I’d like to learn some details about Zynthian’s sequencers. Full-disclosure, I don’t own a Zynthian yet, so these are pre-purchase questions.
My old Kurzweil K2661 has this arrange feature where I can assign
triggered by individual keys on the keyboard. Does Zynthian have a way to trigger entire MIDI sequences with MIDI note input? I guess if anyone here is familiar with how the K2500/K26xx sequencer works, could you tell me how they compare?
How might the Zynthian sequencers compare to a Retro Kits RK 008?
I also like sequencing more complex rhythms & feels, so I’d like there to be a non-step-based option (like a DAW’s linear MIDI recording) with a decently high PPQ (clock resolution). Is the sequencer in Zynthian capable of recording non-quantized material at a decent resolution? Does anyone know what that PPQ is?
Does the MIDI sequencer give you the option to route tracks to play either internal sounds, or pipe MIDI directly to either the USB or the MIDI DIN OUT?
Some of these questions (and more) may be answered in the user documentation on the wiki. There is a specific guide for the sequencer which, although a little out of date, is quite well written.
Yes! You can assign MIDI notes to trigger each sequence. The note-on command acts as a toggle, so the first key press will start the sequence and the next will stop it (if it hasn’t yet finished or is looping).
You can record MIDI live into a sequence and can manually move notes off the quantised beat. There is also some randomisation that can be wound in. The ppqn is configurable up to 24 but I think you are more interested in the ticks per pulse which is 96. IIRC that gives 2304 ticks per quarter note (although I am not convinced of my calculations!). There are a discrete quantity of values for PPQN that are divisable into 96 so the max ticks per quarter note is 96 but default is lower. We are considering improving this but at the moment it seems okay, i.e. the unquantised quantisation resolution is barely discernable.
Yes - kind of. The sequencer can drive external MIDI but the routing is currently global, unlike chains which each have their own audio and MIDI routing. We plan to improve this.
Thanks, @riban. I had read that wiki before, and yes, it’s very helpful, didn’t answer those specific questions.
When triggering sequences, will the sequence start wait until the next measure or beat, or can it be set to start immediately, regardless of beat/timing?
Can the note-on command be set to momentary, so the sequence plays while the note is held and stops when the note is released?
I see you’ve confirmed the max resolution is 96 ticks per beat. I think at 120 BPM, that’s about 5 ms per tick. That’s fine. Maybe at slower tempos one might want to double the tempo to improve resolution
You said, “You can record MIDI live into a sequence”, but it’s not clear if that can be “quantize OFF” or if you just have to set the steps per beat to 96.
If I understand you, all tracks/sequences will route to either USB or MIDI DIN, but not a combination.
Is there a maximum number of sequences that can be assigned to play from MIDI Note triggers? Is it 16?
Surprising! I am sure I put a lot of that in there but it has been edited since I wrote it.
There are various play modes but currently all of them start at the next sync point (start of bar).
No, that is not a currently implemented mode.
There is a menu option to quantize recording. Enabled will quantize to the step. Disabled will quantize to 96 ticks per step.
I think we removed the configuration so now, all sequencer output feeds all physical MIDI outputs. (@jofemodo please validate that - I lost track!)
No, you can assign any sequence to any MIDI note. You cannot assigne the same MIDI note to multiple sequences. Only one external MIDI device can be used to trigger pads and you can choose a single MIDI channel or omni (any MIDI channel). There are device drivers for some MIDI controllers that, when enabled (default is enabled) they trigger pads and give feedback, e.g. many launchers by Novation, Akai, etc.