Ok, catchy headline here is the story. I was evaluating this and had decided to return it, but the day I was about to, I spilled my coffee over it, so.. yeah I couldn't return it anymore. (still works fine though, no sugar coffee).
So I forced myself to make use of it somehow and learn its quirks since I don't like having hardware sitting around doing nothing.
Long story short, I end up liking it more because I forced myself into exploiting its strengths and avoiding its weaknesses. (there is something to be said here about any tool)
- I initially bought it because I wanted an ableton-like pattern launching which this has. Only 3 other options in the market having that as far as I know and they cost a lot more. That part works quite well, albeit new patterns initialize at 16 steps which is a bummer, so I pre-initialize all patterns in an empty project I copy-paste around at 64. Wish there was an alternative option for that.
- Recording notes played on a keyboard works well without force quanitzation, thus it can have more than 4 bars at slow speeds, albeit no pitch/mod or any other automation can be recorded which is a bummer too. Wish it was possible to record even just 2 such things.
- I made an Ableton custom script (followed tutorials online) to use it as a controller for Ableton as well. Clip launching, track mute/solo/rec, play/stop/rec, track volume, and a small drum pad grid. There are many pads on this to make a layout I liked.
- I am not a person that enters notes into a sequencer one by one but rather plays them in a keyboard (except for drums), so all the features of doing so and editing melodic notes in a per step way, I have no use for and I find them cumbersome here as in most sequencers anyway.
- Most of the "performance" features here (reverse, bounce, random, fill notes, etc) I personaly have no use for and even if I did, I find them a bit cumbersome to use on the SQ64 due to jumping around different modes, so I don't use them.
Bottom line:
- For my dawless setup this is permanently in the "Patterns" mode to record new patterns with a midi keyboard and launch patterns in ableton-like fashion to make an arrangement on the fly ala live-looping style (but there is a quirk with the pattern lenghts in that).
- For my daw setup with ableton it is permantely in the "Control" mode as a daw controller able to do most things I want a controller to do (only possible after making my own custom script for ableton though).
For these things it works well and it might do for you too. I wouldn't use it for its other features or modes though, namely 1) entering notes per step (except maybe for drums), and 2) its "performance" features.
Build quiality is very good. It's compact and the cv outs are worth mentioning too (even though I just use midi).
Wishlist (just in case someone at Korg reads this and this piece of hardware is not dead to them; hope not):
- It would be awesome if while in "Patterns" mode, it was possible to mute/umute tracks (not possible now), as well as quickly change the patterns length and speed before launching them. Right now you have to launch the pattern first, then enter another mode (Gate), select the track to change the length, and finally return back to "patterns" mode, which is too much buttons for a live performance scenario. I mean, we could just hold down the pattern and move a knob to do this or something similar.
- Also while in "Patterns" mode, it would be awesome if the the rightmost 4x4 grid was possible to be drum pads (essentially customized midi notes and cc). Who needs 16 patterns per track in one project anyway..
- To be honest I have more wishes, but the 2 above are the most prominent. Wish it was possible for people to customize more things firmware-wise because the hardware is good and it begs for it.
--EDIT--
Everything I said above still stands but seriously, after using it quite a bit more, I feel like this could have been one of the best compact 4-track midi recorders for both live performance and arranging, just with a couple firmware changes. It's a shame.. I will drop more wishes here just in case:
- Count in when recording if not already playing. Metronome could be on one of the drum cv outs for that. (or even just a countdown number on the screen if metronome on cv out is not possible).
- Clearing a track pattern to only clear the notes. Right now clearing a track pattern also initialize it back to 16 bars and all its settings like speed back to initial. Why??
- Overdub recording instead of only overwrite.
- More fleshed out Patterns mode (some buttons in that mode literaly do nothing but they definetly could).
- Able to set the drum track as a melodic one as well. This will better justify buying a second SQ64 and sync them up for more tracks.
