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Deluge x Squarp Pyramid

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I love my Deluge and I’m really Enjoy learning from it, although it’s time to expand my setup and I’ve decided to go with Roland Boutique synths. Now, I’m looking for a sequencer that can handle 3 synths (boutique), 1 drum machine (boutique) and a effects box (pedal zoia or H9) can I control and record everything with the Deluge? Or should I get a dedicated sequencer? What about the Squarp Pyramid?

Thanks!

Comments

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    ClimaxGravelyClimaxGravely VancouverPosts: 7

    I bought some midi cable y-splitters and was able to handle a microfreak and some different volcas. I'm planning to get a 1-4 midi thru box to expand past 2 synths. So far I've had no problems using it as a master sequencer/controller for my other equipment.

    I'm not familiar with the Zoia/H9 so I'm not sure there.

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    uijauija GermanyPosts: 8

    I am a little late to your question but:

    I have several devices connected to my Deluge and let them all play, what the Deluge wants them to play.
    Have a Projekt, where my Miniloge XD plays a Lead, Digitone some Chords and Plucks (2 Midi Channels), Crave plays the Bassline and my Blofeld listens on 3 MIDI Channels for a Pad, an Arp Sound and some Effects. Thats 7 MIDI Channels from the Deluge to external machines.

    All Synths go into my Mixer. For recording I either play "live" and record it in stereo into a portable Recorder (Tascam DR-40) or I record each Synth on their own into my DAW.

    FX Routing is either done in the machines themself (Digitone has Reverb, Delay, Distortion for example) or by external effects routed by the mixer.

    If you mean by recording, recording MIDI, you need to think about your workflow. As far as I understand, Deluge is only able to record to the active Track.

    If you need a different sequencer, depends on what you want to do. Deluge is capable of a lot of stuff, but cannot do everything. Recording multiple MIDI Sources "at once" is one part it lacks. I personaly like the accessability of the deluge sequencing, but i think there are better devices, if you mostly want to record midi and play it back. Also, you need to programm everything in the deluge, as there is no MIDI FX Section.

    What I found out: If you want to setup you Synths in a room, press on Record/Play and run around like crazy Playing all your synths like into a looper, the Pyramid will be the device of choice. From the Videos I have seen, its unbelievable powerfull. I thought about it a lot, but as I a programm/sequence my music instead of playing it on keys into a machine, the Deluge is more for me, than the Pyramid.

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    SquidgyBSquidgyB United KingdomBeta Tester Posts: 7

    Another late reply - I own both, but I've been using the Deluge over the Pyramid since I got the Deluge at Christmas.

    I'll certainly be bringing in the Pyramid to work alongside the Deluge once I've figured out my "studio" layout/connectivity. Bearing in mind that my Deluge is quite modified (4x midi USB ports, bluetooth midi, midi filtering/channel routing once I figure out a mididings script, and (very!) extended battery power), there's still a few functions I really want and simply don't have in the Deluge.

    As the previous poster mentioned, you can only record into a single active track on the Deluge, Pyramid can run in "parallel" and record lots of incoming data (as such an MPE setup is possible, though configuration and manipulation of the resulting sequencer data is a bit awkward). Patterns per track - Pyramid can handle oodles - Deluge needs separate tracks for each pattern, even from the same synth, which gets clustered and difficult to manage on the Song/Clip screen imho (multiple patterns per track, accessible through the pads using a 3rd "song mode" would be loooovely).

    Midi effects and automation in the Pyramid give it a lot of interesting programmable features - Deluge has a fairly basic sequencing functionality (well, no midi effects at all) in this sense.

    Pyramid also has separately addressable USB, Midi A and Midi B ins and outs - so a total of 48 available (iirc - 32 in, as you only have one midi in DIN, and USB) midi output channels, not to mention CV connectivity (which I don't honestly use very much at all).

    Pyramid can handle (and saves as) plain midi files, so it's very easy to transfer data to other devices/DAWs which support importing midi files.

    Pyramid does sadly have a limit on note data (including CC automation) per song, though it's fairly high (10,000 "events", or close), not that many people have hit the limit, and it's possible to work around it in various ways, as I remember.

    This is all a bit vague as I'm going from memory, and there's likely more functions that are comparable, and more that are pros and cons for each device, but maybe the above will help someone make a decision.

    Any questions or anything you'd like someone to check on a device, give me a shout.

    I'm no expert in either... But I do know a little :P

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    NRuckNRuck UKBeta Tester Posts: 80

    From my experience, Deluge should be able to sequence everything you want with no issues. I sequence from Deluge to Mono Station / Minilogue XD / TD-3 and Zoia simultaneously while sending cv out to Korg ARP Odyssey and running drums from the Deluge sample engine without any problems. You may need a midi splitter dependent on your gear having a midi thru, though.

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