21 thoughts on “Audiowerkstatt Intros mini-midi-step-seq 8-Step MIDI Sequencer”

1. more dashes please

   dashers, dashers (tv ad)

2. Finally, an 8 step seq that looks like it was built but myself.

   And I can chain two of them to get a 16 step seq!!!

   So, looking for the price…. that is only…. 658 euros for a 16 step sequencer for this build quality. I can’t possible see how anyone could ever consider moaning about the cost or such a revolution device, unless I am missing something here? ‘‘It is optimized for live use, especially jam-sessions, but can also be used to give you new ideas”; think about that for a second. If you want to play live, jam or have new ideas, for only 658 euros, you can get 2 small boxes to hook up together that can give you a 16 step sequencer.

   Find me a better solution than that on the market? Before you all go shooting off about the price, you don’t understand what this is.

   (sorry)

   1. hi,

      oh – seems, as if the announcement leads to missunderstandings – sorry about that:
      it has 2 patterns with 8 steps, which can be used as alternatives (e.g. to jump from one to the other or prepare a new sequence in one while playing the other pattern) or you can chain them, to get a 16step-pattern. in one device – you don’t need two of them.
      other manufacturers would call this not an 8step-sequencer, they would call it something like a “16step-sequencer with 8 control-elements” if that makes it clear…

      and it was never planned to be a “revolution device” – it was planned to be a very stable and tight device with a good workflow for spontanious editing – and that’s, what it does.

      if you are looking for a new multitimbral main-sequencer with storage and things like that, this will for shure NOT be a device for you – it’s an additional sequencer, if you already have one.

      it’s a very special device and only small series will be produced and sold. only the used parts cost much more, than a sequencer like the beatstep costs for the customer (with assembly and distributor and shop and profit for the company) – and then those parts need to be handsoldered and assembled.
      it would be crazy to try to make a cheap device like that – others can do that much better…

      i invite everybody who is coming to superbooth to come to bl260 and give it a try – i think it’s worth it.

      best
      olaf – audiowerkstatt

      1. Olaf, with all the due respect, why would someone buy this instead of, let’s say, a korg sq-1 for 1/4 of the price? I clearly see what it doesn’t do and what is not meant to do so.. what are the features that make it special?

         1. hi dan,

            first of all: there are a lot of cool sequencers on the market and out of my point of view, they all have good and bad sides. so it’s all not about “mine is better”.

            when i started development of the sequencer, there was no step-sequencer for midi at all – sq-1 and beatstep came, when i already had the first prototype running…

            beatstep has encoder, not pots, so it’s different, so let’s have a look at sq-1 and compare it to mini-midi-step-seq:

            there was the idea of 16 very small pots, but because it is for live-use, it has 8 normal pots (alps – out of metall and screwed to the frontplate) and big very good buttons (marquardt – to will last more than 1.000000 clicks according to the datasheet, which is much more, than the average you’ll find in todays musical equipment). that’s why i invited to come to audiowerkstatt at superbooth – you will feel the difference and there are musicians who know, what things like that are worth.
            and it’s with all parts like that: all connectors are switchcraft, hirschmann or bkl; all semiconductors are atmel, nation semiconductor, fairchild, sharp; and so on.
            that has its price – some people want that and some don’t care – audiowerkstatt is for those who care, there is enough other stuff on the market for those, who don’t.

            and the same is e.g. with all the positions of the display- and control-elements and the workflow and stuff like that: it is all very good planned for live use – never loses sync, you can change everything, while the sequencer is running – that is different, even if it should be normal…

            features (don’t know the sq-1 perfect, hope i don’t tell wrong):
            – long and short notes: can you combine steps to get longer notes than 1 step?
            – you can chain A and B in both sequencers, but can you jump from A to B (and back) without loosing snyc?
            – can you copy A to B (and vice versa)
            – can you adjust first AND last step (independent for A and B)?
            – has it 8 different clock-divider?
            – can you adjust velocity in 7 steps?
            – can it produce random-velocity?
            – can you change octaves in 8 steps?
            – can you select 7 different ranges for the pots (from one octave to all 128 midi-notes)?
            – has it a special mode to use the pots to adjust pitchbend (makes it possible to program a midi-device without beeing pitch-quantized on halftone-steps)?
            – can you adjust gate-length in 16 steps?
            – can it send 3-voice polyphonic patterns (with additional 2 notes – you define the intervall to the note adjusted with the pot – similar to chord-memory)?
            – does it have special sync-functions to move steps or midi-ticks forward or backward or restart without stopping the masterclock (e.g. after playing around with first step or last step)?

            you see: there are some feature, the sq-1 does not have – and you know, there are things, the sq-1 has and the mini-midi-step-seq does not (e.g. gate/cv or internal clock), but i think, that there are enough reason for some people to have a look at audiowerkstatt mini-midi-step-seq.

            but as i said in the beginning: it’s not about “mine is better” – they all have a reason to be bought and the all stuff from audiowerkstatt is special and won’t get mass-produced products for the masses…

            best
            olaf – audiowerkstatt

      2. That does clear some things up. So, it is 329 Euro for a 16 step sequencer with 8 control knobs that was “optimized for live use”? Forgive me for not understanding the process. Wouldn’t a 16 step sequencer with 16 control knobs be better “optimized for live use”? Would you prefer or recommend using a 16 step sequencer with 8 control knobs in a live setting? Why is that preferable?

         Nice little design, all the same. I like the look and seems solid, just a shame it needs a bit of extra diving and shifting to get 16 steps, which could maybe be possible within a similar price range, as I don’t think it purposeful for live playing. 2 chord modes sounds interesting, like to hear more on that. What about scale modes? Unless it is offering one simple minor feature that is a rarity, which I can’t really see, then it is a hard sell at this time. A couple of years ago that wouldn’t have been the case. You already know this as you just made a sequencer, you know the market better than me. Why am I telling you this?

         1. hi,

            thanks for the feedback – and to answer your last question – that’s why you are telling me this: feedback is welcome at audiowerkstatt 😉

            no, there is no scale-mode – there was no led/button left (as for many other features) and i didn’t want to make “deeper menus” than i already did.
            and with more buttons/leds it would have been even more expensive – it’s hard, but you have to make a cut somewhere 🙁

            same with the 16 pots/buttons: for sure has a lot of advantages, but would have made the price really unacceptable for everybody for a monotimbral sequencer without storage, internal clock, gate/cv…
            and it would have been much bigger (if you want to have normal pots with some distance in between and big buttons), which is also an important topic for live-musicians hardware and especially important, if it is just mono-timbral.

            and you didn’t see wrong: no revolutionary, special feature – just really good in what it does.

            best
            olaf – audiowerkstatt

3. hmm I sure hope those edge pins are costmetic (in which case they’re pretty neat) and not hot (in which case they’re an accident waiting to happen)

   1. Yeah, they just act like a case edge and are not hot.

      Which really makes you wonder if it wouldn’t just be easier to make a small case.

      I’d prob wrap the whole edge in tape to prevent things from getting inside there.

   2. hi,

      those edge pins are NOT hot, as well as all those tracks on the top- and buttom-pcb. they are connected to ground, to get a faraday cage/shield. so electrical it is similar to every metal-enclouser – no problem or danger for the electronic and the user to touch them. the pins are as close to each other, that a mini-phone-jack (3,5mm – the smallest pin used for musical instruments and tools used by musicians) can’t get in contact to any used electronic component or track.

      best
      olaf – audiowerkstatt

      1. I’m more talking about dirt, dust, coins, keys, liquid drops, whatever getting inside there.

         In a live setting…

4. Seems rather pricey for what it does.

5. I don’t remember any “classic 8 step” midi sequencers. 2 8 step patterns seems really small for midi were multi-timbrality is a normal thing.

   Still have my Alesis MMT-8 for midi and it’s badass.

   Then again any Roland, Korg, Kwai little box from the past 20 years can do way more than this thing…

   1. The MMT-8 is my favorite hardware sequencer as well. It has its limitations, but what it does it does flawlessly. Most importantly: it has the most intuitive user interface I’ve ever seen on a sequencer.

      My dream sequencer would be an MMT-8 with durable buttons, some shuffle timing options, step input and a couple of extra midi outs.

6. At that price you would expect a proper case and uh, probably a better sequencer too!

7. Where can I get nord-style pushbuttons like that?

   1. hi,

      the buttons are marquardt – series 6425 for the big ones and 6450 for the small ones. in germany you get them more or less everywhere (bürklin, rs, conrad, reichelt,…). if you don’t find them in your country, ask at http://www.marquardt.com – they will help…

      best
      olaf – audiowerkstatt

   2. glad someone’s asking the important questions 🙂

      I’ve been trying to source those tact switch covers for a while

8. Looks pretty good to me. The live applications are very interesting, a good build quality is worth the extra money, and having a manufacturer so involved from the outset is a big plus. No CV is a deal breaker for me, but this controller looks like it fills a gap not being occupied by any other at the moment, no reason to negatively criticize it yet.

9. I’ll apploud any new hardware sequencer, but nearly $300 for an 8-step gadget consisting of a bunch of pcb’s without decent enclosure is a waste of anyone’s money.

10. I don’t understand all the negativity. I rarely even read comments here anymore because all the complaining is so predictable and unproductive. Too much money? Don’t buy it. People pay that much money for all sorts of non essential stuff like another distortion pedal or another eurorack filter. As someone else pointed out there isn’t really anything else like this on the market. As with anything, after enough people buy these the price will go down. Maybe a cheaper kit version would make this more appealing to some.