Korg SQ-64

I got this sequencer for live sequencing of my modular (drums and synth) and a poly synth.
The hardware is great, high quality material and feel. The output set is also great with the choice of 5 or 10V output range for the CV and gate. plenty of connectors, two MIDI outs.
The unit however does only ship with a USB cable so if you want to sequence some MIDI gear you need a adaptors which I think it pretty unacceptable not to provide... (I had some in stock so it's fine for me but

Where there is a major let down is the firmware. Here are the major faults and the reasons why I returned it:

-You can't set default value for lots of the parameters in your sequence (gate length) and you can only change value of multiple steps by holding the button. For example if you have to have a gate length of 50% instead of the default 75% you need to edit every single steps one after the other. Luckily you can at least edit multiple step at the time by holding the buttons but this is limited and frustrating on a 64 step sequencer, especially live. This would be solved by being able to select multiple steps at the time (without having to hold the step button) or by being able to set default values in the submenus

-You cannot record quantized. When you do livre recording it will save the human feel and imperfections on your timing. Which is great. However it is the only way this works, you cannot have quantized recording to the grid. So if you play something and want to have it set to the grid you have to go back and edit every steps one by one to set the offset to 0. This is not acceptable for live use... Again this can be easily solved by having the option in the submenus

-You cannot record drum live drum rhythms. You can record melodies with different keyboard mode but it is just not possible to play rhythms and record them into the drum sequencer... I really don't understand why this is the case. It's a stupid design decision...

Now for the connection to a computer for firmware update and USB midi stuff
-You need a MIDI driver to connect it to your PC (it's 2022 come on... class compliant is the standard now...)
-If the SQ64 is not on part of the first 10 connected unit on you PC you need to fiddle around with your midi the driver list... (why is this a thing...)

So yeah the hardware is great but the software implementation is really lacking and is quite disappointing... a lot of things would be really improved fairly easily. However if no new feature have been pushed a year after release, I don't have much hope... So I returned it and will use a Novation launchpad pro and a CV.OCD instead

Ok, catchy headline here is the story. I was evaluating this and had decided to return it, but the day I was about to, I spilled my coffee over it, so.. yeah I couldn't return it anymore. (still works fine though, no sugar coffee).

So I forced myself to make use of it somehow and learn its quirks since I don't like having hardware sitting around doing nothing.

Long story short, I end up liking it more because I forced myself into exploiting its strengths and avoiding its weaknesses. (there is something to be said here about any tool)

- I initially bought it because I wanted an ableton-like pattern launching which this has. Only 3 other options in the market having that as far as I know and they cost a lot more with features I don't need. That part works quite well, albeit new patterns initialize at 16 steps which is a bummer, so I pre-initialize all patterns in an empty project I copy-paste around at 64. Wish there was an alternative option for that.

- Recording notes played on a keyboard works well without force quanitzation, thus it can have more than 4 bars at slow speeds, albeit no pitch/mod or any other automation can be recorded which is a bummer too. Wish it was possible to record even just 2 such things.

- I made an Ableton custom script (followed tutorials online) to use it as a controller for Ableton as well. Clip launching, track mute/solo/rec, play/stop/rec, track volume, and a small drum pad grid. There are many pads on this to make a layout I liked.

- I am not a person that enters notes into a sequencer one by one but rather plays them in a keyboard (except for drums), so all the features of doing so and editing melodic notes in a per step way, I have no use for and I find them cumbersome here as in most sequencers anyway.

- Most of the "performance" features here (reverse, bounce, random, fill notes, etc) I personaly have no use for and even if I did, I find them a bit cumbersome to use on the SQ64 due to jumping around different modes, so I don't use them.

// Bottom line:

- For my dawless setup this is permanently in the "Patterns" mode to record new patterns with a midi keyboard and launch patterns in ableton-like fashion to make an arrangement on the fly ala live-looping style (but there is a quirk with the pattern lenghts in that).

- For my daw setup with ableton it is permantely in the "Control" mode as a daw controller able to do most things I want a controller to do (only possible after making my own custom script for ableton though).

For these things it works well and it might do for you too. I wouldn't use it for its other features or modes though, namely 1) entering notes per step (except maybe for drums), and 2) its "performance" features.

Build quiality is very good. It's compact and the cv outs are worth mentioning too (even though I just use midi).

// Wishlist (just in case someone at Korg reads this and this piece of hardware is not dead to them; hope not):

- It would be awesome if while in "Patterns" mode, it was possible to mute/umute tracks (not possible now), as well as quickly change the patterns length and speed before launching them. Basically make the Shift functions work in Patterns mode as well (they don't). Right now you have to launch the pattern first, then enter another mode (Gate), select the track to change the length, and finally return back to "patterns" mode, which is too much buttons for a live performance scenario. I mean, we could just hold down the pattern and move a knob to do this or something similar.

- Wish clearing a track pattern to only clear the notes. Right now clearing a track pattern also initialize it back to 16 bars and all its settings like speed back to initial. Why?

- Wish we could record CC automation.

- Wish there was a count in when recording if not already playing. Metronome could be on one of the drum cv outs for that. (or even just a countdown number on the screen if metronome on cv out is not possible).

- Wish we could set the drum track as a melodic one as well. This will better justify buying a second SQ64 and sync them up for more tracks.

--EDIT--

Everything I said above still stands, but after using it quite a bit more, I feel like this could have been the best compact 4-track midi sequencer/recorder for both live performance and arranging, just with a couple firmware changes.