shippy_trapper

i would recommend to get the X version(the one you can use in midi mode only) if you consider the launchpad.
It is not that different to the key/scale layout on the deluge, it has velocity sensitive pads though.
if you want keys with aftertouch the arturia keystep is the best cheap one that has this onboard.
i personally use a squarp pyramid, which is super nice imo;
has a lot of super nice apeggiator modes and midi fx but i it has no velocity pads.

Here's my experience.
I am synching my deluge with my eurorack sequencer(fraptools usta) using the deluge as a master clock.
When i use the setup as mentioned above with gate4 configured to clock, i can see that the usta is not getting a constant clock. with standard setting of 24ppqn there is definitly a drift and the 2 sequencers run astray.
but if turn the setting for ppqn down to 1 the synch is good.

i also tried to use a midi to cv interface(endorphines shuttle control)
as expected results are even worse than the first method.
drift, plus all the other midi problems.

what works best for me is
if i use gate 4 in ytrig mode(settings) and make a kit track with just 1CV track(gate4) with 4/4 (i make the gates as short as possible) and send this to the clock input on the usta sequencer everything is in perfect sync with the deluge. weirdly the usta shows 1bpm less than the deluge, but the synch is dead on.
u can also create duplicate tracks and use the deluge as a clock multiplyer/divider f.e
hope that helps.