Korg Blowing Out SQ-64 Step Sequencer At 40% Off, But Make Sure You Read This First

Korg has slashed prices on its SQ-64 sequencer by 40%, blowing out the polyphonic step sequencer at $199 USD, vs $329.

Here’s what they have to say about it:

“For a limited time, we’re dropping the price on SQ-64 from $329.99 to $199.99 (US ONLY)!

That’s a 40% savings on Korg’s 64 step hardware Sequencer!

Korg’s SQ-64 offers:

  • A fun sequencing hub in a user-friendly interface
  • Powerful hands-on control for modular, synth, and DAW users
  • Keyboard mode so you can play in real time
  • Connectivity to drive 3 melody tracks and 1 drum track”

The Korg SQ-64 is currently available for $199 from the KORG USA Outlet on Reverb, Perfect Circuit, Amazon and others.

Note: Potential buyers should be aware that the Korg SQ-64 does not ship with DIN MIDI adapters or the KA350 AC wall-wart power adapter – so figure those into the price, if you need them.

58 thoughts on “Korg Blowing Out SQ-64 Step Sequencer At 40% Off, But Make Sure You Read This First”

  1. So i guess Korg Europe feels that we are the idiots that will buy this at full price…This double standard has happened too many times with Japanese companies to be a coincidence!

    1. Admin: Personal attack deleted (name-calling).

      Also, you are commenting using multiple names (Funk, mr N, Bob, Bill, Lasso, Louis, etc), which is a tactic of spammers and results in your comments being flagged for moderation. Using a consistent identify and keeping your comments constructive will avoid this.

        1. John – it would be more constructive for you to remember what we have told you multiple times:

          Synthtopia does not manually pre-screen all comments before they are published, only ones from new commenters and commenters that have a history of personal attacks.

          We will delete comments that are personal attacks, spam, etc when they are brought to our attention. We provide a Feedback link at the top of every single page of the site for this purpose.

          By participating in the comments on an Internet site, you’re entering a mosh pit of differing opinions. It is not Synthtopia’s goal to protect you from comments that may offend you, but to keep the comment section from being a platform for personal attacks, hate speech and spam.

  4. pre ordered one when they came out. very unfinished product with a pretty weird UI. most important: it was very hard to see if a step was on or off. contradictory to what the tiny ‘manual’ said this was also the case with the psu plugged in. sold it after trying to use it twice. updates could have easily saved it. shame, it had potential.

    1. I totally agree.
      I didn’t pre order one, but when I got mine I found it very unintuitive and a bit menu divey.
      I thought it would be a step up (boom boom!) from the Beatstep Pro, but I just couldn’t get on with it. I had it about 4-6 weeks.
      That said, I think it was also more complex that I needed it to be and I found myself using the Electribe 2 for midi sequencing and the BSP for CV etc!
      I think, especially at this price, some might find their dream sequencer.
      Alas, not for me.

  5. Just looked at available offers in US. Ended up ordering from Amazon (because of the Prime shipping). If you need the MIDI and patch cables, Sweetwater price of $218 is probably best.

  6. Wonder if these were sitting on the cargo ship too long and have burnt out parts like the OPSIX screens did. Buyer beware.

      1. The assumption is on your part stating that Nathan Williams doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

        A large number of Opsixes showed up to people with broken screens. The unit I purchased showed up broken and I had to return it.

        This is a good warning. Do a bit of research and you’ll understand why.

        1. I wonder if the problems some people had with the OpSix got blown up because Korg was doing a fire sale on them?

          I got one with the Reverb deal, and like most of the people that got in on the deal, I got a brand-new OpSix, in perfect shape, and it’s a great synth. It was an amazing deal at that price.

          1. Sorry you’re not able to make any of the fairly obvious connections here (hint: it doesn’t have anything to do with the specific product).

  7. If I thought there was a strong possibility for future FW update I would pull the trigger, but this feels like Korg throwing in the towel.

    1. Sorry, I’m a bit late commenting and you probably won’t see this.
      If, on the of chance that you do, would you mind explaining how you do that please?
      Can you simply plug it in to the MPC One via USB and use the SQ’s CV functions via the MPC One? Or is there more involved? Or am I missing the point entirely? Thanks.

        1. i read your whine and also checked prices on other places, what you neglected to do before you cried its exclusive to us. it cost in europe 204 euro/178 pounds ex vat. same price.

  12. “A fun sequencing hub in a user-friendly interface”… lol… well I think this sequencer is one of the worst 4 tracks seq I’ve tested… Link to my article above –^

    1. What are you comparing it to and what are your complaints?

      I’m interested in this because it’s got 64 steps and the I/O is pretty comprehensive.

      How does this compare to something like the Beatstep Pro in terms of quality and usability?

      1. if Korg is like Arturia with the Beatstep Pro they still have time to do an update. Arturia was silent for Years about serious shortcomings, But then they came with one firmware update when they rereleased it as the black version. I and everybody else had long sold that piece of multimedia equipment by then. The sq-64 was going to save the story for me but it seems history repeats itself… Wait for the White Edition?

      2. Please read my articles, I also made another comparison with the Beatstep pro. The only great thing is the I/O but for everything else it has one of the worst UI that I know, with menu diving, not fluid workflow. I has 64 pads but they are very badly used compared to the Launchpad Pro. If you don’t need CV, my advice is LPPro mk3 > Beatstep Pro > SQ64. And even if the Launchpad does not have CV, using it with a Midi-CV converter is a better option than the Korg, IMHO.

        1. not very helpful, you just stating things with no real explanation or demonstration.
          it’s more like an article about your subjective opinion. you also used at least 3 different user names here and don’t stop to talk about your “article” i guess because of the affliate links…it’s degrading… thank you for wasting my time.

          1. Sorry buy my comment did not post properly and appeared later this is why you see it multiple times :/ The first part of the article is **just facts**. No opinion. In the last part I give my opinion based on testing. I don’t want to menu dive just to change the length of the note (facts). Velocity recording needs an external keyboard or menu diving (facts). A fluid workflow for live playing is important for me, so I think there are better alternatives in that case (opinion). Thanks

            1. “Sorry buy my comment did not post properly and appeared later this is why you see it multiple times ”

              You’re using multiple user names to post the same comment, which is what spammers do, so this resulted in your comment being held for moderation.

              You can reduce the likelihood of your comments being flagged for moderation – and wasting the moderator’s time – by using a consistent identity.

  15. The main reason that I purchased from Amazon is the “Prime advantage”. Try it for 30 days, and if it doesn’t meet your expectations, return it shipping cost free. I had a Beatstep Pro, that I really didn’t like too well and I have four Keysteps of various varieties around the studio now. I look at the SQ-64 as something different. Something to compliment the NDLR in performance sequencing. After Ian, I now have a lot of time on my hands to play around with these things.

  17. Slightly confused about this article. According to camelcamelcamel, it was selling for 219 for the last few months, also similar in Europe. So maybe not such a massive sale.

    1. That is why they make adapters. I can’t imagine that a full implementation of USB-C would make any practical difference in this particular case where the unit is working at MIDI speeds and apparently has no special high amperage PS requirement.

      1. Ah Yes adapters the apple logic. Micro usb is really flimsy, also standing in a dark dj booth trying to work out which way to turn the jack gets old really fast.

          1. John

            Glad that you’ve been lucky to avoid problems with micro USB connectors.

            They are the achilles heel of devices like the Arturia Beatstep Pro, though.

            Pretty much everybody that owns a Beatstep Pro will have to deal with their device failing at some point, because the micro USB connector is soldered to the main PCB, and the solder gets flexed every time you plug it in.

            https://modwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=174502

            https://forum.arturia.com/index.php?topic=87126.0

            https://www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/c2yfws/arturia_beatsteps_constant_power_failure_due_to/

            The only way to avoid these failures is to get one of the magsafe-style magnetic USB connectors:

            https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07MPY1WSJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

            1. I would suggest that what you have described is an engineering deficiency with the Beat Step Pro, and not necessarily an issue with the micro USB connector. Isn’t that Gen 10 cable just a charging cable? How would you get data in and out of a Beat Step with it?

              1. We may be splitting hairs here.

                People don’t trust micro USB because companies like Arturia have used it as the single connection for powering relatively expensive devices like the Beatstep Pro. You connect and disconnect power a lot on a portable device, so it eventually fails.

                micro USB may be a fine standard, but the socket shouldn’t be on the PCB, supported by solder joints, and it shouldn’t be a single point of failure.

                1. micro usb is known to be unreliable, it has nothing to do with the connection to the pcb, it maybe another point of failure on some devices like the beatstep (a cheaply build product but all usb connectors are directly soldered to the pcb) but the issue is usually the connector itself. some don’t experience it because they don’t connect and disconnect it too much, i have some with faulty/loos micro usb’s, i also have one midi controller that works fine for more than 10 years but i rarely disconnect it. if you search google for “micro usb unreliable” you will find infinite material on the subject. nick from sonic state was also unsatisfied korg using this connection with the sq64.

  19. It’s not perfect, but especially at this price it’s a good drum sequencer for modular and plays well with my temps utiles including stop/start functionality. I use it to sequence a quad drum mostly, and the extra gates come in handy to trigger other sequencer steps. it’s not fun to use as a polyphonic midi sequencer and the arpeggiator has a very strange workflow. The one thing that’s oddly missing and I wish they’d add is a quantizing function for notes played in while recording.

  21. FIRMWARE 2.0 IS OUT

    apparently fixing exactly the things i had to sell it for after buying it for full price early 2021. took almost 2 years!
    happy beta testing when buying new korg gear and you pay extra for it…
    loyal customers f..k you!

  22. I purchased the SQ-64 through this promotion from Korg and unboxed it today.

    I have had zero luck getting it to send MIDI signals via USB or MIDI (5 pin adapter). The adapter I am using appears to be a mono 1/8″ to 5 pin, I don’t know if that is an issue. When I first plugged it in to the computer, it showed up as a MIDI input device but I was not able to get it to send any MIDI signal. I ran through the entire global setting list to make sure I had MIDI and USB output enabled. Still nothing. |

    So I tried up loading the Korg drivers. The drivers appear to recognize the device but now no other software sees it as a MIDI device. Even the firmware updater from Korg does not appear to recognize the device.

    Maybe I got a lemon, maybe I am just not seeing something obvious but this is very disappointing.

    1. After massive frustration yesterday, I was ready to pack this thing up and send back to Korg. But I woke up thinking maybe it is worth trying a different 1/8″ MIDI adapter. I sacrificed one of my 5 pin cables, by cutting it in two and soldering a 1/8″ TRS jack to the appropriate leads. Sure enough as soon as I plugged that into my MIDI input, I could see activity and was able to get input to my DAW. This unit has a bit of a learning curve but I was able to program a simple drum track and bass line.

      I still need to sort out the issue with USB connectivity but that could be a flaky front panel port on my computer tower. And ultimately, my intent is to nix the computer for live performances anyway.

  23. That it’s not sending via USB is problematic. However, there are two types of 1/8″ phone plug to MIDI DIN. I’m surprised that one didn’t ship with the device (if fo no other reason than to give you the type that works).

  24. John Rossi,

    I was able to resolve the USB issue. Apparently, if there are more than 10 MIDI devices, the Firmware updater can’t find the SQ-64. The following video walks through the process. I essentially had to dump the drivers for a couple other devices before being able to update the SQ-64. At this point I am on 2.02 and everything is working (mostly).

    I am finding that drum pad 09 is assigned to F2 instead of G2. And even when I change the assignment under Global it still sends to F2. That is a minor annoyance, I hope gets corrected in the next Firmware.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVy2aqQm3U8

  26. New dilemma:
    When in keyboard mode or using an external keyboard, the SQ64 passes MIDI when stopped or when recording. But it mutes midi inputs when in play mode. Is there a setting to change that?

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