Hello to all,

I am planning to using this hardware TR sequencer - Europa - made by Analogue Solutions with a SP-404SX. It has also swing and is very easy to use it, but...

1) I heard here on a forum that SP-404SX has the samplings on 2 midi channels. How many of them are on the first one, cause I think this new sequencer cant sent on 2 channels in the same time? I don't have an Sp-404SX bought yet but I think I'll have it soon.

2) If I want to load other set of 10 banks I have to change the card? Or Can I load it from the same card without restart? I ask these because I want not to stop the sequencers in my live session and not to have a silent moment...

3) Can you try something please for me (owners of the SP-404 and of other groovebox): I want my MC-909 to be the master (or other groovebox) and SP-404 to be slaved to it with midi clock (in pattern mode). If I want to stop the SP while the MC is running, then swap the cards and restart the SP with the midi sync option, do you think after restart the SP will follow the midi sync of the MC even if I didn't stopped/played my MC-909? Do you think there is any solution for me if this is not possible?

Thanks a lot

PS: Also here you have some vids with the Europa sequencer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TywnYgaA_3c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z17YEUc6FKM

Hi!


I checked their website... now I want one too! I always lusted for a sequencer like this - still it's too costy. 500 pounds sterling BEFORE tax...
makes round about 680 Euro, or for our overseas friends, 939 US$. Yikes! Now I don't want one anymore.

The SP-404SX has five banks on each midi channel, banks A-E on the first one, banks F-J on the second one, respectively. That sequencer has 17 tracks, each for which you can set the midi output channel. Read the manual on their website!

On the SP-404SX you can make twelve "backups" on a single card, if the available space on the card allows it. A "backup" is a complete state of the machine including all samples on all banks, and all patterns. And yes, you can save and load backups without restarting the 404. During save/load there will be no pattern playback, infact no sound output at all from the 404.


Will try on weekend. All I can say now is: after you stopped the 404's sequencer manually (if that's possible in midi slave mode), and start playback again, there are two possibilities:
1) It won't start manually. It wants a midi start message. OR
2) It will start, and be on tempo, but off sync. It'll start whenever you push the pattern pad. Again, it's missing a start message.
But anyways on friday I'll try this. I'm interested too.

Thanks a lot Lonestar!

1) I know is costly but is that kind of hardware that has no match in the market, for me its very good, especially live when most of the cases you are getting payed so is like an investment..

Yes, you are right about the midi channels, this is good

2 & 3) So if I'll buy the SP-404SX I will don't need to swap cards cause it has 32 GB and this will be enough for the 12 backups (12x10x12 samples...), but a question still remains, when the new backup is loading the midi clock will be lost regarding the master tempo or just the outputs are off? And how long takes to load a backup? Do you have the 404 or the 404SX? Can you try this also when you'll make the test? Thanks

ps: you were so kind to reply me so I'll ask you other thing if you don't mind.. did you used a long groove sample (2-3 minutes) in a pattern to see if the tempo is lost when the sample start all over again? I ask you this cause I would like also to have 6 minutes tracks split in 2 samples (because of the 99 limit) without glitches between the samples.

Thanks a lot

For that price it seems like you could find a lot of solutions for doing what you want, a sequencer to trigger samples with swing. What else does the eruopa do that I wouldn't be able to do with an MPC? or a netbook+usb controller/midi interface? Dang you usually get payed to play live? That's only happened to me like twice

MPC don't have step sequencer with a clear visual interface

I will never never never use a computer/controller/sound card on stage!!! Hardware is the way to go for me

I am always payed when I play live that is why this is an investment for me

This hardware does have lots of competition!

Check out the RM1X, RS7000, E-Mu command station for much more powerful and cheaper sequencers..

Also if money is no object, there are much more powerful samplers than the SP-404sx

Money are important also, but very important for me is the size of the live gear. And SP-404SX has no loading time for the sampling comparing with other samplers on the market and bigger memory.

Can a TR-707 not do this? I just got one in december and I'm looking through the manual now, it says it can control other instruments and that each of the instruments can be assigned to any key. the 707 is cheaper than the europa (got mine on ebay for $200 shipped), and a classic!

It is expensive but I'd love a matrix step sequencer. You can enter beats step fashion on cheaper things, but you don't get the beats laid out so clearly or have the freedom to add/delete beats on the fly ahead of the sequence. I've seen the Jazz-Mutant Lemur touch screen working step programming and that's even more expensive.

Jim

TR-707 has that awesome matrix screen that shows where all the drum hits in the sequence are for all the instruments though, the eruopa can only show the currently selected track/instrument...

actually all those things are pretty standard functions on many sequencers

I didn't think so - not with dedicated buttons per beat. Maybe I'm not clear, but my point is that I want to edit beats while the sequence is running and at any time without a new entry sounding until the sequence reaches that beat, and to delete any time before the sequence reaches a beat. Even if you have a grid display, this isn't possible without a button or key for every beat in the grid (or a touch screen over the grid). I look at things like the Ableton live controllers, which seem pretty cheap and think if they had 16x8 grid instead of 8x8, what a useful real-time beat sequencer it could make.

Anyway - hear's the ideal....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O70FrnH2JU

Can the Electribe do this? I had considered one but the obsolete SmartMedia card has put me off.

Jim

It's commonly called "TR-style sequencing", as on the all-famous TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines. 16th resolution, a button with LED for every step, instrument/drum selector and done. And yes, the Electribes work exactly that way.

Surely you all know this one:

Perhaps THE most well-known classic drum machine there is.

electribes,
rm1x,
rs7000
command station,
probly heaps more but those are the main ones

Ah now the 808, that was a real drum machine. Tweak knobs for the voices too. Nothing like that on Rolands/Boss current machines.

Speaking of step sequencing - are there any good sources of visual rhythm programs? I've a feeling there are a couple of old midi books that have them. The cheezy old rhythms like bossa-nova can be fun to mess with.

Jim