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I’ve been readin the internet for like 2 weeks on this and I’m still lost. Hoping y’all can help. Here’s where I’m at. I’m currently using a minilogue, volca fm, volca sample, and some pocket operators. Here’s what I want. Something to be the brain of all this. I want to be able to sequence the minilogue cause the sequencer on that guy kinda sucks and I want more than 16 steps. Also be cool to sequence the fm as well. I scored a novation circuit monostation only to realize it’s not good for what I want. The other thing I’m after is a sampler. I have had the electribe 2 sampler, a microgranny, and an sp404. The sp was great but the sequencer was mad lame. I hated the workflow in the electribe and sampling was a total pain.

So here is what I’m looking at...
Novation circuit, seems lit cover some of the bases and seems pretty straight forward
Mpc1000, seems dope but I’m not sure if this would is what I should be lookin at.

So I’m basically open to all suggestions. I’m lookin at ditching the monostation and possible the volca sample to fund this so I’m trying to keep it 400 or under.

any MPC is really great MIDI sequencer and an OK-gets-the-job-done sampler.

For medium budget, a Digitakt is hard to beat.

The digitakt is probably your best bet if you want to combine the two. But if you want to sequence the Volca Sample using the Digitakt you’ll have to find a way to fix the Sample’s weird midi issue. It responds to all 16 midi tracks at once.

The beatstep pro lets you set up a workaround using their software editor, or you could get one of those retrokits cables and use the Volca Sample with anything. If you’re looking for a single sequencer to everything together, I have high hopes for the upcoming Keystep Pro.

I used to have a beatstep pro and a bunch of stuff. The beatstep is really good and let me hook up a Volca beats, modular synth, microkorg... Could never fix the Volca sample midi issue though (tried the software and it just... Wouldn't?) and had to use workarounds like clocking it off analogue gear that was clocked by the beatstep. There are people who say they got it to work though so maybe it's just me. Beatstep is definitely a good choice aside from that issue.

Now I have a digitakt which does everything the Volca sample does but better and is also a good sequencer for external gear at the same time. To sequence all those other things you would probably also need some sort of midi box but I don't know a lot about this stuff.

Yeah I know it's outside your budget, but the Digitakt sounds like it'll do what you want. I love mine.

It doesn't look like you can actually sample with the Novation Circuit; you have to load samples into it. Not sure if that's a deal breaker.

The KeyStep Pro and/or the Beatstep would cover your sequencing needs, but it sounds like you'd have issues with the Volca Sampler.

MrNovember wrote: It doesn't look like you can actually sample with the Novation Circuit; you have to load samples into it. Not sure if that's a deal breaker.

I’m just so continuously disappointed by the current sampler market. Cheapest things that sample are the Bastl MG and a Pocket Operator, both lofi only. From there you have to go all the way up to a Boss SP-404. There are plenty of strong, affordable options for sample loading, but if you want to sample yourself or resample, nope.

So I look with a bit too much longing at vintage rack samplers. Not for lo-fi-ness, but for the full user experience that’s so hard to get into these days.

Gone Fission wrote: So I look with a bit too much longing at vintage rack samplers. Not for lo-fi-ness, but for the full user experience that’s so hard to get into these days.

I did that in 2019. Got my dream samplers that are old as dinosaurs just for this... and cheap.

As I'm having MIDI issues with the Volca series at the moment, too, the Digitakt seems like the most logical route of a brain, with plenty more to spare.

For a possible end-all/be-all sequencer, you could always go the way of the Squarp Pyramid

I’m not too concerned with controlling the volca sample, if I get something like an mpc than the volca sample will most likely go. Beat step is cool it is monophonic so it won’t cover my needs. I’m aware that you can’t directly sample with the novation but it seems like the logical path due to its feature set and cheapness.The digitakt is rad but just a little too outta my price range for the time being. I agree, there are not a lot of options for hardware samplers right now so it’s def kinda frustrating. That’s why I am looking at the mpc1000. Apparently it was the shit for the better part of a decade so I’m wondering if that’s a train I should hop on. Pretty sure if I’m able to off load my novation and volca sample/fm if need be I’ll be able to scoop one. There are a few under 500 floating around

MPC seems definitely worth a try!

Must be a UK/US difference going on because here I'm seeing the mpc1000 for similar prices to the digitakt so that's why I recommended.

Digitakts are wonderful. There's a reason every man and his dog seems to have one. It's a bit outside the budget you mentioned, but even at its current price point, it's so worth it.

It appears like you want a separate sampler and sequencer, though.

D.o.S. wrote:It appears like you want a separate sampler and sequencer, though.

Maybe? I don’t know honestly. Been thru so much gear and have no idea where to go from here. All I know is I want some sort of “hub” and a sampler that can actually sample and not just load them