Squarp Pyramid Comprehensive Sequencer Tutorial
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 07. 2024
- A comprehensive tutorial for Squarp's Pyramid sequencer. With 64 tracks, 2 MIDI DIN ports, MIDI over USB and CV, Gate and Mod outputs, Pyramid can sequence and loop dozens of instruments in very large setups with few limitations.
If you want a shorter review and comparison to Hermod, Squarp's modular sequencer - here's a link to it: • Review - Pyramid vs. H... - this video is a deeper dive into Pyramid - getting into the details, features and workflow.
We've got a lot to cover:
00:00 OVERVIEW
11:00 LIVE MODE
17:00 STEP MODE
31:40 TRACK MODE
41:25 SEQ MODE
46:35 MIDI EFFECTS
53:55 MISC
OVERVIEW
1:10 Connectivity
2:00 Panel overview
2:30 Basic terms
3:15 Modes
4:00 Project scope
5:30 Navigation
5:50 Screen layout
7:20 Secondary functions
7:45 Misc controls
8:50 Track basics
LIVE MODE
11:00 Pad layout
11:45 Using a MIDI keyboard
12:00 Recording live
13:05 Holding notes
13:40 Hard rec/overdub
14:05 Smart pad modes
14:20 Chord mode
15:00 Repeat
15:30 Scale mode
16:00 Custom
STEP MODE
17:00 Entering notes
18:15 Viewing notes
19:35 Mono/Poly views
20:00 MIDI keyboard benefits
20:25 Paging and zoom
21:45 Editing notes
23:10 Chord step mode
24:00 Euclidean sequencing
25:45 CC & MIDI FX automation
29:30 Player zone & misc
TRACK MODE
31:40 Pads, banks & tracks
33:20 Track settings
33:45 Hardware def files
34:55 Consolidate
35:15 Run modes
35:35 Transposing tracks
36:00 Patterns
38:25 Polyrhythms & polymeters
SEQ MODE
41:25 What are sequences?
42:40 Perform/Play/Loop
43:30 Chaining sequences
45:20 Quick changes
45:40 Free/relatch/trig
46:00 Sequence display
MIDI EFFECTS
46:50 Overview
47:15 Effect chain explained
48:15 Editing effects
48:55 Exploring a few FX
53:45 FX mods - see Step mode
MISC
53:55 Assigning the encoders
54:55 Assigning the XY Pads
55:10 Assigning CV & controllers
55:30 Project management
55:55 Playing MIDI files
56:35 General settings
Want to get ALL my tips in one convenient place including those to come in the future? Check out my In-Complete Book of Electronic Music Ideas, Tips and Tricks (hint: it's in-complete because it's always being updated…):
► Patreon: / loopop
Other places I hang out:
► Web: loopopmusic.com
► Facebook: / loopopmusic
► Instagram: / loopopmusic
► Twitter: / loopopmusic
My music:
► Bandcamp: loopop.bandcamp.com
► Spotify: bit.ly/LoopopOnSpotify
► Apple Music:bit.ly/LoopopOnAppleMusic
Want to email me personally?
► Ziv (at) loopopmusic.com
NOTE: Occasionally I’ll try out affiliate marketing and include affiliate links. This means that I may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via affiliate links. The content of this clip is created by me, but was made in collaboration with the manufacturer. Without addressing the particulars of products shown here as they might be under NDA, gear shown on this channel may be either sent by the manufacturer, on loan for review or bought at a discount.
Still watching this video on the regular. So helpful
I own one.. Have done since it was launched more or less. I still keep watching this video periodically to remind me of features I've forgotten about. Great tutorial. Thanks
This video is tremendous. You have helped me understand many features of the Pyramid. For dirt cheap you can change out the black assign knobs to multi-colored versions. It helps keep track of knob assignments when you're performing, especially in low light situations.
Just ordered one of these. So glad this video exists and answered all my questions. Hats off to you sir!
Thanks for clarifying so much on this beast... This sequencer is just wonderful to use.
Love the opening with LCD sound system.
Scrolling the comments to see if it was LCD
Song name?
@@devids51 Dance Yrself Clean
Anyone know what that mini Juno synth is?? 😮
thanks for making this in depth video i have been looking for a hardware sequencer for literally years and now i think i have found one keep up the good work its appreciated :)
Wow...good job covering this. Talked with the designer at Superbooth a bit, and I was impressed when he ran down the list of features/capabilities. Since that time, I've been really surprised it hasn't received more exposure.
Usually I read manuals but with your awesome and very clear tutorial, I'll only have to refer to the manual in PDF when looking specifically to something ; thank you for saving us so much time and effort
Just bought one. This video was a big factor in my decision. Thanks.
This is by far the best tutorial on the Pyramid. Squarp should hire you for a fully flushed out series since theirs are pretty much useless. I nearly returned the device after discovering the lack of educational materials for such a deep tool. Thank you and cheers!
This is excellent. I have had a Pyramid for a couple of years and feel pretty proficient with it.
I now realise I had forgotten or totally missed some of the things you talked about.
I now have a fairly hefty document of things I should learn and remember.
Thank you.
Bravo! I really appreciate your approach to tutorial videos. The timeline is so helpful and convenient.
Just bought one used. Hasn’t arrived yet. I’ve been ingesting the manual, and this video is super handy. Love your work as always, thanks :)
This is just an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G dream come true! At last a sequencer which looks like I will do more than editing 64 steps.. Thanks!!! 🙏
This was an absolutely amazing and comprehensive guide on one of the most complex and powerful pieces of hardware out there. Thank you so much for taking the time to put something like this out. It should be on everyone who purchases the Pyramid's "must watch" list! Anytime anyone asks about this sequencer, I'll be pointing them this way.
Just want to thank you so much for this - I'm barely a week into owning my Pyramid and it took me about that long to watch this from start to finish - but only because I'm pausing, taking notes, and playing around while I watching.
The Pyramid is such a beast but a little daunting out of the box with such "non-linear" documentation - this video helped jumpstart me waaaaaaaay faster than I would have without - this coupled together w/Squarp's community has me ready to jam, compose, and create in earnest with the new "brain" of my Studio - thanks a million @loopop !
Awesome tutorial, from all the hardware sequencers I've been checking this seems to be the most promising one especially because it supports different time signatures!
This video may be a bit old but has helped me immensely having just bought a used Pyramid. Some really excellent tips and tricks !
Best Pyramid tutorial hands down... thanks for doing this
I've learned to only watch your videos in thirds over two days, with notes and lots of on-gear imitation, and then use it for a week, and move to the next third. I'm 1/3 in and feel like I've gone from "I don't know how this works" to "I can get a mini-workflow going now". Even made some project templates and some definitions' files to make it a bit quicker.
This plus a MIDI router (and routing templates) to glue the hardware together has made my life SO much better, and is still applicable with the mk3, though the 'look' of it has changed a tiny bit.
Thanks loopop. Really great stuff.
Great tutorial! Deep and informative, as always! Thanks!
Thanks for making this video. I owned the Pyramid since it came out and I've never really "hooked" with it. But I can't get myself to sell it. It looks so fun and powerful when you get into it. BTW - absolutely love your videos. You are one of the best music tech video creators on YT: deep info and very little fluffing around. Thanks again! /C
SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO SELL YOUR PYRAMID, please reach out: daveypassage@me.com Thank you!
Fantastic tutorial! Buying the Pyramid is one of the best purchases I've made in recent years. Absolutely incredible hardware sequencer. I love being able to create complex pieces without a laptop. Even though I've worked with it quite a bit, I still learned plenty of great tips from this video. Thanks for doing it!
Just got my pyramid sequencer,had it the last few weeks---im still learning but very happy
Thank you for a great video tutorial! Even though I have used the Pyramid successfully for a while I learned a lot of different little things from this coverage.
Incredible tutorial :) Your tutorials are SO well done and comprehensive. This will definitely help me utilize this gear to its maximum potential. Thank you!
Great video! Got one 2nd hand shortly after seeing it, and so far I think it's great.
Very interesting. Had no idea about this product until seeing your video! Thanks. 👍👍
I have a Beat Step Pro and never use it. I used it for a while to sequence my Mutable Instruments Shruthi. I could never get a drum pattern going on it. This Squarp Pyramid looks great. THANKS Loopop for such a detailed tutorial, with no goofing around! You are the best!
After watching this video I bought a Pyramid Mk3. Love it! It reminds me of the Alesis MMT8 I had many years ago.
Thank you. Really detailed video
mk3....WTFluck...I only just now came here to Loopop to see if he made a Mk2 review :D Anyone find a YT link for a Mk1-2-3 comparison..? must. find. !
Best tutorial for Pyramid, great work thanks!
Thanks for this clear and accurate tutorial, very helpful!!
Awesome thanks! I am literally just considering getting one of these, this shouldn’t have come at a better time
This video convinced me to buy one, and has now become an awesome reference guide and companion to Squarp's great PDF guide. The past few weeks of using the Pyramid, every 10-15 minutes I found myself audibly saying "wow. that's unreal." My sequencer gateway drug was my (still loved) OP-Z, which in many ways feels like the Swedish baby brother to this. This video is also what tipped me over the edge into joining your Patreon! Thanks for helping me along in my musical growth 🌱
Thanks very much!
Super helpful as always, thanks for all!
Was looking hardware arpeggiator for keyboard synthesizer. And this even will gives me much more. Thank you very much!
Really appreciate the work you put into this. Looking forward to future clips. Perhaps a "tips and tricks" post. I use my Pyramid everyday and there have been many eureka moments. For instance I just discovered that when I lengthen a track, i can hold down the forward arrow key and it will duplicate the measures. Super handy for making subtle modifications to a groove.
Great tutorial! I now have an idea of how I can integrate this into my live percussion set by partnering it with my Handsonic HPD20 and Nord Drum 3P.
I’m considering one of these, but I know from experience you make everything seem easier to use than it turns out for me. You have a real gift for this stuff, so thanks!
Thanks! ... I think? I really try to present things as is with as much of the complexity explained. That said, this sequencer, while the most powerful I know, does take time to learn...
loopop - yeah, slightly awkward compliment, but I did mean it as a compliment to you :)
the interface is so well thought-out..
i normally only flyover the midi effects parts..and this one..damn, the UI .. it really communicates.
also the polyrhythmic/meter bars.. so simple and effective.
i love french gear.
Great, now I've gotta listen to the whole album.
Incredibly lucid and thorough. Thank you for this.
Three years old now but still by far the best review of Pyramid. Thank you Ziv!
he just read from the manual page by page and added nothing new
Great in depth review.
The sequencer & the midi fx reminds me of yamaha's RS7000.
Aw yeah, it's the thing I requested. Thank you!
thank you for this great video - massively helpful!
Amazing tutorial, thank you!
Love that you did Dance Yrself Clean for this Loopop! Watching your Deluge video on repeat to learn that beast! Love your vids
Brilliant stuff! Thanks.
Yep, thanks for the LCD sound!
Now that's what I call an intro! (Vol 1)
Just pickled one up today & this vid is super helpful, thanks. The manual is pretty good too, to be fair to them, but this makes life much easier :)
I didn't realise they made a hardware version of this! i thought it was just the eurorack module.... anyway, an amazing informative video as always!
Excellent tutorial 👍🏻Thx!
very well made! thanx!
what a spectacular machine. i wish i had had one a year ago, when i had hardware. i love this thing!
David Bryant you can use it with software too, super easy too because it powers via USB (also handy for portability because it can be powered via a usb battery). It’s the brain of my hybrid studio, sequencing hardware, software, and modular simultaneously.
I'm just now realizing something after having this for a few months. It would make A LOT of sense if the screen was on the right of the device and the trackpad on the left as most people are right handed. I see you doing what I do, crossing my hands to use my dominant hand on the encoder.
This is great, thanks a lot!
Just wanted to drop a line, this fills in major holes in the manual. For example, "Here are the settings available to automate an effect."
...
No story whatsoever as to how to set up an automation in the first place. No description that talks about how the step mode settings are a menu of different "scopes" within a MIDI composition.
You helped me alot today my friend!
very interesting... thank you loopop
Excellent !
Your video made everything crystallize so well! The only thing missing for me would be an NRPN definition file in addition to just CC, some of my gear uses those exclusively. Aka Roland gear and Access Virii for extended parameters. Otherwise this thing works better than a charm! Thanks again!
thanks for this!
Yo! Thanks for the nice vid(s). Questions: once you've recorded cc sequences onto this bad gyal, how easy is it to reassign these values to elsewhere (such as different cc parameters, note data or even cv modulation values)? Can the 4 cv inputs recognize any combination of gates and continuous cv? Is this a DAW in disguise?
really motivating opening sequence. i finally got a midi merge so i can recieve signals to my unused pyramid, not just send. one day i will set it up
i finally set it up yesterday... there’s so much wrong or missing in the manual! eg it says under settings you can set the din sync to sync24, sync48 etc... but where in the settings manual? it doesn’t say. oh it’s under settings cv/pedal din sync... despite the fact it’s a midi output setting.... and the midi echo feature you mention, in the manual that’s called anti echo, and it says the opposite of what you said, they said i should have it on, you said i should have it off to do the same thing... terrible documentation... i’ll be having nightmares tonight. i can’t even get midi in working at all... possibly because of midi echo!?!?
setphaser - I have the same problem. I cannot get midi in working correctly. It gets glitchy if I don’t have Echo off but nothing when turned on. No solution?
At 25'13 you apply te Euclidean sequencing to a chord. Shortly afterwards you change the chord. Can you 'record' these chord changes onto another Pyramid track and therefore have playback of those chords using the Euclidean rythm patterns? I have a Pyramid now (your awesome video really helped me make the decision to buy one) but so far I have been unabe to solve this problem. Being able to record the chord changes would be a logical thing to want to do in my humble opinion, but I have not been able to find the way to do this in the manual so far. Any advice? Thanks! :-)
Great tutorial! Does the pyramid have the possibility of recording chains of sequences? With the entropy engine you can literary record what you do at 42:50 and then have the chain laid out. You only need to edit it afterwards!
Thanks for this vidéo
This looks fun but I am very glad I went with an Octatrack instead. It is a little more awkward (quantizing non-quantized sequences never works right) but the built-in sampling possibilities are thrilling.
Brilliant tutorial. Can you do ratchet-type velocity-ramped rolls on this? e.g. extra hi hats like on the Polyend Seq?
I was so close to getting one of these and then Akai did MPC 2.8.
Hopefully there's a V2 with more CV/gate and maybe a bigger screen.
Where has this thing been my whole life?? Awesome tutorial. I bought one and waiting for it to ship. I’d like to slave this to my Tr8s and use it to loop what I play on my JP8k. Near the end of this video you mentioned turning off MIDI echo, and I’m wondering if that would also affect Tx to the synth when the pattern loops back around? I’m assuming not since that would defeat the looping capability. Also, I like the controls on my TR8s, which is why I asked about slaving this unit. By slave I really just mean the clock.
Thanks a lot :D
thanks for making an awesome video, be good to see some examples of it in use like making a track in a normal "non tutorial" setting.. just to get a feel for the workflow.. can you recommend any? thanks G
Hi, Excellent and very detailed tutorial, I see now how much I can still learn about my MKIII :-). Just a small question: how do I setup the metronom so that it continues ticking when the record starts ?
Ahhhhh the intro 😊
hello, congrats on the channel,
can you work with quintuplets, septuplets or nontuplets with the squarp pyramid? sometimes those are much more rhythmically interesting than odd bar lengths
First of all, thanks for this super detailed video of the Pyramid's overwhelming set of feautures.
That said, I'd love to hear more examples of more complex polyrhythms and polymeters ... .
freeform144 I too am interested in this aspect. I think this is what sets this device apart from others.
Thanks! I think there’s not much more I can show in terms of what it can do - obviously creative options are limitless. Let’s just say if polyrhythms and polymeters interest you, this is as good as it gets in standalone hardware
loopop Thanks so much for the quick response. I also want to know, as someone who has a number of other machines with sequencers (various Elektron boxes), would this play nice with those? I mean, can you have this triggering sequences on other machines, and have the internal sequences of the Pyramid play in time with those, or is this machine more like the sequencing master hub and everything else outside of it are just sound sources? Hope that makes sense. In a way the second option would suite me, as I’m hoping to find one machine to replace a number of others. In my mind you then have one very complex ‘brain’ that you have to really learn and wrap your head around, but that then controls a bunch of less complex things that don’t require so much attention from the user. The Elektron boxes are quite complex in their own right, but none do everything that I want in one place. So you end up spending so much time trying to get various very complex machines to all work together. This is frustrating. Pyramid focusses all of that energy in one place. At least that’s how it looks to me? :)
@@kristiaanmusiek8033 I show Pyramid sequencing Digitakt in this video, so the answer is sure it can. Obviously, you lose the more direct sequencing functions of the Digitakt. You can sequence Digitakt parameters with Pyramid but it would be a bit of a pain. So, yes, it can be a master brain, it might do less than the onboard sequencers or require more work, but you could if you wanted do almost everything in Pyramid
Can live mode do the same than in the keystep on chord mode that you can record a chord and play overlaying notes?
What a beast!
Thank you x1000
Hi, thanks for your help to discover new gear and possibilities...
I am enjoying NDLR, i was thinking to use a polyphonic sequencer to feed him with chords, so i can concentrate on my guitar meanwhile my synths are taken care off by the NDLR...
The Squarp Pyramid looks like a good tool for that, or you may recommend another device?
Hi Loopop, love your videos. I’m looking for a central sequencer and am considering a pyramid or Seq as having tried using a octatrack for this purpose but found the learning curve too steep for me. My setup includes a grandmother, digitakt, Erebus and dfam currently. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks.
You’re going to have a similar learning curve issue with Pyramid, and you won’t with Seq, but then again hopefully with this video after 1 hour you should be good to go ;) That’s exactly the tradeoff - power and flexibility (Pyramid) vs ease of use (seq)
Hi, I can't get the "call" button option for loading custom hardware templates, it's just a greyed out square instead?
top marks for the Pool cover
This was amazing and very informative as ever! Many thanks for that since there are not so many (sorry to say so - non-French) videos out there on the Pyramid. I would love to have a session on how to hard-wire connect eg 4-6 synths and drum machine including how to use and load the definition files. E.g. it took me half a day to understand that indeed you could name the definition files either using upper or lower case, but not the .txt extension in upper case. Also I would love to see how to handle the 4 MIDI channels for Digitone. When operated from a controller they seem to get mixed.. Keep on the good work. This is essential to many of us out there!!
Damn!! What a piece of gear. I just bought an Akai MPC Live for playing external devices and it was such a waste...will get my pyramid now! Thanks, great tutorial
So did I. :D may I ask specifically which problems did you have using the Mpc?
did you get the pyramid? is it better than the live?
@Loopop or anyone do you think the SL MKIII is a keyboard equivalent or is one better than the other. I'm torn between which out of the two to get.
Loopop got me banging my head less than a minute in
I love the smart pads 14:05
Very helpful tutorial. Question: can you have an entire "song" where the global time signature changes throughout the song e.g. intro in 4/4 > verse in 5/4 > chorus in 7/8 > outro in 6/8? That's a crazy example but I hope you get what I"m asking. I saw where you went over polymeters and rhythms but I have a much simpler need where all the tracks and it's patterns per sequence would have the same time signature (hence not poly) but over time, the time sig can change globally across all tracks.
I have a Pyramid, and I don't believe you can do this.. there is no global time signature, it's independent for each track. You could make different tracks in different time signatures, and use the SEQ mode to switch between song parts.. probably other ways as well. It's a deep machine with a shallow manual :)
I want to make a custom set of chords on the smart pads is this possible? I cant find any info on this... I want to create chord sets for certain songs so I can play the chords live but some of the chords are weird.
Great stuff! if you have multiple synths connected to this thing, and you want to control them with the pyramid, how do you select the different synths / midi channels on the fly?
each track is synced to specific midi channel
This thing looks great. I don't know how to ask this correctly so I hope I'm getting my point across. Do it do multiple undos at once? Like how you can change a bunch of parameters and then undo them all at once. I think the digitakt does something like this.
You could reach the same result with a different workflow. You’ve got so many patterns and tracks, you could create one or more copies, mangle one and then revert to the other. This does have an undo function as well but I would do it with patterns or tracks instead
I will buy the Polyend Seq. I have a question, I see that the Seq has an USB port that send MIDI also, I would like to trigger my Moog Minitaur with it, so I will have the other two MIDI OUT free to control other gear. What cable should I use? Can I use a USB cable with two B type connectors? Or should I use a USB to MIDI converter? Thanks
What a beast
Does somebody know which LFO waves are selectable on the Pyramid? Is S&H LFO also possible?
Does anyone know if this will record full piano chords with sustain pedal inputs and pitch and bend inputs? The Digitack and Carbon dont record sustain pedal and pitch and bend inputs! I need something to record Non dance music.
Thanks for this review / tutorial. This video really made me start considering selling some of my stuff to buy pyramid towards the end of the year. Let me ask a couple of questions.
1. What is the actual note limitation regarding the sequence length (not polyphony). Are we limited with the number of steps or can we program or record (or both) the "limitless" sequences (similar to those imported with midi file near the 56:00 in your video)?
2. Is there a way to emulate the best features of beatstep pro (in my opinion only of course) which are randomness / probability / beat repeat functions?
3. Do you know the history of updates for the firmware of this sequencer? In your opinion - Are there chances for the improvement / new features implementation like for example new midi effects? (my benchmark baseline for comparison is what novation did / does with circuit firmware - constantly improving it)
I think they are still planning to do the odd update actually, according to the big boss