Randomizing MIDI

[macmuse]

Do both RC and RC Lite have the capability to randomize MIDI, change what's there? Let's say you have a piano-played accompaniment, but you want to randomize the way it was played, keeping the chords intact but changing the phrasing, etc. More than what EZKeys can do.Thanks.

[musicdevelopments]

Yes, both can randomize phrases.
More precisely, you apply variations to phrases and/or tracks. Variations are usually simple, sometimes complex transformations on the phrase notes, that change the rhythm, accent, or add/remove notes, etc. You can even apply another rhythm pattern on an imported phrase.
Some variations include randomization, that is what they do is based on a random state.
All variations are non-destructive, so the original imported phrase won't be modified.

The list of variations included:

• Accents 4th/8th/16th: change accents of 4th, 8th, 16th notes
• Add Chord Notes: add chord notes above or below the original note with the option of muting the original note
• Add Interval: Add specific intervals (1 or more) to monophonic or polyphonic Phrases or Tracks. Easy way to harmonize a melody (add a Third, and/or a 6th).
• Adjust Note Lengths: Similar to Staccato-Legato Variation, but more specific note options.
• Adjust Note Lengths v2: a better version of “Adjust Note Length” with more options (change by percentage, or change by offset)
• Apply Melody: adjusts phrase notes to follow a melody phrase
• Apply Rhythm: drag and drop a rhythm pattern to use for slicing the phrase notes according to the pattern.
• Apply Shape: use only the rhythm with the shape of another (dropped) phrase
• Audio Gain: a simple control for audio gain, usable in audio tracks only
• Delay Notes: Offset the beats/counts of notes by tiny increments (for a more “human” feel). Similar to “Humanize.”
• Double Note: Opposite of “Remove Note” with same settings (see below)
• Double Phrase: Acts as a multiplier for the MIDI notes inside a phrase. If you have 8 straight 8th notes, it creates 16 16th notes).
• Expression: Many slider variables available here. Works as MIDI velocity (soft to loud notes). Each track has an Expression by default.
• Extract Notes: extracts important notes from a phrase, ignores all other notes
• Extract Rhythm: Makes a monophonic phrase by replacing every note with the given note
• Humanize: “Loosens” the timing of a phrase or track, for a more “human” performance.
• Join Notes: No parameters - Glues two notes together when the first note ends and the second one begins.
• Limit Note Range: Two sliders available, controlling the lowest note and highest note. Currently only effects entire Tracks as a Track Variation (not specific Phrases).
• Make Monophonic: removes polyphony from the phrase
• MIDI Echo: Adds an echo-effect by adding quieter MIDI notes to the main notes of a Phrase.
• Make Monophonic: Similar to Extract Rhythm, but with different options.
• Mirror Horizontally: No parameters (reverses the MIDI notes, rhythmically and/or melodically, inside a phrase)
• Mirror Vertically: No parameters (reverses the MIDI notes, melodically (not rhythmically), inside a phrase)
• Permute Chord Notes: No parameters. Like Swap Chord Notes, it rearranges the chord notes randomly.
• Quantize: Tightens timing or changes timing entirely. Has many note alignments, including triplets, quintuplets, and more. Includes slider amount for Quantize percentage.
• Remove Note: Available settings that are affected by the slider are Note at Index, Event at Index, Before Time and After Time. Settings that the slider has no effect on include All, Even Beats, Odd Beats, Random Note, Random Time, Shortest Note, Longest Note, All Shortest Notes, All Longest Notes, Notes on Whole Beats, Notes Between Beats.
• Remove Short Notes: Removes too short notes from the phrase with minimum length specified
• Re-rhythmize Phrase: Makes rhythmic variations of the same phrase. Enter the number of steps.
• Rests: Two sliders available, to generate rests in various places at at various lengths.
• Rotate Notes: An interesting effect to rotate phrase notes.
• Show/Hide Non-Existent Chord Notes: (rarely used) Hide or show 'non-existent' chord notes in phrases. This affects notes that the chord does not include, e.g. when a note uses the 4th chord note (7th) but the master track chord consists of only 3 notes. These notes are either ignored or lower chord notes are transposed up.
• Simplify Phrase: Simplifies a phrase by removing less important notes.
• Slice Phrase: Slices the phrase on note or 1/4, 1/8, etc division boundary and rearranges slices to get a new phrase.
• Spread Out Chord Notes: Makes phrases more full by spreading out the intervals of a chord. Use voicings instead.
• Staccato-Legato: Makes notes more “choppy” or more “smooth”.
• Strumming: Moves MIDI notes by a tiny amount, to simulate a guitar chord strumming (works best on chord Phrases with longer-duration notes... or any Phrase with 3 or more notes played simultaneously).
• Swap Chord Notes: Available settings are First-Second, First-Third, First-Last, Second-Third, Second-Last, Third-Last. This Variation can do very interesting transformations on Phrases: it rearranges the chord notes depending on your setting.
• Swing: Applies a “shuffle” to straight Phrases. Great for making a phrase more funky or “bouncy”.
• Transpose: Increase or decrease the pitch of the Phrase or Track.
• Triple Phrase: No parameters (acts as a multiplier just like Double Phrase. If you have 4 quarter notes in a phrase, it creates 12 notes, which become 8th note triplets).
• Velocity: Basic MIDI velocity adjustment (soft to loud).
• Velocity Generator: Many variables here that affect MIDI velocity and performance.
• Velocity Range: Assign random MIDI velocities for downbeats/on-beats/off-beats, 8th and 16th notes

Thanks,
Attila