OXI Instruments OXI ONE MKII: Sequencing Meets Stage Performance

OXI Instruments set out with the OXI ONE MKII to move beyond the traditional boundaries of sequencing, aiming for an instrument that thrives in the hands of live performers. The company’s vision is clear: this isn’t just a box for step entry and playback, but a tool for expressive, real-time musical interaction. Right from the start, the video emphasizes the intention to create something that musicians can truly play on stage, not just pre-program in the studio.

To realize this, OXI Instruments has packed the MKII with features that directly address the needs of live electronic musicians. The walkthrough begins by breaking down a demo project, highlighting the hardware’s ability to handle multiple tracks and diverse sequencing modes—mono, chord, and multi-track—each mapped to different synth engines and drum racks. This architectural approach is designed to give performers immediate access to the building blocks of a dynamic set, setting the stage for hands-on manipulation and improvisation.

The Performance Page is the heart of the OXI ONE MKII’s live capabilities, offering a suite of tools for immediate, tactile control. Here, users can mute and unmute tracks with a single touch, group mute by holding buttons, and—crucially for drum programming—mute individual lanes within a multi-track setup. This granular control is a boon for performers who want to break down or build up their grooves on the fly.

Beyond muting, the Performance Page provides access to field generators and looping functions, enabling dynamic variation without menu-diving. Melodic tracks can be transposed up or down by octaves, and patterns can be shifted left or right for subtle or dramatic changes. All these actions are resettable and visually indicated, ensuring that performers always know where they stand in the heat of a set. The workflow here is clearly designed for immediacy, with everything needed for live manipulation kept front and center.

FLOW is introduced as a performance macro that opens up new dimensions of real-time variation. This feature allows users to trigger notes, create repetitions, and generate accumulations across tracks, all with a single button press. FLOW operates as a global parameter, affecting any track where FLOW actions are assigned, making it a powerful tool for shaping the overall arc of a performance.

The video walks through several concrete examples: on the bassline track, FLOW injects extra notes to break monotony; on chord and melodic tracks, it activates repetition engines and accumulations, evolving the pattern in nuanced ways. Notably, FLOW can also function as a mute—silencing or activating steps to carve out space in an arrangement. The ability to set positive or negative accumulations per step adds a layer of evolving movement that goes well beyond static sequencing.

What stands out is how FLOW can be combined with other performance tools—mutes, fills, and loops—to sculpt a live set in real time. The system is designed so that these variations are always accessible, encouraging performers to experiment and respond to the energy of the moment without losing their place or breaking the flow of the music.

The video’s closing section is a call to creative action, encouraging users to explore the full performative potential of the OXI ONE MKII. By combining mutes, fills, loops, and FLOW, performers can craft evolving jams that remain engaging and expressive throughout a set. The workflow is designed to keep the performer in the driver’s seat, with all key controls accessible and intuitive.

The walkthrough demonstrates how these tools can be layered: mutes for structural changes, fills for rhythmic excitement, loops for repetition and tension, and FLOW for macro-level variation. This approach allows for sets that are both tightly controlled and open to improvisation—ideal for DAWless rigs, hybrid setups, or live electronic performance.

Ultimately, the OXI ONE MKII is presented as more than just a sequencer; it’s a performance instrument in its own right. The video leaves viewers with a sense of possibility, inviting them to push beyond static patterns and embrace a more interactive, expressive approach to live electronic music.