OUTBOARD SEQUENCERS

“LET GO A LITTLE AND SEE WHAT YOUR HARDWARE SPITS OUT”

Many synths, even modular or semimodular, come equipped with built-in sequencers. This is great but don’t feel you’re restricted to that alone. You can use combinations too. We often use the Keystep Pro to sequence a Mother-32. Not only does it mean we’re using keys but it’s way easier to sync up other tracks, with its four-channel abilities. The fact that it has a drum sequencer too makes it my go-to for many patches.

>Sometimes it isn’t all about individual note choice, or plotting things out step by step. It can often be inspiring to give your gear the opportunity to shine and possibly spark some unplanned magic. While sequencing step by step can be a very fulfilling passtime, why not let go of the reins a little now and then and see what your hardware spits out. Many synths have a sample-and-hold function that can be used for various things but here we suggest it as a pitch modulation. You can still sync it to the clock, so you remain rhythmic; just relinquish note-choice control and see what happens. Often you’ll get something retro-sounding in a good way, that may spark an idea. There are as many methods for doing this as there are synths that support it, so we won’t spend too much time going over it. You could start simply, by making an LFO modulate the pitch of an oscillator, then set that LFO’s waveshape to sample and hold. In some cases that might be done with noise, or a separate sample-and-hold function but the premise is the same and the results will be very similar. If you have a quantiser you can gain a further level of control and make it stay within musical scales.

Get into the habit of using a consistent master clock. That way, no matter what devices you use for sequencing, arpeggiating or otherwise, it will all be in time with each other. Sounds obvious but worth remembering.