I've had Vector for some time now. On watching your demo, it was apparent I had just scratching the surface of Vector. Your demos of each function really laid this beast bare and I can understand much more of its functionality now. I'm sure I'll be watching certain parts a number of times I'm sure, so I may grock it in it's fullness.
I've had a Vector for just over a year and it's apparent I still have more to learn after seeing your demo. Plus with the upcoming firmware updates I imagine there will be more features to learn. Great demo for a great sequencer.
i have spent 6 hours in a row with this sequencer because it immediately became my favorite. the UI is so nice and rather intuitive. I thought the beatstep pro was good design but damn this just really surpassed my expectations. The biggest drawback is the 3 cv outs per track. Thankfully its clock out on step setting can be sent to other much cheaper/simpler sequencers which individually I can use to sequence certain modulations.
Absolutely grat, that you are reviewing the Vector, Loopop :) Been looking into this for quite some time, but could't find enough content to really get an overview over the device. Thank you very much :)
This came out 2 yrs, GLAD to see it is finally getting somebody to talk about it. I love Five12's Numerology, and hope to see this in the rack someday.
Excited about this sequencer since the first day Jim showed it. Your demo convinced me to buy one. But very expensive so I have to save some money now. Btw nice case! .....and nice O&C plus version too 😃
Have there been any good updates to it? Do you find it intuitive or overly reliant on shift functions and menus? Is there quite a learning curve for a first hardware sequencer? I like it because of the it looks like you can see what's going on really easily with the great displays. Kind of wish it had 16 knobs and 4 screens :D Could you link 2 of them?
Made In Machines you can’t link two of them like that. The sequencer is pretty easy to use and gets regular updates with new features and fixes. The drum and enhanced custom chord sequencing wasn’t originally available, for example. As with any sequencer, there is a slight learning curve but the menu system isn’t deep. Maybe a page or two to each operation. There was a peek at the sequencer working with the novation launchpad of you wanted expanded hardware use that could be useful in the future.
Nice, just got a Mac a few months ago and have been using Numerology, which rocks. I already have a Cirklon, which is incredible with its modular addons (CVIO / dmux), but it’s permanently in my rack so I’m thinking of this as a portable sequencer.
CO5MA I am definitelythinking about replacing the nerdseq for the Vector. The Nerdseq is a beast, amazing sequencer but very uninspiring imo. Vector seems more enjoyable.
Any chance of a review of Instro's Arbhar? Especially comparing it to other granular processors? Omri Cohen did an excellent review comparing it to the Morpho and pointing out the fundamental differences. I would really be interested in hearing a bit more on this, especially its difference from Clouds. Really am in doubt in getting one of these.
I was between this and nerdseq, and finally go with nerdseq since i got a bargain for it. But i still tihnk about this one from time to time but its crazy expensive with expander.
Burak Eren what a funny coincidence that both of our names start with B, we both have the default profile pic, and we both posted very similar comments!
It's totally usable and almost fully featured without the expander if you've got a MIDI to CV interface. The expander does seem a bit more expensive and physically bigger than it should be, but I'm guessing that's because the triggers can be used as inputs OR outputs.
I'm just getting started planning my first eurorack case and I want a strong sequencer for it. I was all about the NerdSeq but now I see this too. Guess I have some choices to make.
Great review as always. I've been comparing against Ground Control for some time now b/c I prefer more immediate performance style sequencers. I already have Metron so I can see the Vector paired with Metron for some seriously powerful and interesting sequencing.
Looks great except for very few CV/Gate inputs and outputs which limit it quite a bit. Would definitely need the expander module to make it worth getting since Eloquencer and Hermod come default with that already.
Amazing... would love to see an app like this on iOS(with fewer features for ease of use), interacting with synths/fx loaded into AUM. Great outro groove!!!
Will we get a comparison with the upcoming Erica Synths sequencer? Those are the only ones that are as flexible as I want a Sequencer to be (might even sell my René 2.0 for something that can have way more than 16 steps).
Have you heard any updates on if/when that Erica sequencer is going to be released? I got a great demo of it at last year's Knobcon but have seen nothing about it online other than comments from other fans still waiting for it to drop.
Great review and thanks for the detailed walkthrough! Glad I already picked one of these up a few weeks ago. Cuz they're going to be even harder to find in stock now 😉 Although I do still need to get the expander. It's just a little too big to fit where I want it in my setup.
thanks for the video! what do you consider the most intuitive sequencer for modular? I feel they are all quite complex and have a steep learning curve and many menus to dive in.
Since it`s been over a year now.. Has, by any chance, the chord-input via external keyboard function been implemented yet? Thanks for the awesome vid btw.
As far as I can tell the USTA has fewer tracks and a worse interface. For the life of me, I can’t understand why now that multiple companies are finally developing powerful multi track sequencers, almost all of them still insist on cramming the display with all the essential control and editing info into a tiny square screen. The vector is the only ones I’ve seen that gets it right: large multiple rows of buttons corresponding to all actions within given parameters on display, huge long screen for displaying info. It’s the best!
Nick Herman but you need an expander for Vector to have more tracks than USTA. Besides I prefer USTA’s gauge visual interface. It tells me more immediately than note names. USTA has microtonality - for me important feature.
@@ADHDev1234 It's fine, the expander makes it more powerful than anything but a Cirklon. You also haven't mentioned the one thing that makes Vector great and Usta and all the other ones way worse: Huge long bright LED screen with information per step vs one tiny little square screen. Why on earth would I want to spend hours looking at a tiny screen next to one part of a small box? Really bad UI, same for Erica Synths and their new one.
@@ADHDev1234 Microtonality is an interesting point, but that should be as simple as a firmware update. I know Jim may implement it in time. He's an amazing and dedicated developer and designer.
In my view the expansion module is overpriced for what it is, given that the expansion is currently priced at just over half the cost of the main sequencer module. I suspect that most people will want the expansion for the 8 trigger outputs in order to sequence drums. So if you want to sequence drums and melodic tracks one really should think of the Vector as a $1,100 sequencer. I bought the main module but will probably pass on the expansion since I already own a Varigate 8+ that I use to sequence drums. I thought about buying the expansion and selling the Varigate 8+ but have decided it against it for now. In my opinion $259 for the expansion would be fairer and more reasonable pricing.
Thanks! I used a computer controlled by the midi channel (that’s the cable in TRS MIDI 1 but indeed since it’s three chords I could have just as easily sampled them into squid...
Thank you for this video! This has been on my radar for a while and I love the workflow. Do you happen to know if you can chain multiple expanders? It would be nice to have the option to sequence two seperate drum kits with full velocity control.
I would really like to see midi control over all menu options. It would be awesome if I could build my own ipad app using Lemur Liine to have easier/faster access to all controls. Since it has all the needed inputs/outputs it would be an awesome combo. Aside from a DAW+expert sleepers are there any external sequencers with CV that come close to this?
I've been following this module for a while. Seems like the best sequencer on the market for me. When selecting chords will they still stay in the key you've selected? So if you selected an A major chord but were in A Minor scale would it correct it for you automatically and just play the A Minor chord? I'm also wondering how you would sync this up to the timing of your DAW or sync your DAW to Vector. Is it easy to achieve and do you need the expander module? Which cheaper non-eurorack sequencers did you have in mind that could compare to this? I looked up the 4MS Pods and they look awesome - would be perfect if they did a 42hp for it. Can't find any blind plates that match the Vector either.
I really enjoyed this overview. A quick question: my preferred time signature at the moment is 9/8. Can the Vector handle arbitrary time signs or beats per bar or is set to multiples/divisions of 4/4?
For example, around 28 mins, where you talk about playlists, there is the option to "play for x bars" - this would be 4 notes? or the length of the particular sequence? In my scenario, I have a bunch of 9 note sequences and I want to arrange them as 'scenes' but the system advances scenes per bar? or per sequence (if that makes sense)
If the question is can you make 9 step sequences the answer is yes (you can achieve 9/8 with fewer steps, some longer than others). I didn't test sequencing those though - it has been a while, and I remember an issue which was addressed in a firmware update, so please email the company and if you have time let us know back here. They're really responsive!
Joseph Giralt I’ve never used one - I did take a look at the manual and couldn’t find something Pyramid can’t do, but it does have quite a few more outputs. However, before a proper review... I may be missing something of course
@@loopop I've had both. there's a slew of things the Cirklon can do that the pyramid cant. My biggest issue with the cirklon is the 5 years of hidden features. The manual is quite old, I'm constantly stumbling onto new stuff all the time. Anyway, I love the way you review stuff. I often find my self going straight to your videos to understand gear I already have over other people's videos and sometimes the manufacturer's manuals. Your reviews/demos/tutorials of the Deepmind 12 and the Voltage Research Lab are amazing :) I would love to see you do a demo/tutorial of the Cirklon
Joseph Giralt thanks so much! Out of curiosity, what can Cirklon do that pyramid can’t? The hidden features is probably why I couldn’t find anything in the manual :)
Step division or ratcheting. Cirklon can do Polymeter and/or Polyryhtms. Cirklon can do things in a pattern based on what happens in another pattern (Intertrack Events). The Cirklon can play patterns in different ways(backward, forward, randomized the pattern, Brownian motion, etc.) The aux events can be used to generate sequences CCs, Cv, or notes. Each pattern in each scene has its own fill pattern ala x0x. The ability to record CV/gate inputs. Cv outputs can be configured as ASDRs or pitch with slew, the (CV utilities are nice, I wish there were more of them, so useful.) Microtonal/custom scales. I don't need a computer to create instrument definitions. Instrument definitions handle multitibralness(is that a word?), programming/sequencing things like the analog Rytm, the Digitone, or the MI Ambika is a joy. You can use aux events and accumulators to create novel effects(kinda like the Zoia), because things like note length, repeat, scale, tempo, pattern length can all be destinations for aux events and accumulators. It can do Elektron style Parameter locking on multiple instruments at once playing different patterns. Multiple ways of programming tracks (piano roll, x0x/Elektron style) A true song mode. (Arranging is awesome, and easy. it not just chaining patterns with mutes) Those are just a few I can remember off the top of my head. This thing is a total posterchild for your tips and tricks book. Sorry for the long replay.
Hi! Thank you so much for a great review! I was tempted to get USTA sequencer at first but I think Five12 might be the winner .... which one do you prefer? which one is more fun to use for you?
Thanks! What I prefer doesn’t matter... my goal is to give you enough info to decide for yourself - trust me the answer is your opinion after watching both videos
@@loopop Five12 seems to be more immediate to me, but it's hard to say without having hands on experience. I am simply looking to have fun... Five12 seems like more immediate to me.. one thing I didn't find answer for - on the drum/trigger sequencer, can I run different rates on each lane?
I'm having trouble playing patterns in with my usb midi keyboard. They don't produce a gate so I have to "add" notes in manually first. AM I doing something wrong? Thanks.
Does anyone know if you can use probability on multiple parameters per step? Say I add a 10% probability of a ratchet, can I also add a 50% probability of muting the same step?
Thanks for reviewing this seq! Very much interested I read the manual for midi stuff but its says no midi hub. Because i donot understand this, does it mean tgat an mpc (one) cannot be plugged in? Coukd i clock the mpc one directly from this module and pkay whatever gate is hooked within my rack? Is the expander mandatory? All in all can this compatible with mpc (where have beat) and record my rack output? Thanks
serious question before I answer - did you watch the video? It's all about composition techniques. There's nothing wrong with playing into a DAW or entering notes into an fl studio timeline. Many great tracks were made that way - by using the DAW a digital tape recorder. This is just a different compositional tool, that works very differently and generates very different results. It's an instrument you play and interact with, to create dynamic and evolving music, not a digital multitrack tape
So many of the actual button presses for key things are done so fast and he doesn’t explain why/what he’s hitting or pressing. Like around 22:50 when he resets the pattern. It’s like he’s showing off that he has these commands down instead of explaining them. Good overview of what the module can do, a bit lacking as an actual tutorial though.
There’s more to tools than feature lists, and no tool is suitable for everyone. HOW a sequencer works is far more important to many people than the sheer list of things it can ostensibly do (and no sequencer does everything it can do equally well.) There’s much to admire about NerdSeq, and it serves many folks well, but I have precisely zero interest in using one myself. Vector, on the other hand, does interest me quite a bit.
In terms of power and functionalities, Herbie Hancock kills all sequencers ever made. But luckily this doesn’t have any bearing on my own composition and music making in the modular domain or others.
