I like to think I'm unbiased, non-denominational—agnostic, perhaps—when it comes to screens on modules; I like them when they make sense, but would rather not have to look at some tiny, sad little screen if I don't have to. Where they most definitely make sense is on something where visuals are the main component (like the Mordax DATA) and on a complex module or device where there are a lot of options, tweaking, customizing, or setup that needs to take place. In terms of modules, I'm thinking of things like any of ALM's Pam's, Five12's Vector Sequencer, the Expert Sleeper's Disting modules, the XOR NerdSeq Tracker, and on and on. Many modules and devices have them, because they need them; they won't work without them. Conversely, not many that do need them go without.
Cuisine, the first offering from Berlin-based Floating Knobs, is one that, at first glance, I thought would do very well with a screen. I feel that anything—especially something as potentially deep as a sequencer; one that has more than one necessary layer to its operation as Cuisine does—where you are tasked to use color identification (of the LEDS on the keys in this case) to know which function is which, what is active or not, or what track or editing state you're in, is an uphill battle. Color coding memorization is not my favorite way to work with a sequencer—or any module, really—as it usually requires much referencing of a manual, a cheat sheet, luck, or all three. Floating Knobs acknowledges the need for referencing Cuisine's operation throughout their manual, and while this way of working is not a 100% deal breaker for me, I need some convincing it’s worth the effort and the brain space it will inevitably take up.
One major thing that Cuisine has going for it is that it looks awesome; cool, sleek, mysterious, and with those trendy old-school computer keys that are making the rounds. Trendy or not, I like those keys quite a bit, as well as Cuisine's overall look. As this is Floating Knob's first release, I have to say they did a great job in the visual design department. I was curious to see if they could win me over in the UX department as well; it looks fun enough.
Cuisine is made of FR4 PCB material and can be used as a desktop device or Eurorack module. It consists of sixteen of those computer keyboard style switches, laid out in a 4x4 grid, which function as the main interactive/playing area, and are located on the right side of Cuisine along with four CV and eight Gate outputs. The control area is on the left side, featuring both a Play/Stop and Record button, situated above a mixture of Transport controls: Track, Edit, Keys, Euclid, Pattern, Copy, Paste, Clear, Clock Div/Mult, and Loop. Along with an endless encoder knob, a Performance Mode toggle, four Gate Inputs, a small LED page indication/selection area, and MIDI in/out, a Shift button completes the tour. From an ergonomic standpoint, I like the layout of the whole deal; well-spaced with plenty of room for navigation, and laid out well for playing and navigation. Floating Knobs claims that Cuisine is made to be played seamlessly with just one hand, that the whole deal is made for intuitive and fluid play, but my experience was a mixed bag in this department, though with the color coding and multi-button presses needed at times, it did sometimes feel like I was playing with only one hand, with the other tied behind my back.
I decided to test Cuisine primarily with my modular, via the CV/Gate outputs, not diving into the MIDI functionality, as this is my typical performance style. This decision was another mixed bag as some of the deeper functionality (velocity control, accent, etc.) is only available via MIDI.
Cuisine organizes sequences within sixteen banks, where up to twelve tracks can each have twelve patterns. I was curious how recall is on all of this, as again, without a screen, there's no way to see what's what, and where what's what is at. If you use all sixteen banks and want to utilize Cuisine to its absolute fullest, to remember the details and location of each bank, pattern, and sequence, that information would need to be stored somewhere. I did this on a cheat sheet, which was next to my computer displaying Cuisine's descriptive 106-page manual.
You can use Cuisine to output sequences of three types: Note, Drum, and Modulation (MIDI only); and the type determines what kind of voltage Cuisine outputs. Going through the quick start steps as described in the manual to get a rhythm track going, and using Modbap's Trinity, is easy enough. Using Track 5 (it's recommended Tracks 1-4 are to be used for note/CV, Tracks 5-8 for drum tracks, and 9-12 for modulation) and following the directions, I did indeed easily get a four-on-the-floor kick going. Mimicking the exact same steps for a snare with Track 6, and I was starting to get the hang of Cuisine's basic setup. Additional drum tracks were a breeze, and using the computer-style keys to program the steps is nice and tactile. The little LED squares on each light up differently depending on what's going on, and it's intuitive and familiar enough if you've ever used a pattern-based synth/sequencer before. You can adjust sequence length (up to 64 steps) and can have different page amounts for each track, which makes it easy to give variation to one element (like a snare) while easily keeping the other track output lengths and patterns the same. You can also clock each track from different sources (very cool!), and clock each at a division/multiplication of the clock, which can create a lot of potential for complexity. You can copy, paste, change/create patterns, select Euclidean patterns (pretty fun for performance variety), and a lot of the usual things you expect with a sequencer. Once I got used to the first few steps and had Cuisine moving, the rest of the performance-style operations were pretty easily learned and comfortable, and the fear of the color coding was retreating a bit. Still, some of the configuration borders on the ridiculous. From the manual for determining the tempo:
"Add and count the illuminated LED colour representations per column to establish the BPM Value. Green = 1 (for digits 1-4) Yellow = 2 (for digits 5-8) Red = 3 (for digits 9) Unlit = No Count."
Easier to just clock it from something else than try breaking the mathematical color code! Or so I thought. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to use Pam's to clock Cuisine, but after a brief and pleasant exchange with Floating Knobs’ Dorian Largen, who explained how to do it, (this process wasn't specified in the manual at the time) I was clocking Cuisine with everything I could throw at it, and the steps to do this went along with how the rest of Cuisine's operating procedure works, to where I felt like I maybe should have been able to figure it out on my own.
While external clocking initially eluded me, some functions were again pretty intuitive, once I learned how to do them, like adjusting sequence length and location. Press Loop to enter Loop Mode, and press and hold two keys in succession to set the loop note range. The first key held (signified by the green LED) is the start point, and the second key held sets the end point (yellow LED). If you choose the end point to start before the beginning point, the sequence plays in reverse. This, as are most of the parameter changes in Cuisine, can be recorded, and is a cool way to bring about sequence variation. The loop length is the same across all pattern pages, however, which is something I would love to see changed so that even more variation could be achieved. Still, tracks can move independently of one another, so polyrhythms, and more experimental rhythmic'ing are possible.
In note mode, the changing of CV values/notes was easy; enter Key Mode, hold down a key on the keyboard, select the note you'd like and there you go. I would prefer to be able to hold a given key and turn the knob to select the notes instead—I think it would be quicker and a bit more fun—but that's just a preference thing, and something I could theoretically see happen since Cuisine is open source. As soon as I learn to program…
You can generate sequence ideas through Euclidean mode where steps can be determined for you, and after you determine the settings on the three pages of parameter settings for this mode (you can remember those, right?!) you're off. Once I got the hang of this, it really wasn't that bad—I'm poking fun here a bit—and it was a fast and fun way to change things up and add variation to an existing sequence.
While I disagree with Cuisine being a "one-hand" operation, once you get the flow it does lend itself nicely to actually playing, and by flipping the toggle (every synthesists most defiant gesture!) into Performance mode, you can really stretch Cuisine's operation, starting and stopping tracks manually, changing scales, transposing, and recording on the fly. Being able to use one sequencer for multiple melodies, a rhythm track, and (MIDI-enabled) CV control offers up a lot of potential, and Cuisine—caveats and all—is more playable than most.
Overall, I found Cuisine worked best as a sequencer where I don't have to access the more advanced functions much. As a drum machine, with tracks 5-8 triggering various percussion modules, it was fun (and mostly easy) to go from sound to sound, mess with the timing, and mix things up in terms of active steps and patterning. There's really a lot you can arrange, rearrange, and mutate in terms of rhythms here, and ditto for using Cuisine for melodies. Modulation-wise, that's all MIDI, and again, I didn't go that route, but I imagine it would be the same.
I can't tell if I think Cuisine is a deep analog-style sequencer with bonus MIDI connectivity, which is how I used it, or if Cuisine really wants to be everything; a fully fledged digital sequencer with all the bells, whistles, and abilities to tweak until your heart's content, but with the easy user interface of a vintage-style sequencer (meaning no screen). And yes, while you can configure it mostly how you'd like, it can be tedious with a lot of back and forth manual lookup, and the vintage one-knob-per-function style ease, while close, isn't quite there on the whole, especially when it comes to those advanced system/global type features.
With its open source architecture, and a responsive and obviously passionate designer/company, Cuisine promises to reward those who make the plunge. I definitely found the color coding ID to be a drag at first, but that feeling evaporated rather quickly. The way that Cuisine operates is intuitive for the important, playable parts, to the point that after a week or so of using it on a daily basis (and after stepping away for a few days and coming back to it without forgetting it all—not always a given with modules that rely on methods like this) the color ID wasn't much of a problem, and I did appreciate not having to rely on a screen. Even more important, I found a pretty good groove with Cuisine and enjoyed its workflow. It's not quite one-knob-per-function, but my brain also wasn't taxed trying to remember things. Still, a cheat sheet taped to the faceplate for stored banks/patterns/etc. was helpful.
I assume Cuisine will have its legion of followers, those who will embrace the red, green, and gold eyes of those computer keys, who once they get it set up the way they like and are able to ditch the manual, will be rewarded with a fun and flexible sequencer. 
Price: $489

floatingknobs.com