OXI ONE MKII — Domino Sequencer: Building a Bass Line

Learn the Domino sequencer on the OXI ONE MKII by building a bass line from scratch. Covers the two-layer architecture (triggers + notes), note entry, controlling sustain, polymetric interaction, and per-step trigger parameters.

The Domino sequencer on the OXI ONE MKII uses two independent layers — a trigger layer and a note layer — to create evolving, unpredictable sequences. The trigger layer controls when notes fire; the note layer controls what plays. Because the two layers can be different lengths, the same notes appear in constantly shifting rhythmic contexts. This tutorial walks through setting up a Domino bass line from scratch.

Step 1: Concept & Grid Layout

Domino's grid is divided into three zones:

Note section (top 2 rows) — Up to 32 steps of notes or chords (up to 4 notes per step). Row 1 = steps 1–16, row 2 = steps 17–32. This layer only advances when the trigger layer tells it to.
Trigger section (middle rows) — Up to 64 steps of rhythmic triggers. Each time a trigger activates, it advances the note layer forward by one step.
Keyboard (bottom rows) — A 2-octave keyboard based on your current scale and root, used to enter notes into the note layer.

Because the two layers are independent, a 7-step trigger pattern driving a 5-step note pattern takes 35 cycles before it exactly repeats.

Select any sequencer — tap Seq [1]–[8]
Open its settings: hold [Shift] + Seq button
Turn Knob 4 to set the mode to DOMI and press to confirm
Look at the grid — you should see the three zones. The trigger section pads will be dark purple when empty.

Step 2: Setting Up

MIDI Channel & Output

Hold [Shift] + your Seq button to open settings page 1/3
Turn Knob 1 (Ch) to set the MIDI channel — press to confirm
Turn Knob 3 (Out) to choose the output: ALL, USB, TRS, or BLE

Voice Mode

Press [Page] twice to reach page 3/3
Set Voice to Poly if you plan to use chords, or Mono for single notes (e.g., bass lines)
Leave ChMx at OFF for now

Enable Preview

Hold [Shift] + [Keyboard] to toggle preview on. This lets you hear notes as you place them.

Press [Back] to return to the main sequencer view. You should see "DOMI" in the top-left of the display.

Step 3: Building the Trigger Layer

The trigger layer is the rhythmic engine — it determines when notes fire.

Tap any dark purple pad in the trigger section to activate a trigger — it lights up in your sequencer color. Tap again to remove it.
Hold [End] and tap a pad in the trigger section to set where the pattern ends
Hold [Init] and tap a pad to set where it starts
Use page buttons [16], [32], [48], [64] to access more steps (up to 64)

Important for sustain: The distance between triggers determines how long each note sustains. Dense, closely-spaced triggers produce short staccato notes. Spread-out triggers (e.g., steps 1, 5, 9, 13) produce longer, more sustained notes — each note rings until the next trigger fires. For a bass line, try wider spacing like triggers on steps 1, 5, 9, 13 for quarter-note sustain, or 1 and 9 for half-note sustain.

With no notes in the note layer yet, you won't hear anything — that's expected.

Step 4: Building the Note Layer

Hold an empty pad in the note section (top 2 rows)
While holding it, tap a key on the keyboard at the bottom of the grid
The note is assigned to that step — the pad lights up
For chords (in Poly mode), hold the note-section pad and play multiple keyboard keys (up to 4)

For a bass line, place 4–5 notes in a tight range — root, fifth, octave, maybe a step down.

Set the note layer length: Hold [End] and tap a pad in the note section.

Key insight: Make your note layer a different length than your trigger layer for evolving patterns:

5 notes + 8 triggers = repeats every 40 cycles
4 notes + 7 triggers = repeats every 28 cycles

Step 5: Hearing the Interaction

Press [Play]
Watch the trigger layer's playhead — each time it hits an active trigger, the note layer advances one step

Experiment in real time:

Add or remove triggers while playing — the rhythm changes instantly and the melody reshuffles
Change the trigger layer length (hold [End] + tap a trigger pad) — shortening it cycles through notes faster
Change the note layer length — even one note more or fewer shifts the entire feel

Unlike a normal sequencer where rhythm and melody are locked step-by-step, Domino lets them orbit independently. The same 5 notes produce completely different phrases just by rearranging the triggers.

Step 6: Trigger Step Parameters

Hold a trigger pad to access its per-step parameters:

Rept — Number of repeats (1–15). Setting this to 2 fires the trigger twice, advancing the note layer twice as fast at that point. Creates ratchet-like bursts.
Rpt% — Repeat probability. 100% = repeats always fire. Lower values add unpredictability.
Durat — How many steps the repeats span across.
Trig — Trigger probability. 100% = always fires. At 50%, the trigger only fires half the time, creating organic rhythmic gaps.

Tips for bass lines:

Put 2–3 repeats on one trigger to create a quick burst of notes at that point
Set Trig to 50–75% on a trigger or two so the bass sometimes skips a beat
A repeat with low Rpt% adds surprise fills — the ratchet happens unpredictably

Remember: each repeat advances the note layer too, so a trigger with 3 repeats chews through 3 notes in rapid succession. This creates rhythmic contrast — long sustained notes from spaced triggers, then a quick burst from a repeated one.