Sequencer from hell - alternatives?

[endust]

Hey folks,

Ok so I wont mince words here. I absolutely hate the sequencer on the JD-XA with it's limited functionality. It's also extremely frustrating to use and somewhat buggy.

So I've been looking for an external sequencer and would love some recommendations. Right now looking at an MPC1000 or RM1x. Anyone have experience with these? Maybe even using them with the JD-XA?

Also does Roland make any new external sequencers?

Thanks a bunch.

[goldphinga]

Could you be more specific? What's not working for you sequencer-wise?

[blewis_13]

For one I have found that when the JDXA is slaved to clock, it sometimes emits random noises or notes from the patch when it starts via MIDI start command - even on a Program with NO NOTES in the sequencer! What?

I have to hit play, then stop, then I can hit play on my external sequencer (Tempest) to avoid the embarrassing notes.

Does not compute.

[endust]

Could you be more specific? What's not working for you sequencer-wise?

Well primarily that you can't create songs with it / pattern chaining like the Xi. It's just a very rudimentary 4 bar pattern sequencer as many have already pointed out... and seeing as it's unlikely at this point that they'll update it, I figure I'll just go with an external sequencer, and hope it plays nice.

Also, there's a lot of annoying quirks like for instance if I turn quantize off it locks the real-time record menu - I can't scroll through it to say, turn click off. So I have to scroll past quantize option to turn click off first and then scroll back through menu to turn quantize off and If I erase a track I have to do it all over again. It's just not nice to work with for a modern interface.

[goldphinga]

The more people that mention these things to Roland, the more chance of an update. I believe they are listening, in fact I know they are.

I asked about the longer pattern thing and was told it's due to memory/processor constraints but it wasn't a firm no. But also using different scales and tempos you can fake 8 bars anyway, just have to be a bit creative. Also, I make different versions of the same pattern, record that into Logic and arrange there though it would be great to be able to do this onboard. Also I use MasterKeySft parameter to transpose sequences and record the transposed version down to Logic too. I've worked out how to get around most of the XA's limitations, there's a few important things to add and a few bugs to address but I think they will get sorted in the main. Lets keep applying the pressure, send thoughts to Roland customer service, call them up and speak with someone, but dont let these things slide, they are important.

[blewis_13]

What's the best way to file bugs with Roland on the JD-XA?

I see a couple of people mentioning "song mode" for the sequencer. If it were at all possible, I think an implementation like the Pro2's Cue List would be very reasonable. Basically you have to manually select which Program will be cued up next at the top of the sequence. It's very reasonable and requires no memory for a playlist or song, but it does require the processor be able to load up the parameters for all 8 parts. The Pro2 has the advantage of only having to load a single part per sequence shift.

That feature was never there on the JD-XA of course, but there's all kind of rhythmic badness that happens with this sequencer around program changes. Right down the the dedicated click output losing sync when a program change is made.

I'd like to send Roland a video of my JD-XA emitting a siren sound when receiving MIDI start.

Also, the Pro2 implements a Slave clocking mode where the synth doesn't respond to MIDI start/stop. That way you can sync delays without having to worry about the sequencer starting/stoping.

Oh, and the BIGGEST thing for me is trigger modes and transposing. Why can't I start the sequencer on the JD-XA by triggering it with a key press? Why can the sequencer transpose the notes? What is the limitation here? Have the designers thought that if you want to transpose you're supposed to use the programmable ARP? Well then, if that's the case, the programmable arp needs more that 1/2 a page of documentation!

I may also have horrible timing, but I think the Play button's response timing is bad and I HATE how I can't retrigger the timing by hitting Play again - like on my Tempest. Being able to quickly re-sync the pattern with a live band is a big deal and having to hit Play once to start it, hit Play again to stop it, and then hit Play again to start it back up means I just can't use it to interact with external sequences AT ALL. Trigger by key press helps immensely with this.

It's a weird sequencer. It's _VERY_ powerful. All the stuff it can record and manager is quite amazing! But how can it be so powerful and so limited at the same time is very disappointing.

Given these limitations, I've been forced to use my Tempest to sequence the JD-XA. The Tempest has only a single MIDI track with no parameter locks. So it is, once again, incongruent that I have to use a very simple MIDI sequencer to get around glaring bugs and limitations of a really powerful MIDI sequencer.

[blewis_13]

I've just realized I'm becoming one of those JD-XA guys who can write an entire screen for each response. Oh dear! :-)

[OneOfManyPauls]

So I've been looking for an external sequencer and would love some recommendations.

Worth taking a look at the squarp pyramid - www.squarp.net. It has an extensive feature-set and Squarp are constantly listening to owners and adding new features.

It has 64 tracks, with each track being able to be assigned to any port (midi A, midi B, usb midi, cv), and any midi channel. Tracks can be up to 384 bars long, recording notes and midi CCs (which can be entered p-lock style, drawn in with the touchpad, recorded via the 5 built in soft encoders etc. it has a piano-roll style note editor.

the sequencing is based around track mutes - so the 32 "sequences" are actually track mute states. these "sequences" can be chained together. tracks can also be live muted/unmuted even when a "sequence" is playing.

it also has midi effects built in eg scale, delay, randmization, chance etc.

[FirstAxis]

I used an MPC500. It has some quantize features, so for real-time recording it works fine. One issue is that you have to set all the parts of a program that play together to receive notes on a single MIDI channel. Step recording ( at least an easy mode for step recording ) is not available ( maybe this is different on the MPC 1000 ). Another issue was that making corrections to the recorded notes was difficult. Overall the interface was a bit cumbersome, so discontinued using it.

Tried recently sequencing with the iPad using apps such as Auxy and modstep. Both have piano rolls so its rather easy to correct notes. Again, you have to set all parts that are supposed to play together to listen to a single MIDI channel. Again, as far as I could tell, there are no step sequencing features here.

I have other external gear that I control from the JD-XA. If by accident I leave the MIDI-through as active in the external sequencer and then play the MIDI channels assigned to the JD-XA I get some feedback loops :-/. So thats my biggest issue about using an external sequencer: it feels like an unnecessary and overcomplicated middle-man between the JD-XA and the other gear.

I really like the immediacy of the JD-XA onboard sequencer as well as the step sequencing capabilities and wished Roland could incorporate pattern chaining like on the TR8 and TB3. That would immediately address the limited number of steps as well as the lack of a 'song' mode.