Hi guys, can anyone tell me how the arpeggiator of this track is set?

It is clear that the Rate is not in Sync, it seems to be set in free mode and the speed is automated by hand or maybe by an Lfo, but what I can't figure out is the style of this arpeggiator (Up&Down etc...)
It seems that between one note and another there is always the return of the lowest note. Example, 1-3/1-5/1-7 etc, not 3/5/7 (treat numbers as notes).
I'm assuming it's an arpeggio because the notes seem to be the same of the pad chords progression, but maybe it's a sequence?

Thanks in advance and sorry for my bad English.

 

If you want to do that via an arpegiator you can find some MIDI controllers (maybe dedciated arpegiator plugins?) that will arpegiate the keys you press in the order you press them. Then it's just playing the right chords in the right key order. The tempo transitions seem pretty organic, so i'd say LFO with manually adjusted rate, instead of automation (or just very good automation).

Or, you know, just map the keys manually on a midi track, that could actually be easier since it's 3 notes per voice but sometimes less in the lower voice, sometimes more, irregularities and all.

That said, i think this is done by hand, no arpegiator involved. I would try it that way since it's not so complicated and the tempo is so irregular that human performance would actually be advantageous.

Very nice track by the way.

 

To me it sounds like an LFO being controlled by another LFO. And your English is just fine, btw.

 

Some arpeggiators have special modes that go beyond the clasic patterns.
Also, there are dedicated arpeggiators that let you define arp patterns freely (StepPolyArp on iOS or Sugar Bytes Thesys on iOS and Win/Mac come to mind).

 

try and ask him https://www.instagram.com/endeleasmusic/

 

Thanks a lot to you and everyone who replied.

That's exactly what I thought. It makes me think that he just copied and pasted the pad midi file onto another midi track with some sort of arpeggiator (probably a plugin?) in it or something since the arpeggio notes are STRICTLY linked to the background pad.

"i think this is done by hand, no arpegiator involved"

I'm not sure if this was done manually by handwriting the notes into a midi track due to the uneven tempo of the arpeggio.
Let me explain: based on the pad, the master tempo of the track seems to be constant around 78 bpm. To get that "LFO'ish" effect of uneven speed you would have to automate the master tempo of the whole project, which would also make the pad in the grid uneven (which as I said seems to be regular around 78bpm I think).
Unless there is a way to change the master tempo of a single track in a project.
But this is just my humble impression and I'm asking because, probably, I could be totally wrong.

 

Last edited: Dec 12, 2022

Only Jean Michel Jarre can answer you exactly in my opinion ...

 

Yes, right ! He may have recorded choosing a precise order of the same notes as the chords present in the pad in an arpeggiator/sequencer. But I don't remember ever coming across a sequencer that has the free rate mode. If I remember correctly, the sequencers all have Rate in Sync (1/4, 1/8, 1/16 etc...). This is precisely what leads me to think that it is an arpeggiator in free mode.

But then again, I'm almost certainly wrong and that's why I'm asking for opinions from someone more experienced than me.

 

I ment he recorded the audio output of an actual performance, instead of midi notes.

Maybe a midi controller that has it's own arpeggiator and can be set to a tempo independent of you daw (think Arturia keystep, it has a "rate" knob that controls the speed of the arpeggio and you can adjust it on the fly)

Kirnu cream does, there's gotta be others.

 

Look at Hypercyclic. It has two LFO. And it's free.

https://www.mucoder.net/en/hypercyclic

Especially read about Trigger Panel and how to modulate length of steps:

https://www.mucoder.net/en/hypercyclic/v0109/manual/web/index.html#/?id=trigger-panel

I never used this plugin but seems that Hypercyclic should do what you want.

 

Honestly, I do think the person doing this would use something with a freeform arp. You could do it manually, and I frequently do arps/seq manually, but I think the weird tempo changing makes it even more of a pain in the ass to do manually. Certainly not difficult, just more laborious, I'd say, vs. just hitting record and adjusting the rate knob of an arp as you play your chords.

I've definitely seen people do it this way, but with a temp-synced arp, however. Really, it's the same thing, in my mind, though.

 

One can do a lot with simple tempo-automation and amplitude attack/decay/release automation.

 

At this point yes, I think this is the most plausible and "easy" solution. Hardware like midi controller/keyboard such as a keystep or a synthesizer that gives you the ability to record the notes in the order chosen by the musician within the arpeggiator and play with the tempo independent from that of the daw.

Or maybe with a plugin (whether it's an arpeggiator or a sequencer) that gives you the possibility to arpeggiate notes in a specific order in free mode with a knoob, without sync.
I think/hope there must be some plugin or m4l device that can do this. I'll have to check and in the meantime, I'll try kirnu cream and hypercyclic.

 

Just found this :
https://www.ableton.com/en/packs/flexgroove/
https://tugrulakyuz.gumroad.com/l/bhtle
https://devicemeister.com/stepic-for-live/

And there was a Ableton Plugin. But i forgot the name
It was really good for this genre.

I think when ypu play with that Toys you will get inspired

FOund it
https://www.ableton.com/en/packs/slink-devices/#?

This Stepic thing looks so good:

I´m also very interested in sequencer music.

 

Last edited: Dec 12, 2022

Thinking about it, all you need is an arpeggiator that has an "As Played" mode and combined with the tempo knob mapped to a MIDI controller.

 

What about getting that sound - the sound of the lead here used for the arp? Any ideas on how to create that? It's kind of a bit flute-like, but there's something more unique about it.

 

By the way, Cthulu from Xfer will let you put in a custom pattern for an arp so you can make a 1-2-1-3-1-4 style pattern. THen you can modulate the rate with an LFO.

 

this is one solution here. an automation track jumping the arp sync