Wow, I really appreciated this video and I wish you the best of luck with your channel. It was genuine, realistic, and from a refreshingly different perspective. I wish more people using sequencers from more traditional backgrounds would share their thoughts. Thanks!
Thank you so much! It's been very fun to try to figure out how to make videos that feel natural for me, and even more fun to interact with people like yourself. :) I never thought I could make UA-cam work for me, but I've been having a great time with it. If only it weren't such a pain in the butt to make videos, lol
Interesting point of view, thanks for sharing. I think the T-1 sweetest spot is the generative engine, which probably is its most powerful and versatile feature. The Random parameter is actually a two-knob (three counting the Rate parameter) function: you probably already figured it out, after applying some randomess by holding the Random knob and rotating (just for example) the Sustain knob, the random sequence repeats unchanged unless you start rotating the Random knob. It means the Random knob controls how much the sequence of random values (used as a modulation source for the T-1 parameters) changes at each repetition: at Random = 0 % the sequence repeats unchanged forever, at Random = 100% the sequence continuously changes. To generate a new random sequence you have to press and rotate the Random knob clockwise (or press knob + tap VB16) and then back to 0 (or press knob and tap VB1); the sequence can be rotated and slew can be applied to smooth the transition between random values. Furthermore, the random sequence length can be stretched with Rate for certain parameters (see the manual for a detailed list). A lot to explore 🙂
Ah, right, I remember reading that re: randomness in the manual now. I actually think you said it more clearly here. I definitely feel like the sequencer has a lot of depth and I imagine there are people that are extremely good at using its generative algorithms. Maybe you're one of them! I guess it turns out that I generally want a bit more control over specific pitch content, as well as the freedom to change at will. I bet I'll keep picking it up, though, because it is awfully fun to use.
@@AlisonWilder agree it's fun to play with it and in some occasion it can help finding new phrases out of randomness, but I can't deny I'm more on the deterministic side of music making which is a bit fatiguing to obtain on the T-1. I feel more comfortable using a keyboard (semi-weighted whenever possible) to record my sequences on a hardware sequencer like the Retrokits RK-008, which can be used to record snippets of wild sequences from the T-1 too. Looking forward for your next musicological lecture, keep on! 👍
@@DrKunz I have an RK-008 too...such a fun and capable little sequencer! I use it more as a MIDI looper than anything. I'm actually trying out the Squarp Hapax right now, hoping it can be my hub sequencer. So far so good, fingers crossed! And thanks so much for chatting with me! :)
@@AlisonWilder totally agree, I use it to record short ideas on the fly. The Hapax looks powerful though I'm not a fan of "tons of running square lights" user interfaces (except for the T-1, I suppose). My pleasure chatting with you! 😺
This is an amazingly valuable perspective. I've been looking into some generative hardware sequencer and this video popped up, very glad it did! Would love a video on the Squarp one too. Thanks for this video! ❤
Thanks, really glad it was helpful! I'll try to make a hapax video at some point if I feel like I have something to say that hasn't been said 100x 🙂 That things is such a different beast...
You didn't mention it in the video, but you can p-lock pitch, harmony, and most other functions on a per-pulse and per-cycle level, which is one way to get more control over your harmony and pitch. While scale and root are set per-track, you can have multiple tracks sent to the same MIDI channel, so you can use multiple tracks set to multiple scales to achieve more complex harmony. The T-1 isn't my first choice either for making interesting intentional melodies (I'll use my Osmose for that), but it is interesting for generative melodies based on per-pulse harmony and/or MIDI input through MIDI FX. For me, the truly useful thing about the T-1 is its micro-timing support. I've got lots of generative sequencers/arpeggiators, but none create the interesting microtiming that the T-1 does.
That's very true! I did find a bug where you can't change the scale per cycle (confirmed by Torso, they said a couple of months ago it would be fixed in the next firmware update), but I totally agree with you that you could do some really, really clever things with pitch if you have a plan. Someone else mentioned expectation in the comments, and I think in the end my expectations for it were just a little different than what it can do. I absolutely love the MIDI FX feature, and am using it quite a bit now. And you're so right about the micro-timing stuff...that is WICKED cool. I guess my experiment with this thing was, "could I use it to create an entirely generated soundscape that could be a bed for songs?" and the answer is, I'm not happy with it for that. But that doesn't mean it's not awesome. :)
This was a great watch, thank you! I was never sure if I wasn't able to get more human melodic lines out of this thing because of my own inexperience with it (and music in general) or due to some issue with the machine itself. I love picking out melodies on a keyboard by hand but never really enjoyed searching for melodies with the T-1 - but I really enjoy using it for more percussive roles. I've not managed to use it as a tool to augment notes I send into it yet either. I also have a hapax, but I didn't really gel with it either, it's a much more capable machine but I found it oddly intimidating to use. It's a weird reaction to have to a piece of gear I know 😅 I'm only really starting out on my musical journey, relatively late in life (I'm in my late 40s, been doing piano lessons for a couple of years and been noodling with synth gear for about 5). So it's just a hobby, but so much fun to do!
I'm with you, I love the torso t1 for percussion! I did replace it for main sequencing duties with a hapax. Definitely a lot to learn there, but I think it's a better match as the hub of my hardware synths. Sounds like you're having a blast with music, that's really wonderful! Enjoy!
I just picked one of these up today. As someone who is rubbish at music(and theory) and basically learned more from this video than i knew before, im enjoying it. Hoping to get some lessons and learn more about making my own melodies. Its a great little box just to have fun to make patterns quickly for my synth setup. Great video, could definitely watch videos of this length on music theory.
This is brilliant. I'm so glad I found this video. Iove the improvised, conversational vibe, and you adress a lot of points I kept mulling over while getting familiar with the device. Subscriiibed! C:
Thanks for the video, I haven't explored the range and voicing parameters much yet and it was good to understand them a bit better for possible future use. Also great to read the comment section with people sharing info. For arps and chords, I've found the sweet spot use to lie somewhere inbetween generative and controlled sequencing by using as many channels as there are different notes in the chord. That way I generate really interesting rhythmic patterns by means of setting different step lengths and puls counts on each note channel, as well as get the chance to stumble on interesting harmonics by just twisting the pitch knob on a channel. It's a quite quick and fun way to sequence chords and arps that are surprising and interesting, yet stay within the rhythmic and harmonic scope I'm generally drawn to. But I'm still in the learning phase of the T1 and this was the first experiment I wanted to conduct, so I'm sure there's tons more to uncover.
Great video! I really appreciate your perspective on it. Definitely on my buy list of things for improv and jamming. Hoping they can fix the bugs sooner rather than later though.
When I reported a bug, they said it would be fixed in the next firmware update. When I asked them when that might be, they did not answer me. 🤣 And thanks so much!
This is a great video. I feel with the t1 you have to choose find some odd sounds to make it sound interesting but I have yet to explore that. Have you guys heard the stuff from analog soul channel. He makes the t1 sound awesome. But yeah you're right for coming up with melody hooks it's prob not as good as using your hands. I still need to learn the thing have found it a steep learning curve.
Great video! I love my torso t1! What are your expectations of a generative sequencer? I improvise techno which I think is a more successful use case. Love your perspective though.
Thank you! That's a great question. I can think of some ways to create a generative sequencer that makes hookier, more singable melodies, but am I gonna do it? Hell no! :D I really like the T-1, and I think improvised techno is a PERFECT use case for it, because there's really no expectation of hooky melodies there. (Not that I'm a techno expert, so correct me if I'm wrong.) Although I probably won't use it to create entire soundscapes, like I was doing during my initial time with it, I think it will be a great tool to have around.
Fantastic insights! Ironically I found myself using the euclidean pulses less and less. Instead improvising with manual put pulses much more, especially across multiple tracks.
I just bought the Torso T-1 a few weeks ago and my impressions were exactly the same. Conceptually, it would be interesting to think about how to "fix" it for pitched music. I've been writing some simple Python scripts sending MIDI OUT to experiment with a few ideas. Once you get the logic right, I don't think it would be difficult to write a script for say Norns if someone wants it DAWLESS. One way to think about it is that if I'm successful at this style of sequencing, I should be able to somehow recreate common popular melodies with it, but that'd be pretty painful for rhythms, let alone melodies. It's hard to imagine constructing melodies without some notion of harmonic awareness, e.g. not just chord tones but passing tones and where they fall in the beat.
That's super interesting! Would love to see a video and/or read a blog post about that process...if you document it and think of it, let me know so I can check it out!
I really like using the T1 as a very fancy arpeggiator via setting up the tracks as FX tracks, but I wish the built in keyboard mode would have a hold note function. I made a little midi controller on the Zoia which holds midi notes / chords to send to the T1's FX tracks to perform chord progressions. I also use a second sequencer to send it chord progressions sometimes. FX tracks take the incoming notes and applies all the T1 parameters to them. It would be great if you could set scales, and root notes all in Cycles.
Before you randomize pulses, remove the ones you placed manually. You'll get better results, imho. Take my advice with a grain of salt since you may have already figured this out on your own and we're only seeing this little snapshot of your thoughts. Plus, I have no musical training but I love gadgets and synth sound design so that's where I'm coming from. Check out my last video for a really basic example of what I thought was a pretty decent melody. I had just taken the T1 out of the box and noodled around a bit and ended up with something better than a monotonous, lfo locked arpeggio. To what degree and to a trained ear such as yours, IDK. Anyway, love your content.
That makes sense! Just checked out the video you mentioned...really cool sounds. :) I actually do like the melodies the T-1 spits out, but the real problem is that I want to spit out melodies myself. Just like the T-1, I have my own style/sound, and it's honestly disconcerting to make music and have that sound just...not be there. If that makes sense? Thanks for the kind compliment, and for talking me up! Really enjoying the comments on the recent videos I've been making.
@@AlisonWilder Odd, I made a response but when I refreshed it disappeared or maybe it's lagging? Anyway, condensed version: recommend Synthesia piano app to see piano roll of multiple midi lanes. As I can't always easily tell by ear what's going on, I found a visual representation to be very helpful. Loopop and mylarmelodies use it in their review demonstrations - that's where I first saw it. You can install it on all of your devices with the purchase of one unlock key. I connect to my phone via USB and use my CV/Gate to connect to modular.
It's definitely not best suited to very deliberate "composing", but a great deal *can* be done with per step editing, although it's ironically tedious for this compared with many normal sequencers. For instance, with that passing note I think a single step could be set to the chromatic scale and the note just placed in there? Also for more connected generative melody maybe slew could be applied to the random range. For myself I really enjoy jamming with machines and seeing what can be done with the quirks, and I LOVE getting into these kind of shifting, disrupted stasis-zones and the T-1 is one of the best things I've used in these respects. It's notable that among the small number of presets they've included those two Japanese pentatonic scales, which are really good for that and work whatever notes are combined. I have had similar thoughts about the "naivety" of the way it works with pitch though, and I'm resistant to the idea of the limited number of preset "phrases" for automatic progressions, although the LFO shapes (the lower ones) are fine as they are mathematical primitives, and you can pipe CV in (including from a T-1 track) to make your own. And really the combination cycles, per step editing of chords and arpeggio types and the "harmony" thing are the way to do progressions I think. Enjoyed the video, cheers.
GREAT points. I have no doubt I'll keep using the T1, because you're right, it is SUCH a fun machine. But I probably won't be step editing in it anytime soon! 🤣 Totally agree about those Japanese pentatonic scales, they were a great choice, being naturally floaty. Some of my favorite stuff I have worked on has been using those scales. I actually have a squarp hapax sitting on my doorstep right now, and I'm really excited to give it a shot. I think it will be more appropriate for some of the specific things I want to do in terms of song arrangements, harmonies, and melodies. Honestly, being able to just record a performance into the sequencer is pretty crucial for me. It saves so much time. Thanks for taking that time to chat with me! Cheers!
I for one, care very much about the leading tone ☀️ I use Elektron gear, Digitakt/Digitone, and those sequencers are very compositional and specific. I came here looking at the Torso T-1 to find something that’s more flexible and improvisational in a live performance context. I am a pianist and very chordal and melodic in my thinking as well. I’m looking for something that, in a live context, I can use to generate melodic material that sounds palatable in the moment and then trim it back to something more specific on the fly. Thus being able to improvisationally generate new track patterns live, rather than always having to program them before a set. I can’t tell if this is the proper device for that use 🙃
I think the question is, what is palatable for you? For me, the torso works well for rhythmic material and as background melodic and harmonic material, but can't serve featured melody/bassline duty. That said, a lot of people would disagree with me!
@@AlisonWilder The leading tone will never go out of fashion 😁 I teach piano to nearly 30 students a week and while they may not all know that term, every last one of them can hear it!
@@AlisonWilder this take on the T-1 makes sense to me. There are certain foundational aspects of a track that have to be solid, specific and intentional in order for it to function. Bassline and Melody are certainly foremost among them. Or even practically speaking just kick drum and bassline - if those are intact the accents, chords and melody can be almost any which way (though a good melody still wants to be harmonized and phrased). But destabilize the kick drum or the bassline - it’ll ruin the entire thing. And it seems easy to do that with this device (see: a bunch of UA-cam videos of its slightly ambitious overuse). It seems the T-1 may thrive in managing the more flexible aspects of a song, which rely on the stability of a more thoughtfully composed foundation. Which is what you said 🙂
@@BeatTheLentil But you said it so much better! :) The other major problem with any generative sequencer is that it has no real expressivity. You can try to program it in, but without brute forcing it (which is never applicable across lots of situations), it will never have the musicality of even a mediocre player. Once you put those two major problems together, you end up something that is of very limited use to me personally. That said, I'm keeping it around for the moment! I'm so glad they gave it a MIDI FX mode, which has lots of cool applications.
Hi! So, there’s e.g. only one “Minor” setting, that locks you into Aeolian … ? That seems odd … ? Based on the one other video I’ve seen, you can just create a ‘set’ of whichever notes/degrees you like, anyway, for the sequencer to generate from … ? I’ve finally decided to find out what these Torso things are all about; but, my understanding has been that the Hapax is one of the most powerful hardware sequencers … ? I understand this T-1 is meant to be more ‘about’ generative/performative sequencing? Also, I imagine they want/need to sell lots of these units to folk who aren’t massive theory nerds, like some of us … 🤓
@@kierenmoore3236 yeah, you can program your own scales for sure. But am I going to do that? Probably not! I guess my biggest takeaway from my intensive time with the t1 is that writing melodies and playing them is one of my favorite parts of making music. So the hapax is my primary sequencer now.
That's right. All the algorithms will keep the notes within the scale you set. Can't remember at the moment if you can randomize or automate the root of the scale to transpose?
You definitely could, and that's a great point. If I had planned the video more and made my point better, I would have said this: if I'm choosing my own notes, I would never pick a single mode and stay in it for a whole piece of music. I actually almost immediately found a bug with the t-1 that has to do with not being able to use different modes in different cycles. That seemed like it would have been a good partial workaround for those sorts of limitations, except I guess no one ever tested doing that.
8:54 isn’t “voicing” the same as whether or not you are in root or in an inversion? Amongst other things, as in “chord voicing” how you play the chord?
Yep, exactly, voicing is a less specific word that refers to how the voices are spread out. Inversion is literally the act of moving a note from the bottom to the top, etc. So if you have a triad, you can have a first inversion triad (third on bottom), a second inversion triad (fifth on bottom), and then you get back to the root position triad.
This is like guitar instructional where the guy talks. Instead of playing a song or riff through. Try chromatic octave displacements at warped speed. Or pop song ‘ABC’ by polyphia. I haven’t heard anyone play on piano. I’m sure they did. Although you probably won’t hear 40 ounce’ because 6 string sweep sequence. Pop music
a different perspective on the T-1 here. Usefull. Maybe this machine is not made for making normal melodies. I think it is more suitable for making short weird phrases that change over time as you would do with a modular synth.I wonder. Alison, if you are aware of the NDLR from conductive labs ua-cam.com/video/fhKxsjaTJz4/v-deo.html
Wow, I've never seen that before, but I've imagined something like it! That looks fun. And I totally agree about the T1! That said, I've been sending it midi from keyboards and other sequencers and using it's MIDI FX feature, which is a nice compromise between control and generation. 🥰
To all that see this video: it’s a totally unfair misrepresentation of the T-1 boarding on irresponsible. You may be charming and trained in music theory but you know so little about the incredible versatility and exactitude of the T-1 . PLEASE read the manual before you hurt sales of an amazing sequencer, one of the most original on the market. Please see Mylarmelodies video to get a more thorough review.
Didn't realize that relaying my experience of using a piece of music gear could be construed as irresponsible, especially given that I had no contact with the company and made clear that I wasn't doing a review. That said, I'm sure you're right that I don't know everything about the capabilities of the sequencer. But to each their own, and thanks for calling me charming! 🤓
Wow, I really appreciated this video and I wish you the best of luck with your channel. It was genuine, realistic, and from a refreshingly different perspective. I wish more people using sequencers from more traditional backgrounds would share their thoughts. Thanks!
Thank you so much! It's been very fun to try to figure out how to make videos that feel natural for me, and even more fun to interact with people like yourself. :) I never thought I could make UA-cam work for me, but I've been having a great time with it. If only it weren't such a pain in the butt to make videos, lol
Interesting point of view, thanks for sharing. I think the T-1 sweetest spot is the generative engine, which probably is its most powerful and versatile feature.
The Random parameter is actually a two-knob (three counting the Rate parameter) function: you probably already figured it out, after applying some randomess by holding the Random knob and rotating (just for example) the Sustain knob, the random sequence repeats unchanged unless you start rotating the Random knob.
It means the Random knob controls how much the sequence of random values (used as a modulation source for the T-1 parameters) changes at each repetition: at Random = 0 % the sequence repeats unchanged forever, at Random = 100% the sequence continuously changes.
To generate a new random sequence you have to press and rotate the Random knob clockwise (or press knob + tap VB16) and then back to 0 (or press knob and tap VB1); the sequence can be rotated and slew can be applied to smooth the transition between random values.
Furthermore, the random sequence length can be stretched with Rate for certain parameters (see the manual for a detailed list).
A lot to explore 🙂
Ah, right, I remember reading that re: randomness in the manual now. I actually think you said it more clearly here.
I definitely feel like the sequencer has a lot of depth and I imagine there are people that are extremely good at using its generative algorithms. Maybe you're one of them!
I guess it turns out that I generally want a bit more control over specific pitch content, as well as the freedom to change at will.
I bet I'll keep picking it up, though, because it is awfully fun to use.
@@AlisonWilder agree it's fun to play with it and in some occasion it can help finding new phrases out of randomness, but I can't deny I'm more on the deterministic side of music making which is a bit fatiguing to obtain on the T-1. I feel more comfortable using a keyboard (semi-weighted whenever possible) to record my sequences on a hardware sequencer like the Retrokits RK-008, which can be used to record snippets of wild sequences from the T-1 too. Looking forward for your next musicological lecture, keep on! 👍
@@DrKunz I have an RK-008 too...such a fun and capable little sequencer! I use it more as a MIDI looper than anything. I'm actually trying out the Squarp Hapax right now, hoping it can be my hub sequencer. So far so good, fingers crossed! And thanks so much for chatting with me! :)
@@AlisonWilder totally agree, I use it to record short ideas on the fly. The Hapax looks powerful though I'm not a fan of "tons of running square lights" user interfaces (except for the T-1, I suppose). My pleasure chatting with you! 😺
This is an amazingly valuable perspective. I've been looking into some generative hardware sequencer and this video popped up, very glad it did! Would love a video on the Squarp one too. Thanks for this video! ❤
Thanks, really glad it was helpful! I'll try to make a hapax video at some point if I feel like I have something to say that hasn't been said 100x 🙂 That things is such a different beast...
I also would love to see a Hapax video.
You didn't mention it in the video, but you can p-lock pitch, harmony, and most other functions on a per-pulse and per-cycle level, which is one way to get more control over your harmony and pitch. While scale and root are set per-track, you can have multiple tracks sent to the same MIDI channel, so you can use multiple tracks set to multiple scales to achieve more complex harmony. The T-1 isn't my first choice either for making interesting intentional melodies (I'll use my Osmose for that), but it is interesting for generative melodies based on per-pulse harmony and/or MIDI input through MIDI FX. For me, the truly useful thing about the T-1 is its micro-timing support. I've got lots of generative sequencers/arpeggiators, but none create the interesting microtiming that the T-1 does.
That's very true! I did find a bug where you can't change the scale per cycle (confirmed by Torso, they said a couple of months ago it would be fixed in the next firmware update), but I totally agree with you that you could do some really, really clever things with pitch if you have a plan. Someone else mentioned expectation in the comments, and I think in the end my expectations for it were just a little different than what it can do.
I absolutely love the MIDI FX feature, and am using it quite a bit now. And you're so right about the micro-timing stuff...that is WICKED cool.
I guess my experiment with this thing was, "could I use it to create an entirely generated soundscape that could be a bed for songs?" and the answer is, I'm not happy with it for that. But that doesn't mean it's not awesome. :)
Super helpful! I was considering buying this sequencer, but now I’m having second thoughts. Thanks for helping me save some money! Cheers!
Happy I could help! 🙂
Wow, I wish she would do reviews on ALL sequencers, synthesizers and DAWS as well. I'm a newbie and her advice is so necessary
This was a great watch, thank you! I was never sure if I wasn't able to get more human melodic lines out of this thing because of my own inexperience with it (and music in general) or due to some issue with the machine itself. I love picking out melodies on a keyboard by hand but never really enjoyed searching for melodies with the T-1 - but I really enjoy using it for more percussive roles. I've not managed to use it as a tool to augment notes I send into it yet either.
I also have a hapax, but I didn't really gel with it either, it's a much more capable machine but I found it oddly intimidating to use. It's a weird reaction to have to a piece of gear I know 😅 I'm only really starting out on my musical journey, relatively late in life (I'm in my late 40s, been doing piano lessons for a couple of years and been noodling with synth gear for about 5). So it's just a hobby, but so much fun to do!
I'm with you, I love the torso t1 for percussion! I did replace it for main sequencing duties with a hapax. Definitely a lot to learn there, but I think it's a better match as the hub of my hardware synths. Sounds like you're having a blast with music, that's really wonderful! Enjoy!
Hey Oliver. I'm in a similar stage as you. Late coming to making music in middle age, and having a blast with all this new technology.
@@CatFish107 hey! It's a lot of fun isn't it? It's so satisfying to explore and learn and play with this stuff!
This was incredibly helpful in clarifying how it works. Appreciate the perspective, too.
I just picked one of these up today. As someone who is rubbish at music(and theory) and basically learned more from this video than i knew before, im enjoying it.
Hoping to get some lessons and learn more about making my own melodies. Its a great little box just to have fun to make patterns quickly for my synth setup.
Great video, could definitely watch videos of this length on music theory.
Very cool, I bet you'll have a great time with it! Really glad you got something from the video. :)
very cool video. ive primarily just used it for drum sequencing because i could never get a good melody out of it
yep, same here. but i love it for percussion!
This is a great breakdown for what the T1 is doing.
I have a few songs on my channel that features the T1 as a main controller.
thanks, subbed!
This is brilliant. I'm so glad I found this video. Iove the improvised, conversational vibe, and you adress a lot of points I kept mulling over while getting familiar with the device. Subscriiibed! C:
Awesome! Hope to see ya in the comments again 🙂
I have a Beat Step Pro- it’s a pretty nice instrument to control software synths.
I really love the reface CS
I've never heard of the T-1, i use a keystep pro. But i am paying attention
Mostly here for the CS lol i love mine
It's a cool little dude for sure!
Thanks for the video, I haven't explored the range and voicing parameters much yet and it was good to understand them a bit better for possible future use. Also great to read the comment section with people sharing info. For arps and chords, I've found the sweet spot use to lie somewhere inbetween generative and controlled sequencing by using as many channels as there are different notes in the chord. That way I generate really interesting rhythmic patterns by means of setting different step lengths and puls counts on each note channel, as well as get the chance to stumble on interesting harmonics by just twisting the pitch knob on a channel. It's a quite quick and fun way to sequence chords and arps that are surprising and interesting, yet stay within the rhythmic and harmonic scope I'm generally drawn to. But I'm still in the learning phase of the T1 and this was the first experiment I wanted to conduct, so I'm sure there's tons more to uncover.
Cool, glad to be helpful there! And I couldn't agree more, the comments on this video are really awesome.
Great video! I really appreciate your perspective on it. Definitely on my buy list of things for improv and jamming. Hoping they can fix the bugs sooner rather than later though.
When I reported a bug, they said it would be fixed in the next firmware update. When I asked them when that might be, they did not answer me. 🤣
And thanks so much!
This is a great video. I feel with the t1 you have to choose find some odd sounds to make it sound interesting but I have yet to explore that. Have you guys heard the stuff from analog soul channel. He makes the t1 sound awesome. But yeah you're right for coming up with melody hooks it's prob not as good as using your hands.
I still need to learn the thing have found it a steep learning curve.
Analog sol guy
ua-cam.com/video/WGPxLw5YXss/v-deo.html
@@DeepDishCoffee I watched the Analog sol video before I bought it...really cool!
Great video! I love my torso t1! What are your expectations of a generative sequencer? I improvise techno which I think is a more successful use case. Love your perspective though.
Thank you! That's a great question. I can think of some ways to create a generative sequencer that makes hookier, more singable melodies, but am I gonna do it? Hell no! :D
I really like the T-1, and I think improvised techno is a PERFECT use case for it, because there's really no expectation of hooky melodies there. (Not that I'm a techno expert, so correct me if I'm wrong.)
Although I probably won't use it to create entire soundscapes, like I was doing during my initial time with it, I think it will be a great tool to have around.
@ my techno is atonal so you nailed it! Or, the more melody stuff is simple enough for the Torso to handle it
Fantastic insights! Ironically I found myself using the euclidean pulses less and less. Instead improvising with manual put pulses much more, especially across multiple tracks.
I can totally see that! There are so many ways to use that thing.
This video is ridiculous but I totally love you
Haha I totally agree and thank you! ❤️
I just bought the Torso T-1 a few weeks ago and my impressions were exactly the same. Conceptually, it would be interesting to think about how to "fix" it for pitched music. I've been writing some simple Python scripts sending MIDI OUT to experiment with a few ideas. Once you get the logic right, I don't think it would be difficult to write a script for say Norns if someone wants it DAWLESS. One way to think about it is that if I'm successful at this style of sequencing, I should be able to somehow recreate common popular melodies with it, but that'd be pretty painful for rhythms, let alone melodies. It's hard to imagine constructing melodies without some notion of harmonic awareness, e.g. not just chord tones but passing tones and where they fall in the beat.
That's super interesting! Would love to see a video and/or read a blog post about that process...if you document it and think of it, let me know so I can check it out!
I really like using the T1 as a very fancy arpeggiator via setting up the tracks as FX tracks, but I wish the built in keyboard mode would have a hold note function. I made a little midi controller on the Zoia which holds midi notes / chords to send to the T1's FX tracks to perform chord progressions. I also use a second sequencer to send it chord progressions sometimes. FX tracks take the incoming notes and applies all the T1 parameters to them. It would be great if you could set scales, and root notes all in Cycles.
Absolutely! I very cleverly didn't even mention midi FX, but I'm definitely going to try hanging the T1 off of another sequencer soon.
Best disembodied floating hands gear video I’ve seen in a while. Kudos. Do people still say kudos? Idk.
🤣
Before you randomize pulses, remove the ones you placed manually. You'll get better results, imho. Take my advice with a grain of salt since you may have already figured this out on your own and we're only seeing this little snapshot of your thoughts. Plus, I have no musical training but I love gadgets and synth sound design so that's where I'm coming from. Check out my last video for a really basic example of what I thought was a pretty decent melody. I had just taken the T1 out of the box and noodled around a bit and ended up with something better than a monotonous, lfo locked arpeggio. To what degree and to a trained ear such as yours, IDK.
Anyway, love your content.
That makes sense! Just checked out the video you mentioned...really cool sounds. :)
I actually do like the melodies the T-1 spits out, but the real problem is that I want to spit out melodies myself. Just like the T-1, I have my own style/sound, and it's honestly disconcerting to make music and have that sound just...not be there. If that makes sense?
Thanks for the kind compliment, and for talking me up! Really enjoying the comments on the recent videos I've been making.
@@AlisonWilder Odd, I made a response but when I refreshed it disappeared or maybe it's lagging? Anyway, condensed version: recommend Synthesia piano app to see piano roll of multiple midi lanes. As I can't always easily tell by ear what's going on, I found a visual representation to be very helpful. Loopop and mylarmelodies use it in their review demonstrations - that's where I first saw it. You can install it on all of your devices with the purchase of one unlock key. I connect to my phone via USB and use my CV/Gate to connect to modular.
It's definitely not best suited to very deliberate "composing", but a great deal *can* be done with per step editing, although it's ironically tedious for this compared with many normal sequencers. For instance, with that passing note I think a single step could be set to the chromatic scale and the note just placed in there? Also for more connected generative melody maybe slew could be applied to the random range.
For myself I really enjoy jamming with machines and seeing what can be done with the quirks, and I LOVE getting into these kind of shifting, disrupted stasis-zones and the T-1 is one of the best things I've used in these respects. It's notable that among the small number of presets they've included those two Japanese pentatonic scales, which are really good for that and work whatever notes are combined.
I have had similar thoughts about the "naivety" of the way it works with pitch though, and I'm resistant to the idea of the limited number of preset "phrases" for automatic progressions, although the LFO shapes (the lower ones) are fine as they are mathematical primitives, and you can pipe CV in (including from a T-1 track) to make your own. And really the combination cycles, per step editing of chords and arpeggio types and the "harmony" thing are the way to do progressions I think.
Enjoyed the video, cheers.
GREAT points. I have no doubt I'll keep using the T1, because you're right, it is SUCH a fun machine. But I probably won't be step editing in it anytime soon! 🤣
Totally agree about those Japanese pentatonic scales, they were a great choice, being naturally floaty. Some of my favorite stuff I have worked on has been using those scales.
I actually have a squarp hapax sitting on my doorstep right now, and I'm really excited to give it a shot. I think it will be more appropriate for some of the specific things I want to do in terms of song arrangements, harmonies, and melodies. Honestly, being able to just record a performance into the sequencer is pretty crucial for me. It saves so much time.
Thanks for taking that time to chat with me! Cheers!
I for one, care very much about the leading tone ☀️
I use Elektron gear, Digitakt/Digitone, and those sequencers are very compositional and specific. I came here looking at the Torso T-1 to find something that’s more flexible and improvisational in a live performance context.
I am a pianist and very chordal and melodic in my thinking as well. I’m looking for something that, in a live context, I can use to generate melodic material that sounds palatable in the moment and then trim it back to something more specific on the fly. Thus being able to improvisationally generate new track patterns live, rather than always having to program them before a set.
I can’t tell if this is the proper device for that use 🙃
I think the question is, what is palatable for you? For me, the torso works well for rhythmic material and as background melodic and harmonic material, but can't serve featured melody/bassline duty. That said, a lot of people would disagree with me!
And lol, I think those of us who love the leading tone are getting pretty old-fashioned! 🤣
@@AlisonWilder The leading tone will never go out of fashion 😁 I teach piano to nearly 30 students a week and while they may not all know that term, every last one of them can hear it!
@@AlisonWilder this take on the T-1 makes sense to me. There are certain foundational aspects of a track that have to be solid, specific and intentional in order for it to function. Bassline and Melody are certainly foremost among them. Or even practically speaking just kick drum and bassline - if those are intact the accents, chords and melody can be almost any which way (though a good melody still wants to be harmonized and phrased). But destabilize the kick drum or the bassline - it’ll ruin the entire thing. And it seems easy to do that with this device (see: a bunch of UA-cam videos of its slightly ambitious overuse).
It seems the T-1 may thrive in managing the more flexible aspects of a song, which rely on the stability of a more thoughtfully composed foundation.
Which is what you said 🙂
@@BeatTheLentil But you said it so much better! :)
The other major problem with any generative sequencer is that it has no real expressivity. You can try to program it in, but without brute forcing it (which is never applicable across lots of situations), it will never have the musicality of even a mediocre player. Once you put those two major problems together, you end up something that is of very limited use to me personally.
That said, I'm keeping it around for the moment! I'm so glad they gave it a MIDI FX mode, which has lots of cool applications.
Have you checked out the Oxi one?
Not yet!
UA-cam needs creators like you! We need more of your amazing videos-keep them coming!
That's so kind of you to say, thank you! 🥰
Hi! So, there’s e.g. only one “Minor” setting, that locks you into Aeolian … ? That seems odd … ? Based on the one other video I’ve seen, you can just create a ‘set’ of whichever notes/degrees you like, anyway, for the sequencer to generate from … ? I’ve finally decided to find out what these Torso things are all about; but, my understanding has been that the Hapax is one of the most powerful hardware sequencers … ? I understand this T-1 is meant to be more ‘about’ generative/performative sequencing? Also, I imagine they want/need to sell lots of these units to folk who aren’t massive theory nerds, like some of us … 🤓
@@kierenmoore3236 yeah, you can program your own scales for sure. But am I going to do that? Probably not! I guess my biggest takeaway from my intensive time with the t1 is that writing melodies and playing them is one of my favorite parts of making music. So the hapax is my primary sequencer now.
So when you set a scale, this is fixed, with no chance of transposition?
That's right. All the algorithms will keep the notes within the scale you set. Can't remember at the moment if you can randomize or automate the root of the scale to transpose?
Why not just quickly punch in the harmonic minor as a user scale?
You definitely could, and that's a great point. If I had planned the video more and made my point better, I would have said this: if I'm choosing my own notes, I would never pick a single mode and stay in it for a whole piece of music.
I actually almost immediately found a bug with the t-1 that has to do with not being able to use different modes in different cycles. That seemed like it would have been a good partial workaround for those sorts of limitations, except I guess no one ever tested doing that.
@AlisonWilder yeah there are lots of quirks/bugs everywhere
Still a super fun and unique sequencer though!
It is. As a fellow musicologist, thanks for speaking my language and getting into the weeds with this!
Cool, thanks for watching and chatting with me about it!
8:54 isn’t “voicing” the same as whether or not you are in root or in an inversion? Amongst other things, as in “chord voicing” how you play the chord?
Yep, exactly, voicing is a less specific word that refers to how the voices are spread out. Inversion is literally the act of moving a note from the bottom to the top, etc. So if you have a triad, you can have a first inversion triad (third on bottom), a second inversion triad (fifth on bottom), and then you get back to the root position triad.
This is like guitar instructional where the guy talks. Instead of playing a song or riff through. Try chromatic octave displacements at warped speed. Or pop song ‘ABC’ by polyphia. I haven’t heard anyone play on piano. I’m sure they did. Although you probably won’t hear 40 ounce’ because 6 string sweep sequence. Pop music
a different perspective on the T-1 here. Usefull. Maybe this machine is not made for making normal melodies. I think it is more suitable for making short weird phrases that change over time as you would do with a modular synth.I wonder. Alison, if you are aware of the NDLR from conductive labs ua-cam.com/video/fhKxsjaTJz4/v-deo.html
Wow, I've never seen that before, but I've imagined something like it! That looks fun.
And I totally agree about the T1! That said, I've been sending it midi from keyboards and other sequencers and using it's MIDI FX feature, which is a nice compromise between control and generation. 🥰
Just realized the ndlr is made by the people who make that mrcc. I use that thing every day, it's great!
To all that see this video: it’s a totally unfair misrepresentation of the T-1 boarding on irresponsible. You may be charming and trained in music theory but you know so little about the incredible versatility and exactitude of the T-1 . PLEASE read the manual before you hurt sales of an amazing sequencer, one of the most original on the market. Please see Mylarmelodies video to get a more thorough review.
Didn't realize that relaying my experience of using a piece of music gear could be construed as irresponsible, especially given that I had no contact with the company and made clear that I wasn't doing a review. That said, I'm sure you're right that I don't know everything about the capabilities of the sequencer.
But to each their own, and thanks for calling me charming! 🤓