Zaquencer Firmware Turns Behringer’s BCR2000 Into A Hardware MIDI Step Sequencer

[Berk]

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2014/09/26/zaquencer-firmware-behringer-bcr2000-into-a-hardware-midi-step-sequencer/

 

Developer Christian Stöcklmeier contacted us to let us know about Zaquencer – a custom firmware for the Behringer BCR2000 (above) that turns the popular MIDI controller into a standalone hardware step sequencer.

Zaquencer does this by replacing Behringer’s firmware, which makes BCR2000 work as a MIDI controller, with a custom firmware that makes the BCR2000 work as a hardware step sequencer.

[BCM]

looks wicked!

[tokn]

great idea though it's pretty expensive for a firmware mod i think

[xox]

i have the controller and the mod looks really handy but 69 euro?! yes, it's pretty expensive

[MisterE]

hmm looks cool i guess

it would be great if you could just flip a switch and have it go from this back to a midi controller, and it wouldve been great had behringer thought of this themselves and had the ability to switch to a sequencer..

[mcbpete]

it would be great if you could just flip a switch and have it go from this back to a midi controller

Absolutely - like the pxt live mod for Ableton Push I'd rather it add features to the hardware rather than replace then with completely other stuff

[TRiP]

Dangggg

That's amazing.

Might have to buy it and sell my Dark Time :(

[TRiP]

Could anyone give me a walk through of how one would set this puppy up to sequence 4 bits of gear independently (like how it demonstrates in the videos)?

Perhaps i don't fully grasp the possibilities of MIDI - I use a 8x8 IN/OUT midi man to sequence my gear usually, dedicating a separate OUT to each bit of gear...but trying to figure this Behringer out with it's limited MIDI ports so that it's talking to specific MIDI channels/gear starts to make my brain hurt

Very much thinking of getting this and replacing my Dark Time...can anyone help a brother out?

[pizza]

daisy chain your midi stuff.

 

midi in -> midi thru -> midi in -> midi thru - > midi in .. and so on.

[Grain Bastard]

I think you need to realise that a single midi port can send 16 channels of midi data - in other words control 16 synths!! Your 8 port midibox could power up to 128 physical synths.

 

As described above you daisy chain and have say midi channel 1 controlling synth 1 and all other midi channels (2-16) would come out the midi thru port (actually, the data for channel 1 would also come thru but providing no other synth is set to recieve data on channel 1, it would be ignored). then along your chain, the synth set to recieve on channel 2 would see its data and pass thru all the other channels etc etc.

 

The key is to set each device to its own midi channel (1-16) and have no duplicates.

[TRiP]

I think you need to realise that a single midi port can send 16 channels of midi data - in other words control 16 synths!! Your 8 port midibox could power up to 128 physical synths.

 

As described above you daisy chain and have say midi channel 1 controlling synth 1 and all other midi channels (2-16) would come out the midi thru port (actually, the data for channel 1 would also come thru but providing no other synth is set to recieve data on channel 1, it would be ignored). then along your chain, the synth set to recieve on channel 2 would see its data and pass thru all the other channels etc etc.

 

The key is to set each device to its own midi channel (1-16) and have no duplicates.

Ahh it's all starting to come together now. Many thanks for that...makes me feel silly that I searched so long to buy that 8x8 midi box...but it's still nice

 

My only remaining head scratch is how to set these spesific midi channels on some of my display'less synths such as the JX3P and Minitaur...but i'm guessing that sort of knowledge is only a manual read away.

 

I'll experiment and see what happens. Many thanks!

[luke viia]

this looks like a really great mod!

[xox]

i guess it'd be great for a computer-free setup

[Guest A/D]

Don't feel silly Trip. A dedicated midi box does a much better job of spreading signals around than daisy-chaining. Different gear in the chain can each introduce a bit of latency and be a headache. Much better to send all from one box.

[TRiP]

Don't feel silly Trip. A dedicated midi box does a much better job of spreading signals around than daisy-chaining. Different gear in the chain can each introduce a bit of latency and be a headache. Much better to send all from one box.

 

....

 

Indeed! I shall embrace it and give it the love and respect it deserves. But it's still nice to know for smaller shows that we could now probably use our smaller 2xMidiman if we want

[Grain Bastard]

 

I think you need to realise that a single midi port can send 16 channels of midi data - in other words control 16 synths!! Your 8 port midibox could power up to 128 physical synths.

 

As described above you daisy chain and have say midi channel 1 controlling synth 1 and all other midi channels (2-16) would come out the midi thru port (actually, the data for channel 1 would also come thru but providing no other synth is set to recieve data on channel 1, it would be ignored). then along your chain, the synth set to recieve on channel 2 would see its data and pass thru all the other channels etc etc.

 

The key is to set each device to its own midi channel (1-16) and have no duplicates.

Ahh it's all starting to come together now. Many thanks for that...makes me feel silly that I searched so long to buy that 8x8 midi box...but it's still nice

 

My only remaining head scratch is how to set these spesific midi channels on some of my display'less synths such as the JX3P and Minitaur...but i'm guessing that sort of knowledge is only a manual read away.

 

I'll experiment and see what happens. Many thanks!

 

 

Yes, some synths like the microbrute gets set via the computer editor, other synths its a dip switch etc. Manual will help for sure.

 

Also, as mentioned your 8x8 box is a better solution. You might get some latency using daisy chaining but its useful to know the midi protocol imo. Don't set synths to 'omni' or you get all kinds of shit - ie all synths getting triggered by every note!!!

[ryancolecreate]

holy crap this is awesome. I was about to order a midialf, but now I;m looking for a BCR2000 instead haha.