Earlier this year, we were wowed by Dubreq Stylophone’s growing stable of wares at NAMM. While we were having endless fun with its handheld orange pocket sampler, Stylophone Voice, we also clocked a rather extraordinary little mixer that was able to – with a few minor twiddles – completely change the character of incoming signals.
That was back in January, and now in November, Stylophone’s On-The-Fly Performance Sequencer (aka OTF) has finally been released. The latest addition to Stylophone’s Pro Range and Music Lab series, the OTF strips things back to the fundamentals - no distracting screens or menu-diving required. Just adjust the pitch, alter the rhythm or switch up the playing style and explore the numerous performance-angled ways in which your musical ideas can be sculpted in a live context.
Encouraging experimentation is the central concept here. With OTF, you can program just eight steps and the sequencer will open up multiple patterns of 16, 32 or 64 further steps, with eight pattern chains that can be changed live. You can then switch the sequence to one of either Forward, Reverse or a Bounce which can keep your tracks sounding dynamic in the midst of a live performance.
OTF features 24 sequence memories, with per-step pitch and gate duty cycle control. OTF also sports adjustment controls for the note scale and transposition, to take your ideas in new directions.
It can also be relied upon for all manner of rhythmic interest – you can add skips, rests, ties, slides, ratchets and controlled randomness to individual steps as the sequence plays. You can also set it to introduce variation as a pattern develops. The slides make transitions smooth between notes, while ratchets create repeated triggers within a step. Rests give - as the name implies - a bit of a space between note playback, and ties extend notes across steps, allowing you to alter the phrasing of a sequence as it runs.
On top of all that, tempo, swing, lead and lag timing, note length and gate length controls give complete mastery of the rhythmic qualities of a sequence. Swing moves the rhythm between straight and shuffled in real time. The in-built loop record function captures performances of up to 128 steps, with 24 dedicated memories for loops.
OTF’s CV and Gate inputs and outputs alongside MIDI and Sync connectivity are designed for a range of Eurorack, MIDI and hybrid systems. Eight separate gate outputs (one for each step) are placed alongside a summed gate output. With a lightweight footprint, the mobile-ready OTF can also be powered by six AA batteries or a 12V DC, centre-positive 1A supply.
The CEO of Stylophone, John Simpson, states; "OTF turns sequencing into an instrument. No screens. No menu diving. No clutter. Nothing in the way between your ideas and sound. That's what Stylophone is all about."
The On-The-Fly Performance Sequencer is on sale now priced at £149/€169/$199. Find out more and order here.
