Midibox Seq4 clock performance

[bn99]

Hi all!

 

I'm in the market for a Seq4 and I'm really enthusiastic about it. I read the manual, read some stuff here and watched a few video's. I'm almost there...:)

 

I'm really curious about the midi clock performance. There will be a few Elektron boxes synced to it, but tight clock is essential to me. How tight is it? The c*rklon is famous for a very tight clock under all circumstances. How does the seq4 stand up to it?

 

Thanks very much for your input!

 

J

[latigid on]

Hello, welcome to MIDIbox! A main advantage of the SEQ is that you can use many (2/4/8 or even 12) outputs in parallel. You should have no problems this way. I don't know of any hard data, but TK was careful with coding the older models in ASM for the best performance.

[Rowan]

The MBSEQ V4 clock is as good as they get, even under heavy load.

I have a Machinedrum and Octatrack and they sync perfectly to the MBSEQ. The only disadvantage using Elektron boxes with it is that it's hard to choose if you use the internal Elektron sequencer or the MBSEQ to drive the Elektron sound engines ;)

Edited June 27, 2015 by Rowan

[latigid on]

The MBSEQ V4 clock is as good as they get, even under heavy load. I have a Machinedrum and Octatrack and they sync perfectly to the MBSEQ. The only disadvantage using Elektron boxes with it is that it's hard to choose if you use the internal Elektron sequencer or the MBSEQ to drive the Elektron sound engines ;)

Also my dilemma; a big part of the Elektron sound is the parameter locks etc. I wonder if there's a way to somehow use the MD in record mode?

[Rowan]

Also my dilemma; a big part of the Elektron sound is the parameter locks etc. I wonder if there's a way to somehow use the MD in record mode?

Yup, it's a tough call. I love the whole P-Lock thing, it's the main reason I would never part with my MD & OT. After spending 6 months with my MBSEQ it's by far the best sequencer I have ever used, the stuff I can get out of it is amazing! I wish that there was a way to "glue" my Elektron boxes and my MBSEQ together so they could run off the MBSEQ but still have P-Locks.

[latigid on]

Well, if the MD can send CCs from its control knobs which the SEQ records into a parameter layer... then we could be in business! But the implementation sounds very difficult, not to mention that this would quickly eat tracks, while the drum tracks have a limited number of parameter layers... Still it deserves further thought! Sorry for the thread hijack btw OP!

[v4]

there is no disadvantage. use both :smile:

 

the mbseq clock seems exceptionally tight to me. i use mine to send clock to the octatrack and rytm. i also point mbseq midi channels to the rytm to get around it's currently very flawed realtime retrigger implementation. i do this by using the mbseq pattern seq hooked up to a midi keyboard. the rytm dedicates a midi channel to each of it's tracks because each track is able to be played chromatically by default. once you hear something you like, simply enable recording on the rytm sequencer and it's all captured in the rytm and ready to go. this allows for things i would never program on the rytm by itself.

 

to me this is the best of both worlds and you can of course freely program parameter locks on any of those machines while clocked. beware that the 'direct jump' pattern change method on the rytm is currently also problematic right now and can lose sync or simply disregard the jump and change at the end of the pattern. that's not acceptable in a live context so i've simply gone back to the setting up the rytm so that it switches at the end of patterns.

 

edit: to bn99,the mbseq will happily sync a few elektrons for hours and hours.

Edited June 27, 2015 by v4

[bn99]

Thanks very much everyone. I think I'm sold..;)

I really want to keep the elektron sequencing, especially on the octatrack. Sequencing notes and melodies on my other machines is what the seq is intended for. The octatrack works okay in that department, but it's too much ' in the dark ' for my liking.

I'll have to start finding out what configuration I want for the seq. It is adaptable afterwards, right?

Thanks again!

[v4]

Yes there are many ways to configure it. I came from the same spot as you. The OT was my main midi sequencer for some time until my mbseq was built. It works alright as you know but the 'split' nature of the machine was annoying, especially in a live context. Now that the OT doesn't send midi notes, it's more fun to just have it in the sample screens all the time.

 

To give an example of my live setup, mbseq output 1 is dedicated to the access virus. Virus receives clock and notes. mbseq midi input 1 is getting notes from a midi keyboard (bs2). mbseq output 2 is sending clock (and sometimes notes as mentioned above) to the elektron rytm and the rytm passes clock to the roland tr8. In a live context, the mbseq output2 sends only clock and not notes. That notes on output2 are only sent when i'm preparing material in the studio and that way I can keep only clock data on that chain as the tr8 takes one midi thru latency "hit". But there is no noticeable latency on the tr8 whatsoever. When you hit stop/start on the mbseq it's all just dead in line. Best setup I've ever had in many regards.

 

Thanks very much everyone. I think I'm sold..;)

I really want to keep the elektron sequencing, especially on the octatrack. Sequencing notes and melodies on my other machines is what the seq is intended for. The octatrack works okay in that department, but it's too much ' in the dark ' for my liking.


I'll have to start finding out what configuration I want for the seq. It is adaptable afterwards, right?

Thanks again!

Edited June 27, 2015 by v4