The Heartbeat of Your Setup: Meet the SQUID

Take control of your workflow and make new styles of music with the
SQUID™. Named for the blend of functionality and creative stimulation it
offers, the SQUID (SeQUencer Inspirational Device) is a brand-new
multitrack sequencer in our TORAIZ™ series of musical instruments and
production gear. Connect all your instruments to use the SQUID as the
heartbeat of your studio and live setup, and get hands-on with
innovative features never seen before on this kind of equipment.

It’s easy to start making unique sequence patterns and phrases as soon
as you hook the SQUID up to your instruments. The layout of the controls
is optimized so you can effortlessly bring your ideas to life whenever
inspiration strikes, and the workflow is perfect for on-the-fly music
production. All this means you can spend less time looking at the unit’s
display and more time creating music.

With the first Groove Bend feature ever seen on a production tool,¹
you can really feel the groove and generate original rhythms in real
time by simply moving the spring-loaded slider to change the trigger
timing. Use Running Direction to create different phrases by changing
the playback direction of sequence patterns you’ve programmed on the 16
pads and fluctuate the playback speed of sequences whenever you want
using Speed Modulation. All of these features contribute to a fresh,
nonlinear way of making music that breeds creativity and helps you
stumble across things that sound great.

When you’ve created a phrase you love, you can use the SQUID Manager to
back it up, along with all your projects. SQUID Manager is a free
dedicated application that enables you to quickly import/export sequence
patterns between the SQUID and a PC/Mac.

Reaching out into your setup, the SQUID simultaneously controls up to 16
instruments with its master pulse. It keeps everything in sync, from
your DAW to hardware instruments such as the TORAIZ AS-1 monophonic
analog synthesizer and the TORAIZ SP-16 professional sampler. You can
even run modular synths and vintage drum machines/synths seamlessly
alongside your other kit.

The SQUID fits perfectly into any studio or live music environment and
helps you turn your ideas into music. It’s the third product in the
TORAIZ series, which offers inspiring tools with unique features you can
easily use to create new sounds.

The TORAIZ SQUID will be available from end of April at an MAP of $599.

Watch the SQUID introduction
video or, for a detailed look at each unique feature, watch
our walk-through
video. Find out more about the SQUID here.

Download Information
To use SQUID Manager, you’ll need to update to
the latest firmware (ver. 1.10).
Download link: http://bit.ly/2vblHDm

KEY FEATURES OF THE TORAIZ SQUID

1. Step Edit section for intuitively
creating sequence patterns

Have fun creating phrases by tapping the 16 multicolored LED rubber
pads. Set step parameters and play in real time as if the pads were keys
on a keyboard, combining various sequence functions such as
Interpolation and Harmonizer to help build your sounds.

• 16 multicolored LED pads for enabling various features
  Instantly
  switch between features using the SQUID’s 16 multicolored LED rubber
  pads, which are linked to independent modes. Use Trigger mode to
  step-record sequence patterns, and transpose your patterns on the fly
  with Transpose mode. Scale mode enables you to play scales with the 16
  pads as if you were playing a keyboard and you can add nuanced
  expression to your performances by varying the strength of your
  keystrokes, thanks to the high-precision velocity detection. Using
  Scale mode, you can also record dynamic performances in real time.

• Interpolation: instantly make a phrase
  Use Interpolation
  to arrange phrases. Set each parameter (Pitch, Gate, and Velocity) for
  the beginning, middle, and the end of the steps, and the SQUID
  automatically interpolates (supplements) parameters for the steps in
  between them. Without needing to set the parameters of each step
  individually, you can quickly set the pitch and dynamics of the sound
  and create a phrase while the idea is fresh in your mind.

• Harmonizer: intuitively create evolving phrases
  If you
  want inspiration for chords, Harmonizer enables you to play them
  easily by hitting the Harmonizer buttons with the Pitch value set on
  each step parameter as the root note. Up to six chords can be assigned
  to the Harmonizer buttons. You can record chord compositions into
  steps and record real-time performances with the Harmonizer buttons,
  so you can intuitively create evolving phrases.

2. Phrase arrangement section for
rearranging sequence patterns in real time

Use Running Direction, Speed Modulation, and Groove Bend to further
rearrange phrases you’ve created in the Step Edit section. Each feature
has an optimized user interface so you can intuitively try out ideas as
they spring to mind.

• Speed Modulation: create unique grooves by fluctuating playback
  speed of sequence patterns
  Periodically increase and decrease
  the playback speed of a sequence to create unique grooves. You can
  switch between six waveform shapes, such as triangle and sawtooth, and
  adjust the rate and amount.

• Running Direction: easily create new phrases
  You can
  easily create multiple new phrases from one sequence pattern by
  changing its playback direction on the 16 pads. Try the Zigzag or
  Clockwise directions, which take advantage of the SQUID’s 4 x 4 pads –
  a unique feature never seen on a general sequencer before. By
  combining Reverse, Switch Back, and Flip with the six different
  Running Directions, you can try out 48 different playback directions
  and create a variety of different phrases.

• Groove Bend: change trigger timing in real time
  In
  addition to Swing, which automatically delays trigger timing to create
  grooves, the SQUID features Groove Bend – the first-ever function on a
  sequencer to change trigger timing in real time via a slider. This
  enables you to create grooves as if you’re playing a musical
  instrument by simply moving the spring-loaded slider.

3. Time Warp: save your “happy accidents”

Never lose the phrases you make incidentally when you’re trying things
out. Use Time Warp to audition the previous phrase you created and save
it as a new sequence pattern if you like it. There’s no need to stress
over the workflow of practicing and recording take after take. Instead,
feel free to just play around until you hear something you love, then
capture it for use in a track or performance.

4. Multiple
inputs/outputs: sync with various instruments

In addition to a USB B terminal and Midi terminals for your DAW and
hardware synthesizers, you can sync and play with modular synthesizers
using the two sets of CV/GATE outputs and CLOCK input/output terminals.
DIN SYNC input/output terminals enable syncing with vintage synthesizers
and drum machines. Various signals including notes and clocks are
mutually converted inside the SQUID automatically, so you can easily
expand your creative scope just by adding the SQUID to your current
setup.

5. Import/export sequence patterns via
PC/Mac

Using the SQUID’s dedicated SQUID Manager, you can quickly import and
export sequence patterns between the SQUID and your PC/Mac. Easily
import a sequence pattern created on your DAW to the SQUID, intuitively
arrange it using the sequencer’s features, and return it to your DAW.
Use SQUID Manager to back up the projects you create on the SQUID by
saving them to your PC/Mac.

¹ First slider-operated trigger timing feature in the music
production category (according to research conducted by Pioneer DJ
Corporation, as of April 18, 2019).

* Disclaimer: specifications and price are subject to change.

* TORAIZ is a registered trademark or trademark of Pioneer DJ
Corporation, Japan and United States, and other countries.

* SQUID is a trademark of Pioneer DJ Corporation, Japan and United
States, and other countries.

* Mac, OS X and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the
U.S. and other countries.

* Windows is a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft
Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

* Intel and Intel Core are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in
the U.S. and other countries.

* The names of companies, product names, and technology names mentioned
herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

About TORAIZ

In 1994, we released the world’s first single CD player for DJs. Since
then, we’ve been fanatical about using state-of-the-art technology to
develop groundbreaking products for the music entertainment industry. We
believe DJs are performing artists, not just people who play records.
Touching the controls of a CDJ or mixer is like hitting the keys of a
piano – the crowd feels your creativity instantly.

For many years, we wanted to help people make their own music and
inspire audiences by playing it live. Our mission was to use our
technological expertise to make products that could help artists quickly
realize their creative vision and deliver their own sound to listeners.
The name TORAIZ is coined from various translations of the word
“triangle.” Just as a triangle connects three parts, the TORAIZ series
blends three elements: making music, playing it live, and delivering it
to listeners. All three elements combine seamlessly in one process that
allows artists to turn their ideas into songs.

About Pioneer DJ

Pioneer DJ Americas, Inc. is the subsidiary of Pioneer DJ Corporation
responsible for sales and marketing in North, Central, and South
America. For more than 20 years, Pioneer DJ has been a market leader in
the design and production of innovative DJ equipment and software. The
company works closely with DJs and clubs to deliver next generation
products that inspire and shape the global dance music community and has
recently launched a new range of musical instruments for production and
live performances. Its portfolio includes brands such as TORAIZ, Pioneer
Professional Audio and Pioneer DJ Radio, as well as social platforms
KUVO and DJsounds. Pioneer DJ Corporation is a privately held company
headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. The company is led by President and
CEO Akio Moriwaki and Executive Vice President Yoshinori Kataoka.

Website: http://www.pioneerdj.com/
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