How to preview notes as I enter them into step?

Hey guys struggling to understand Hapax- can I preview notes as I am entering them in to the step when it is stopped? Feels like composing blindly this way… Any help?? Thanks!

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Watched your video and it is really surprising that this can’t be done somehow as we know about. This could be done on the first firmware of Deluge, Oxi etc.

Overall, there seems to be a some different design choices on the Hapax. I hope the devs try or watching videos of Deluge, Oxi and similar sequencers to get some inspiration and ideas. And try to improve those things (if necessary).

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You are a very inspiring Deluge user and teacher. May I ask you what made you buy the Hapax?

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+1 this needs to be implemented asap.

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Press the big knob on the top right, it plays any note showing on the left screen.

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What´s the benifit of having it that way? I would rather just push the pad on the grid and it will play a note, but maybe I´m missing something because I don´t have a Hapax yet.

Dunno. It’s exactly the same as on the Pyramid, and I’ve never really thought about it.

You can just have a pattern looping so you can hear the notes in context (the new loop points mean you can select a smaller section of your pattern for composing this way, this is pretty neat), or play with an external keyboard which will play the notes if you have MIDI Thru on. Or play in live mode and tidy up in step mode.

Like I say, the workflow has made sense to me, and I’ve never actually questioned it. But if you’re used to a different sequencer, then maybe it is weird.

Send a feature request if you think it would help things, but I think this might be a design choice than something missing.

That would be nice to have as an option on the settings.

Another way could be to have a split view of live and step modes (pressing both button at the same time for example) using the note learn feature. So that you can have a keyboard to preview the notes and a step mode to add the notes to the timeline.

Yes I bought it to have other sequencing tools, and to make tutorial series. Pretty disappointed if I can’t do something as simple as enter notes in and hear them. What’s the point of making a two screen robust midi looper without a step sequencer that makes sound?!?

Never used it :wink:

what not use the Live mode with learn, so you can hear the notes…
it works as a momentary, so its much better than a split view where you’d only get a small view of steps and ‘keyboard’

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Because as in the manual it says precision editing in step edit mode. I want to precisely enter in notes yet I can’t hear them as I’m adding them… If this isn’t resolved I’m going to most likely sell this. Incredibly disappointed, I really hope it is addressed. I sent squarp a message

switching modes for every single step is simply double amount of work

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you are not really switching modes, as its acting as a momentary…

also if you press the main encoder it will play the selected note.

I do think one thing is perhaps missing here… you cannot preview a step, e.g. if you have entering a chord , you cannot just preview that step.
normally I don’t need it, but sometime I move notes around to create a different inversion, and it’d be nice if I could preview afterwards to check I did it correctly.

but again, we all work differently… so of course, what works for me, might not work for you.

(also I often have a controller connected, so again, so if your using learn and controller you are already ‘previewing’ the sound)

It will not play the selected note. It will play the note at the bottom row of the screen… So this is just a glorified midi looper and not a step sequencer composition tool? By the time I press that knob and enter notes along the bottom row , every single time I need to hear notes to choose for my composition, it will wear down the knob quickly!

Im not here to argue the merits of design or functionality.

as I said we all have different workflows,
Im merely commenting on how I use it… and I fully appreciate that they may or may not work for you (and others)
(I have no idea how other beta testers use it… im not the only one :wink: )

you are welcome to submit requests to Squarp, and Im sure they will listen.

this is v1, of course as more users are ‘onboarded’ , its pretty obvious different workflows/approaches will come to light, that can be adopted.

e.g. there doesn’t appear to be a UX issue with holding a pad an pressing main encoder to preview … or having a preview mode that plays notes as you enter them

so its down to getting feedback, and prioritising them.

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momentary mode is a bit better but switching the whole view for every step input is a bit to much imo.

Totally agree with Ron as well, pressing the knob for every step doesn’t feel right either. It made sense in Pyramid because of the lack of more step buttons but there are 128 buttons in Hapax.

Yes, using external input device works but again Hapax has 128 buttons that could be used for this.

Preview notes when pressing the steps sounds like a really simply solution that would improve the experience for some people (many people imo).

It can be optional as well so I don’t see how this could “harm” no body.

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In Oxi One, and perhaps also Deluge, there is an option to turn on/off note preview. Could this be implemented, I believe alot of Deluge/Oxi One users would feel at home and Hapax gets more users.

Made a request to Squarp.

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much more flexible though…
since you get to keep the entire grid…
imagine taking 4 rows up to display a keyboard, now you can only see 4 rows on the step sequence!

also, it means you not only can use the live scale mode, but also the much more complicated chord mode, which could never be put on a split view.

but again, no point in going around in circles here…
I’ve never suggested, that this will harm anyone…
this is how I use it, mainly because SOME may not be aware of things like ‘momentary mode’…

but if that still does not work for you, I urge you to reach out via the contact form, to make suggestions that suit you better.

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It could be just one row (the one that is unused when is scale locked).

Everything works for me as it is. We are talking about small things that could make it even better though.

I will write them through the official form as well, thanks.

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