I have a notron mk1, since 1997. it's served us pretty well for monophonic lines & sending patch change commands. it lets you edit lines on the fly, change line-lengths, track-slip & so on.
I haven't had much cause to use it for triggering sampled loops/riffs, but it has this beat-syncing thing whereby changing the tempo will automatically apply the right amount of pitchbend to y'r sample so it carries on fitting the tempo.
but really it's a great way to create basslines & melodies/counterpoints for the sort of analogue trancey stuff we do. like the doepfer maq/schaltwerk, only better. if you see one, grab it. they are now the stuff of legend amongst h/ware sequencer users, & I have been through quite a few h/ware sequencers in me time!
duncan/r.m.i.