32 bar limit - Thought experiment/hapax + pyramid

Hapax
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Disclaimer - while i have lots of experience with sequencing, i’m a beginner with the hapax. Let me say what i would like to accomplish, and then one of you experts on these 2 sequencers can maybe make fun of my idea :slight_smile:

So - i’m loving the hapax. I especially am loving the elasticity feature. My one disappointment with the hapax thus far is the 32 bar recording limit (which, if i interpreted my email response correctly, cannot be lengthened in firmware.)

I’m sure there are multiple ways to try to get at this - lowering the tempo, for instance. I think that the resolution would still be pretty good, but recording a very long passage would still not be possible. I think that you can record for a very long time in loop mode on the pyramid, but then you are obviously lacking the new features and enhancements of the hapax.

hmmmmm - now, how far could you get by recording live into the hapax, using the elasticity feature, and then recording the output into the pyramid? hmmmmm - that wouldn’t quite work - i don’t think you can record multiple tracks like this at once into the pyramid, and then how would the elasticity feature work?

one could set up a 32 bar sequence on the hapax, and just record the whole output over time into the pyramid…but then why bother with the pyramid…

and then i don’t remember if the pyramid records mpe (well, it’s just midi, but i don’t think that the channels would work correctly).

when i think through this, it just wouldn’t work. i thought for a nanosecond of replacing my hapax with the pyramid, but hell - the hapax is such a brilliantly designed sequencer.

i’m trying to wrap my head around playing live (using the linnstrument) into the hapax and recording that into the pyramid, but i think that even if doing something like loop recording on the hapax and overwriting rather than overdubbing, i’d lose any possibility of using the elasticity feature. and multiple tracks…

is it ‘so close, yet so far’, or just ‘so far’? I’m not above buying a pyramid to supplement the hapax, but getting what i want - use of elasticity, or even just plain multichannel loop recording, for long periods, just seems elusive even with both of these sequencers conspiring.

maybe there is just no better solution than just lower the bpm way down. maybe the lack of resolution will make it funner …

2

Hapax has infinite loop in Song mode

SONG LOOP

The song will play in an infinite loop.

3

not sure how that addresses my question, which was likely not well articulated.

4

if you are ‘just’ looping then bpm doesn’t really matter… its just event data you are recording…
(and its as 192 ppqn… so thats good resolution/length … even if you slow things down alot)

but indeed, as you start to use other tracks that might rely on bpm (e.g. percussion) then elasticity is there to sort that out.

Im not quite sure why the Hapax limits it number of bars to 32…
I think its just really a UI decision, so you don’t end up with lots of pages… rather fewer pages with zoom in/out… perhaps they could change this at some point, and allow us to have ‘blocks of bars’ i.e. zoom out even further than we can now.

at the end of the day, the main limitation… is always going to be (just like pyramid) number of events.
since every event = data on a timeline. fortunately more memory on hapax = more events…

but they can still add up, with 2 projects, 16 tracks, automation etc…esp for MPE!

I think you can kind of do it, with limitations…
(and all loopers have some limits, both in time and resolution)

but honestly if you just want infinite looping, Id probably look for a dedicated looping tool…
if your not editing (which is unlikely with this much mpe data) perhaps just record loop audio.
why capture midi if you arent editing/manipulaing it.

of if you want midi, perhaps record using something like a Bastl midi looper, which is sync’d and feeds into the Hapax… so the Hapax does the ‘other stuff’.

I dont think any tool with ever do everything… it’d just be impossibly complicated… and most wouldn’t use all features… so its striking a balance… and using others tools as necessary.

thats said, remember to send in feature requests to Squarp via the contact form…
if you can articulate your use-case, they might be able to do something which either solves directly, or helps along the way.

( I suspect others have asked for more bars per track… so add to those voices :wink: )

1 Like
5

i am finding that slowing the tempo way down goes pretty far towards this goal. I’m recording pretty crazy stuff (so maybe i’m just not noticing that the tempo is losing resolution, but I think i’ll probably be fine with that.) the problem ultimately will probably be figuring out how to work it if i’m synchronizing to/with other gear.

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6

The RK008 might also be good as well for what you want. Think the max it will record is 682 beats. It is basically just a MIDI recorder and playback machine, not nearly as complicated as the Hapax, but in its simplicity it definitely has something. Looks super cute, too.

7

don’t know that one. i’ll look into it. I do have the bastl midi looper, but what i was most hoping for was that the 32 bar limit could be extended, so that i could have all of the features of the hapax. but i’ll look at this rk-008. I’m a sucker for an interesting sequencer. luckily i have little space left, lol

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8

Can this be extended to 96 bars? That would be a major improvement because then it can cover the full length of (most) songs. Compare with Blackbox…it does not have such limit.

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9

half the tempo

10

Half tempo would match with 64 bars at normal tempo. That is still less than.96. And also losing the accuracy for entering fast melodies in the sequencer I think. Or do I overlook something?

11

nope thats right. make tempo 1/3