Deluge VS Hapax VS OXI VS Play

2023/12/15: Updated with remarks on the new Squarp Hapax 2.00 and OXI One 4.0 firmware features.

Which one of these is the best?

Many of you have been asking, but there really is no simple answer. Each of the four pad matrix sequencers has its own advantages and disadvantages. Which one is best for you highly depends on what you want to do with it so here are a few of my thoughts on each of them.

Our main motivation to use any of them in our videos is the 8-track pad patrix, which allows us to clearly show a drum pattern at one glance (or at least one page and 8 instruments at a time). This is a fantastic visual aid and helps to understand the interaction of the different elements in a beat. All of these devices can sequence other gear, but only the Deluge and the Play can produce any sound themselves. The Hapax and the OXI One are not standalone instruments, but sequencers.

Synthstrom Audible Deluge

Germans would call this an "Eierlegende Wollmilchsau" which roughly translates to "a pig that lays eggs and gives wool and milk." So a machine that does it all. Sequencer, synthesizer, sample player (with timestretching), sample recorder, looper, drum machine, groovebox.

Capacity

The number of projects is only limited by the available SD card space.
Per project: Unlimited patterns, each with unlimited tracks, each with unlimited steps (yes, this is insane).

Workflow

No arbitrary limits, whether it's patterns, tracks, steps or song length - but most notably the Deluge offers simultaneous direct streaming of multiple stereo audio files from the SD card (which means no restrictions regarding sample length). All without breaking a sweat. I have no idea how Synthstrom lead engineer Rohan Hill did this, but it is a miracle of efficiency.

The Deluge makes very clever use of its pads for all kinds of tasks, even displaying the waveform of a sample and changing its start and end points. I think one reason for this ingenuity is that until the end of 2022 the Deluge only had this rather primitive 4 digit display, so they had to think of ways to visualize everything with the pads.

There is a kit/instrument structure, so making changes to a track's parameters will affect other patterns that use the same kit/instrument.

Song Mode

Arranger: For every kit/instrument you can have different patterns that you can place on a horizontal timeline, just like in a DAW. You can extend clips to make them loop. There's no limitation on the song length, the timeline just goes on and on.

Pros

• The pads indicate when a step isn't precisely on the grid, which is extremely helpful. None of the other sequencers do this. For example if you nudge a step forward or backward, switch between triplet mode and normal mode, add substeps, or simply zoom out you can always see when there's more information in a step than can accurately be displayed.
• Zooming and scrolling feels very fluid because both functions are on the same rotary encoder (turn to scroll, press and turn to zoom). Also this movement on the pads is easy to follow because there are animated transitions.
• Very portable. It also has an internal loudspeaker (not a good one, but it's nice to have). Bonus points for using a widely available rechargable battery type that you can replace yourself without voiding the warranty (didn't have to do that yet though, it has been going strong for a few years now). Very forward thinking.
• The firmware has recently been open-sourced and is being actively developed by the community. You can support the contributing developers via a patreon.

Cons

• The Deluge's list of features grew immensely during years of firmware updates, but of course the physical interface stayed the same. A core concept of the Deluge is that you can access a lot of its features directly by holding Shift and pressing a pad (the alternative is to go menu diving). That might not be a problem for you but for me it is because I find it very hard to read the small print next to the pads and I also have trouble remembering the position of the commands after a few weeks of not using the machine. I guess a uniform button matrix just isn't that ideal for memorizing.
• Undo doesn't undo everything (for example deleting an instrument from a kit) which can be very frustrating.
• Sadly I didn't gel with the synth sounds and effects at all.
• The pads are squishier and more raised than on the other machines, which makes them hard to swipe/slide on.

Polyend Play

A sample player (mainly intended for one-shots, not loops) and MIDI sequencer with a streamlined interface and a strong focus on effects, performance and randomization.

Capacity

The number of projects is only limited by the available microSD card space.
The sample pool memory for each project allows for 6 minutes of audio (mono 44.1 kHz 16-bit only).
Per project: 128 patterns for audio, 128 patterns for MIDI, each with 8 tracks, each with 16 variations, each up to 64 steps

Workflow

The sequencer is unique in that it has no fixed sounds per lane. Think of it as a canvas to put your sounds on: every single step is its own island with unique parameters and absolutely no relation to the other steps or even the track it sits on. If you're familiar with Elektron devices: Imagine you only had parameter locks - but no defaults. This of course also means there is no such thing as kits - you can't simply make global changes to the Kick for example. This definitely encourages you to experiment and bring more variation into a track. It leads to results you might not have gotten with other sequencers.

Song Mode

You can set playback to pattern chaining. This way adjacent patterns are played one after another. This allows you to create song structures, but you have to do it by duplicating patterns and going into each one individually and making changes there.

Pros

• Tracks/rows are truly independent of each other with pattern length, tempo multiplier, play direction and even swing per row. A dream come true for polymeter and polyrhythm enthusiasts.
• 16 variations per row that can be switched independently for each row or simultaneously for the entire pattern.
• Comfortable step and track selection functions.

Cons

• Its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. You can't distinguish different sounds on the sequencer, the steps are all uniformly white. And since by design every step can have a different sound, it can be easy to lose track. For the same reason you won't be able to quickly punch in drum patterns simply by activating steps on different lanes. Each new sound has to be configured or you can pick an existing sound from the canvas first (you can see me do this a lot in our 15 Step video where we sacrificed the top track to use it as a permanently paused picking palette for the different MIDI notes).
• Very long project/sample bank load times (MIDI-only projects load instantly though). Even with a good microSD card I couldn't get above a reading speed of about half a megabyte per second.

Pet Peeves

• The arrangement of instruments as used by the Beat Fill function is upside down from what I'm used to (as you know I prefer the Kick on the bottom and the Hi-Hats on top, just like in classical percussion notation).
• Soft touch coating on the encoders and on the underside. Based on my past experiences I don't trust these coatings, they often become sticky after a few years (we just noticed this on the Korg Monologue's knobs while filming the new video). Currently there are no signs of this happening on the Play though.

Squarp Hapax

A big sequencer with a generous amount of dedicated buttons, connectivity and even screens. It feels like a command center and even allows you to load two projects at the same time.

Capacity

The number of projects is only limited by the available SD card space.
Per project: 16 tracks (= individual sequencers), each with 8 patterns [edit: 16 patterns since firmware 2.00], each with 8 rows (when the track type is set to "Drum"), each up to 512 steps.

Workflow

The Hapax offers a similar editing experience to the Deluge since they're the only ones that allow zooming into the pattern and switching into a triplet view. Additionally there's velocity view mode, which is so much comfortable than having to dial in the velocity of each step individually (as you've already seen in a few of our videos). You can even place and remove steps in this mode. There are lots of helpful little features like being able to mute single steps. When using odd time signatures bars are split into pages. Working on isolated parts of a sequence is comfortable because it's easy to set or clear loop points and to play from the current page position.

All patterns adhere to the settings of the track they're on (for example MIDI channel and MIDI notes for individual drums), so it's easy to maintain consistency. MIDI effect parameters like swing can be locked though, so they can differ per pattern from the track default.

Song Mode

You can save scenes. A scene is a configuration that says which pattern is active on which track. You can launch these scenes manually or make a playlist with them to pre-program entire songs. You can also set how often a scene should be repeated.

Pros

• I find the Hapax UI to be incredibly intuitive even when using advanced functions. The large number of dedicated buttons and the two screens play a huge role in this.
• MIDI effects and algorithms can be used to dynamically modify your sequences.
• One track can be configured as a master transposition track that controls other tracks.
• You can load two projects at the same time, which among other things allows you to create transitions between them.
• Easy to operate in darkness

Cons

• Only 8 patterns per track. This will supposedly be doubled in a future firmware update, but right now it's easy to hit that limit. [edit: In the new 2.00 firmware you get 16 patterns per track]
• You can save the current state of a pattern as a snapshot and toggle between the working state and the snapshot. But if you leave the pattern then the snapshot is discarded. Whatever state the pattern was in when you left becomes permanent. This cannot be undone.

Pet Peeves

• The screens seem to scratch easily, we'll have to get some protector sheets for them.
• No page follow function (maybe you've noticed me frantically pressing the left/right buttons to manually follow the playhead in our videos - Squarp apparently will be adding that feature soon though!) [edit: follow is available in the new 2.00 firmware]
• My muscle memory somehow keeps confusing the "2nd" and "mute" buttons. Not tragic, but I have no idea what's wired wrong in my brain there ;)
• When filming the Hapax the displays exhibit a lot of flickering (this is not visible to the naked eye). We correct this by deflickering the screens in post. [edit: the new 2.00 firmware offers individual deflickering options for both screens]
• Some users said the encoder placement should have been entirely to one side of the screen and that it would be confusing to have them split up to the left and right of it. This sounded like a valid concern at first, but I have to say for me in practice it's not an issue at all.

OXI One

A compact, sturdy and very portable sequencer densely packed with features and different sequencer types. Best build quality of the bunch, surprisingly heavy, a softcase is included.

Capacity

15 projects (internal memory), each with 4 individual sequencer tracks, each with 16 patterns, each with 8 rows (when the pattern is in multitrack sequencer mode), each up to 128 steps.

Workflow

Lots of features are packed into the OXI One. Like the Hapax it has a velocity view mode (although you can't place or erase notes there) [edit: since the new 4.0 firmware you can], but with a recent firmware update they also included a gate length view mode as well. There are many helpful visual clues like for example the pad brightness indicating velocity and when scrolling up/down on the piano roll you see if there are any notes out of view.

There are no parameter locks. Changing values globally in a pattern will permanently alter all individually programmed values.

There is no kit structure, patterns are independent from one another - including channel and note assignments for the drums for example. Patterns on the same sequencer lane can even have different sequencer types (mono/polyphonic/chord etc.). This requires a bit more work to maintain consistency between patterns after making changes to one of them.

Saving a pattern also writes it to the project. Let's say you make a lot of changes to your patterns in one session. You have to save a pattern before switching to a different one, or else the changes don't stick. If you now come to the conclusion that everything you did in that session was not so good after all and you'd rather return to the project as it was when you last saved it then you can't simply go back. The changes for each pattern were already written into the project when you saved the patterns. The workaround is to duplicate a project before working on it.

Song Mode

Arranger: On the upper 4 rows you see the available patterns for the four sequencers. The bottom 4 rows are timelines - one for each sequencer. You can now place patterns on these timelines and also have them repeat. You have 15 slots per sequencer. Do note that these 4 timelines don't necessarily have to advance together. One sequencer can be merrily gallopping through its timeline while the other one is still busy repeating the same pattern multiple times. But you can also make one of the timelines the master and then the others will follow its progression. This is extremely flexible. For instance: If you make a slot on the master lane repeat infinitely you can create a catching point where the entire arrangement keeps looping. And when you're ready you can manually queue a different timeline slot on the master lane to continue. You can always spontaneously override things to mix everything up.

Pros

• Very compact and portable with an internal battery
• Generative sequencers and performance features
• Connectivity can be extended with OXI Split and OXI Pipe
• Clicking and turning the encoders is practically silent. This is definitely the best one for stealthy headphone late night jamming without disturbing anyone in the room ;)
• Manuel from OXI is a speedy coder and also very responsive on their Discord server. Firmware updates with new features and bugfixes are being released all the time.
• MIDI over Bluetooth

Cons

• Scaling a parameter like velocity or gate for the entire pattern is destructive and cannot be undone. It's a little too easy to accidentally destroy your carefully programmed velocities or gate lengths.
• No external memory card, so you can't have different cards for different sets or users. Everything is saved in the device's internal memory, which can be managed via the OXI Desktop app.
• Only 15 project slots.
• If you want more than 8 drum instruments you'll have to sacrifice another of the four sequencer tracks (as can be seen in our History of the 808 video a few times). The Hapax has the same limitation, but here it isn't as big of a sacrifice because you have 16 sequencer tracks.

Accent-free

What every single one of these devices is sadly lacking is an accent or weak beat feature. I think accents are a huge benefit for any sequencer - they're the best way to immediately bring dynamics into your patterns without constantly fiddling with individual velocities.

Bottom Line

Please remember that we primarily use these sequencers for drums, so your mileage may vary :) Due to firmware updates the feature sets could change and we'd welcome any corrections or feedback you might have. And of course feel free to share your own experiences with these machines here. For more details check out our Cheat Sheets to see what the individual machines can do and also pay attention to the 👽 icons ;)