Sequencer behaviour

[drxcm]

Hi,

What do the play / record buttons do when the sequencer is switched off?

I find it frustrating that I have to turn on the sequencer before I can play it.

Surely hitting play is enough to switch it on and start the sequencer? Or is there some functionality I am missing?

[saxomohawh]

The play / record buttons don't do anything when the sequencer is switched off. You have to turn on the sequencer on to use it. I personally don't find that very frustrating.

[audax]

I agree that it's non-intuitive that the play and record buttons don't automatically engage the sequencer.

Having gotten used to how it works, it's less of an issue for me now - but it seems arbitrary and I still find myself forgetting on occasion.  Can imagine that there is some architectural reason it's structured this way - but if that reason isn't obvious from the users vantage point it feels less than coherent.

"Interface expert Jef Raskin came out strongly against modes, writing, "Modes are a significant source of errors, confusion, unnecessary restrictions, and complexity in interfaces." Later he notes, " 'It is no accident that swearing is denoted by #&%!#$&,' writes my colleague, Dr. James Winter; it is 'what a typewriter used to do when you typed numbers when the Caps Lock was engaged'." Raskin dedicated his book The Humane Interface to describe the principles of a modeless interface for computers"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_(user_interface)#Assessment

[Catfax]

I think it comes down to if you have another sequencer that sends a "play" signal over midi and you don't want a sequence to play you have the option to have it off. You can save the patch with it on or off so it shouldn't be a big deal imo.