KVR Audio

SampleScience · Post by **SampleScience** » Sun Oct 18, 2015 11:50 pm

I have the Stroh instrument by Impact Soundworks. It sounds really good but how do I know in which scale I am when I use it's build in arpeggiator?

I have the same problem with other build in arps in instruments for Kontakt, there doesn't seem to be a reference to which scale my arp will play. Is it a shortcoming of these instruments or there's something I don't get? I'm a newbie regarding music theory.

Cheers!

Sendy · Post by **Sendy** » Mon Oct 19, 2015 12:42 am

If there's no scale mentioned, chances are it's just using the chromatic scale. That can be a bit of a pain if it's in a graphic sequencer with a bar-graph for the steps, as in the above picture. Because you basically have no visual on what notes are what and have to keep tweaking it, as chances are you're not going to want a completely atonal riff

. On the other hand, it can give you weird results you might not have gotten otherwise.

SampleScience · Post by **SampleScience** » Mon Oct 19, 2015 2:46 am

Sendy wrote:If there's no scale mentioned, chances are it's just using the chromatic scale. That can be a bit of a pain if it's in a graphic sequencer with a bar-graph for the steps, as in the above picture. Because you basically have no visual on what notes are what and have to keep tweaking it, as chances are you're not going to want a completely atonal riff . On the other hand, it can give you weird results you might not have gotten otherwise.

Well, I'd rather program my riffs in my DAW's MIDI sequencer then, at least I'll know on which scale I am.

Katelyn · Post by **Katelyn** » Wed Oct 21, 2015 9:16 am

Could you count the steps by the increments you can use in the sequencer to figure out what notes it's hitting and figure out the scale from there? It would be kind of a pain, but I think it would be doable so long as it's divided into 12 semitones and not doing any kind of microtonal stuff. Like, as you move it, listen for each time it's a new note and keep track of what note it is.

Random unsolicited opinion of mine, and maybe others differ on this, but I don't really like arpeggio tools since I kind of enjoy the composing element a lot and if I want arpeggios I can just improvise one on my midi controller or write something premeditated in the piano roll. I can see the appeal for inspiration to get from some randomness but it's not something I really personally make use of.

SampleScience · Post by **SampleScience** » Wed Oct 21, 2015 3:01 pm

Well, I've tried a couple of arppegiators, and I don't like the way they work. Even if I find the notes by ear, when a change of chord occur I have to reprogrammed it... It only makes sens if you compose in the chromatic scale, otherwise those auto arp are useless.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:24 pm

I've never been into that mode of operation. I did use the "Uberarpeggiator" in Soundiron Angklung but it provided other things, particularly control of rolls articulations with Swing, 0-100%, and repeat with Humanize 0-100%, and the extent of these controlled via CC. For orchestral libraries (Spitfire, LASS), there are sequencers made to facilitate repetitive use and those interfaces are I guess more transparent than what you depict here, which would make me delve into the manual. VSL has a super-sophisticated 'Auto-Playback and Pattern' sequencer w. VI Pro 2 which integrates change of articulations with musical ideas in time, and is not at all replaced by the piano roll sequencer.

But arpeggiators in the basic sense isn't too interesting to me either. Arpeggio means breaking a chord into its parts, so I would more expect to feed it a chord definition than a riff or tune, in which case the same amount of work in the piano roll provides obviously more flexibility.

Scales and arpeggiators