Erica BLACK SEQUENCER Review // Patch/track walkthrough tutorial
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
- Check out my Eurorack for beginners chapter and dozens of patch ideas, tips and tricks in my book, available to Patreon supporters:
► Patreon: / loopop
Check BLACK SEQUENCER prices here (affiliate links help the channel):
► Thomann: www.thomann.de/gb/erica_synth...
► Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/5WWnb
Other gear in the video:
► Eurorack case by www.through-u.com/
► Bitbox Micro by 1010Music
► Troika and i-047 by Instruo
► 2^4^8 VCA by Voicas
► FUMANA by Frap Tools
► Ensemble Oscillator by 4ms
► 0chd by Divkid/Instruo
► Desmodus Versio by Noise Engineering
► ES-9 by Expert Sleepers
► VCMC by Befaco
► Small eurorack case - DIY by Uncertain Proportions
Other places I hang out:
► Instagram: / loopopmusic
► Facebook: / loopopmusic
► Twitter: / loopopmusic
► Web: loopopmusic.com
My music:
► Bandcamp: loopop.bandcamp.com
► Spotify: bit.ly/LoopopOnSpotify
► Apple Music:bit.ly/LoopopOnAppleMusic
TIMELINE:
0:00 Intro
0:45 Overview
4:40 Projects
5:15 Scale
6:05 Quantization
6:40 Track params
8:10 Arp ratchets
8:55 Magic
10:20 Mod options
12:40 Performance
14:00 Chain & song
15:20 Patch & tips
18:00 Pros & cons
20:40 Outro track
Want to email me personally?
► Ziv (at) loopopmusic.com
NOTE: Occasionally I’ll try out affiliate marketing and include affiliate links. This means that I may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via affiliate links. The content of this clip is entirely my opinion, and was not paid for or dictated in any way by the company creating the gear. Without addressing the particulars of products shown here as they might be under NDA, gear shown on this channel may be either sent by the manufacturer, on loan for review or bought at a discount.
what an astoundingly beautiful first patch
🙌🏻🙏🏻 ❤
@@loopop just finished watching the video. This i legitimately a great sequencer. Kind of like Rene mixed with the opz sequencer. Really cool.
@Jerome thanks very much! Yeah I had it going for a while longer... regarding cost - a very rough estimate is that every row of eurorack modules around this size costs around $2000. Obviously this varies a lot... but just a ballpark
@@loopop
I was wondering and apreciate immensely if you had time to answer a noob :
a friend of me Borrowed two synths from me and his car got stolen.
Now he asks me to accept some eurorack modules in return,but i have NADA knowhow and info on eurorack.
So : does these modules work together
: Intellijell PLONK / ATLANTIS/RAINMAKER/SHAPESHIFTER
erica DRUM SEQUENCER/FUSION/PICO SYSTEM 3/
If they dont, would it help to buy either of these systems to make it work?
doepfer a 100 system
Erica black system 2
I really hope you or someone with some knowledge would take time out.
Keep up the good work.
J
@@joaquinhino sounds like a legal question not a synth question… however my general advice is that getting into eurorack will cost you more than stolen synths so don’t get into it without meaning to and certainly not if you ask questions like these. Do the research - no one can answer the question for you. Legally seems to me like your friend owes you at the very least the used price of your synths in cash - not modules
This intro and outro are among my favorites, so far. Excellent review.
Thanks!
Nice! I especially love your modular content.
Came here for the review and got mesmerised with the lovely patch and outro tune... loved it!
Thanks so much!
Nice! looks like the perfect blend of usability and also being advanced. Definitely considering getting this as the heart of my setup
It's been one year including lots of firmware updates. What a perfect time for a Vector vs. Black Seq vs. Ground Control vid perhaps?
The gold standard of gear reviews. Excellent. Oh and the best sequencer I have ever used.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. Considering this already has a lot of random and probability built in I'd love to see some sort of Turing Machine-esque mode for evolving sequences.
That would be nice! Magic is sort of like that in a way
Maybe Erica Synths can add a mode for the mod input as a trigger (or amount value triggered by reset... etc) to have the sequences randomly evolve over time.
Another great video! Ordered one, arrives next week! Feel like I’ll be able to get going straight away after watching your demo, both a compliment to your video and the simplicity of the module:) One feature I’d like would be Elektron style probability settings per step!
What an excellent detailed review. If this doesn't sell me one I don't know what will. Thanks Mr.Loopop.
I did buy one today.
Wow, Erica really knocked it out the park with this is one!
so far next to Vector my favorite sequencer for Eurorack and I have a bunch now.
So many great sequencers lately.
Great review. Thank you!
Just on time, my talking manual, it arrives soon... thanks !
very helpful ! thanks just got mine!
super useful info.. awesome content.
This one has *really* got my interest up! 🤤 Thank you for the walkthrough!! 😁🙏👊
What a lovely thing. That's got to be the most handsome song mode ever.
Would be really nice if they let you set the amplitude of the envelopes on a per step basis to get a "velocity" effect.
I've ordered one and cannot wait , i am dying watching this .... . . ... .
The knobs click.. this is really smart.
The sequencer seems soooo easy to use and seems to be the only real competition for the nerdeq. For “fancy” sequencers I’ve had the Eloquencer and the Nerdseq. Eloquencer was clunky unless you’re working in 1 bar loops.
No bar forward and back like this.
And the nerdseq is just a beast (except for the timeline running up and down not left and right... it reminds me of Ableton in session mode.. one screen for launching clips or having them run one into another. And when u click on a sequence u can edit the pattern in an infinite number of ways
This thing does look AMAZING tho.
Good luck trying to get one for the next year or so.. unless you’re a very popular reviewer or high profile Eurorack artist
Great video, as always. Helped me make the decision to buy the Black Sequencer. There's no perfect sequencer out there, of course. Some improvements to be made: Yes, easy/instant transposing of sequences (crucial!). Also, randomization that's much better implemented -- it would be highly useful to have continuous randomization by as little or as much as you want for each parameter of a sequence, and would put this module over the top in a big way, since right now Magic is just one shot and tends to do too much for me regardless of the settings.
Yes, chord support and maybe tuning mode please. I will wait for a whole system built around it from Erica.
and more cv and gate out expansion module would make this a god sequencer on par with Nerdseq and Vector.
More excellent content, as usual. I was just thinking - Damn! loopop must have read a lot of manuals. This is uber-geeky, but I think a fun video would be your all-time top 5 user manuals, with a peek at the corresponding gear.
And perhaps a bonus of the all-time worst manual?
That's actually not a bad idea - pretty full with content ideas but spoiler for now - best manuals that come to mind are Moog and Arturia, worst ever is the Tanzbar 2, and runner ups for bad manuals are Behringer and some Korg manuals (seems like they have a few teams - some are really good like opsix and wavestate, some are a pain like the Electribe 2's)
@@loopop with the big guys sometimes it's down to budget. Another factor is access to functional prototypes. When I wrote product documentation I used to introduce myself as a Science Fiction writer because I often only had access to design specs. When I only had access to marketing requirement specs it was pure Science Fantasy! 😀
Funny :) however, these days there’s no excuse for a bad/science fiction manual. People download PDFs anyway, there’s no limitation on their size or timing.
@@loopop The irony of course is that youtube in general and loopop in particular have made manuals somewhat obsolete ;-)
Did you find the Black Seq, USTA or Five12 more intuitive and easy to create and engage after creation? I want to create songs with traditional structures (verse, chorus, etc). All three are robust and none are cheap. So, Id really appreciate your insights after using each. I currently have a IME Stillson Hammer and really enjoy its performability, but it does not work well or easily for playing multiple songs or parts in a song. Thanks
hi! great video! two questions - do you know if it can send program changes to external gear via midi in song mode? I would LOVE if it could program songs to my digitakt. second, im curious about the randomization and magic. I use marbles quite a bit - Could this function in a way thats similar? maybe to replace? thanks!
Great review and Sequencer, I didn´t have it on the radar. One question: is it possible to change patterns per Channel? Or does a pattern contain notes, gates and mod information for all of the four Channels?
Hey Martin - sorry, I deleted my comment because I had been answering questions about OXI One all day and thought it was about that... I lent Black Sequencer to a friend to try out and should have it back soon... I'll check when I do - or please check the manual and let me know...
As ever a great video posted super fast - thank you. And loved the patching/demo BTW.
Question: for getting down techno-style sequences super-quickly, would you still turn to Metropolis or is this as intuitive/immediate (even before considering all of its other multi-channel functionality)? Or to put it another way, by concentrating on doing just one thing, does Metropolis do that thing better?
Thanks again and looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks! I've actually never really played metropolis, though of course I've seen mylar's video. I still hope to try it one day
@@loopop A classic sequencer that you haven't reviewed or even tried - impossible! I've just left a post over on Mylar's Metropolis video and hopefully he will chime in...
@@CB-zu4md I know I know I have sinned and hope to remedy that soon...
@@loopop Funny - here's a chance to redeem yourself then: a few pros and cons of this versus the new Korg SQ-64?
@C B if you’ve watched both videos you’ll know everything i do...
Engineering a sequencer is no joke. So complex.
I hope the firmware will be update soon, I'll get mine in about 3 weeks and I'd like to use midi input for example to program sequences. But this little beast can be very useful in any rack, allowing to think music without having to have an eye on the computer to manage 3 or 4 sequences. It is a bit the "look mom no computer" concept in a module :-) Thanks for this good review !
I like what I see thus far on the Black Sequencer but personally would wait until a few more firmware updates are completed and bugs worked out.
@@GuitarsAndSynths I think we can trust in Erica Synths, they are well established, and they will soon produce the firmware updates. So why doing without this good 4 track sequencer? Personally, I was one of the first buyers of the first batch. And I enjoy this very cool machine right now. Little missing things do not prevent to use the machine. But I can understand, like in love, waiting can be exciting (but doing it is more intense, I think) :-)
fantastic!
I prefer the Eloquencer. Really nice demo song at the end there!
Great video! I would welcome a skip function per step whose probability can be programmed. My Eloquencer, which is more difficult to program by the way, lacks it. Is there any sequencer you reviewed that has his featuure?
Thanks! No, no such feature in any sequencer I've ever tried
I like how you're using the VCMC as a mixer.... MIDI control over software somewhere I assume?
Oh look at that, that's exactly what you just said :D
I just check your stuff on Spotify and that's really awesome!! Would you mind sharing the setup for your modular tracks? Really curious about your choice of sequencer, VCO, filter, effects, etc. especially after reviewing so many gears...or any modulargrid page we can check on?
Thanks! Each track was made in one of my videos - where you can check out the entire setup. There’s a list on bandcamp that points you in the right direction for the second album
@@loopop thanks! Will check bandcamp very soon
Amazing⚡️
Happy Thanksgiving
That’s really versatile. Even assigning two drums to one channel. Really considering adding this to my Christmas list.
Hey loopop what’s the skiff you’re using for the befaco vcmc looks dope!
See description!
Very wild!
Yea! Best and most anticipated thing happening in 2020! : D
What's next, Half Life 3 ?
If only 🤞
Do you know how to solve clock sync issues when send clock from the Erica Synths Black Sequencer to another sequencer like Ground Control?
Thank for that (as always) very good review ! Can you tell me the brand of your patch cables ? The angle is very useful ! Thanks !
Thanks! Sure, I use Tendrils
@@loopop Thank you ! Hard to find in France, but there are reselers in Europe, so i should find it ! Cool.
Hello, thanks for this... can I ask - in a 64 step pattern is it possible to loop the individual bars (e.g. bar 4) so you don't have to wait each time it comes round to hear your edits?
As far I understand yes
What does an internal LFO do? Go to the MOD output? It would be nice if it could mix with the V/oct outputs, just adding a little warble to the voltage so you don't have to use FM input on your oscillators.
Yes, each mod output can be configured as an LFO. If you want to mix that with the v/oct output you'll need to do that in an external DC coupled mixer
Wow this makes the SQ-64 decision much harder... The UI on this looks quite good. Perhaps a little too menu dependent, but it looks powerful and reasonably compact. Glad to hear it has midi. Does it have an SD card slot for backups?
R D yes, the SD is for backups and FW updates
Hey Loopop, i need your advice, I have recently ordered some new hardware. And coming from a very in tthe box workflow. Can u recommend a good quality reverb, and money is no issue, what reverb would you buy for synths? Same question to you guys. What effects do you use, and what effect would you use if on a desert island? Thanks ❤👍🏻
you should like it more than what others like, but Eventide H9, Empress Reverb, Chase Bliss 1978, OTO BAM are all ones I like
it is possible to randomise steps on/off and not just the gate length?
Does the midi output polyphonically? I have Demon Core Oscillator and Expander that accepts polyphonic midi.
Grate, as always !!!
But a Brenso reviews ???
Thanks! Sorry... no Brenso review coming - it's fun to use but there's not much value I can add beyond the manual for now
I have to ask, what are the right-angle patch cables you are using? They're bright and clean, and I'd love to know! :)
Tendrils!
_Magic_ is the same as on the Kilpatrick’s Carbon. Is this a traditional expression referring to this very function?
I sure hope so! Good to see synth designers calling randomization as it is; magic
Where did you get the awesome wooden sides/box for the VCMC? 😍
See description....
@@loopop oh, there it is. Thanks!
Hello everyone, I recently got a Black Sequencer and I can't figure out one thing: when I want to copy a pattern, for example, pattern #1 to pattern #5, and I'm in ch1, the sequencer also copies the patterns from the other channels, meaning pattern #1 from ch2 to #5. It doesn't make sense to me. Where am I going wrong?
How do you feel about manufacturers shipping with firmware update promises as a fairly standard thing these days? I can't help but feel as if unfinished products are being brought to market for the sake of getting sales in faster.
I don't like it but as someone who sells an unfinished book I guess I can identify...
@@loopop touché 😂
Do you know if there will be a diy version? Anyway, nice video as always!
Thanks! I doubt it but you should ask Erica to make sure!
What is the mini case you have the befaco in?
see description
Beast
i approve of this fumana commercial
Looks quite nice, but how does it compare to the vector? As I assume the vector has some more tricks up its sleeve...
Yes, and a bigger screen - but it’s more expensive
@@loopop thanks for your answer :)¡
FUMANA fav beefy boi
Hi, could you tell me - which little case is that on the right?
sure - please see description
@@loopop woops sorry, missed it!
if you had to choose this or the Rene 2?
I’m in the same question boat.
yay!! It's not vapourware, I always believed!!
I understand none of this, but it looks incredibly cool
Funny thing is, its almost like the westlich performer. If someone thinks about getting the erica synths sequencer please please have a look at the westlich performer. Its truly one of the best most versatile sequencers out there!
Launchpad control is also supported.
@@danvandal4127 thats what i mean. They‘re very similar but the westlich is like half the price
I love my performer. I'm glad I didn't wait for the Erica Black, but I might have been glad if I waited too :)
@@zenonstadler9619 and twice the channels in less HP + open source!
Nice review/overview. You've answered a few questions I had, that the online manual is not clear about... like "How exactly does the stepped LFO work?".... Oh, it doesn't.
I'm kinda torn on this one. I have a Westlicht Performer (IMO current best Eurorack Sequencer) and Frap Tools Usta (very cool but badly needs some love, in the firmware dept). They both have their strengths and weaknesses. What strikes me about the Erica is it's immediacy. From what I've seen, I agree with your "Goldilocks" comment. It seems to strike a great balance between function and accessibility, so much so that it could give my Performer (which has many more features) a run for it's money. Unfortunately, right now the firmware seems too incomplete. I won't buy it on a promise. But I hope they get it together in a timely fashion, because I can see the potential for this to be my sequencer of choice.
One question: It sounded like when you used the shift key to switch pattern immediately it jumped to step one of the new pattern rather than playing from where it left off on the previous pattern. Does it always play the new pattern from step one when you switch patterns, or only when you use the shift key to switch immediately?
Also, wishlist:
1. Realtime recording thru Midi and/or CV, but that seems to be in the works.
2. Slew on the Mod Track Stepped CV mode (and CV Note mode) . Pressing a step encoder to activate slew over the entire duration of one step to the next, and/or a Mod page where you can dial in per step slew time as a percentage of the total step duration. A Mod page could also be used for other modes to add, for example, per step Attack Time to the Decay and ASR envelopes.
Thanks!
1. Stepped LFO - wiggles differently on every step. It actually worked right up until the firmware update I made before the review... but of course, it should work period.
2. Pattern changes start from scratch, which seems like it shouldn't be that way, or at the very least be a setting. I'll message them about that...
3. Agree with your wishlist too...
@@loopop Thanks for the quick reply!
About the pattern change, yeah... Having both options is ideal, but if I could only choose one... it would be the one they didn't pick.
Anyway, I've watched loads of your videos. Great stuff.
@@loopop it is possible to randomise steps on/off and not just the gate length?
Agree 100% about patterns picking up whenever a la "aligned mode" on Performer being the default, which I also agree is the best _all around_ sequencer in Eurorack all things considered. I'm also attracted by the immediacy here, those big knobs 🖤, and having per step D envelopes 🤯! Couldn't replace my Performer with only 4 tracks, though.
@@loopop The more I think about it, the more I think that having the option to choose the behavior of Pattern Change and Queued Pattern Change separately would be very cool. So if you're making recommendations to the Erica folks, that's my 2 cents.
@loopop can you do a buyers guide for 2020
I have buyers guides in my book available on Patreon (good idea to make sure they're up to date...)
Loverly FLOATY
The song at the end has potential! You should develop it further, put some solo parts into it, very nice, love it.
Thanks! It's already on my second album - maybe in the future...
@@loopop Yeah! Would be a waste if not continued ^^. Are u on Spotify or so?
Thanks yes just search Loopop :) links in the description
If this has anough cpu to get years of updates like the Digitakt abd Octatrack, I think this just won against my Octatrack-lust.
😍
so if you can change both the duration and gate for each note here, this would be an insta-buy / easier workflow than my ER-101/102. Erica Synths add that capability and you have my money.
cksample done ;)
@@girtsozolins4171 just preordered
Looks very complete, a bit too big for my case though
I know it's not what you're saying/asking, but I wish more of these companies would produce some of these larger modules with a stand-alone case editions (like Pittsburgh Modular and MakeNoise do). For my usage this looks perfect, but I don't have a real modular set-up, so I'd have to buy a case. So, I ended up going for a KORG SQ-64, but would have preferred this one, although to buy this plus a case (to put it in) would have added considerably to the price.
Chords through midi would be great, it would make my Juno would really happy :) Can't wait to get my redundancy pay 😅
I wish you’d kept up with the modular reviews. You really know what you’re talking about.
Thanks! I haven't stopped doing them entirely, I'm just on the lookout for a module that I'm really interested in
look at the xaoc stuff!
@@loopop
The add I just skipped????? How did you know that I?????
What kind of case is that ?
See description...
www.through-u.com
Did I miss the price?
There are price check links in the description (which are also affiliate)
@@loopop oh lord. Think I’ll get a Zen for my Digitakt and call it a day lol
Pardon my French but this is my perfect fucking module selection for a rack: Troika, Ensemble Osc, Desmodus and ES9. Although now I'd switch the Ensemble with the Saïch but I'm sure it crossed your mind and might have been an Instruo overkill.
Thanks! While Saïch seems solid, Ensemble gives this setup a completely different, well, je ne sais quoi, if you pardon my french
I can see that BlueBox hiding behind that plant. If it's good and you use it: don't hide it.
yep in this video it wasn't used but it's still good
Of course I want one. But I’ve not been initiated into the dark art of eurorack yet. So a Keystep and an SQ-1 will have to tide me over until I am a millionaire. I do love Erica, tho. Don’t tell my girlfriend.
Hmm looks like i be selling my orthogonal . This looks much more enjoyable
Does it come with time signature options not divisible by a factor of 2?
Rhetorical, please not to answer.
Aarc Vault yes, it does
@@girtsozolins4171: 5s, 7s or 9s? I've seen the usual work-arounds for 3s and 6s.
@@girtsozolins4171: I figured as much; snappy quips clarifying not much of anything.
As if it takes genius to count to 5.
Like I said in the initial post, please NOT to answer.
-Thanx for nothing.
@@aarcvault908 just set the pattern length to 5 or 7 or 20 or 28, whatever you need
@@QuincasMoreira: I get that, but from what I've heard and read, these current iteration drum machines/sequencers ignore pattern length and just overlay/sub-divide by 4 when converted to song mode, though I suppose that likely varies from one manufacturer to another, and well apart from the fact that setting pattern length to the specified number doesn't change the accent like a true time sig. option does; different time sigs. kick differently on 1. I know the 4/4 or 2/4 grid overlay is the case with the latest MPC, Pioneer and Blackbox beat-box/drum machine/sequencers; they don't have a specific time signature option like you would find on an earlier generation machine like my 1st-run Motif, Dr. Rhythm or MC-909, for example.
It's not really an issue (anymore) for me as I just recently got a MC-909 and most of the odd# TS options are there and work like they're supposed to, though my old 50+ pound beast Motif has more variations.
Truth be told, I'm too old to be dicking about with these work-arounds; time sig. is a VERY BASIC component of music construction, and for my money, that the latest batch of supposedly 'stand-alone' manufacturers don't bother to include it as anything but a computer dependent patch is beyond insulting (to the buyer as much as anything else), particularly given that these machines have evolved very impressively in almost every other aspect of design, work-flow and overall capability. -Is it really THAT cost-effective to leave it out?
On the other hand, maybe I'm just an arrogant snob who thinks that being limited to simple divisions of 2 and 4 should be reserved for aspiring sound designers, beat-smiths, rappers and children under the age of 30.
Don't mind my shitty attitude, it's nothing against you, personally, I'm just a dick.
Thanx for reply.
Oh man , this or endorphine ground control ?
watch both my videos and you'll know what's right for you! well, and also have a look at firmware updates to make sure
@@loopop I did , they both look SO awesome lol….then of course there’s always the digitakt route lol …(oh decisions lol 😝)
@@brettchassen2888 not easy for sure…
Nerdseq is the way to go if you want a brain for your eurorack setup.
Not a Reset !!
looks a lot more menu divey than im comfy with. seems neat but not necessarily my bag
First
Too risky
See... this is the situation where the right angle plugs make zero sense. Look at them covering up adjacent jacks. Really, in all practicality, that's going to be the case with most modules. You didn't see people patching 5U units with right angles and they have way more space. Why are people doing this in euro? It solves nothing. /rant
Zero sense!
@@loopop Y U DO DIS!?
They stay flat to the case. I absolutely love these cables, their low profile keeps them out of the way and makes my rig much more playable. I also use stackcables when I have to.
@@forwardmemory5940 The case argument is the best one I've heard so far, but all my cases have clearance for the straight jacks to remain patched.
@Daemon Well I’m glad you think there’s some sense to them after all and no zero. For me, more than the case is that the cables don’t get in the way of reaching the knobs
nice, an ornament & crime but way too big for any practical rack
What a nightmare...