Arpeggiator¶
The Arpeggiator is a MIDI device that takes held chords and plays them back as a rhythmic pattern — one note at a time, in a chosen order and rate.
Overview¶
The Arpeggiator sits on a track's device chain before an instrument. It intercepts incoming MIDI chords and outputs arpeggiated note sequences. Hold a chord on your keyboard and the arpeggiator cycles through its notes at the configured rate and pattern.
Parameters¶
Pattern & Timing¶
| Parameter | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Up, Down, Up/Down, Down/Up, Random, As Played | Note order within each cycle |
| Rate | Musical subdivisions (1/1 – 1/32, triplets, dotted) | Speed of the arpeggio steps |
| Octaves | 1–4 | How many octaves the pattern spans before repeating |
| Gate | 0–100% | Note length as a percentage of the step duration. Lower values produce staccato; higher values produce legato. |
| Swing | -100% to 100% | Offsets every other step for a shuffle feel |
| Latch | On / Off | When on, the arpeggio continues playing after you release the keys |
Velocity¶
| Parameter | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Vel Mode | Original, Fixed, Accent | How output velocity is determined. Original uses the played velocity; Fixed uses a set value; Accent alternates between normal and accent levels. |
| Fixed Vel | 0–127 | Velocity value used when Vel Mode is set to Fixed |
Time Bend¶
The Time Bend section reshapes the timing of arpeggiated notes within each cycle. Instead of evenly spaced steps, notes can accelerate, decelerate, or cluster in rhythmic patterns.
| Parameter | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Depth | -1.0 to 1.0 | Curve intensity — positive front-loads notes, negative back-loads them |
| Skew | -1.0 to 1.0 | Shifts the curve's inflection point earlier or later |
| Cycles | 1–8 | Repeats the curve within each arpeggio cycle |
The interactive curve display shows the timing transformation in real time. During playback, a green sweep animation tracks the current step position. Drag the handle to shape the curve, or double-click to reset.
Depth, Skew, and Cycles can be linked to Macros for automatable timing modulation — morph from straight to swung patterns in real time.
Usage¶
- Place the Arpeggiator before an instrument on a track's device chain
- Play or input a chord — the arpeggiator breaks it into individual notes
- Adjust Pattern, Rate, and Gate to shape the basic rhythm
- Use Time Bend to add rhythmic variation beyond simple swing
- Enable Latch to keep the arpeggio running while you change chords