Standalone sequencers are one thing of a luxurious within the trendy music-making panorama. Today, even the most affordable synths and samplers have at the least rudimentary sequencing capabilities. And whereas many MIDI controllers have on-board sequencers, they’re normally meant to again up reside efficiency moderately than change it. After all, there are a number of exceptions to this rule (Arturia’s BeatStep Professional stays extremely well-liked even eight years after it was launched), however you must begin wanting into the advanced and sometimes intimidating world of Eurorack and modular synths to recurrently come throughout gadgets whose sole objective is taking part in again strings of notes for you.

Eventide, finest recognized for its high-end results models just like the and TimeFactor, will not be an apparent candidate to delve into the world of Eurorack. However that’s precisely what it determined to do with , its first sequencer. Now, no one would have blamed the corporate for enjoying it protected with its first foray into the house. As an alternative, it determined to chuck the standard conventions out the window and make one thing distinctive that’s equal elements enjoyable and confounding, particularly in case you’re deeply entrenched in conventional music concept and keyboard-based composition.

I’m not an adept pianist. Nor do I’ve a very deep data of Western music concept. And even nonetheless I initially struggled to wrap my head round Misha. That’s as a result of the buttons on its face don’t play particular notes. As an alternative they play intervals associated to the final be aware performed inside a scale.

The simplest technique to clarify that is by an instance. Let’s say we’ve set the Misha to play a C Main scale. Under the display, which reveals you the important thing and scale, are 9 coloured buttons labeled -4 by +4. In the event you press 0, you get a C proper off the bat, as a result of that’s the root be aware and it’s zero intervals away from the beginning of the dimensions. In the event you press the +1, as an alternative of getting a C#, you’ll get a D, the subsequent be aware within the scale.

Up to now, so good, proper? However in case you press the +1 once more, you gained’t get a second D, and as an alternative you’ll get an E, one interval larger within the scale. To get a second D be aware, you’d need to press 0. And in case you needed to return to C, you’d need to press -1. It’s not difficult essentially, but it surely breaks a primary expectation that any musician would understandably have – that in case you do the identical factor, it’s best to get the identical be aware. If I play the fifth fret on the low E of a guitar, I count on to get an A each time. If the notes continued to climb by 5 steps, with out shifting my fingers, I’d have a a lot more durable time taking part in something.

However that is the core idea of the Misha. It’s not constructed round absolute pitch and as an alternative forces you to compose primarily based purely on the relationships between notes in a scale. If that concept sends you working for the hills, then this most likely isn’t the sequencer for you. If, nonetheless, you’re like me and intrigued by Misha’s distinctive strategy, cling round and let’s dig a bit of deeper.

{Hardware}

Earlier than we go too far down the rabbit gap of scales, modes and sequencing, let’s take a step again and take a look at the {hardware}. Whereas my unit got here with a devoted pod for housing the Misha, it’s ostensibly designed to reside in a Eurorack setup. At 28hp extensive, it’s a comparatively giant module, but it surely’s fairly shallow at simply 19mm deep, that means it ought to slot in even essentially the most moveable skiffs. That width is type of essential, although. The 17 buttons, two knobs, microUSB port, microSD slot and and 16 ¼” jacks for MIDI, audio and management voltage would really feel impossibly cramped on something smaller.

The format feels simply spacious sufficient to be viable as a efficiency instrument, with out fully dominating a smaller Eurorack setup. The 9 interval buttons are well-spaced, the display is giant sufficient to ship all the mandatory data and the knobs are sturdy. My solely challenge hardware-wise is that the shift buttons have a hole spring to them that feels a bit low cost and so they make an audible popping sound.

The 12 CV (management voltage) jacks are break up throughout three tracks, with three pairs of gate and CV outputs in addition to two inputs every. This offers you an honest quantity of choices for controlling a number of synth voices or modulating the Misha’s sequencer. There’s additionally MIDI out and in jacks, in addition to stereo out and a clock in. The microUSB port can be related to a pc keyboard to be used with customized keymappings. You’re not gonna be wanting for connectivity choices right here.

The display within the lifeless middle offers you all the data you want about navigating Misha’s interface, although it could actually take a bit to determine the way it all works. I extremely suggest studying the handbook. It’s not lengthy and might prevent a lot of time and frustration. When you come to grips with how the Misha works, it’s virtually deceptively easy. The truth is, I continuously felt like I needed to be lacking one thing. That, for certain, this module, with all its buttons and knobs and 1-inch display, was hiding options from me.

Undoubtedly take time to customise these 4 consumer buttons, although. Whereas the default capabilities of up and down one octave (button one and two), and up and down one chromatic step (three and 4) are helpful sufficient, they will provide plenty of efficiency energy when mapped to satisfy your particular wants. Personally I like swapping in “transfer pitch” for the chromatic steps, and setting it to a fifth. That provides a bit extra spice than a easy octave, however usually nonetheless works effectively musically with no matter else is happening.

One very last thing price noting is that Misha has a built-in oscillator that you may activate within the settings. However, past offering a easy sound supply for auditioning melodies and usually getting a really feel for the sequencer, it’s virtually ineffective. The truth is, it’s not even talked about within the handbook.

Composing

Misha ships with starting from primary (Melodic Minor), to unique (Enigmatic), to microtonal madness (48 be aware equal-tempered). And, if someway that’s not sufficient for you, there are 100 consumer slots for loading your personal scala recordsdata. Between the varied scales, modes and keys, the musical choices baked into Misha are seemingly limitless.

Essentially the most speedy technique to begin exploring them is to pick out a scale after which begin urgent the interval buttons. That is truly a reasonably satisfying approach of taking part in an instrument, too. I don’t have a giant rig to stay this in, however I paired it with , in addition to the and Elektron Digitone all to great impact.

This isn’t the kind of course of you go to while you wish to translate a melody you hear in your head to the true world. Maybe somebody may practice themselves to assume in intervals to make use of Misha that approach, however it will take plenty of work. As an alternative this could create blissful accidents. You simply need to pay particularly shut consideration to what you play to ensure you can recreate something that catches your ear.

Now, sure, there are methods to lock a controller to a particular scale, much like the Misha – principally making it unimaginable to play out of tune. However there’s one thing about taking part in intervals as an alternative of notes that feels each intuitive and stunning, in a approach a keyboard by no means may. Crafting melodies turns into a rewarding exploration the place I’m principally compelled to cede management, moderately than a irritating try to make use of my restricted concept data to show concepts into actuality.

One of many few issues I’ve to determine beforehand is what number of octaves I wish to mess around in. Setting the be aware vary to 2 octaves, as an example, means, as soon as I climb past that cap, the intervals will swing again round to 2 octaves beneath my root be aware. It’s most likely finest to attempt to keep away from going all the way in which round, although. Leaping down two octaves can sound a tad harsh.

The octave limits additionally apply when utilizing Misha as a sequencer, so you may play a melody line unfold out over 4 octaves price of a scale earlier than beginning over. The sequencer, although, is the place issues get a bit of dicey. It’s constructed across the thought of a “,” a tool utilized in serial composition the place all twelve notes within the chromatic scale are performed, with out repetition, to create a motif. The innovation right here is that this idea of a tone row will be utilized to any scale, not only a twelve-note, Western chromatic one.

This methodology of composition undoubtedly falls on the experimental finish of the spectrum and with sure scales it could actually come off a bit of awkward. This additionally signifies that the variety of steps in a sequence relies on which scale you’re utilizing. A single octave sequence in a minor pentatonic scale will solely have 5 steps, whereas two octaves of the quarter tone scale may have 48 steps. Whereas I respect the novel strategy, a part of me actually needs that the tone row was a mode you would activate and off. I’d like to see Eventide add a extra conventional sequencer by a firmware replace the place notes will be repeated.

There’s additionally a chord mode that lets you ship three-notes out over MIDI or divided between the three CV outs. If in case you have a Eurorack setup with a number of synth voices, it is a nice technique to create some complexity and variation, particularly in case you have different utilities that may additional modulate what the Misha places out. For instance, you may ship the foundation be aware by a easy arpeggiator for the bass whereas utilizing the opposite notes to play leads or pads. Sadly, there isn’t any onboard technique to sequence chord voicings. You possibly can manually change it whereas performing, but it surely’s type of a ache. Alternatively, you would use one other sequencer to ship MIDI CCs to Misha and alter chord voicings, which looks as if overkill.

Simply one of the best ways to make use of the Misha is as a efficiency instrument paired with an exterior MIDI controller. Right here, the white keys offer you an excellent broader vary of interval jumps (9 in both direct) in addition to fast entry to the foundation be aware, whereas the black keys can repeat a be aware, play a random scale be aware or transfer chromatically up and down one step at a time. And, after all, you may nonetheless hit the 4 consumer programmable buttons on the entrance of the module and even map different notes on the keyboard to place extra variables at your fingertips.

Wrap-up

At $599, will not be low cost. And that jumps to $699 in case you want a Eurorack pod and energy adapter. However it’s additionally actually distinctive. If the attract of interval primarily based efficiency or tone row sequencing is what you’re after, effectively, that is the one recreation on the town (at the least that I’m conscious of). I’m certain that there are methods of getting an analogous impact utilizing software program, however relating to {hardware}, that is it.

I do want that Eventide made a number of extra concessions to conventional composition, although. I would like to have the ability to repeat notes or program passages which might be an arbitrary size, moderately than be restricted to the variety of notes in a scale. Perhaps these might be added in a future firmware replace, at which level it is likely to be more durable to provide you with causes not to purchase one. For now, Misha is a dear, area of interest instrument that’s additionally undeniably playful and inventive.