Squarp Hapax

[DrGonzo]

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be a beta tester for the Squarp Hapax.

I've watched it developments, and got a really nice feeling for the Hapax, and yes I love it !
In this video, I go through what it can do and how Ive been using it.

Yesterday I watched almost the whole video and I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to put it together. Most of the things I didn't like with the Pyramid seems to have been improved, especially the larger size, the dual displays and the larger grid - makes things much more usable.

After watching it I decided to buy one - and while clicking the buy button someone else came in and snagged the last unit! Now the delivery time is set to June - and in reality that might mean anything these days

Anyway - thanks for taking the time, and if you are doing more videos I'd love to see you actually creating a whole track, from idea to arrangement with modulation. No matter how simple musical material or a whole lot of tracks. Just curious to see the actual workflow.

/C

[DrGonzo]

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be a beta tester for the Squarp Hapax.

I was just going to to order one, when I stumbled across the comment section over at Synthtopia, and someone mentioned that

Was watching Ron Cavagnaro use this thing and he took down his first video for wasting his time trying to sequence without hearing a note preview when programming. . Just cant get over the whole not being able to hear the note as I input it into the step sequencer.

Is this something you can comment on? Is it really true you don't hear what you are programming in the step sequencer, but only in Live mode?

[UncleAge]

Loopop mentioned it in his review as well. Seems like something they could easily address.

[Kalamata Kid]

I would be interested in the Hapax if the midi keyboard was velocity sensitive.

See this thread
Hapax, - new hardware MPE sequencer
viewtopic.php?p=8397474#p8397474

[DrGonzo]

How are you guys feeling about the Hapax now when the dust have settled?
Still the best thing since sliced bread?

[cmd-r]

How are you guys feeling about the Hapax now when the dust have settled?
Still the best thing since sliced bread?

Have you bought one in the meantime or have you given up?

Would have liked to see more experiences and videos from people and their workflow

Not being able to hear what you program wouldn't bother me. Something like that will certainly be added with an update, I think.

What keeps me from buying is
- the strongly increased price
- No velocity pads
- Only 8 patterns
- Only 8 pads possible in drum mode
- No individual lengths for each drum track

Are elektron like P-Locks per step possible?

What about the song mode? Is arranging possible or not? I only see Max 32 bars everywhere… Does this concern only one pattern or the complete song?

[DrGonzo]

How are you guys feeling about the Hapax now when the dust have settled?
Still the best thing since sliced bread?

Have you bought one in the meantime or have you given up?

Would have liked to see more experiences and videos from people and their workflow

Not being able to hear what you program wouldn't bother me. Something like that will certainly be added with an update, I think.

What keeps me from buying is
- the strongly increased price
- No velocity pads
- Only 8 patterns
- Only 8 pads possible in drum mode
- No individual lengths for each drum track

Are elektron like P-Locks per step possible?

What about the song mode? Is arranging possible or not? I only see Max 32 bars everywhere… Does this concern only one pattern or the complete song?

No, I absolutely caved in and bought one and although I am only scratching the surface of it, it's one of the coolest things I've ever bought. It's not perfect and as you mention, there are omissions - some that can be updated and some that cannot. Like velocity sensitive pads. I don't think even the OXI One or Deluge have that to be honest.

The rest of your thought are probably fixable in updates, and I would guess likely too.

Compared with the OXI One, the Squarp is so much easier and logical to work with and that's one of the things I feel they nailed really well. The workflow is superb. Personally I have mainly been playing around with the Generator section to quickly come up with ideas and variations. The material that it generates is really usable and not a randomized mess that's often the case with randomizers.

I've also did some pattern sequencing with a simple Volca Sample - that was really fun. Especially working with the generators.

But yeah. It really got expensive.

/C

[ik_ik_ik]

What keeps me from buying is
- the strongly increased price
- No velocity pads
- Only 8 patterns
- Only 8 pads possible in drum mode
- No individual lengths for each drum track
Are elektron like P-Locks per step possible?
What about the song mode? Is arranging possible or not? I only see Max 32 bars everywhere… Does this concern only one pattern or the complete song?

HAPAX has been a game changer here and Squarp's design decisions could be considered as strengths in many ways.

On some of those items raised...

It's really simple to spawn multiple drum mode tracks but with different drum lanes (notes) assigned - made even simpler with the instrument definitions you can assign to tracks. No, you can't finger drum 16 drum lanes at once with velocity but you can flip between sets of eight really quickly. Acknowledging of course that this a quicker way of eating up the 16 available tracks and that is maybe one of the bigger limiting factors. It's worth noting in the other direction, that individual drum lanes can target different MIDI channels not just different notes - so a single pattern can trigger multiple target instruments, that's really neat and loves a Nord Drum 2 for example.

Ultimately I think a singular pattern length and consistent sync is a more intuitive implementation - much though I was wanting to play with different length per drum lane too. It is still super easy to set up patterns with different lengths in different tracks but the same target - keeps it consistent for drum mode tracks, poly tracks, etc. As is, it's brilliant for polymeter and then deeper into polyrhythm if you get into the time elasticity per track.

It doesn't quite do the P-Locks thing but the combination of automation lanes, interpolation, default values, maximum rate and zoom you can do some really good stuff and really fast. The automation is not tied to underlying note events and doesn't work in the temporary/offset way like P-Locks but can be easily aligned with steps. Definitely more like DAW automation than the Elektron way.

I haven't delved into song mode much but the 32 bar thing is per pattern. You create sections (based on pattern selections) and assemble these sections into a song. This is on screen not on the pad matrix and is duration based i.e. you don't repeat sections like A,B,B,B,C,B,B,B,D but more like A,B,C,B,D with the duration for B being set longer in each case. Also means the sections are not locked to the length of the patterns within them but it is the duration set in the song that dictates change.

Still only just scraped the surface to be honest.

Inigo

[simmo75]

Hi guys, I’m going to either get a Hapax or Oxi One.

Does the Hapax allow for a usb hub for midi?

[RonCavagnaro]

I believe I was referenced earlier in this post yes I have Hapax, i took down my first impressions video about this because I was taken aback by this "missing basic feature".

You can not preview notes as you enter them in manually into the pattern, at least in the current firmware.

But you can press the right side knob and it will preview the bottom row note. It just feels so awkward so it changes my workflow and I get different results.

You can use learn mode and this moves the bottom row to the lowest note you press on an external keyboard, or can use the "live keyboard" and then switch back and forth.

We will see what future firmware updates will show.

I am unsure about USB hubs working with it so I looked that up and it appears it is not available currently.

Forum link about that: https://squarp.community/t/does-the-hap ... ected/7009

[simmo75]

Thanks sir! I did buy the Hapax, I’m loving it and hoping for some firmware updates for those basic things too.

[serge]

You can not preview notes as you enter them in manually into the pattern, at least in the current firmware.

That seems to be solved in firmware 2.0; beta is available if you want to try:
https://squarp.community/t/hapaxos-publ ... a/10475/14

[RonCavagnaro]

Hey Serge! Yes it is fixed, and immediately on release of this new firmware I did a video on it so great! It's like a new gear!

ALSO 16 patterns now each column!