Korg CV Sequencer and Sync Box (SQ1),black,small

I have two of these SQ-1s now, and potentially see more of them in my future. They're affordable, simple, hands-on sequencers that afford quite a bit of flexibility in a small package. The small package is a blessing and a curse, I suppose - the patch panel can be a little cramped, and the knobs are tiny. I have itty little fingers, so the knob size doesn't exactly bother me, but visualizing the rotation of a given knob is quite difficult. The rubber on/off buttons could stand to be a bit more tactile as well, but they are pretty mashable. Row B is obviously easier to get to, and thus better suited for things that one may wish to change on-the-fly. The sequencer runs in a few different modes. You can do some random step selection and some back-and-forth stuff, but the primary modes in my opinion are: two sequences of 1-8 steps, one sequence of 9-16 steps, or one sequence of 1-8 steps with either variable duty cycle or variable slide. Voltage settings (1, 2, 5, or 8 lin) and quantizing (off, minor, major, chromatic) are set on a per-sequence basis, so you can (for example) feed an MS-20 mini w/ an 8v quantized melody sequence while also controlling a linear 5v clock multiplier. Sync in/out works flawlessly between units, and integrates well enough with other equipment also. Sync out is 5v, and while the manual does not seem to specify what sync in needs, I would guess it expects 5v as well, and I have had to amplify LFOs and such to get a reliable sync. I have not and likely will not use these boxes for MIDI, so cannot comment there. There are only a few global settings that require a cheat sheet, everything one would need to know for actual sequencing/performance is very clearly labeled on the panel. This makes the whole thing very easy to use, and very immediate feeling. While the knobs are knobs and are obviously not reset on power-down, the on/off states of the buttons in their various modes is not saved, which can be a minor inconvenience. Sequence settings (Voltage/quantization) are saved. All in all, I love these little sequencers. I have thought about tossing a Ryo Penta or something in my rack, but for the cost of a cheap 'extra' sequencer, I can ultimately just keep adding SQ-1s. The cost of these little boxes truly belies their utility.

This little box is a great value and fills an important need for anyone looking for a hardware sequencer. I have mine paired with a Moog Sub Phatty. It's built like a tank - the metal box is compact and extremely sturdy, and the selector switch, knobs, jacks and buttons are all tight. Select from various pattern step directions, turn individual notes on and off, and select the pitch for each step with the knobs over 1 to 3 octaves. You can select pitch in C Major or C minor scales, chromatically or in "linear mode," which is cool for microtonal pieces. It can output 2 discrete sequences of 8 notes long, through 2 different CV or midi channels, or a single 16 note sequence; genius! The nature of having to dial-in your note without seeing what the note is, along with modes that produce poly rhythmic sequences with Volcas and other gear, makes it a very creative tool, lending itself to lots of exploring and happy accidents. Minor gripes/suggestions: while the "hunt for the right note" process lends itself to creativity, a single display that showed the note value as you turned each knob would have been helpful and a time saver; especially important if you are making a sequence in chromatic mode and in a different scale/key as the defaults. A tempo divider, like the Volca keys (1/2, 1/4) would have given the SQ-1 some additional versatility. While the SQ-1 is well-built, it's shape is high and a bit awkward with my other gear. I understand their is a lot of extra space inside, and would have preferred it to be 3/4" thinner or in a format similar to the Volca series. I would have paid a little more for these extras, but as it stands, the SQ-1 has to be a unique and essential piece of any hardware synth setup.

Great for the price. This is really a "beginner" sequencer, designed for people who are absolutely new to the field and just want something small that works. For that purpose, and because of the price, you can't beat it. What you get: -8-step sequencer, with two notes per step, and one knob to adjust pitch/voltage per note. You can flip the switch to get 16 notes, or a variety of other modes. -Simple ins and outs. You have a gate in and a gate out, midi in or midi out, USB midi, CV in or out, all the big hitters are here. The SQ-1 will connect to just about anything. -Plug-and-play. There's no fiddly setup, unless you need to tune your output voltages precisely (and that always requires calibration, nothing new here) What you don't get: -Analogue midi in and out together. The device will do either MIDI in or out with no questions asked, but to do both at once or even use USB-in with MIDI out poses limitations. Read up before you buy this, if that's a concern. -Not a lot of choice for how the device steps. Sure you can go wraparound left-to-right or bounce left-to-right-to-left, or do random or sequential modes, but that's about it. You can't readily make the device trigger into the third step, for instance. Anything you do to start or stop modes starts from step one, no matter what you're doing. For a beginning that's fine, but for audio professionals little quirks like this could be a killer. -You don't get a 9V battery. You need really 9V to help drive a 5V output signal, so this seems like a glaring omission for a lot of users. Overall, what I wanted this unit for is to drive either a Moog Werkstatt using 5V control voltage, or to interface with LittleBits. This device does both in a way that will keep me happy for a long time to come. Sure it has limitations, but for the price, it's gold.

It IS fun and easy to play with. I've used it in Ableton and with little hardware synths. Still trying to get something going with iPad in AUM. No complaints. Would recommend.

Very good for driving analog synthesizers. Excellent component for the price! Get something dialed in the way you like it and start patching things into other things and before you know it you find yourself in a mystical soundscape of whatever you have happened to come up with. If you are into analog synthesizers and endless tweaking and patching, this sequencer is an excellent starting point. I have a few way more expensive instruments but I often find myself having a lot of fun using this sequencer to drive a cheap analog synthesizer and patching into a few things, adjusting a few things and just jamming. Excellent product for the price!

I have purchased 2 of these. The first one came in a sealed box, which contained the SQ1 sequencer plus batteries, a mini-to-DIN MIDI-out adapter, and a USB-B to USB-A power/data cable. The most recent box arrived unsealed, and the batteries, MIDI adapter and USB-B cable were missing. The SQ1 itself appeared to be in excellent condition, but I had to conclude that this was an open-box or returned item, so I returned it. Shipping to me was very fast and no complaints per se about the seller, not sure if they were aware of these issues. I like the SQ1 and would buy it again, but cannot use it without the USB cable and MIDI adapter.Open-box item

great little sequencer. Heavier than I expected. Runs of batteries which I hadn't realized which is a nice plus.

I don't understand how this is so affordable. It's one of the unsung hero's of so many studios. It's like...."if you know...you know". Built like a TANK (not plastic) and so easy to use. I use it for making music, but also just as an easy way to test synths, and connections, voltage flow in modular, etc, etc. Perfect studio companion for so many uses. WELL DONE, KORG.