Korg SQ-1 :

 

 Korg SQ-1 Step Sequencer

What Can I say about the SQ1 that you wouldn't have already picked up within thirty seconds in front of a google search bar?   Not much, but let me give you my opinion anyway.

This device is currently a bit of a niche product, being that analogue/cv implementation isn't exactly on top of the world's manufacturer's list right now but unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last three years like me you'll be begining to suspect that that might be about to change.  I know I'm not the first person to notice the rise in cv implimentation on new gear right?
Perhaps the companies that be have finally noticed the demand, perhaps it is just a cheaper way to produce?  To be honest I don't care why it's making a come back I'm just glad of it...
Either way like many people who have got hold of one of these Korg units I needed something to do a job amd this black box with flashing lights ticked all the metaphorical boxes.

So what is it like?
Well it 'feels like it should', by that I mean it feels like a product that is built to last... heavy, sturdy feeling.  The kind of weight that suggests it is a quality product. 
The buttons?  Likewise, chunky rubber like the Electribe range im so fond of.
The small dials however I'm not so sure about, put it this way I'll be careful not to drop it.

Ease of use?
Fiddlyness of those small dials aside it is pretty straight forward, it behaves in the way you would expect it too... assuming all you expect is a handy box for on the fly pattern sequencing or as a useful trigger device.  There are certainly more powerful step sequencers out there, but not many that are both in the <£100 price range AND portable.


I got mine because despite already owning a room full of sequencers I required a cv-capable sequencer that could work in unusual time signatures to send gate signals to a drum module, and that was about it.  Just one single application, and i have to admit it did the job as well as expected.
The only problem with the SQ-1 for this application (and I suspect for many other situations) is it's limited in/out possibilities meant I had to make it the primary sequencer, rather than a slave (driving a chain of MIDI and CV sequencers) as for some reason I cannot fathom Korg did not make it capable of recieving MTC (MIDI OUT only).   But I can't entirely count that as a flaw as as far as I was concerned (at the time) I considered the MIDI OUT as a bonus, it meant I could make use of the note quantising features at a later point on a 303 module that doesn't have a built in sequencer rather than use a larger midi sequencer.


To be honest I'm not a fan (infact Im something of the anti-fan) of Korg's recent mini module range (Volca and the like) but this little box has me optomistic that Korg's "let's throw it in a cheap plastic enclosure" mentality has come to an end.  ...When something feels like a toy it doesn't fill the end user with the required confidence that it wont fall apart and this does feel professional enough to merit some serious experimentation.
It's size, although fiddly when it comes to changing those value dials, is also a bonus...  Small enough to slot in between midi gear on a restricted surface area and also small enough to fit near (or on) a modular setup for patching.   ...and if it is going to be used as part of a modular setup I can imagine it wouldnt be too dificult to DIY-mount it in to a modular enclosure permenentaly by adapting blank spacer panels.



The sequencer's biggest bonus for me is its ability to be split in to two (8nt) parallel patterns, for my uses this is particularly handy!   It means I can use it to trigger two modules or up to two pairs of sequenced cv signals in to the eurorack (whilst freeing up a MDI/CV module for other things).
So, unlike the similarly priced "lets throw them in a plastic enclosure" range of small boxes from Korg I'd have to give this little sequencer my stamp of approval.  ^_^

Korg SQ:1 Specifications  : 

• Sequencer Mode ALTERNATE, ORDER, PARALLEL TURN, PARALLEL ORDER, CV/DUTY, CV/SLIDE, CV/DUTY RADOM, RANDOM
• Step Mode GATE ON/OFF, ACTIVE STEP, SLIDE, STEP JUMP
• Sequence Step Resolution quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes
• CV OUT Pitch Linear, Minor, Major, Chromatic
• CV OUT Voltage 1V, 2V, 5V (Oct) 8V (Hz/V)
• GATE OUT Polarity + (positive polarity), - (negative polarity)
• SYNC IN/OUT Polarity + (rise), - (fall)
• Connectors - littleBits OUT jack (mini monaural phone jack)
• OUT (MIDI OUT) jack (mini stereo phone jack)
• CV - A OUT - GATE jack (mini monaural phone jack, CV OUT : Output Level 1V, 2V, 5V, 8[Hz/V], GATE OUT: output level 10V)
• CV - BOUT - GATE jack (mini monaural phone jack, CV OUT : Output Level 1V, 2V, 5V, 8[Hz/V], GATE OUT: Output Level 10V)
• IN – SYNC – OUT jack (mini monaural phone jack, SYNC IN: Max Input Level 20V, SYNC OUT: Output Level 5V)
• USB jack (type B, USB MIDI)
• Power Supply Two AA batteries OR USB power
• Battery Life around 5 hours
• Dimension (W x D x H) 93 x 84 x 63 mm/7.60" x 3.31" × 2.48"
• Weight 641 g/1.41 lbs.
• Includes a mini plug – DIN cable (*for outputing tempo etc)