Husserl Metasequencer, Sapphire Edition

16 sequencers that can intermodulate each other

(18 Votes)
6.0 (Updated 1 year ago)
4.9MB
December 24, 2023
Reaktor 6

DESCRIPTION

Sapphire has been widely acknowledged as the single most powerful step sequencer ever created. Many people have heard it create different musical phrases on the TV series '30 Something,' thinking it was a 'real musician.' Well, the composer simply set Sapphire up to generate different theme variations depending when he played only two notes.

* The instrument's A panel controls all 16 sequencer channels. Each channel has a 16-step sequencer with 8 repeatable bars. Each step has separate pitch, velocity, and duration controls. Each channel's step filter lets it play rhythms. Each channel's bar sequencer can modulate pitch, velocity, and duration over single or multiple step cycles. The pattern editors have single-click buttons to shift values up/down and rotate them over selectable ranges.

* In addition, each sequencer channel can play notes and/or intermodulate each other's note pitch, note velocity, clock rate, and/or bar patterns, at different tempos. Each channel has layered, fugued, recursive, and 1-shot modes. Notes from midi or another sequencer channel can be filtered, so that only notes of particular pitch or velocity ranges act as triggers. Triggers can clock or single-step other channels, or just change note pitch, velocity, and/or duration. Each channel's clock can optionally sync itself with new triggers from other sources. Two channels can intermodulate each other. The current step and trigger for all 16 sequences is displayed on all channels, highlighting triggers from other channels for the current channel.

* The A panel further provides pitch remapping, chord generation, note transformers, note clipping, and input recording for each of the 16 channels. With the pitch remapper, you can click and drag across the note display and the resulting sequence will still sound in key. Each channel's chord generator can add up to two notes to it, either before or after pitch remapping. If larger note chords are wanted, channels can be cloned and shifted relative to each other. Notes can be wrapped or mirrored into a selected range. To make it easier to see how it is configured, subpanels hide themselves when turned off. Selected parts of any channel can be copy/pasted to specific channels, all channels, and/or other snapshots, with an UNDO just in case.

* Snapshots may auto-advance themselves to the next snapshot after a settable number of sequencer repeats on any channel. Individual channels may be soloed or muted. When snapshots change, or a channel is turned off, playing notes can continue for their previously set duration, or clipped off. Timing may be from an internal clock or external MIDI clock, with sample-accurate, medium, and low-CPU settings. The instrument can optionally send MIDI clock, SongPos, channel volume, and program change messages. The I/O buffer latency is configurable. You can store your own description with each snapshot.

* On the B panel, the instrument provides global controls, including customizable local and global note remapping, a full 16-channel MIDI crossbar for mapping any MIDI channel I/O to/from any sequencer channel, and real-time jitter control. Jitter can not only change the start of a note, but also slightly modify the durations and velocity of each note in generated chords, providing a more human feel to the music.

This instrument was reviewed in Sound on Sound Magazine, Audiofanzine, and MatrixSynth. The download contains built-in interactive help, a 74-page PDF user manual, and some simple demo synth instruments you can replace with your own. A basic set of 100 snapshots is included, each demonstrating a slightly different way to set the instrument up, as fully described in the documentation.

I haven't ever had a complaint about Sapphire, ever since I first starting selling it for $200 fourteen years ago, except that it was a bit expensive. Now it is free. Some time ago I was asked to save it in Reaktor 6 format, which required no changes to the design. I had a stroke and am now totally deaf, so I am closing down my website for it and putting it in the user library for posterity. Merry Christmas :)

COMMENTS  (15)

stephen idk
2 months ago
yea this thing is brilliant..=D
stephen idk
1 year ago
wOw, that is so so sad to here. this piece of software looks fantastic can't wait to try it out. I think your story at the end there though kinda got me fkced up. thank you for sharing this with us and may good fortune fall on you man
Codow
1 year ago
So sorry to hear about your loss of hearing sir. Appreciate you sharing this w/ us here. Excited to check it out
Patrick van Raalten
1 year ago
Sad to hear about your hearing loss, all the best to you! And thank you for a beautiful and very deep and capable sequencing machine!
SICVK
1 year ago
Bravo ! Sapphire est excellent et très musical. Je souhaiterais supprimer "Analog" et avoir seulement Sapphire comme Ensemble ? Tous mes vœux pour 2024. Avez, vous perdu 100 % l'audition ou partiellement. C'est très dur pour un musicien...
benjamin kilchhofer
1 year ago
thank you ernest! i'm sad to read about your hearing loss, wish you all the best.
Goremall
1 year ago
This takes MIDI effects / sequencers to the next level! Pretty much a sequencer for anything you want to do. Very advanced coding as well, kudos to that. One of the best sequencers I've ever experienced, and you have truly left a legacy for Reaktor. It truly breaks my heart to hear about your loss of hearing. Hang in there and thank you for this ensemble!!
Michal Wolski
1 year ago
Such a wonderful wonderful wonderful tool. Thank you so much
bindlestiff
1 year ago
This is so very fine! ty for kindly sharing!
Armando Cajide
1 year ago
very kind of you thank you
arnout killian
1 year ago
Thank you Ernest, thats very nice of you. I wish you the best. Already very inspired by the sequencer, so thank you again
ZooTooK
1 year ago
I'm very sad to learn that you have lost your hearing, Ernest. It's very tough for anyone becoming deaf but as all sound explorers in this forum I can certainly empathize. Thank you for all your fantastic contributions to the Reaktor community over the years!
Andreas Brons
1 year ago
Thanks Ernest! A wonderful gesture to offer this for free. Happy New Year.
Sunborn
1 year ago
Thanks a lot, Merry Christmas to you
Stephen Wey
1 year ago
Thankyou Ernest, Merry Christmas
now