Back in 1987, this little desktop box arrived alongside Alesis's first drum machine, offering a refreshingly straightforward way to capture MIDI ideas without the hassle of early computers crashing mid-session.
Its 8-track sequencer lets you build patterns up to 682 beats long, with each track handling 16 MIDI channels for effectively 128 tracks of data—perfect for layering complex arrangements. The tape-deck-style front panel features dedicated track buttons with LEDs, play/stop/record, fast-forward, rewind, and mute controls for live tweaking, all in a compact black chassis with a built-in speaker for click monitoring and standard 5-pin DIN MIDI In/Out/Thru. You can chain up to 100 parts into 100 songs, re-channelize incoming MIDI on the fly, and extend patterns by doubling or adding beats, making it a breeze to integrate older gear via external clock inputs.
Decades later, it's still a live staple for artists like Orbital and Carl Craig, prized for rock-solid reliability and hands-on performance flow, though some note its beat-based timing skips traditional bars for simpler workflows.
