Can’t decide between Hermod and Voltage Block. Watched bunch of videos but can’t see in any whether its possible to mimic the basic workflow of Voltage Block on the Hermod. Ie - Hold a track button and tweak the knob to taste. And to do this while clocks running to input cv/sequence for the track.
I know that wouldn’t make it one to one for functions etc but would at least offer the same kind of speed. Is this kind of basic use fast workflow possible?
Thanks
Oof… impossible choice.
The Voltage Block literally brings Elektron style P-Locks to Eurorack. It’s fierce.
However, I personally think that comparing Hermod to VB is approaching apples and oranges.
For all the sick and immediate features of the Voltage Block, I don’t think that it’s a master sequencer/brain per se. It does things nothing else can do, and in style for sure, but for organizing a sequence of patterns, or preparing for an entire performance I think it would not be the ideal choice.
I’ve come to see the Voltage Block as more of a performance tool, a P-Lock based freak out controller that is really fantastic. The best thing about it is that it’s patch related, so I can re rout myself and head off in other directions in a performance, and even re program it in real time (or set up a bunch of things and call them up with patch cables at different times.)
The Hermod is both my modular brain, and my extension for CV/Gate from the Pyramid. It holds my patterns, has an established architecture for input, output, patters, and more.
While Hermod has many features for performance, and can also pass other controllers through in real time, or record them and save them to be applied later, at specific times, or copies made and used elsewhere, organizationally for the structure of a piece, or a collection of sequences for an extended performance it is much more like a complete composition tool.
So I suppose it really depends on what you want to do. If you are looking to get P-Locks going, and want to freak out a patch, then Voltage Block is the undisputed choice.
If you are looking for deeper, more organized over all control for everything, then Hermod is the way to go.
My problem is that typically I would really like to have both. All the things please.
Naturally this is just my experience, and I’m weird. So I would suggest trying to get your hands on one of each (even in a shop with headphones) and try them. Neither are immediately gratifying without reading, learning, and trying a variety of things, but some hands on experience always tells the story best for me.
Great reply, thanks! It’s as I feared…get both 
Decided to get Voltage Block first and then Hermod (or possibly Five12 Vector which looks great too!? tons of trig conditions/probability per step etc… too much choice…) a little further down the line around Xmas. Voltage Block + Morphagene seems like it’ll be a lot of fun to begin with 
Thanks again.
I had the Voltage Block and sold it. As you correctly point out, the basic workflow on the Voltage Block is slider based. This is useful for creating “LFO-style” CV patterns, but completely useless for notes. For plugging in notes, Hermod is much more efficient because you can connect a keyboard (assuming you know how to play). In addition, Hermod can record CV from its inputs A-D. So if you wiggle a know, joystick or any other controlled, you can record it with Hermod. Hermod is much more versatile and powerful than Voltage Block. A more meaningful competitor would be the Varigates. I also had a Varigate and sold it because I do not have the patience to “dial in” individual notes with sliders. The Varigates are sophisticated “step sequencers” with a lot of interesting functionality. But again, the Hermod is much more versatile.
For my purposes, I have given up the idea of using one sequencer only. There are different sequencing concepts, each having its strengths and weaknesses. At the moment, I have Hermod plus two independent Ladik 8-step sequencer, plus a Pamela’s New Workout (basically a gate sequencer). I use the Hermod to record notes coming from a digital piano and CVs generated within my system.
If you like sliders, get a slider and record its output with Hermod. Then you have both.
Yeah I think I’m at the same place. Looking toward -
Voltage block for param automation.
Rene 2018 for interesting performance.
Hermod/Five12 for bread and butter melodic plus midi interface (also allowing iPad/elektron/op1/Organelle sequencing intergration).
Waiting for reviews on the Five12 but Hermod price and size are two obvious pros. Just wish it had probability/step conditions 