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MIDIbox SEQ V316 Track Live Step and Morph Sequencer + advanced ArpeggiatorCreated 2003-2007 NOTE: This design is expired! In 2009 MIDIbox SEQ V4 has been developed which replaced the old version. See this page for more details.
MBSEQ V3 is the third generation of the MIDIbox sequencer project. It started as a primitive extension of MIDIbox 64, which allowed to play four tracks controlled from 64 analog pots. Highlight was the arpeggiator mode with an uncommon definition of an "Arp Event", which is still one of the main features of MIDIbox SEQ today. With MIDIbox SEQ V2 the project advanced as a separate application, based on MIOS and the PIC18F452 microcontroller, enhanced by a new user interface with two 2x40 LCDs and rotary encoders instead of pots. During the development I had to fight against a lot of limitations of the PIC18F452, accordingly the feature set was limited, incomplete, not always fully functional. MIDIbox SEQ V3 is the reincarnation of the project, based on the bigger PIC18F4620 microcontroller which is hardware compatible to the PIC18F452. This chip contains more code memory (64k instead of 32k) and more RAM (3986 instead of 1536 bytes). Accordingly it allowed me to implement the MIDIbox SEQ application almost free from hardware restrictions, and to enhance it by features I was not able to realize in previous versions. During the last years I got a lot of inspirations and feature requests from MIDIbox users, which went into the firmware. Although I wasn't able to realize all recommendations, e.g. due to the resulting implementation effort (I'm a sparetime programmer!) or conceptional mismatches (it's really difficult to fully understand and combine everbody's wishes), I want to explicitly mention, that MIDIbox SEQ V3 wouldn't be where it is today without your input! Thank you! :-)
Each track consists of 3 parameter layers. In the simple case, a layer controls Note, Velocity and Gatelength. But there are also other combinations selectable like: The layer which is displayed on the LCDs, and which can be modified with the rotary encoders, can be selected with the layer buttons Trigger functions like Gate/Skip/Accent/Glide/Roll/Random are also accessible in 3 "trigger layers" Notes can be played as "Arpeggio". "Arp Events" are realized in a special way which might sound unusual, but which is very powerful: up to 4 notes can be played on a keyboard. Each step can pick up one of this played note, and transpose it. There are functions available to randomize the played notes/CCs A track consists of 32 steps with a resolution of 64th note to 1 quarter note, triggerable with a resolution rate of 96 ppqn. Steps can be looped, and the progression can be controlled with an algorithm which consists of a "Step Forward", "Jump Back" and "Repeat" parameter. A pattern consists of 4 tracks, the tracks can be optionally chained to enhance the track length to 128 steps. This makes especially sense for 32th and 64th notes, but also for melody lines. Next to this pattern, you can create a second one which contains a variation. With the modulation Wheel it is possible to morph between these two patterns with a resolution of 128 steps 4 patterns can be played concurrently (small side calculation: since each track can play up to 4 events, and a pattern consists of 4 tracks, up to 64 MIDI events can be played in parallel!) The 4 patterns can be combined to pattern sets, which can be triggered with a single button to build up a song parts interactively ("Phrase Mode"). Additionally, pattern sets can be chained and looped in Song mode. Switching between the pattern sets works immediately, or synchronized to the measure With the mixer maps it's possible to prepare sound setups for your synths (independent on the MIDI port to which they are connected), and to control sound parameters while patterns are playing. The MIDI router allows to forward MIDI events from the MIDI In port to the MIDI Out port of your synths, so that you don't need to re-connect the MIDI cables if the synths should be played from another source (e.g. from another MIDI sequencer or from a MIDI keyboard). Tracks can be muted and solo'ed to build up a phrase. But the most important: everything is editable in realtime, the sequencer will response immediately and it is possible to optimize sequences w/o jostling the computer mouse over the table - this is the big difference compared to Mac/PC based sequencers!
During the development phase of MIDIbox SEQ V3 I created some videos to demonstrate the new possibilities to the community. I think that they give a nice impression about what you can expect from the project, but please note: my musical skills are limited! I'm more a slave of my algorithms than an artist! ;-)
More demo samples are available in the User Manual.
NOTE: This design is expired! In 2009 MIDIbox SEQ V4 has been developed which replaced the old version. See this page for more details. Last update: 2024-05-08 Copyright © 1998-2023, Thorsten Klose. All rights reserved. |
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Feature list of MIDIbox SEQ V3: