Korg

Reviews | Korg SQ-1 Sequencer
80
S
equencers are all the rage
again and surprisingly Korg
haven’t made a dedicated
sequencer for a long time. In
fact, the last sequencer they made that
anyone got excited about (Electribes
aside) was the SQ-10 in 1978, so it’s
great that they’re back in the game!
The SQ-1 is a cute little unit and
coming in at £106 (street price around
£79) it offers a lot of bang-for-buck.
You’ll be glad to know it’s actually built
like a tank with a fully metal case and
chassis, a solid MS-20-style mode
selector knob and 16 Volca-style
translucent backlit knobs with red
backlit rubber sequence step/function
buttons. Underneath is the battery
compartment where two AA batteries
reside, though it’s a shame this is held
down with two screws rather than
having a more easy access opening tab.
The SQ-1 can also be powered via its
USB port (DAW/USB buss power) or via
a USB power adaptor. Interface-wise,
the SQ-1 is simple on the surface so as
not to get in the way of performing/
programming but there’s a lot of
functionality provided.
On the front you have two
independent sequence rows (Channel A
and B), each with eight sequence
buttons. These rows can run alternately
(per step), in parallel (forwards), in
parallel (forward then reverse) A then B
(up to 16 steps), in random mode, with
CV outputting on A and slides on B,
with CV outputting on A and Duty (note
length) on B and fi nally with random CV
on A and Duty on B. You can also set
the CV output voltages (1V, 2V, 5V V/Oct
or 8V Hz/V options) for interfacing with
different equipment by holding function
and specifi c step buttons, so even more
eclectic CV/Gate gear is accommodated.
Further to this, the SQ-1 works as a
MIDI>CV converter. You can send MIDI
notes from your DAW to the USB input
on the SQ-1 which then converts the
incoming MIDI to CV/Gate data to send
to whatever equipment you like. The
beauty here is you can address two
connected instruments independently
(or the two oscs separately on the
MS-20M for example). The timing
under MIDI clock is also tight and it’s
great fun controlling DAW software
instruments from the SQ-1 too. Note
that when fi rst powering on the SQ-1
you might think that the speed control
doesn’t go fast enough but, under the
global settings, you can set the
resolution of each step globally to
quarter, eighth or sixteenth notes.
The ins and outs of it
Connection wise there’s also plenty to
work with. There’s a connection for
interfacing with Little Bits modular gear,
MIDI out (via a mini jack to DIN
breakout cable), CV/Gate outs for each
channel and Sync in and out for
interfacing with Volcas/Monotribes –
and all outs work simultaneously.
In use, it’s all very intuitive when
programming and, when playing back
sequences, there are plenty of lights for
keeping track of active steps and levels
in dimly lit environments. Also the
performance controls taken from the
Volca range are a godsend for spicing
up sequences and live shows, so you
can use Step Jump to instantly trigger
steps manually, Active Step to change
the length of sequences, Gate on/off to
add/remove steps and Slide mode for
smooth transitions between notes and
303-style workouts. You don’t even have
to worry about being able to program
well as, if you want, you can let the
SQ-1 harmonically quantise the pitches
of each knob/step to the nearest
chromatic note or to major/minor scales.
All things considered, the SQ-1’s
power really impresses for the money,
though it misses swing and song mode,
plus there’s no apparent way to
transpose or store favourite sequences
currently (all software updateable
hopefully). At least for now you can use
Korg’s SyncKontrol IOS app for swing
and, missing features aside, it’s a
capable little sequencer that’s well-built
and won’t break the bank.
Korg SQ-1 Sequencer | £106
The SQ-1 is a powerful and portable compact step sequencer with
Volca-like performance facilities. Dan ‘JD73’ Goldman checks it out...
WHAT IS IT?
Battery/USB powered
16-step sequencer with
CV/MIDI/Gate facilities
CONTACT
Who: Korg
Tel: [phone]
Web: www.korg.com/uk
HIGHLIGHTS
1 Very compact and easy to
use with battery power
2 Cheap to buy, yet very
well built
3 Packed full of facilities
for controlling CV/Gate
and MIDI gear
SPECS
Sequencer modes:
Alternate, Order, Parallel
Turn, Parallel Order, CV/
Duty, CV/Slide, CV/Duty
Random, Random
Step mode: Gate On/Off,
Active Step, Slide, Step
Jump
I/Os: CV/Gate Out (A and
B), Sync In/Out
Battery life: approximately
5 hours (with alkaline
batteries)
Dimensions
93 x 84 x 63mm
Weight
641g
VERDICT
BUILD
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VALUE
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EASE OF USE
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VERSATILITY
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RESULTS
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Plenty of functionality in a
compact, cheap and portable
battery-powered package.
FMU290.rev_korg2.indd 80 25/02/2015 10:22