Devicemeister's Stepic - Step and Modulation Sequencer for Ableton Live

[Devicemeister]

Dear forum community,

today I would like to take the opportunity to introduce Stepic to you. Stepic is a step and modulation sequencer designed as a Max for Live MIDI effect. Already during the initial conception phase it became clear that the feature set I had planned for Stepic would be hard to fit on a pure M4L user interface. So after successfully building some prototypes, I decided to implement the main UI as a VST3 plug-in. It resulted in a clear and fully scaleable user interface that is intuitive and comfortable to use. All essential functions are in direct access. No submenus needed.



What makes Stepic so special, besides its versatile note sequencer, are its 8 built-in modulation sequencers. Their ability to automate any Live, VST or MIDI CC parameter and to operate at their own sequence and note length make it a powerful polyrhythmic sound shaping tool.

The individual sections of the note sequencer (Pitch, Octave, Duration, Velocity, Duration, Note Offset and Divider) can be configured with their own sequence length, play mode and re-trigger option. Especially the ability to set octaves and pitches independently opens up musical possibilities that are otherwise only found in modular systems.

For chord input, a chord editor with 6 octave range is available for each step. Chord notes can be limited the current scale. The scale system offers predefined scales, but can also be freely configured according to personal preference.

Musical ideas are stored in the 16 available pattern slots. Pattern lengths can be extended up to 16 bars. Pattern Concatenation allows patterns to be flexibly linked together.

All step values of the note and modulation sequencers can be randomized. The value range of the random generator can be set for each section.

Those who like it really funky will be happy about the Custom Notelength option. It allows you to enter note lengths in a range from 1/99 to 99/1.

Stepic's Key Features:

• 16 step sequencer.
• Per section configurable sequence length (Pitch, Octave, Velocity, etc.).
• 8 independent modulation sequencers.
• Per modulation sequencer configurable modulation targets: Ableton Live, MIDI CC.
• MIDI CC automation routable to external devices.
• Individual sequence and note length per modulation sequencer.
• Polyphony: Per step chord editor with 6 octave range.
• Custom note length option for note and modulation sequencers (Range: 1/99 to 99/1).
• 16 pattern storage.
• Pattern concatenation modes: Same, Next, Random, Fixed.
• Extendable pattern length: Up to 16 bars.
• Maximum sequence length: 4096 steps (16 steps x 16 bars x 16 patterns).
• Step Connect to merge two or more steps into one.
• Fully customizable scale system.
• Over 220 randomization options for almost any device value.
• Per section Dice and Shift to get results fast.
• Clipboard to copy sequences across sections and patterns.
• Random step play order.
• Per section re-trigger options: Off, Bar, Pattern.
• Fully scalable user interface.

Price: €39.

Product page: https://devicemeister.com.

[Devicemeister]

Dummy post for future updates.

[Razzia]

well, let me be the first to say it looks very cool. I get why you can't offer a demo on things that are built for M4L, but I wish I could test whether the workflow suits me. I'll check out the youtube material. Congrats on your release.

[Devicemeister]

Thanks! To compensate for not having a demo version, Stepic comes with a 30-day return policy. If for some reason you are not happy with your purchase, i'll refund your money.

[El°HYM]

Looks like a formidable Device, indeed!

[andrewbrewer]

Great intro video!

[Devicemeister]

Hi,

I have updated Stepic to version 1.1. With the update I want to give users more musical possibilities at hand, but also further improve the general handling and workflow of Stepic for them. Here is a short overview of the new features:

Probability: Probability allows you to control at step level, the probability with which notes are either played or not played. 2 modes are available: Percent & Fix. In Fix mode, it's possible to have notes play (or mute) only every x passes.

Note Repeat: With Note Repeat cyclic note repetitions can be added to sequences. With the switchable transpose mode, repeated notes can be transposed up or down. Intervals can be set in semitone steps. Transpose Offset allows you to delay the start of the transposition. As in all sequencer sections, Sequence Length, Retrigger and Random Step Order can be configured for Note Repeat. At step level, Value Randomization can be activated.

Fader option for the modulation sequencers: Faders are now available as an additional option for entering modulation values. They serve a faster and more intuitive input, but also offer a better visual representation of existing values.

Chord Copy: Chord Copy allows chords in the Chord Editor to be copied from the current step to other steps or from another step to the current one. This makes duplicating chords much faster and more convenient.

Chord-Cycle: Chord Cycle is also used for a faster input of chords. The new button lets you cycle through already existing chords of the current pattern. Each click loads the next chord into the current step.

Note Repeat Demo

Probability Demo

Best,
Jens / Devicemeister

[2:43AM]

How's the MIDI CC output handled by Stepic? I ask because, IMHO, Ableton Live does a horrible job, even in Live 11, with MIDI CC output. The problem is data flooding. Take CC8, for example, or Clip Automation. Each one is such high resolution that data throughput is in the kB's of data vs. bytes of data for given knob movements. I know for a fact that my MIDI interface, a MOTU MIDI Express 128, and most of my external synths cannot handle the data. The result is inaccurate note timing, lost notes, and stuttery/inconsistent playback. Robert Hencke, apparently at some point in time, created his own version of CC8 which is 1000x better and acts how a MIDI CC output should act; data is not flooding through.

So how does Stepic output data? Does it do it on its own, or do I need to use Stepic to map-to and control a M4L device such as CC8 or Hencke CC8?

[Devicemeister]

So how does Stepic output data? Does it do it on its own, or do I need to use Stepic to map-to and control a M4L device such as CC8 or Hencke CC8?

Hi,
Stepic's modulation sequencers have two automation modes - Live Automation and MIDI CC Output. In MIDI CC mode, pure MIDI CCs are output. So there is no need for a converter. A CC is output every time a modulation sequencer reaches the next step (and the new value differs from the previous one). This way you don't have a permanent "flow" of CCs like you would have e.g. with an LFO. Therefore the MIDI footprint is pretty small. At least as long as you don't set crazy high speeds on the sequencers

[rotong]

This is a great tool and promises to become an important tool in music development. I played with it for several hours and created a beautiful lounge track in no time. The pattern options are great, except that you can't reset the patterns when you restart Stepic. That's really a big shortcoming if you ask me! Now you have to do this manually for each Stepic instance or with parameter automation which works poorly. An option to enable this in the preferences when, for example, a restart of your DAW, all patterns start at number 1, could be a welcome solution, dear developer!

[Devicemeister]

This is a great tool and promises to become an important tool in music development. I played with it for several hours and created a beautiful lounge track in no time. The pattern options are great, except that you can't reset the patterns when you restart Stepic. That's really a big shortcoming if you ask me! Now you have to do this manually for each Stepic instance or with parameter automation which works poorly. An option to enable this in the preferences when, for example, a restart of your DAW, all patterns start at number 1, could be a welcome solution, dear developer!

Hi, thanks for your feedback! I've added your feature request to the wishlist. Are you familiar with Stepic's MIDI-mapping function? It allows you to control pattern changes using MIDI notes (or CCs). This way, you can manage pattern changes via a MIDI keyboard or controller, or even through notes in the arrangement. The advantage of this method is that you can quickly and flexibly implement a complete song mode with Stepic.

It's not exactly what you're looking for, but it gets you close and, in my opinion, it's even more flexible.

In this video, you can learn more about MIDI-mapping. It starts at 22:05:

[rotong]

Hi there. Thank you for your quick reply. I will try your suggestions. Stepic is an awesome tool and your responsiness is top!

[impsamri]

Hallo, I am new to step. How can i automate filter on retrosynth or alchemy in Logic Pro ?

[dayjob]

Hallo, I am new to step. How can i automate filter on retrosynth or alchemy in Logic Pro ?

there's a bunch of walkthroughs on youtube.. not using logic.. but using FL studio.. the process is probably similar though.

[impsamri]

Hallo, thanks for the reply
I messaged devicemeister and they say Logic Pro stock instruments is not able to be automated because these synths doesnt have midi cc.
now I wonder what synth that is simple and cheap that can be automated by Stepic