Stylophone On-The-Fly: an 8-step sequencer built to be played live
Stylophone releases the On-The-Fly, a stage sequencer with 8 steps chained up to 64, CV, Gate, 8 per-step gates, MIDI and Sync, at £149.
Stylophone (the brand owned by UK company Dubreq) has been selling the On-The-Fly since November 5. It is a desktop step sequencer designed for the stage: 8 steps you reshape as they play, with no screen and no menus, and CV, Gate, MIDI and Sync connections. The official store lists it at £149 and in stock. It was unveiled in January without a price or date, and it is now shipping. This article is based on Stylophone’s official product page; the release and the European and US prices were reported by MusicRadar.
A sequencer you play rather than program
A step sequencer plays a series of notes, one per “step”, at a set tempo. Most of them ask you to program the sequence first and then run it. The On-The-Fly turns that around: every control acts on the sequence while it is running. You can change the playback direction (forward, reverse, bounce), scale and transpose, swing, lead/lag timing, note length and gate length on the fly, and a manual performance button lets you play in by hand.
The core is short: 8 steps, each with its own pitch and gate length (duty cycle). Eight pattern chains, switchable live, stretch the sequence to 16, 32 or 64 steps. 24 memories store sequences, and a loop recorder captures up to 128 steps of playing.
The six step effects
The spec sheet lists six functions you apply step by step:
- Skip: the step is skipped and the sequence gets shorter;
- Rest: the step becomes a rest;
- Tie: the note is tied to the next one;
- Slide: the pitch glides to the next step;
- Ratchet: the step repeats in a quick burst;
- Random: random variation.
Connections: from modular to MIDI
Stylophone describes the connections as “Eurorack-ready”: CV in and out, Gate in and out, a summed gate output and, above all, 8 separate gate outputs, one per step, plus MIDI and Sync. CV (control voltage) carries note pitch to an analog synth, and Gate tells it when a note starts and stops. Our guide CV/Gate explained covers the wiring. The per-step gates can drive a modular drum setup, with each step firing a different sound. Several On-The-Fly units can be linked and synced into a multitrack sequencer. The metal and plastic case measures 24.5 × 13.2 × 4.2 cm, and the box includes two 20 cm and two 45 cm Eurorack patch cables.
Who it is for
- Players who perform live with an analog monosynth or a small modular system, and want to evolve a bass line or arpeggio without looking at a screen;
- owners of a Stylophone CPM synth, the instruments the On-The-Fly was designed around first;
- anyone after a hybrid sequencer that drives MIDI and CV/Gate gear from the same sequence.
It is less suited to writing whole tracks inside the box: 8 core steps and no screen make it a performance instrument, not a production sequencer.
What it costs
Stylophone’s official store lists the On-The-Fly at £149, in stock. According to MusicRadar, it costs €169 and $199; the official page does not show those prices, so check them with retailers. View at Thomann
What it competes with
| Model | Steps | Outputs | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stylophone On-The-Fly | 8, chained up to 64 | CV, Gate, 8 per-step gates, MIDI, Sync | Everything is played live, 24 memories, loop recorder |
| Korg SQ-1 | 2 × 8 (16 in series) | 2 CV, 2 Gate, MIDI, Sync | Two rows of 8 steps, simpler, no sequence memory |
| Arturia BeatStep Pro | 2 melodic and 1 drum sequencer, up to 64 steps | 2 CV/Gate, 8 drum gates, MIDI, Sync | Fuller and multitrack, but pricier and larger |
Next to the Korg SQ-1, the On-The-Fly adds memories, step effects and live control at a similar price. Next to the Arturia BeatStep Pro, it drives fewer tracks at once, but several units can sync, and its 8 per-step gates rival the Arturia’s drum section in a modular rig. In the same family, the Behringer 1601 is an ARP-inspired analog step sequencer in Eurorack format. Every sequencer we cover is in the Sequencers & Control section.
The official demo
Stylophone shows the On-The-Fly in its launch video:
Full specifications and manual at stylophone.com.
