Bright Idea For An Arpeggiator

Ideas & suggestions
1

I think about Arpeggiator which is as a standard DSP control device, but it has only ONE slider. You write a chord in a pattern editor and simply scroll pitches as written from left to right (one at the time). Since it is a standard DSP midi control device you can automate slider as you want (using lfo, automation, or commands). You can add octave switches for doubling existing notes octave higher (or lower). Sorry for my english. So, what do you think?

2

I think its good :slight_smile:

3

+1.0*10^100

Yes, one of the biggest things missing from our beloved Renoise is an arpeggiator.
I imagine an Arpeggiator Meta-Device to work something like this:

Behaviour:

  • Only 1 arp device allowed per-track.
  • If an arp device is present, new note data is generated by the device at all times.
  • While any notes in the pattern are held, the device overrides the pattern data and generates new note ons and offs.
  • The arpeggiator cycles through all currently held notes (even a single note) in a certain order at a certain speed
  • Volume, delay and panning commands of the original notes in the pattern data are stored by the arpeggiator and repeated whenever it triggers that note.
  • Note off commands in the pattern data remove that note from the arpeggiator’s current list of stored notes.
  • If notes from more than one instrument are held, the arpeggiator adds them to its list all the same, it doesn’t care which instrument made the request, it’ll send out note ons and offs to the appropriate instruments.
  • Key-Tracker Meta-Devices in the current track would respond to the Arpeggiator’s alternative note data, not the pattern’s.
  • Pattern commands such as sample offset and device automation won’t be able to be stored by the Arpeggiator (too many ambiguities as they apply to the whole line and not individual notes)
  • Sample offset commands (and vibrato, etc) could apply to the post-arpeggiated note data?

Parameters:

  • Cycle speed (1/64th Line … 1 Line … 16 Lines)
  • Cycle order (Pattern, Up, Down, Ping-Pong, Pong-Ping, Random)
  • Octave range (0, +1, +2, +3, +/-1, +/-2, +/-3)
  • Octave cycling (Per note, Per cycle, Random)
  • Note length (1 tick … legato (notes overlap the length of the current speed setting slightly to allow for VSTs portamento behaviours to be used))

Caveats:

  • Could play havoc with Auto-seek, might be best to disable auto-seek for Arpeggiated instruments
  • Might be a total nightmare to implement?

Awesomeness:

As well as the inherent awesomeness arpeggiators bring, with this particular setup you could enter notes from a whole bunch of different instruments, drum samples, notes from a VST, and the arpeggiator would cycle through them all the same - ie. polyrhythms!

You could create an ‘arpeggio’ containing a few bass notes, some hihats and percussion, set the arp to random and have instant, syncopated funk.

4

i would like datasette’s arpeggiator, thats why i +1

5

You mention a lot of sample based instrument action here.
Have you tried the fixed version of the arpeggiator tool?
You can come a long way with that one. (And i’m currently finishing the RC that wil be posted on the official tools page)
Nevertheless a dynamic arpeggiator device that also supports audio streams including plugins would be very cool stuff. That is currently hard to do for tools (at least not much can be done as EA does currently).

6

Yes, your arpeggiator is truly a formidable feat of hackery! hats off

But as you know, generating non-maintainable crazy pitch envelopes doesn’t quite do the same job. You can’t beat the sense of adventure you get when playing chords into a decent arpeggiator. Also, I’m not aware of any other software besides Max/MSP / Reaktor that would allow you to do any of the stuff described above. It would be truly pant-shittingly amazing. :dribble:

Any chance of a development knightmareishness estimate?

7

Could this be done by combining the Formula Device with a pitch bend FX VST?

8

Kinda-sorta… If the scripting API let you override pattern data and generate brand new midi signals (or whatever Renoise’s internal note data is called) in realtime we could do it, but I imagine allowing that would open up a whole crate full of cans of very angry worms or it’d be in there already.

9

Well, if you leave out the word “real-time” you can do everything you mentioned.
The can of worms is just the right phrase that cannot be left out here.

10

+1.000.000 :panic: