Review: ATOM SQ and its innovative offset pads
Added 2020-07-20 11:10:25 +0000 UTC
Hi!
A couple of weeks ago, Presonus announced a new controller called ATOM SQ, and I was intrigued by its offset dual row design.
Most multifunction grid-based pad controllers let you play piano keyboard style layouts (Digitakt, Launchpads, etc), but I always find the location of the "black keys" confusing when they're directly above some of the pads as opposed to between them, like black keys on a piano.
Having two full rows of these opens up quite a few possibilities, as I explore in this video.
It also lets you configure the pads in scale modes that give you access to over 4 octaves (and over 6 octaves in pentatonic mode) which, while may not impress your piano teacher, is quite a feat in such small form factor.
ATOM SQ also has a simple built-in arpeggiator (though flawed in v1 as I explore in the video) as well as a fairly deep integration with Ableton Live and an excellent one with Studio One.
Here's my review!
All my best,
Ziv (clearly not impressing my piano teacher on youtube as "Loopop"...)
