers.  I too had
similar interests and so I thought I would mail you what I found...

What folows is a discussion I have had over the past month or so.
Here Goes.  Hope you Like, 
Stewart

Forwarded message:

> Yeah, this is true. Beware though that some old gear might use midi omni
> mode when started up, which means (as you probably know) that it will listen 
> to all channels at once. In most cases, the synth can be brought out of omni 
> mode, and otherwise this can be fixed with a midi filter device.
> 
> > Can you tell me then about the Akai ASQ-10 and the Yamaha QX3 that you
> > mentioned above?  Are these professional sequencers?  Are the ones that I
> > mentioned not professional?
> 
> Perhaps I should use the word 'professional' in a more restricted way.
> I have worked with many hardware sequencers, and I found some features
> that are practically inexpendable if you're going to use it for a longer
> time to make music:
> 
> 1) Disk drive. I used to have a couple of small sequencers that offered
>    sysex dump and/or tape storage. They are really cheap, and offers a lot
>    of bang for the buck, but the disadvantages of not having a quick second
>    storage are devastating to creativity. You don't want to load a song from
>    tape a' 5 minutes whenever you're in the mood for songwriting. And 
>    _definitely_ not on stage!
> 
> 2) Mute/unmute tracks in real time. This is really good for testing 
>    the 'density' of a mix. A simple example: You have this really big
>    intro, which takes us to the verse where the vocals are brought in.
>    Now _maybe_ the mix needs to remove that pulsating 16th bass to lift
>    the vocals a bit? Could be just as easy as to push a button, or as hard
>    as to enter a sub menu, hit erase track, 'yes' and finally regret yourself..
> 
> 3) User interface. This is very individual, and I recommend people generally
>    to, if possible, loan, or rent the sequencer over a period of say a week,
>    and try to get a feel for the interface. It's very hard to find those
>    irritating 'why do I have to press "Y" to confirm??' when trying the item
>    in the shop. It's _your_ way of making music that dictates the rules.
> 
> These are just three of the things that make up a professional 
> sequencer in my opinion. But remember, your mileage may vary.
> Try it out yourself and get an opinion.
> 
> Among the sequencers I've worked with, here are some short comments:
> 
> Akai ASQ-10:
> If you can get hold of one of these mothers, you're in luck. It's a great
> machine, made for musicians and not computer programmers :-)
> 64 channels, 99 tracks per sequence, 99 sequences per song, 10 songs.
> Lots of features, versatile, and extremely user friendly. One button
> per function, and a special help button which give hints on the various
> fields on the display. If you've ever worked with / seen the infamous
> MPC-60, this is the same machine without the drums. This is the closest
> to working with a computer I've seen.
> 
> Yamaha QX3:
> Also a very good machine, but less user friendly. 16 tracks, with LEDs
> indicating the status for each track (recording, playing, muted, empty)
> Uses a "job mode" operation, which means that you hit the JOB button
> and punch "16" to get to the quantize menu. Some people hate this
> system, I find it quick to work with. A bug in the operating system
> makes the song 'loop' hiccup and is therefore useless.
> VERY reliable, and recommended for live use.
> 
> Yamaha QX1:
> Same as the QX3, but only 8 tracks. 5.25" disks means _slow_ access time,
> and the OS dumps a backup to disk _every_ time you change the contents
> of memory! I used it for three weeks, couldn't stand it after that.
> It's very old, and age shows very well in this business...
> 
> Yamaha QX5: This is a good, cheap alternative. Make sure to get the QX5FD
> with built-in floppy drive. 8 tracks, not as much memory as the larger
> machines, but enough to get you by. Memory backed memory is a plus which 
> means that the last sequence/song you worked on is still there when
> you power up the machine again. Uses sub menus instead of job numbers, 
> but the ui is well thought out.
> 
> Alesis MMT-8:
> No disk drive, poor hardware (the buttons wear over time and get
> unreliable) but otherwise a good concept. A definite plus for the 
> "one button per track" layout that is only found on the more expensive
> machines.
> 
> Roland MC-50/500mkII
> I've heard much good of these machines, but I cannot tell you anything
> about them. The 500mkII has operating system on disk, and can load
> optional software. They also seem very musician-oriented (which isn't always
> the case, and that can be a bit surprising. But think of it- how many
> programmers/hardware designers are musicians?)
> 
> Kawai Q-80
> Again a machine I have no personal experience with. We used one
> for a very short period of time in a studio once, and the ui (user interface)
> seemed a tad bit difficult to grasp. This one also sports a 3.5"
> disk drive, and battery backed memory. Very small display - a problem.
> 
> > 
> > > Most sequencers offer mute/unmute of tracks while playing. Thereby you
> > > can record musical phrases and grooves on the tracks, and create 
> > > a musical interaction "on the fly", which indeed is popular among the
> > > more skillful techno/ambient artists. Other may take foot pedal input
> > > and move through passages of the song according to this movement.
> > 
> > By this "mute/unmute" you mean you can silence a track and then wake it up
> > again I suppose.  I figured that most interactivity I would or could want
> > could be accomplished by having many tracks going at once and fading them in
> > and out wih a mixer.  At this point I'm thinking more of "live" as in
> > spontaneous creation into a DAT.  I haven't considered live performance in
> > front of an audience but a sequencer would make it much easier...
> 
> Definitely. As I said, go out and try some. Music stores don't sell
> that many used sequencers nowadays and will probably be happy
> to loan/rent you a machine before purchasing it.
> 
> > 
> > Thank you for responding to my questions...
> > Stewart
> > 
> No problemo friend. Please don't hesitate to ask more, and do report
> on your further safari into the midi djungle :)
> An idea: Perhaps we should route a copy of this letter to 
> rec.music.makers.* and comp.music and see what comments people
> can fill in the blanks with? Well, it's all up to you...
> 
> Regards,
> 
> -- 
> \ Mikael Lundgren, Uppsala, Sweden  \Wavestation  Casio FZ1  Korg Mono/Poly\
>  \ vick@bern.docs.uu.se              \Listen&Dance -Studio Sunset in Seconds\
>   \ http://krille.update.uu.se/~vick/ - check out my Coordinator list there. \ 
>    \"Time moves so slowly\ when I don't want it\ 'cause it knows I'm watching"\
> 

