hi guys

i have been out of the music loop (as a drummer) for about 6 or 7 years now.
i used to work with a yamaha qy-70 back then and would like to get myself a
little tool now that compares to that model and is about as affordable as it
gets. i have no problem buying something used either. its mainly gonna be an
advanced metronome and a little midi-composer tool for myself.

are there any specific models you guys could suggest to me? anything used?
any recommended web sites with reviews?

thanks a bunch in advance
sid

Hi Sid,

You might want to try the software route... check out the Music Creator or
Home Studio products from Cakewalk: www.cakewalk.com

Best regards,
Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - Author of Cakewalk, Sound Forge and Sound Forge 6,
SONAR, SONAR 2, SONAR 3 and Sound Forge 8 Power! books.
** Sonar 5 Power The Comprehensive Guide - Available for Pre-Order! ** Books
up to 37% off at:
http://www.garrigus.com/

Publisher of DigiFreq. Win a free copy of Sony's Sound Forge 8 audio editing
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"sid derra" wrote in message
...
hi guys

i have been out of the music loop (as a drummer) for about 6 or 7 years
now.
i used to work with a yamaha qy-70 back then and would like to get myself
a
little tool now that compares to that model and is about as affordable as
it
gets. i have no problem buying something used either. its mainly gonna be
an
advanced metronome and a little midi-composer tool for myself.

are there any specific models you guys could suggest to me? anything used?
any recommended web sites with reviews?

thanks a bunch in advance
sid

"Scott R. Garrigus" www.garrigus.com wrote in message
news
Hi Sid,

You might want to try the software route... check out the Music Creator or
Home Studio products from Cakewalk: www.cakewalk.com

Best regards,
Scott

hi scott - thanks for the advice.

i have been keeping up with some of the software tools, however, for
practicability i'd like to have a little, less bulky thing than a laptop
with me when i'm drumming.

take it easy.
sid

The old Alesis MMT-8.

Limited memory, but if you're not going to send CC messages it should
give you a couple songs.

Probably get one for $25 or so.

"BUMMER DUDE. OUT OF MEMORY."

I hate it when machines call me dude.

S.O.D.D.I. wrote:

The old Alesis MMT-8.
Limited memory, but if you're not going to send CC messages it should
give you a couple songs.
Probably get one for $25 or so.
"BUMMER DUDE. OUT OF MEMORY."
I hate it when machines call me dude.

Failing that and depending on what you call "low-priced," look for an
old Roland MC range sequencer. They're tough as nails, have a nice set
of filtering options for things like pressure sensing and the like and
as they have gone through several generational upgrades, getting them
repaired or the disk drive replaced is not too daunting a prospect.

--

HellPope Huey
Where's my Humvee
and how did I get in this BRA??

You're entitled to be a lot crazier than you are.
~ Carl Reiner to Alan Alda

Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results.
I know several thousand things that won't work.
~ Thomas Alva Edison

S.O.D.D.I. wrote:
The old Alesis MMT-8.

Limited memory, but if you're not going to send CC messages it should
give you a couple songs.

Probably get one for $25 or so.

"BUMMER DUDE. OUT OF MEMORY."

I hate it when machines call me dude.

I 2nd the MMT-8. Some really good engineering went into that thing.
In retrospect, I think I was more productive using the MMT-8 10 years
ago than I am today using Logic. Go figure.

- B.

"musicman" wrote in message
ups.com...

I 2nd the MMT-8. Some really good engineering went into that thing.
In retrospect, I think I was more productive using the MMT-8 10 years
ago than I am today using Logic. Go figure.

- B.


Funny, I was thinking the same thing a few weeks ago. I use Cubase SX3 now,
but 15 years ago my main sequencer was the on-board on an Ensoniq EPS 4X.
Such an easy interface. I don't know why or how, but Ensoniq really got it
right with that sequencer. In some ways, I was more productive with my old
EPS than with Cubase today -- mainly in the inspiration stage, where you're
shuffling around sound textures and building a song idea.

This is not really advice to the original poster -- just reminiscing. An
EPS by today's standards is a pretty clunky low-memory 13-bit sampler. But
what a sequencer.

I remember how easy it was to work up songs. Usually I'd start with the
bass and rhythm on the EPS -- or sometimes with a piano or guitar, for that
matter -- and then go to the D50 or Juno to play around with the song
idea -- adding in secondary bass lines, padding, strings, etc.

I think a big part of the EPS's ease of use came from the fact that the
buttons were right there where your hands were working. And the fact that
the unit had this left-to-right command control arrangement, which made it
easy to learn.

As for advice, you might want to go with a Yamaha QY70 or QY100. Very
stable, no hiccups, big display with lots of information, reasonably
intuitive "job" menu layout. The little keys are even good for laying down
percussion tracks, if nothing else.

Except by now most of the buttons are dodgy and that can be a REAL pita

quote"I 2nd the MMT-8. Some really good engineering went into that thing.
In retrospect, I think I was more productive using the MMT-8 10 years
ago than I am today using Logic. Go figure.

- B."

I'd try and find a Yamaha QY700. Won't be THAT cheap, but is a great
sequencer and sound module.
I presume you would prefer to have sounds in it (as you mentioned you
used a QY70)
If this is the case, then the Roland MC-80 or the QY700 are the main
ones I can think of.
the Yamaha QY300 is another that might suit you:
a couple on ebay

*http://tinyurl.com/alo8q
**http://tinyurl.com/9avv8


*

Frank Benn wrote:
Funny, I was thinking the same thing a few weeks ago. I use Cubase SX3 now,
but 15 years ago my main sequencer was the on-board on an Ensoniq EPS 4X.
Such an easy interface. I don't know why or how, but Ensoniq really got it
right with that sequencer. In some ways, I was more productive with my old
EPS than with Cubase today -- mainly in the inspiration stage, where you're
shuffling around sound textures and building a song idea.

This is not really advice to the original poster -- just reminiscing. An
EPS by today's standards is a pretty clunky low-memory 13-bit sampler. But
what a sequencer.

I had the Ensoniq ESQ-1. The way I worked on it's onboard
sequencer is pretty much how I work now in software too.

Will Miho
NY TV/Audio Post/Music/Live Sound Guy
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

"sid derra" wrote in message
...
| hi guys
|
| i have been out of the music loop (as a drummer) for about 6 or 7 years
now.
| i used to work with a yamaha qy-70 back then and would like to get myself
a
| little tool now that compares to that model and is about as affordable as
it
| gets. i have no problem buying something used either. its mainly gonna be
an
| advanced metronome and a little midi-composer tool for myself.
|

What's "low-priced"? One man's "low price" is another man's poison....

D.

"Virginner" wrote in message
...
"sid derra" wrote in message
...
| hi guys
|
| i have been out of the music loop (as a drummer) for about 6 or 7 years
now.
| i used to work with a yamaha qy-70 back then and would like to get
myself
a
| little tool now that compares to that model and is about as affordable
as
it
| gets. i have no problem buying something used either. its mainly gonna
be
an
| advanced metronome and a little midi-composer tool for myself.
|

What's "low-priced"? One man's "low price" is another man's poison....

as i have a lot of money invested in music instruments and quite a bit of
camera gear as well as quite a bit of graphics stuff, this is only supposed
to be supporting my hobby. and did i mention that i am still going to
college? ;-)
so somewhere around 150 would be the max i'd be willing to spend.
preferrably not too far from the 2-digit numbers. im not gonna use it a
whole lot. its just gonna be an advanced metronome and a little toy to mess
around with. but who knows... maybe the audio bug bites me again...

"david morley" wrote in message
...
I'd try and find a Yamaha QY700. Won't be THAT cheap, but is a great
sequencer and sound module.
I presume you would prefer to have sounds in it (as you mentioned you used
a QY70)
If this is the case, then the Roland MC-80 or the QY700 are the main ones
I can think of.
the Yamaha QY300 is another that might suit you:
a couple on ebay

*http://tinyurl.com/alo8q
**http://tinyurl.com/9avv8

thanks a bunch - ill check those out!
and yep - sounds would be a feature i appreciate. i can deal with running it
through my computer for advanced stuff, but the QY70 just was a fun tool to
mess around with on breaks as it was.

rock on.

It may not be cheap but it is the best:
Akai ASQ-10
It is the sequencer section from the Akai MPC-60.
This thing is built like a tank and it always inspires some great stuff.
On Ebay they are about $300-$400.
Worth every penny.

"sid derra" wrote in message
...
hi guys

i have been out of the music loop (as a drummer) for about 6 or 7 years
now.
i used to work with a yamaha qy-70 back then and would like to get myself
a
little tool now that compares to that model and is about as affordable as
it
gets. i have no problem buying something used either. its mainly gonna be
an
advanced metronome and a little midi-composer tool for myself.

are there any specific models you guys could suggest to me? anything used?
any recommended web sites with reviews?

thanks a bunch in advance
sid

sid derra wrote:
thanks a bunch - ill check those out!
and yep - sounds would be a feature i appreciate. i can deal with running it
through my computer for advanced stuff, but the QY70 just was a fun tool to
mess around with on breaks as it was.

rock on.



If you love the Yamaha thought process, I know I do, I'd second the
QY700 and also make the suggestion of the RM1x. It's sequencer engine
is the same as the QYs sans the auto-chord stuff which, personally, I
find distracting.
It's a far more "loose" programming style. er, not the timing though,
the clock on these things are rock solid.

There are a few gotchas with the RM1x, as with most equipment, but they
are fixable or workaroundable:

1. OS is on a PROM, to change it you need to open it up and swap it out.
Not a huge deal, took me five minutes.
NOTE: If you are planning to use only the RM1x' sound module, you don't
need to change the PROM. Also, you can work AROUND needing the new OS
with outboard gear by just changing a track setting.
*If you just want to plug in and play, disregard this whole *paragraph

2. If you get one that is trashed, the keyboard buttons will need to be
pressed quite hard to work. The tactile feedback on them isn't great.
This is really a problem with most older gear and I can't really fault
Yamaha because I know units that have been used with a bit of care and
work mint even now.

3. You can't hear all the tracks in grid-step record mode. This is a
stopping point for many but doesn't really bother me. (there's always UNDO)

4. UNDO: only one level of undo, though there is a REDO job if you want
to compare.

The goods:

Contrary to popular belief, the internal sounds are quite usable. I
know some folk that multitrack the audio out of the unit one-by-one for
mixing outboard but I'm lazy and usually don't bother.

The user interface is just mint. I have never used a better
general-purpose sequencer, hard or soft. This may be chalked up to
being a noob but I've fuxed around with them for quite some time, ~8
years, countless software packages, some korgs, a casio, qy20, qy70.

You might appreciate this as a drummer, I've never used a kit but I was
in the pit during marching band for a bit so I guess I'm a wannabe
drummer. The quantize, imo, is quite nice. You can dial it in
different ways and really play with it.

A fun thing I do is play pretend drummer by pluggin my old Roland/Boss
MPD-4 MIDI drum pad into it. These go for about $10-50 on ebay and you
get a drum pad+MIDI send controller+three trigger ins+footpedal in. You
adjust the sent noteon by hittin a pad and twisting a knob. You can't
get much more simple than that.
Runs on 9v, so an RM1x with the MPD-4 and some triggers and you've got a
kickass (portable) show going on with live drum solos. :3

hokie. I just rambled on for a bit. anyway.
Whatever you pick, I wish you luck and good fortune.

Take care,
Des

| | i used to work with a yamaha qy-70 back then and would like to get
| myself
| a
| | little tool now that compares to that model and is about as affordable

SNIP

so somewhere around 150 would be the max i'd be willing to spend.

SNIP

So, you want something that's comparable to a QY-70 for 150 (I assume this
is USD, not GBP)... so you've solved your own problem....

.... go to Ebay and get a QY-70!!!

(got my last one for £50, so that's less than $100)

D.