Hey there, looking for advice from DT owners for someone who has never tried one and has limited experience with sequencers in general.
Long story short, I want to be able to sequence 2 synths (1 mono, 1 bi-timbral poly) so 3 tracks at a time, to get some rhythmic arps going, and maybe play some little leads over top.
I’m looking for a sequencer solution and the DT2 would be nice because I don’t have drum machine to go with this setup, so it could assist there.
Just wondering if there are pitfalls to watch out for with the sequencer for external synths (I know that it can’t handle larger chords or nuanced timing). I might also look at dedicated sequencers like the Oxi One, Hapax, or Metropolix Solo.
One nice thing about DT2 is arming sampling on playback to get perfectly aligned recording of MIDI playbacks. Works well if you want to layer recordings. Sampling is restricted to 66 seconds but usually not an issue since you can just chain multiple takes.
There is support for micro timing on MIDI notes after recording. You can also copy & paste individual notes or whole patterns. Each note trigger can be 1-4 notes but this restriction hasn’t been an issue for me. There is step recording up to 128 steps or you can live record with metronome if you want. Each pattern can have their own speed setting like 1/2x og 2x. Up to 16 CC are controllable but I havn’t tested this yet.
One small hazzle with MIDI recording is having to enable/disable receive notes. I can’t have this option enabled as DT2 will echo the input MIDI to its MIDI output which triggers double notes on my gear. Also, no retrigger on MIDI notes so no support for ratcheting.
The DT midi sequencer tracks are powerful, but with a number of pitfalls. There is no midi arp, and if you want to sequence chords or melodic material generally, you need a keyboard controller imo. I frequently sequence chords from my DT1, and being able to hold a step on the DT and play the chord on the keyboard is so much simpler than holding the step and then programming the intervals on the DT itself. You can of course use the keyboard mode on the DT and live record your sequence, but I find it so much easier the way I have described.
If I personally wanted a sequencer first, and the sample based drum machine second, I would probably go for an Oxi One and a second hand DT1.
Unfortunately, there isn’t any sort of arp on the DT (I’ve been moaning about this for ages). It also lacks midi re trigger. A bit shocking to promote a piece of gear as a studio centerpiece and not have these functions. I mean they also kept telling us how modular the DT2 was and I still don’t understand what they meant by that… However, in these tough times my family and I have been able to survive by using a Keystep37 into the DT. I’ve been doing this for years, taking advantage of the KS37’s arp, velocity sensitivity, and well… keys. Used extensively with both DTs and don’t have any weird double triggers sequencing any type of external gear. KS37 into DT out to whatever has been a wonderful setup for me. The convenience it provides outweighs the annoyance of it’s missing functionality for the time being.
It’s tricky, and it’s a question of ergonomics as well. I’m having a bit of a game at the minute trying to figure out a new desk setup where I can have easy access to both my keyboard and my DT triggers at all times while not performing contortions or building everything so closely around me that I can’t move.
yes the DT2 doesnt have latency compensation for one thing(i guess maybe you can use micro timing as a workaround). Devices respond differently to midi data and therefore to truly get them all in perfect time the sequencer needs offset compensation. The only devices that get this right is your DAW and the squarp hapax that I know of so far. The average person will not really notice the bad timing though and you might be fine with it. Also it depends on the gear you are sequencing. Some are tight with midi data response and some are not. There are also many other reasons that many have stated already. If you are serious about sequencing your hardware with a hardware sequencer and just being done with it, in terms of future proofing, your best option is the squarp hapax. And its something you can grow into as your hardware devices increase.
I must be the average person because I don’t notice it!
I have read if you keep using midi thru ports to daisy chain devices you can get latency but there’s plenty of midi splitters out there that make this unnecessary.