Sequencer on the Radikal Spectralis

what can people tell me about this unit? Specificaly, does it offer any possibilities that the seq on my MPC1k does not offer? How would it compare to something dedicated, like the p3?

Thanks,

-t

I'd say that it sits between those 2. The MPC's strength is the timing and the easy workflow. It's easy to overdub stuff and compose with the sequencer running. At the moment the spectralis doesn't have overdub yet but it has a realtime recording mode. The overdub will be implemented in the next OS.

Besides this sequencing mode it also offers a step sequencer with 32 lines. These can be assigned to anything inside the spectralis engine (sampling engine, hybrid synth, filterbank bands, etc) and any external midi parameter (notes or CC#s)

Each line can have independent length and resolution, and can be read in different ways. fwd, rev, pendulum and random, and there will also be a mute menu for teh sequences which I think will be great.

Each step can have a probability function associated to it which is cool to make semi random sequences. From what I understand it's far from the P3's aux event functions but it's still capable of some crazy sequences.

I'd say that when the overdub recording is setup teh spectralis wil offer great part of the MPCs sequencing power (won't have the MPC's editing possibilities though) and some of the P3's functionality in what concerns "simple" sequences

The sequencer on the Spectralis has come a long way and is now pretty powerful. However it is not in the same league with the p3 if you appreciate the more advanced features of the p3 (download the manual and read, say, the section on auxialliary events).

One arbitrary example - for note events, the Spectralis now allows you to choose the probability that the note will be triggered. Can't remember which they are, but I think the choices are something like, 100%, 88%, 75%, 66%, etc - about 10 of them or so. The p3 allows you to choose probabilities continuously from 0 to 100%, to modulate these numbers, to direct them to any kind of event, to manipulate them using accumulators, and to direct them to other tracks.

However - it looks like the current p3 is being discontinued - I'm not sure that any more orders are being taken.

Daaaamn, it's good to be a MIDIot. I didn't know the Spectralis rocks rudimentary alea-sequencing.

hm...this is starting to look very tempting indeed.

My one fear with something like the P3 is that I *know* I wont get into using those very deep advanced features, its just not my way..

everything on the spectralis, however, sounds like I would have a use for it - particularly for driving the PEK and Andromeda. Plus, its got its own nifty synth thing going..

Yes - very rudimentary, and it doesn't look like there is much room to extend it. It's a great feature though. I wish the mm had it. As far as I know, the only hardware sequencers that allow the probability of events are the p3 and the Spectralis.

If you are not inclined to use these kind of features, I think that it would be silly to spend that much money on a p3. The Spectralis is an excellent choice for both driving external midi devices and itself - you can, as of the last update, now send external midi notes and controller events. there are 32 tracks of data which you can assign to a wide variety of parameters within the Spectralis, or to an external midi channel. In a way, I think that it's main competition for these kind of features is the monomachine, which is very different in sound and aesthetic, but extremely pleasing in its own right.

Aye - I have to use the Atari when I want that kind of thing {or Sequitur}.

I can't control the probability of notes-on with the Mono, but I have achieved a lesser effect with LFOs and the extra three oscillators in the SuperWave ensemble - that, with judicious arpeggiation, can sound pretty cool.

It's fun to combine internal sequencing tracks on the mm, with tracks that are entirely, or partically sequenced by the p3. I did find some awkwardness trying to record parameter locks on a track simultaneously while that track is receiving note ons from an external source. May just have been doing it incorrectly though...