I know next to nothing about MIDI, sequencers, etc. But there’s got to be an entry to mid-level unit or two that we could save, dub, & play loops with our LPs. It could even be nice to have a unit that would feed the LP’s input jack &/or MIDI I/O to layer walls of sound.
Do you guys have any recommendations which units may be applicable & where I can start educating myself so that I’d know what is possible?
TIA 
Unfortunately it’s difficult to find a good dedicated hardware sequencer that is not only rediculously expensive but is also lumped with a tone generator /sampler as with Korg, Roland, and Akai grooveboxes. Everything has gone computer, and there are tons of free sequencers for computers.
The cheapest dedicated hardware sequencer I know of is the MFB Step64. You can pre-order at Nova Musik or Analogue Haven for $299 or you can try to find it overseas. It has 64 steps which can be split into 4 parts of 16 steps each. It can send midi out, but also has one CV out.
I’ve heard good about the Future Retro Mobius:
You can pickup a used Yamaha RM1X for about $250 - 300. It’s quite good, but you can’t change individual steps’ pitch on the fly. You can change the whole sequence’s pitch on the fly, however. It has step and grid sequencing as well as real time sequencing. You can have 16 tracks as well as about 16 sequences you can switch to while running. It has some ok sound modules as well.
There’s also software choices like Ableton Live.
I’ve used the MFB-602 which has midi, din sync, and cv/gate.
i agree with this recommendation, as i’ve been using one with my LP for a while now with great success.
some pointers if you get one though:
The gate output is 12v, this is too much voltage, and the LP will not respond to it (or not respond to it properly if you try and send -12v). You will need something that can attenuate the signal to +5. Hello CP-251!
Due to a DC biasing issue, when you hook up the cv pitch voltage jack to the LP, the LP will transpose everything up approximately one semitone. You can either transpose the key on the LP kb down a half-step, or use the offset on a cv mixer (cp-251 to rescue again here) to get the pitches between when you press a key on the LP and when the sequencer plays the same note (toggle between the two with the cv mixer’s output jack).
you’ll probably need to calibrate the mobius’s cv output voltage. i had to do this to get things to scale properly.
I would love for Moog to produce a sequencer/arpeggiator for the LP, in the same style.
It could be MIDI controlled and output both CV/Gate and MIDI. Of course you should be able to
use it with any instrument, but let’s hope it had the same LP styling, along with a track memory
and so on!
rachel
I just saw an ad for a new Akai MPC 500. I think they want $500-600 for it. Which is only 1/4 of what MPCs cost only a few years ago.
In my 15 year MIDI using experience, MPCs are the best all around hardware MIDI sequencers. They are multi-track, easy to use, and have plenty of memory.
Most of the “analog style” MIDI sequencers I’ve seen have cumbersome interfaces and only half the features you will get on an MPC. They typically only have the superficial pretences of an analog seq and seem to me better described as over-priced, underfeatured digitals. You can step-sequence and note repeat on an MPC just as easily, I think. Plus you get a full sampler and a good multi-effects processor on MPC.
No CV on MPC–but you can output to a MIDI/CV box if you need CV.
synthpimp: what are your feelings about the mfb-602? i know they are still on sale, how do you think it compares to the newer step64?
Hey CTRLSHFT, I think I’ve finally decided on the Mobius with a CP-251! Where do I connect the V/Oct & Gate outputs & what are your settings for the Gate Type on the sequencer & the settings on the CP-251? I have some questions in to AnalogueHaven as I’m still unclear on a few things.
Thanks man.
Here’s a cool vid of the MFB Step 64 being used to sequence a Mini;
That is really something I wish for in a future OS update. A built in sequencer/arpeggiator would help me a lot.
I’m going to pick up the Mobius to sequence my SH 101 and am also curious about how it will get along with the Phatty.
As you can sequence from the Mobius to the Phatty through standard midi, what are you using the gate output for?