Seq24, Temper and MasterTracks Midi Sequencing Software

LoboLives

Seq24, Temper and MasterTracks Midi Sequencing Software
« on: July 14, 2018, 10:03:29 PM »
I was speaking with Alan Howarth not too long ago in regards to his use of Mark Of The Unicorn's Performer Software back in the 80s while he was doing his own scores and collaborations with John Carpenter. I thought it was a DAW in today's sense of the word but he said that unlike it's current version (MOTU's Digital Performer 9), the original Performer was more of a computer based MIDI sequencer software. He would use it to compose and sequence all the external hardware synths via MIDI and then record the synths on reel to reel tape for the master.

The DAW I use currently is Studio One. While I enjoy it for what it is, I realized that I'm mostly just using it to record audio and do a few touch ups and mastering/mixing. I've tried to use the MIDI on it as well as Ableton and I just can't get into it so I wanted to try and find a dedicated MIDI Sequencer Software that had an easy to use interface and was almost a throwback to those 1980's computer screen sequencers like Performer, MasterTracks, etc. No fancy colors, no cool looking interface, just a basic black and white barebones program. Well...I found a few and the good news is....they are free.


1.) Seq24. This one is probably the easiest one to use.
http://www.filter24.org/seq24/about.html
http://www.filter24.org/seq24/seq24.large.png

It has three main windows. One where you have a collection of 24 different Midi sequences running constantly. You basically mute/unmute them via the computer keyboard, by mouse or by touchscreen. You can change the velocity of the notes, have different legnths in the Piano Roll Window (This supports step recording and real time recording) and finally if you want to pre-compose you can go to the Song Editor Window and draw out where each sequence stops/starts/repeats etc.


Instructional Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHGHrQxd9WY


Demonstration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIpAKEeLnIs


2.) Temper.

This one is a bit different as it's almost a full DAW. IT's not just a midi sequencer but also records audio and has hundreds of it's own built in internal sounds and effects (So you can compose at home if you want and then sequence your actual gear later). I haven't found any online examples of Temper in use but I downloaded it recently and plan to upload some videos.

http://www.angryredplanet.com/temper/index.html

3.) MasterTracks Pro

http://www.passportmusic.com/products/master-tracks-pro/

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/MTPro_683_screenshot.png

Although this isn't a free program. Passport Music has taken the old Apple II MasterTracks Midi Sequencer and still has it commercially avalible for both Mac and PC.

The interface hasn't change much...lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCPPaByUoFw

The reason I bring these rather "basic" softwares to you guys is I know a few of us were looking into "Hardware Sequencers" and while I do still include myself in that catagory I got to wondering. Instead of doing it all "Inside The Box" or "Outside The Box" why not a nice hybrid set up. There's something to be said about having a dedicated Midi Sequencer Software with an interface that you can see the entire song in a single window. Composing and Sequencing all your gear while you run that through a good mixer into a dedicated recorder. I dunno, just a thought that crossed my mind.



« Last Edit: July 14, 2018, 11:02:17 PM by LoboLives »

Re: Seq24, Temper and MasterTracks Midi Sequencing Software
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2018, 11:25:01 AM »
Thanks for this post. I've been curious about some of these things for a long time. As a kid, on some of the early Macs my parents bought, I would play around with things like Opcode's Vision and stuff like that. Later on I learned that some of the music I loved was sequenced using it and its descendent software. I wouldn't want to fetishize the software used, but I do often find modern sequencers (Live, Reason, and Reaper being the ones I have available to me) to be kind of hit-or-miss for my purposes. For example, I use Live for most things, but Reason and Reaper offer convenient tools for splitting off a lane for each note, which is helpful for rendering polyphonic midi on a monosynth, for example.

The majority of my music is midi-sequenced on the computer and rendered on external hardware, and I am not aware of anything that makes THAT flow especially convenient. Lately I've taken to sequencing with dummy sounds in-the-box and then swapping the sound sources out for hardware before freezing the tracks individually.

Gomjab

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Re: Seq24, Temper and MasterTracks Midi Sequencing Software
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2018, 11:47:42 AM »
If you are on a Mac check out Numerology. Takes a very different approach.

http://www.five12.com/hq/N4