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Connect any type of device and control it freely
The SQ-1 is a compact step sequencer with 2 x 8 steps. It's wealth of connection jacks allows it to be connected to the MS-20 and a variety of other synthesizers. Vintage analog synths or the latest compact synths can be controlled from this single unit. You can also switch between a variety of synthesizer modes and use the step buttons to create performances overflowing with spontaneity, just as when using a volca unit.
Sturdy and compact body, with battery operation
Packed with carefully selected functionality, the SQ-1 features a compact and very sturdy sheet-metal body. Placed beside the MS-20 series, you'll notice a sense of solidity that gives the impression they were manufactured in the same era. The unit can operate on two AA batteries or on USB bus power.Sequence step resolution is selectable as quarter notes, eighth notes, or 16th notes. You can specify the way in which the step knobs control the pitch.
Ideal hardware sequencer
As a connector, the SQ-1 provides two CV/GATE OUT channels, the standard MIDI OUT and USB MIDI, littleBits out (to connect to the littleBits synth kit by littleBits Electronics Inc.), plus the SYNC IN/OUT channel that allows you to connect to the volca series and monotribe. Compact and complete with all the functions you need, the SQ-1 is the ideal hardware sequencer.
Connect and control the MS-20 and many other types of equipment
Rather than the commonly used V/Oct standard, the CV design of the MS-20 always used the Hz/V standard that provides excellent pitch stability limiting the step sequencers that are able to correctly control the MS-20. As a descendant of the SQ-10, the SQ-1 supports the Hz/V standard, enabling it to control the MS-20 or MS-20 mini. The V/Oct standard is also supported, and the voltage level of the CV output and polarity of the GATE output can be specified as appropriate for the connected device.
Versatile sequencer modes
The SQ-1 provides two channels (A and B) of 8-step sequencer that can operate consecutively, or be used in a variety of other modes. For example, you can run A and B following each other to function as a 16-step sequencer, ignore the order and make the steps play randomly, or use A and B to control different parameters as they run in parallel. From simple sequences to complex changes, you can choose from a variety of modes to suit your needs.
Bruce Baker
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2025
What a flexible little sequencer this is. It's very easy to create note information in controlled voltage/gate, outputting on one or two channels simultaneously plus outputting digital data via midi and USB. Sequences can be altered or edited on the fly. The construction is robust, tidy and very usable. Certainly good value for the money.
nickademusss
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2025
its 1/3rd the price of a comparable eurorack sequencer, and its portable, and very good working. Ad a little delay to the mix and its a magical piece of gear!
ValentínMX
Reviewed in Mexico on September 16, 2024
Simplemente conecta, asegúrate de que tus canales MIDI están correctos y en menos de 5 minutos estarás disfrutando. Lo más divertido no es programarlo, es tocarlo en vivo.
sine wave
Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2021
Unit seems Great , It would be Nice If It had a power jack Input so it's not dependant on battery power, sturdy - and has Great features
Max Strobist
Reviewed in Italy on April 19, 2021
Incredibilmente versatile e multiforme, si presta bene all'uso improvvisativo grazie alla possibilità di includere/escludere gli step in corsa e variare la lunghezza delle due sequenze A-B in modo indipendente. La scelta del range di tensione in uscita e della polarità del trigger, indipendenti per i due canali A-B, aggiunge ulteriore versatilità e permette di interagire anche con i synth KORG più vecchi (MS10, MS20, MS50) senza troppa difficoltà. Il basso costo del prodotto comporta qualche piccolo disagio: mancanza di un alimentatore di serie, reset immediato della sequenza quando si ruota il selettore del modo di scansione, imprecisione dei livelli di tensione tra una sessione e la successiva, mancata memorizzazione dello stato acceso/spento degli step. A parte ciò, resta uno strumento "live" facile da usare e mai noioso.
KR
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2020
This little box is a great value and fills an important need for anyone looking for a hardware sequencer. I have mine paired with a Moog Sub Phatty. It's built like a tank - the metal box is compact and extremely sturdy, and the selector switch, knobs, jacks and buttons are all tight. Select from various pattern step directions, turn individual notes on and off, and select the pitch for each step with the knobs over 1 to 3 octaves. You can select pitch in C Major or C minor scales, chromatically or in "linear mode," which is cool for microtonal pieces. It can output 2 discrete sequences of 8 notes long, through 2 different CV or midi channels, or a single 16 note sequence; genius! The nature of having to dial-in your note without seeing what the note is, along with modes that produce poly rhythmic sequences with Volcas and other gear, makes it a very creative tool, lending itself to lots of exploring and happy accidents.Minor gripes/suggestions: while the "hunt for the right note" process lends itself to creativity, a single display that showed the note value as you turned each knob would have been helpful and a time saver; especially important if you are making a sequence in chromatic mode and in a different scale/key as the defaults. A tempo divider, like the Volca keys (1/2, 1/4) would have given the SQ-1 some additional versatility. While the SQ-1 is well-built, it's shape is high and a bit awkward with my other gear. I understand their is a lot of extra space inside, and would have preferred it to be 3/4" thinner or in a format similar to the Volca series. I would have paid a little more for these extras, but as it stands, the SQ-1 has to be a unique and essential piece of any hardware synth setup.
Julio
Reviewed in Spain on October 2, 2020
interesante para creat secuencias analogicas
brh
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2017
I have two of these SQ-1s now, and potentially see more of them in my future. They're affordable, simple, hands-on sequencers that afford quite a bit of flexibility in a small package. The small package is a blessing and a curse, I suppose - the patch panel can be a little cramped, and the knobs are tiny. I have itty little fingers, so the knob size doesn't exactly bother me, but visualizing the rotation of a given knob is quite difficult. The rubber on/off buttons could stand to be a bit more tactile as well, but they are pretty mashable. Row B is obviously easier to get to, and thus better suited for things that one may wish to change on-the-fly.The sequencer runs in a few different modes. You can do some random step selection and some back-and-forth stuff, but the primary modes in my opinion are: two sequences of 1-8 steps, one sequence of 9-16 steps, or one sequence of 1-8 steps with either variable duty cycle or variable slide. Voltage settings (1, 2, 5, or 8 lin) and quantizing (off, minor, major, chromatic) are set on a per-sequence basis, so you can (for example) feed an MS-20 mini w/ an 8v quantized melody sequence while also controlling a linear 5v clock multiplier.Sync in/out works flawlessly between units, and integrates well enough with other equipment also. Sync out is 5v, and while the manual does not seem to specify what sync in needs, I would guess it expects 5v as well, and I have had to amplify LFOs and such to get a reliable sync. I have not and likely will not use these boxes for MIDI, so cannot comment there.There are only a few global settings that require a cheat sheet, everything one would need to know for actual sequencing/performance is very clearly labeled on the panel. This makes the whole thing very easy to use, and very immediate feeling. While the knobs are knobs and are obviously not reset on power-down, the on/off states of the buttons in their various modes is not saved, which can be a minor inconvenience. Sequence settings (Voltage/quantization) are saved.All in all, I love these little sequencers. I have thought about tossing a Ryo Penta or something in my rack, but for the cost of a cheap 'extra' sequencer, I can ultimately just keep adding SQ-1s. The cost of these little boxes truly belies their utility.
Providential
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2016
Great for the price. This is really a "beginner" sequencer, designed for people who are absolutely new to the field and just want something small that works. For that purpose, and because of the price, you can't beat it.What you get:-8-step sequencer, with two notes per step, and one knob to adjust pitch/voltage per note. You can flip the switch to get 16 notes, or a variety of other modes.-Simple ins and outs. You have a gate in and a gate out, midi in or midi out, USB midi, CV in or out, all the big hitters are here. The SQ-1 will connect to just about anything.-Plug-and-play. There's no fiddly setup, unless you need to tune your output voltages precisely (and that always requires calibration, nothing new here)What you don't get:-Analogue midi in and out together. The device will do either MIDI in or out with no questions asked, but to do both at once or even use USB-in with MIDI out poses limitations. Read up before you buy this, if that's a concern.-Not a lot of choice for how the device steps. Sure you can go wraparound left-to-right or bounce left-to-right-to-left, or do random or sequential modes, but that's about it. You can't readily make the device trigger into the third step, for instance. Anything you do to start or stop modes starts from step one, no matter what you're doing. For a beginning that's fine, but for audio professionals little quirks like this could be a killer.-You don't get a 9V battery. You need really 9V to help drive a 5V output signal, so this seems like a glaring omission for a lot of users.Overall, what I wanted this unit for is to drive either a Moog Werkstatt using 5V control voltage, or to interface with LittleBits. This device does both in a way that will keep me happy for a long time to come. Sure it has limitations, but for the price, it's gold.
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