KVR Audio

IncarnateX · Post by **IncarnateX** » Sun Aug 05, 2018 4:02 am

Hi
This post is deffo an atempt to short cut. I have been thinking about applying some randomization into my music. I am aware of Karma technology but have no clue beyond that. I could use two things from ya:

1. Names of hardware seqs with randomization features I could check out.

2. Your experiences with these things, e.g. if they are cumbersome or easy to work with and what kind of randomization you have been using them for (e.g. drum hits, chords, arpeggios, melodies etc.)

I do not expect many responses in this field but will appreciate even a few informative ones.

Best Regards

justin3am · Post by **justin3am** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 5:06 pm

I have experience with two hardware sequencers which have randomization features. The Arturia BeatStep Pro and the Elektron Octatrack (the Analog4 as well but it's not a MIDI sequencer).

The BeatStep Pro has a Randomness control and a Probability control. These controls can be applied to all three sequencers at once or to each sequencer individually. The Probability is the chance for a randomized event and the Randomness sets the scale for how random an event can be. This approach is great for adding some spice to a live performance, as it's based on two parameters but it's easy to get un-useful randomized events.

The Octatrack has trig conditions which allow you to set the probability for a step to be triggered. I find this more useful than the randomize functions of the BSP but it takes more time to setup. The trig conditions also allow you to setup logical operations, which can be used to trigger an steps on one track, only when a step on another track is not triggered or when the previous step was triggered and other things like that. The Octatrack, also allows you to use random LFOs to control parameters and MIDI values. Other Elektron products share some of these features.

I would really like a sequencer which has per-step probability but also a master randomness control. This would prevent the sequencer from triggering steps that I don't want triggered but also allow for a single control to scale the amount of randomness, as the sequence plays.

deastman · Post by **deastman** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 5:31 pm

Do you mean MIDI sequencers only? In Eurorack, I’m really liking the Winter Modular Eloquencer.

chaosWyrM · Post by **chaosWyrM** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 7:25 pm

synthstrom deluge has conditional triggering and per step probability . it doesnt have strict randomization though, which seems to me less useful in the long run anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt9jeBdVmEM

IncarnateX · Post by **IncarnateX** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 7:38 pm

Guys, I am almost embarrassed to have asked you but when octatrack was mentioned above, I checked the manual of my recently aquired Analog Keys that only has been set up to be controlled by my Fantom G. Its seq has something called trig conditions, which seem to be what I am looking for. It was right in front of me

but AK has been such a struggle to get my head around already that I have not taken the time to dive into its seq too.

However without the octatrack head up above I may not have realised until I had bought a new seq, so thank you guys for your efforts

Goseba · Post by **Goseba** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 7:50 pm

Are you looking at just sequencing the AK or other gear too? I don't believe the AK has midi out (please correct me if I am wrong).

I am currently considering the Deluge myself.

IncarnateX · Post by **IncarnateX** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 8:24 pm

No I do not think it can output the parameters but its four voices are sufficient for probability based variations for at start. I am not into total transformations just yet. I can easily sync AK’s sequencer patterns to the rest of my gear. With my Fantom G I can add a little pseudo randomization by using the LFO’s sample and hold option and send it to some parameters. Same deal with my Deepmind 6, which has a mod matrix and my MC909 can do a few tricks too.

transmetropolitan · Post by **transmetropolitan** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 8:33 pm

Doesn't meet the strict hardware criteria, but Numerology coupled with controllers such as Launchpads can do really remarkable things....

http://www.five12.com

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 8:48 pm

While not really random, the Tenori-on has a “Random” mode that lets you put points that make up the vertices of a shape and then bounce between those points on the grid. It gets crazy when you “spin” that shape.

IncarnateX · Post by **IncarnateX** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:15 pm

Goseba wrote: I don't believe the AK has midi out (please correct me if I am wrong).

FYI it does have midi out as well as thru but the seq seems detached from it. The tracks recieves midi but do not send. However there is a performance mode with its own selectable midi channel that allow you to use its keyboard and knobs like any other controller.

justin3am · Post by **justin3am** » Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:58 pm

IncarnateX wrote:
Goseba wrote: I don't believe the AK has midi out (please correct me if I am wrong).
FYI it does have midi out as well as thru but the seq seems detached from it. The tracks recieves midi but does not send. However there is a performance mode with its own selectable midi channel that allow you to use its keyboard and knobs like any other controller.

Yeah, Conditional Trigs on the A4 and AK only apply to the internal voices. It's a lot of fun to be able to use Conditional Trigs on external hardware from an Octatrack or a Digitakt. You can use "Trig-less" trigs to send MIDI messages other than notes (CCs and Program Change messages) and then make those conditional trigs. You can set setup LFOs so that the depth is controlled by P-locks and then make the trigs which control those P-locks conditional. What I'm trying to say is, you can do some crazy shit!

Regarding Numerology, I was going to mention it as well, since it feels like working with a hardware sequencer, if you have a Launch Pad. I have Five12's Vector eurorack sequencer on pre-order, which will be a hybrid MIDI/CV sequencer with lots of options for randomizing and probability based operations. I hope it will become the heart of my rig.

Just for the sake of being thorough, someone should probably mention the Sequentix Circlon. I've never used one myself but I would be surprised if it doesn't have some similar features.

justin3am · Post by **justin3am** » Tue Aug 07, 2018 12:14 am

One more thing that turns up some interesting results... the internal sequencer for Mutable Instruments Ambika has a fixed number of total steps for it's two sequencers but the sum of the maximum number of steps for those two sequencers can exceed the number of total sequencer steps. If you set the sequencers so that they use more steps than the total available steps, the two sequencers will start corrupting each other. I don't think anyone is going to buy or build and Ambika just for that one weird feature but it's a really f**king cool source of happy accidents. I kinda wish that it was possible to do this kind of thing with other sequencers.

Hardware seqencers with randomization features