composing using step edit synth from an external keyboard

mykorgforumid3 · Post by **mykorgforumid3** » Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:14 pm

Hi, I've plugged in a MIDI controller keyboard to my Electribe EMX 1.

When i'm in step edit mode and hoping to create sequences in step edit, my keyboard triggers sounds, and lights up the corresponding step keys on the EMX 1 .... but it won't actually let me input step sequence notes from my MIDI keyboard.
To actually do that it seems I have to use the unit's step keys to actually input notes to a step in the pattern and advance it on to the next step location.
Since i was using an external keyboard to avoid the limitations/inconvenience of using the single octave of step keys on the EMX 1 over several octaves, i'm wondering if there IS a way to get the EMX 1 to accept actual step sequence input notes directly from an attached MIDI keyboard ?

Thanks if you can help
with regards Adam

Ricoche · Post by **Ricoche** » Sat Nov 09, 2013 8:13 am

Yeah, I just tried the same thing this evening with my ESX-1 and found the same problem. Step edit is very tedious with both the ESX and EMX. I thought input with the keyboard would be better, but it looks like we might not be able to do this.

mykorgforumid3 · Post by **mykorgforumid3** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:20 pm

thanks for that reply.

yeah, this is bad, since i only really got this because i was searching for a nice step edit sequencer with lots of memory locations.

Gonna put this back on ebay.

mykorgforumid3 · Post by **mykorgforumid3** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:21 pm

For me, the search continues for a nice, simple, user friendly step edit-able sequencer, with quite a lot of memory. There must be something out there for me, don't yet know what it is.

thehighesttree · Post by **thehighesttree** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 3:54 pm

I like to view Step Edit as a "surgical" editing tool for manually-recorded sequences. You're right about it being horribly tedious! The best way I've found to work with it is to just hit the record button while it's playing and capture a rough draft, then change from keyboard to step edit mode and go in the Step Edit menu and make adjustments once it's relatively close to what you want. Slowing down the tempo while you record the steps can really help. So long as your channels are set up properly (sounds like it) then it will record the steps played from your keyboard.

mykorgforumid3 · Post by **mykorgforumid3** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 12:18 pm

yes, thanks for that response. Incidentally, i've cheered up now and decided to keep my electribe. It's still a very good option for a 'traditional style' step programmable drum machine i.e with a scanning light. (not too much out there with that characteristic, unless you buy one of the genuine antique machines) And with a little practice, i'm finding the quantised keyboard entry , especially with a nice slow tempo, pretty user friendly really.

like anything, it takes some getting used to. But in a world of mouse clicking and endless menus, this thing promises an excellently high ratio of real hands on knobs and buttons versus menus