Discuss the various methods you use in music production, from compressor settings to equipment type.
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By Borat Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:08 pm
Hey, Id' like to recreate sounds like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aYxeE_pTwY

I wonder if the main melody is created with arpeggiators or just by playing. I don't manage to get sounds like this, whether i use an arpeggiator or not. I can't figure this out... If anyone knows, thanks!
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By Metatron72 Fri Sep 14, 2012 12:13 am
Yeah that's definitely an arpeggiator in that track. If you struggle to get interesting patterns like that even using an arpeggiator it's probably down to modes the arpeggiator operates in. A lot of VST's like Omnisphere offer a fairly deep arpeggiator that loads MIDI files as well. But on a lot of synths it's just basic controls governing the note variation. Like it may only do up,down,down to up, up to down, and usually a switch to control how many octaves it will cover.

Are you using the arp mode in JJ or are your arps being done in the box?
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By Borat Fri Sep 14, 2012 12:29 am
Thanks for the reply, i don't use JJ since i'm on the MPC 2000, but my problem is mainly that:
Like it may only do up,down,down to up, up to down, and usually a switch to control how many octaves it will cover

I use vsti's for my synth sounds for the moment( i'm gonna get a hardware synth really soon), mainly Minimogue VA and Novation V-station, and i think the arpeggiators are really basic, like you said up to down etc... i think that's the problem. Do you know any vst where you are able to program your own arpeggios(like on the TB 303 i think)?
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By Metatron72 Fri Sep 14, 2012 1:09 am
Borat wrote:Do you know any vst where you are able to program your own arpeggios(like on the TB 303 i think)?


Like I mentioned Omnisphere has a good one. FM8, Camel Alchemy, u-he Zebra2, Analog Warfare, Synapse Dune, Z3ta+2.

There are more but those were the first few I loaded from my VST folder. They all have nice graphs and in Z3ta+2's case almost a piano roll to program on. Many have gate, velocity and other things you can program on the graphs. The Analog Warfare VST's are freeware from Angular Momentum.

There are also sample packs that include MIDI arp files when you look at House and Trance and those kind of libraries. In some cases you can find a library that's just MIDI files.

Then there's always sending MIDI from one VST to another that may not have an arpeggiator, I use Ableton Live for a lot of routing like that.

Also here's a link to Kirnu, a free (paypal donate if desired) arpeggiator that has all the different note and gate controls.

http://www.artovaarala.com/
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By Borat Fri Sep 14, 2012 2:48 am
Thanks, i just noticed i already had Kirnu in my vst folder, i got to check this thing!
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By peeping tom Fri Sep 14, 2012 5:19 am
some programs have appregaitors, where you can play a simple melody and then change a bunch of parameters to get it to go up or down or etc (like a dummy version - play melody, click, appregiate - done)

This one sounds like its been appregiated but sequenced to get the melody changes.......

probably something like http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/ ... or-plugin/

The example is piano, so it gives a fair idea

also, it could easily be re-created by slowing it right down (tempo wise) making the complex melody on the mpc and simply speeding up. (something i often do with complex rhythms.
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By Borat Fri Sep 14, 2012 2:22 pm
That vst seems great!
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By JUKE 179r Fri Sep 14, 2012 5:31 pm
+1 for NI FM8's random arpeggiator! :nod:
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By Neurone Fri Sep 14, 2012 6:16 pm
Albleton has a midi plugin arpeggiator.
The beauty of this is that you can put two in a row/series.
The output of one triggers the next, leading to some epic arp lines.
The same goes for the midi plugins in Cubase and some other DAWS.
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By electric dragon Sat Sep 15, 2012 2:26 am
The beauty of this is that you can put two in a row/series.
If you rewire programs together you can also chain arpeggios across software/DAWs - got some interesting results using arpeggiator in Ableton to drive a Reason track controlling a Matrix which was triggered by some other tracks . . . (keep going till heads explode)

An arpeggio is just a chord where the notes are played in sequence instead of together. You don't need a device to take a chord and chop it into sequenced notes:

Some arps you can record and have the note sequences as MIDI data. You could play a few chords through an arp and get some patterns, then take that and copypasta it to new tracks and then swap notes around for variation. 2 bars from an up sequence, one with the middle notes swapped, next with the last notes swapped, then you have a totally new sequence. Copypasta again, swap sections around, make monster chains of copypasta noodlings. That's probably how the presets being selected in the vid were made. Why buy someone else's presets when you can make your own?

You can also do some weird sh** with LFO's to get arpeggiation but that's kinda beyond my pontification skills . . .
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By peeping tom Mon Sep 17, 2012 1:05 am
check apps for androids and iphone / pads, some grid sequencers you can get are dope, i have one on my phone its a 24 x 48 step sequencer..........