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OVERVIEW

The Misa Digital NSC-32 (NSC) is a Note Sequence Controller - a new type of electronic musical instrument that allows the user to manipulate and cue electronic music sequences live. It is an alternative take on a "step sequencer".

It is a MIDI controller and makes no sound of its own - it connects to a synthesizer/sampler/DAW via MIDI or USB.

The NSC-32 can play multiple sequences (patterns) simultaneously. Typically each pattern will be responsible for a different section of the music. For example: one pattern for drums, one pattern for bass and one pattern for chords.

Note sequences are visually displayed on the note grid and can be modified by pressing the cells on the note grid. The individual notes are represented as blue illuminated cells. Notes can be selected, copied, moved and pasted using the control functions.

A vertical green step cursor will move across the note grid at a speed determined by the BPM set. When the step cursor lands on a note, it will play that note. Similarly, when the cursor moves off a note, it will stop playing that note.

Sequences can be played (cued) and stopped in sync with the master clock.

Sequences can be stored in permanent storage for later use. The NSC-32 can store up to 768 sequences. Each cell on the note grid behaves as a save location. This means you can visually group different sets of presets on the grid based on category.

MIDI CONNECTIONS AND DRIVERS

The NSC-32 can be connected to a MIDI compatible synthesizer, sampler or computer via the MIDI-IN and MIDI-OUT ports. No driver other than a standard MIDI interface is required for this setup.

Alternatively, the NSC-32 can be connected to a computer via the USB port. This is the preferred option, because the communication speed is much higher than traditional MIDI ports, resulting in lower MIDI clock jitter at very high speeds (ie. when sending a lot of MIDI data). To set up a MIDI-USB connection on your computer:

WINDOWS

1. Connect the NSC-32 USB cable to the computer.
2. Install loopMIDI for Windows. Under “Setup”, press the “+” button to add two ports named “loopMIDI_in” and “loopMIDI_out”. This only has to be done once on your system. LoopMIDI: http://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/loopmidi.html
3. Install Hairless MIDI-Serial bridge, and set the MIDI out port to be “loopMIDI_out” and the MIDI in port to be “loopMIDI_in”. Set the Serial port to point to the NSC-32 COM port. Download: http://projectgus.github.io/hairless-midiserial/#downloads
4. Set your DAW (eg. Ableton) MIDI configuration to use loopMIDI_out and loopMIDI_in ports.

MAC OS X

1. Connect the NSC-32 USB cable to the computer.
2. Install the USB driver for your version of the OS-X. Then reboot. Download: http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
3. Install Hairless MIDI-Serial bridge, and set the MIDI out port to be your DAW MIDI output, and the MIDI in port to be your DAW MIDI input. Set the Serial port to point to the NSC-32 /dev/cu.usbserial-xxxxxxxx or /dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxxxxx Download: http://projectgus.github.io/hairless-midiserial/#downloads
4. Set your DAW (eg. Ableton) MIDI configuration to use loopMIDI_out and loopMIDI_in ports.

More details:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Price: $1,795.00 USD
NOTE: The product is shipped from Australia. The price includes shipping, but Misa is not responsible for any Customs / Duty Tax charged that may be charged by your country.

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Awesome!
I just picked up a Trigger Finger Pro for the same purpose at (1/17th the price though).
This is awesome since you can see different notes at the same time.

Only issue is (and its a minor one), when recording a sequence to a DAW the midi timing is horrible, notes land on the grid around +/- a 32nd note from where they should be, so I have to use input quantize. I think the problem is with MIDI clock in general or MIDI over USB, but it very well could just be the M-audio drivers, or my settings (since M-audio provides next to no support).

FYI I've tried Studio One and FL, both had the same minor issue.