If I have RB's Sequences, do I also "need" Step Note Recorder?

[antic604]

By now most of us know (and likely bought, like me) Robotic Bean's Sequences player RE and it is awesome, but looking at their previous device - Step Note Recorder 2 - there's many things missing, like the per-note: gate length control, repeats, conditional triggers; or the 2 CV sequences. Not to mention all the CVs on the back! The only 2 things SNR2 doesn't have that are present in Sequences, are the beautiful GUI and 8 separate pattern slots.

My take on the general difference between them is that:
- Sequences is an extension of Reason's main sequencer allowing you to play the programmed sequences, adding functionality of alias/linked clips and (limited) chord track
- Note Step Recorder 2 is like a crazy MIDI LFO, spitting out programmed notes but also encouraging user to modulate all of the parameters with other LFOs, step sequencers, that wacky PSQ device from Panda, etc.

So, in other words, with Sequences you put in the finished idea for a riff or sequence of riffs (8 patterns), then play it mostly as is. Whereas in SNR2 you put in the rough foundation of the idea (the notes) and then get a sequence of usable riffs by manipulating / modulating / automating the device.

Just writing this, I'm getting pretty convinced I really want SNR2 too, but I'd love to hear some feedback from people having both?

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Also, considering we know there's a step sequencer Player coming from Props soon (the "leak" last week), how likely is it that Sequences will eventually get a lot of the things SNR2 has (except the CVs on the back, I guess), but it was released in an "unfinished" state to just get ahead of Props? There's clearly 6 unassigned slots there and Robotic Bean is known for supporting their REs long-term.

[djadalaide]

I've been using Thor's sequencer to sequence the patterns on sequences, but seeing this update i might just use the cv outputs on SNR2 with 4 repeats on each note (to extend the width to match one bar at 1/16th of sequences) .. buying now!

[djadalaide]

Just to let you know, it works well for my use case, i set the resolution to 1/2 then put 4 repeats on every note (could be 1/4 with 8 repeats) and use the curve 1 out to combinator cv in which controls the current sequence.

[antic604]

I've been using Thor's sequencer to sequence the patterns on sequences, but seeing this update i might just use the cv outputs on SNR2 with 4 repeats on each note (to extend the width to match one bar at 1/16th of sequences) .. buying now!

Not sure you're replying to my question. Also, why would you use Thor to trigger Sequences' patterns? You can paint the patterns into sequencer track just like for Matrix, ReDrum or Drum Sequencer; or you can simply automate the changes.

[djadalaide]

Not sure you're replying to my question. Also, why would you use Thor to trigger Sequences' patterns? You can paint the patterns into sequencer track just like for Matrix, ReDrum or Drum Sequencer; or you can simply automate the changes.

Sorry, i thought you were interested in these devices for the live aspects of them.

I would say, as a note sequencer.. being able to set note lengths per note makes it more interesting than sequences but as you say that could come later. Also, being able to save a sequence on the device makes it a lot more useful.


I'm completely bypassing the need of using the sequencer altogether.

I'm replacing my ableton workflow in reason, i'm going completely modular and live.

I can reuse the combinators with the sequences already there between songs and adjust them if needs be, and have different versions. Call it being able to pick-and-mix everything.

Just to note, you have to set the pattern changes behind by about 15 ticks at a 256 buffer size if you don't want glitches when changing patterns.

[buddard]

So, in other words, with Sequences you put in the finished idea for a riff or sequence of riffs (8 patterns), then play it mostly as is. Whereas in SNR2 you put in the rough foundation of the idea (the notes) and then get a sequence of usable riffs by manipulating / modulating / automating the device.

Yes, that is pretty much the difference between the two devices in a nutshell!

For Step, we knew that we would never be able to implement multiple patterns, so the goal of many of those features was to get as much variation as possible from that single pattern.

Also, considering we know there's a step sequencer Player coming from Props soon (the "leak" last week), how likely is it that Sequences will eventually get a lot of the things SNR2 has (except the CVs on the back, I guess), but it was released in an "unfinished" state to just get ahead of Props? There's clearly 6 unassigned slots there and Robotic Bean is known for supporting their REs long-term.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Sequences is an unfinished product (or we wouldn't have released it), but we knew that we would want to expand it if it became a hit, of course.

If you look back at how Step Note Recorder was released way back, we did it in a very similar way. This is what Step 1.0 looked like:

Step_Front_Panel.png (94.11 KiB) Viewed 497 times

And here's 2.0:

Step_2_Front_Panel.png (124.03 KiB) Viewed 497 times

We were and still are a small company with limited resources, and the more development time we spend on a single product, the higher the risk for us. If we'd spent 6 months on Sequences only for it to flop, it would have been pretty disastrous for us.
Now that we know that the product is a hit, we can safely invest more time into adding more features to it -- With the added bonus that we have a better idea of how our customers want to use it, we get new feedback along the way, etc, and we can hopefully attract more customers as well!

[antic604]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Sequences is an unfinished product (or we wouldn't have released it), but we knew that we would want to expand it if it became a hit, of course.

Sorry, my intention wasn't to make it sound negative.
I just see there's - quite apparent - room for further development, to make it EVEN better

[PhillipOrdonez]

Would be nice to have conditional triggers on sequences as well.

[antic604]

Would be nice to have conditional triggers on sequences as well.

And repeats. And 2x CV/curves