Music sequencer

Overview

Modern sequencers

|url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111109011956/http://www.steinberg.net/en/landing_pages/c6_creative_commons |archive-date = 2011-11-09

The advent of Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) in the 1980s gave programmers the opportunity to design software that could more easily record and play back sequences of notes played or programmed by a musician. As the technology matured, sequencers gained more features, such as the ability to record multitrack audio. Sequencers used for audio recording are called digital audio workstations (DAWs).

Many modern sequencers can be used to control virtual instruments implemented as software plug-ins. This allows musicians to replace expensive and cumbersome standalone synthesizers with their software equivalents.

Today the term sequencer is often used to describe software. However, hardware sequencers still exist. Workstation keyboards have their own proprietary built-in MIDI sequencers. Drum machines and some older synthesizers have their own step sequencer built in. The market demand for standalone hardware MIDI sequencers has diminished greatly due to the greater feature set of their software counterparts.

Types of music sequencer

Music sequencers can be categorized by handling data types, such as:

• MIDI data for MIDI sequencers
• CV/Gate data for analog sequencers | chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CoUs2SSvG4EC&pg=PT48
• Automation data for mixing-automation in DAWs,{{cite magazine |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160310132431/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep06/articles/reasontech_0906.htm |archive-date = 2016-03-10 Recording Mixer Automation / As automation in Reason is MIDI CC data, it must be recorded on a sequencer track.
• Audio data in audio sequencers | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=k-vFPYjwpW0C&q=Music%20sequencer%20analog%20step%20digital%20realtime&pg=PR5 including DAWs, loop-based music software, etc.; or phrase samplers including grooveboxes, etc.

Also, a music sequencer can be categorized by its construction and supported modes.

Analog sequencer

Analog sequencers are typically implemented with analog electronics, and play the musical notes designated by a series of knobs or sliders for adjusting the note corresponding to each step in the sequence. It is designed for both composition and live performance; users can change the musical notes at any time without regard to recording mode. The time interval between each musical note (length of each step) may be independently adjustable. Typically, analog sequencers are used to generate repeated minimalistic phrases which may be reminiscent of Tangerine Dream, Giorgio Moroder or trance music.

{{Vanchor|Step sequencer}} (step recording mode)

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On step sequencers, musical notes are rounded into steps of equal time intervals, and users can enter each musical note without exact timing; Instead, the timing and duration of each step can be designated in several different ways:

• On the drum machines: select a trigger timing from a row of step-buttons.
• On the bass machines: select a step note (or rest) from a chromatic keypad, then select a step duration (or tie) from a group of length-buttons, sequentially.
• On the several home keyboards: in addition to the real-time sequencer, a pair of step trigger buttons is provided; using it, notes on the pre-recorded sequence can be triggered in arbitrary timings for the timing dedicated recordings or performances.

In general, step mode, along with roughly quantized semi-realtime mode, is often supported on the drum machines, bass machines and several groove machines.

Realtime sequencer (realtime recording mode)

Realtime sequencers record the musical notes in real-time as on audio recorders, and play back musical notes with designated tempo, quantizations, and pitch. For editing, often punch in/out features originating in tape recording workflows are provided. This mode is widely supported on software sequencers, DAWs, and built-in hardware sequencers.

Software sequencer

A software sequencer is application software providing a functionality of a music sequencer, and often provided as one feature of the DAW or the integrated music authoring environments. The user may control the software sequencer either by using the graphical user interfaces or a specialized input devices, such as a MIDI controller.

Audio sequencer

Alternative subsets of audio sequencers include:

History

Early sequencers

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The early music sequencers were sound-producing devices such as automatic musical instruments, music boxes, mechanical organs, player pianos, and Orchestrions. Player pianos, for example, had much in common with contemporary sequencers. Composers or arrangers transmitted music to piano rolls which were subsequently edited by technicians who prepared the rolls for mass duplication. Eventually consumers were able to purchase these rolls and play them back on their own player pianos.

The origin of automatic musical instruments seems remarkably old. As early as the 9th century, the Persian (Iranian) Banū Mūsā brothers invented a hydropowered organ using exchangeable cylinders with pins, and also an automatic flute-playing machine using steam power, as described in their Book of Ingenious Devices. The Banu Musa brothers' automatic flute player was the first programmable music sequencer device, and the first example of repetitive music technology, powered by hydraulics.

In 1206, Al-Jazari, an Arab engineer, invented programmable musical automata, a "robot band" which performed "more than fifty facial and body actions during each musical selection." It was notably the first programmable drum machine. Among the four automaton musicians were two drummers. It was a drum machine where pegs (cams) bump into little levers that operated the percussion. The drummers could be made to play different rhythms and different drum patterns if the pegs were moved around.

In the 14th century, rotating cylinders with pins were used to play a carillon (steam organ) in Flanders, and at least in the 15th century, barrel organs were seen in the Netherlands.

In the late-18th or early-19th century, with technological advances of the Industrial Revolution various automatic musical instruments were invented. Some examples: music boxes, barrel organs and barrel pianos consisting of a barrel or cylinder with pins or a flat metal disc with punched holes; or mechanical organs, player pianos and orchestrions using book music / music rolls (piano rolls) with punched holes, etc. These instruments were disseminated widely as popular entertainment devices prior to the inventions of phonographs, radios, and sound films which eventually eclipsed all such home music production devices. Of them all, punched-paper-tape media had been used until the mid-20th century. The earliest programmable music synthesizers including the RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer in 1957, and the Siemens Synthesizer in 1959, were also controlled via punch tapes similar to piano rolls. |url-status = live |archive-url = https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20111026223002/http://120years.net/machines/rca/ |archive-date = 2011-10-26 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130930175905/http://www.deutsches-museum.de/sammlungen/ausgewaehlte-objekte/meisterwerke-vi/siemens-studio |archive-date = 2013-09-30 |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=aT5nAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA175

Additional inventions grew out of sound film audio technology. The drawn sound technique which appeared in the late 1920s, is notable as a precursor of today's intuitive graphical user interfaces. In this technique, notes and various sound parameters are triggered by hand-drawn black ink waveforms directly upon the film substrate, hence they resemble piano rolls (or the 'strip charts' of the modern sequencers/DAWs). Drawn soundtrack was often used in early experimental electronic music, including the Variophone developed by Yevgeny Sholpo in 1930, and the Oramics designed by Daphne Oram in 1957, and so forth.

Analog sequencers

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Main article: Analog sequencer

During the 1940s–1960s, Raymond Scott, an American composer of electronic music, invented various kind of music sequencers for his electric compositions. The "Wall of Sound", once covered on the wall of his studio in New York during the 1940s–1950s, was an electro-mechanical sequencer to produce rhythmic patterns, consisting of stepping relays (used on dial pulse telephone exchange), solenoids, control switches, and tone circuits with 16 individual oscillators. |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111113023228/http://raymondscott.com/1946.htm |archive-date = 2011-11-13 Later, Robert Moog would explain it in such terms as "the whole room would go 'clack – clack – clack', and the sounds would come out all over the place". The Circle Machine, developed in 1959, had incandescent bulbs each with its own rheostat, arranged in a ring, and a rotating arm with photocell scanning over the ring, to generate an arbitrary waveform. Also, the rotating speed of the arm was controlled via the brightness of lights, and as a result, arbitrary rhythms were generated. |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927232227/http://raymondscott.com/circle.html |archive-date = 2011-09-27 The first electronic sequencer was invented by Raymond Scott, using thyratrons and relays.

Clavivox, developed since 1952, was a kind of keyboard synthesizer with sequencer. On its prototype, a theremin manufactured by young Robert Moog was utilized to enable portamento over 3-octave range, and on later version, it was replaced by a pair of photographic film and photocell for controlling the pitch by voltage. |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111106035451/http://raymondscott.com/moog.html |archive-date = 2011-11-06

In 1968, Ralph Lundsten and Leo Nilsson had a polyphonic synthesizer with sequencer called Andromatic built for them by Erkki Kurenniemi. |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121007224640/http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.445306/andromatic-den-automatiska-andromedaren |archive-date = 2012-10-07

Step sequencers

| |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120503190624/http://www.jarrography.free.fr/details_equipement_audio.php?id_equip=117 |archive-date = 2012-05-03 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083316/http://www.synthmaster.de/ekodrum.htm |archive-date = 2016-03-04 one of the earliest programmable drum machines | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030420170643/http://www.synrise.de/docs/types/f/firstman.htm | archive-date=2003-04-20 one of the earliest step bass machines

The step sequencers played rigid patterns of notes using a grid of (usually) 16 buttons, or steps, each step being 1/16 of a measure. These patterns of notes were then chained together to form longer compositions. Sequencers of this kind are still in use, mostly built into drum machines and grooveboxes. They are monophonic by nature, although some are multi-timbral, meaning that they can control several different sounds but only play one note on each of those sounds.

Early computers

Main article: Computer music

On the other hand, software sequencers were continuously utilized since the 1950s in the context of computer music, including computer-played music (software sequencer), computer-composed music (music synthesis), and computer sound generation (sound synthesis). In June 1951, the first computer music Colonel Bogey was played on CSIRAC, Australia's first digital computer.{{cite web |access-date = 2007-12-21 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071116112251/http://www.csiro.au/science/ps4f.html |archive-date = 2007-11-16 |access-date = 2008-06-18 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090111225358/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7458479.stm |archive-date = 2009-01-11

In Japan

In Japan, experiments in computer music date back to 1962, when Keio University professor Sekine and Toshiba engineer Hayashi experimented with the TOSBAC computer. This resulted in a piece entitled TOSBAC Suite.

Early computer music hardware

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Also in 1970, Mathews and F. R. Moore developed the GROOVE (Generated Real-time Output Operations on Voltage-controlled Equipment) system,{{cite journal in

Digital sequencers

In 1971, Electronic Music Studios (EMS) released one of the first digital sequencer products as a module of Synthi 100, and its derivation, Synthi Sequencer series. After then, Oberheim released the DS-2 Digital Sequencer in 1974, |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111218194017/http://www.cem3374.com/docs/Manuals/Oberheim/DS2_O%26SM.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-date = 2011-12-18 |access-date = 2017-12-06 and Sequential Circuits released Model 800 in 1977 |url-status = usurped |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111011114838/http://synthmuseum.com/sequ/seqseq80001.html |archive-date = 2011-10-11

In Japan

| | In 1977, Roland Corporation released the MC-8 MicroComposer, also called computer music composer by Roland. It was an early stand-alone, microprocessor-based, digital CV/gate sequencer,{{cite book | access-date = 21 June 2011 |access-date = 2011-06-19 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110629214447/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm |archive-date= 2011-06-29 It was capable of eight-channel polyphony, allowing the creation of polyrhythmic sequences. The MC-8 had a significant impact on popular electronic music, with the MC-8 and its descendants (such as the Roland MC-4 Microcomposer) impacting popular electronic music production in the 1970s and 1980s more than any other family of sequencers. The MC-8's earliest known users were Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. | publication-date = 26 May 1979 | access-date = 2011-05-29

Music workstations

In 1975, New England Digital (NED) released ABLE computer (microcomputer) |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161114050731/http://www.500sound.com/synclavierhistory.html |archive-date = 2016-11-14 as a dedicated data processing unit for Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer (1973), and based on it, later Synclavier series were developed.

The Synclavier I, released in September 1977, |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091002070017/http://emusician.com/tutorials/electronic_century4/ |archive-date= October 2, 2009 was one of the earliest digital music workstation product with multitrack sequencer. Synclavier series evolved throughout the late-1970s to the mid-1980s, and they also established integration of digital-audio and music-sequencer, on their Direct-to-Disk option in 1984, and later Tapeless Studio system.

In 1982, renewed the Fairlight CMI Series II and added new sequencer software Page R, which combined step sequencing with sample playback. |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170504030342/http://www.anerd.com/fairlight/fairlightstory.htm |archive-date = 2017-05-04

While there were earlier microprocessor-based sequencers for digital polyphonic synthesizers,{{efn|name=Microprocessor_based_sequencer_in_mid1970s|In 1974–1975, Australian computer music engineer Tony Furse developed the MC6800-based Qasar M8 with a software sequencer MUSEQ 8, with a minimum price of $8,000. In 1976, it was licensed to Fairlight Instruments Pty Ltd., and eventually Fairlight CMI was released in 1979 (for details, see Fairlight CMI).

Also in 1975, New England Digital released original microprocessor-based ABLE computer (utilizing mini-computer architecture) as a future migration target of Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer. Their commercial version of digital synthesizer, Synclavier I was first shipped in 1977 (for details, see Synclavier).}} their early products tended to prefer the newer internal digital buses than the old-style analogue CV/gate interface once used on their prototype system. Then in the early-1980s, they also re-recognized the needs of CV/gate interface, and supported it along with MIDI as options.

In Japan

Yamaha's GS-1, their first FM digital synthesizer, was released in 1980. | access-date= 2011-06-05

MIDI sequencers

Main article: MIDI

In June 1981, Roland Corporation founder Ikutaro Kakehashi proposed the concept of standardization between different manufacturers' instruments as well as computers, to Oberheim Electronics founder Tom Oberheim and Sequential Circuits president Dave Smith. In October 1981, Kakehashi, Oberheim and Smith discussed the concept with representatives from Yamaha, Korg and Kawai. In 1983, the MIDI standard was unveiled by Kakehashi and Smith. The first MIDI sequencer was the Roland MSQ-700, released in 1983.

It was not until the advent of MIDI that general-purpose computers started to play a role as sequencers. Following the widespread adoption of MIDI, computer-based MIDI sequencers were developed. MIDI-to-CV/gate converters were then used to enable analogue synthesizers to be controlled by a MIDI sequencer. Since its introduction, MIDI has remained the musical instrument industry standard interface through to the present day.

Personal computers

In 1987, software sequencers called trackers were developed to realize the low-cost integration of sampling sound and interactive digital sequencer as seen on Fairlight CMI II Page R. They became popular in the 1980s and 1990s as simple sequencers for creating computer game music, and remain popular in the demoscene and chiptune music.

Modern computer digital audio software after the 2000s, such as Ableton Live, incorporates aspects of sequencers among many other features.

In Japan

In 1978, Japanese personal computers such as the Hitachi Basic Master equipped the low-bit D/A converter to generate sound which can be sequenced using Music Macro Language (MML).

Published on: This was used to produce chiptune video game music.

It was not until the advent of MIDI, introduced to the public in 1983, that general-purpose computers really started to play a role as software sequencers. NEC's personal computers, the PC-88 and PC-98, added support for MIDI sequencing with MML programming in 1982. In 1983, Yamaha modules for the MSX featured music production capabilities, real-time FM synthesis with sequencing, MIDI sequencing, and a graphical user interface for the software sequencer. Also in 1983, Roland Corporation's CMU-800 sound module introduced music synthesis and sequencing to the PC, Apple II, and Commodore 64.

The spread of MIDI on personal computers was facilitated by Roland's MPU-401, released in 1984. It was the first MIDI-equipped PC sound card, capable of MIDI sound processing and sequencing. After Roland sold MPU sound chips to other sound card manufacturers, it established a universal standard MIDI-to-PC interface. Following the widespread adoption of MIDI, computer-based MIDI software sequencers were developed.

Visual timeline of rhythm sequencers

Main article: Drum machine, Groovebox, Beat slicing, Sampler (musical instrument)

Notes

References

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