OXI ONE: 8-track MIDI, Bluetooth and CV grid-style hardware sequencer
OXI ONE features a playable grid-style sequencer, polyphonic and chord modes, intelligent randomization and a host of other possibilities.
Update: It’s just been released on Indiegogo and smashed the goal in a couple of hours – people have been looking forward to this!
OXI ONE
Where has this been hiding? OXI Instruments have been posting about the OXI ONE for a month or two and no one seemed to notice and it’s funny how it’s emerged just as everyone is talking about the Korg SQ-64 (ed: this article was originally posted in November 2020). This is both a similar and very different prospect to the Korg sequencer.
That grid is the first thing you notice and when it’s in operation and everything is lit up and animated it is quite a sight. The grid can operate as a grid-style sequencer made popular by the likes of the Yamaha Tenori-On where you can see the grid as a piano-roll and simply add your notes to the timeline. It is a brilliant way of creating patterns, especially when combined with a scale function. But you can also view it as a traditional step sequencer with 16-steps of 8 tracks flowing across the interface.
OXI ONE · Source: OXI Instruments
I absolutely assumed it would handle 128 steps per track, one button per step, but it’s only 64 steps (actually it does do 128 steps see update below). It also talks about having “4 fully configurable sequencers” which seem to apply to the 1-4 buttons on the interface and yet has 8 tracks. Although this can also go up to 32 tracks over MIDI. So maybe the “4 sequences” are like songs but it also says that it can store up to “15 projects with up to 16 patterns for all the sequences”. So, all I’m saying is that it feels like it’s in need of some clarification on exactly what’s on offer here.
Update: Oxi Instruments got in touch with a bit of clarification: 8 tracks are what can run on a single sequencer in MULTITRACK mode, so you could have 32 tracks if you set this mode in the other 3 sequencers. There are up to 128 steps in the MONO and CHORD mode, 64 in the other ones.
It does look rather gorgeous in use though:
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On the CV side you get 8 lots of CV/Gate output which could reflect 8 tracks or be reworking into modulation or percussion tracks. There’s also a CV input which could be interesting – not many sequencers have done that – and it doubles as a clock input. You can push envelopes, portamento and vibrato out over CV.
There’s an emphasis on randomization in terms of pattern generation and performance modes for control over velocity, octave, triggering and so on. Each sequence gets an LFO with one destination. There’s also an arpeggiator and strum modes. It says there’s a Song mode where you launch clips which sounds like a whole other thing.
Feature-packed
The OXI ONE looks like an immensely fascinating device. There’s an overwhelming amount of information on the website which kind of makes it hard to grasp exactly what it can and cannot do. They need to get it into the hands of people who can unpack and explain the concepts and possibilities. We’d be more than happy to help with that!
OXI Instruments plan to get it released via a crowdsourcing campaign which should be coming along soon. Last week they invited people to sign up for an exclusive discount on the first run. The price is expected to be around €600 which is around twice the price of what we believe the Korg SQ-64 will be. Very interesting, and two very different devices.
Update: The price has been announced as € 530 for pre-orders via IndieGoGo and they are planning to ship in November 2021 .
More information
- OXI Instruments website
Video
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2 responses to “OXI ONE: 8-track MIDI, Bluetooth and CV grid-style hardware sequencer”
Looks like the Deluge may have some competition, and that screen will come in very handy.
I doubt it. The Deluge is a synth and sampler in addition to being a sequencer, has no track or length limits, and only costs about $200 more. Plus it runs on batteries. The Oxi does look very cool though.