A device or software that records, edits, and plays back musical sequences, typically controlling electronic instruments or samples. It allows musicians to program rhythms, melodies, and entire compositions that can be played back automatically.
From Latin 'sequi' meaning 'to follow,' referring to the device's ability to play back a predetermined sequence of musical events. Early analog sequencers from the 1960s evolved into digital versions and software applications by the 1980s.
The sequencer democratized music production like nothing before it—suddenly one person could sound like an entire orchestra! Early hip-hop pioneers like Grandmaster Flash used primitive sequencers to create the rhythmic foundations that would define entire genres.
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