Arp Rate and Arp Notes

CleverConQueso · Post by **CleverConQueso** » Tue May 22, 2012 4:26 pm

This weekend with the help of many many people I set up a renegade sound system at the Symbiosis Festival and staged my solo electronic debut on just the EMX. It went waaaay better than I ever imagined and I reached my goal of making at least one stranger dance. Wrote a song about it - here it goes. Warning, tough on speakers, best on headphones. http://soundcloud.com/cleverconqueso/digit

Question 1-
I use the arp a lot because I'm mostly improvising and don't play the keyboard very well. If I'm looking at it right, the Arp triggers every 16th note. In order to fake it into playing whole notes (for bass lines) I spin the tempo way down and transpose the timing on everything else. Is there another official way to modify the arp rate or does anyone have any cool tricks to manipulate this?

Question 2-
While I'm at it, are there any tricks to include the same note twice in an arp sequence or to include a note that's not on the 16 keys that are displaying with this octave?

Thanks bunches,
-CCQ-

Olivander12 · Post by **Olivander12** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:13 am

Doesnt the ribbon controller plays different note values depending on the positon where you touch it? So the very top position triggers whole notes, then half, quarter, 16th...?

The same note can only be played twice if it is placed at the start/end of the arp row. so c-e-c is possible, c-e-c-c-e not.

If you hold down a key, then change the octave and press another key you have a row with notes on different octaves. For example you press C 0, hold it, and change the octave with the arrow keys to 8, and press c7, you have an arp with c0-c7.

neotechtonics · Post by **neotechtonics** » Thu May 24, 2012 1:18 pm

the EMX arp ribbon does not work the same for the synth parts as it does for the drum parts. position on ribbon for the synth parts (if not reversed) triggers the note gate time... so at the top it can produce whole notes but you will still have to rely on your finger timing to press out the notes how you want and in time. I'm very disappointed that this is the case because it doesn't seem to me like being able to control note timing, like the drums are arp controlled, would be a terribly difficult design feature addition.

Olivander is correct about holding a note and changing the octave up/down... but you can't do, say C2 to C3, because you need to press the next note while still holding the previous.. if you let go of the C to press it again it starts the arpeggio note input again... so loses all previous notes (as far as i can remember)

not 100% sure about having a note repeat again in the arpeggio sequence.. will have to test that.

Olivander12 · Post by **Olivander12** » Thu May 24, 2012 2:21 pm

punpkomg wrote: Olivander is correct about holding a note and changing the octave up/down... but you can't do, say C2 to C3, because you need to press the next note while still holding the previous.. if you let go of the C to press it again it starts the arpeggio note input again... so loses all previous notes (as far as i can remember)

On the 16 steps the last 4 steps repeat notes. That means you have C4 located on step 4, and on c5 on step 16. Therefore it is possible to have them in the same arp.

Nevertheless, I never understood why people are so excited about the arp. For me, it is way too limited.

neotechtonics · Post by **neotechtonics** » Thu May 24, 2012 2:45 pm

yes.. this is true.. totally forgot about that... 16 steps not 12!!!

haha

the arp is great for live play and for playing out quick musical "sketches"
all depends what your style of using the EMX is and what music you make with it... i use the arp alot for quick drum programming to start a pattern off.

If you play live (not just changing patterns or using song mode) then you should find it very useful

CleverConQueso · Post by **CleverConQueso** » Thu May 24, 2012 4:44 pm

Thanks for suggesting shifting the octave down to try to grab the same note a second time. I tried this and as far as I can tell, the 'tribe ignores the second note press. Since you have to keep your fingers down, you can only add the same notes from a different octave and only from A to C.

I compose melodies entirely on the fly so the arp is great for getting notes timed right and for playing them faster than I can move my fingers. (See above link.) Shift arp, also great. The pitch slider allows for a very cool portamento effect that's somewhat less cool without. I do like getting syncopated drum rolls in there and sometimes will shift a pitched element over to the rhythm parts to mess with the timing like that or vis-versa, solo on the drum kit by picking a drum instrument on the synth part and changing it rapidly by moving the pitch slider. So cool. I always wonder how much of this Korg foresaw and how much are happy accidents.

I ordered a used Akai Miniak to see if it adds the functionality I'm looking for without losing the stuff I like.

neotechtonics · Post by **neotechtonics** » Thu May 24, 2012 6:31 pm

I've also noticed that Using the arp slider with a percussion set PCM synth part can create some awesome effects. I'm not sure if it bends the pitch of the sound that has been triggered ore if it tries to bend between 2 sounds (unlikely) but the results are something that would take a lot of time to try reproduce with the drum parts and motion sequences or LFO. Ðiscovered this by accident and came up with a very realistic "world music" tabla-esque pattern on my EMX-SM... Reminds me its far overdue that I get a replacement power cable for it and see what patterns I have on there. I can't even remember half. Its been months since the power supply got fried by lightning and I got the EMX-SD which I've been using since. I will dig thru my old jam recordings with my buddy Drone 375 because I'm pretty sure that pattern is in one of them, will try find it, upload and post a link to let people hear what I mean.

CleverConQueso · Post by **CleverConQueso** » Thu May 24, 2012 6:41 pm

This is the adapter I bought for my SM.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RT ... 00_s00_i00

Please do post what you've got. Not nearly enough music being posted on this list.

neotechtonics · Post by **neotechtonics** » Fri May 25, 2012 7:33 am

I found a recording with that pattern in it... there are some real gems on my first born.. the first addition to the family. the recording is 3 hours straight of a jam session with my jam-buddy Drone 375.

I'll chop the section that uses only that pattern out of the recording and post it when i get time. It's a good example of use of the arp ribbon cos I did the bassline and melody in that pattern with the arp also. But the percussion synth part is what illustrates what i was referring to in previous comments about using arp and slider to do pitch bent percussion with a synth part.

and if you're looking for music... its all over the forum right under your nose. look under "database of electribe artists" thread. Also alot of members put links to their music in their signatures... like right underneath this sentence.... (my soundcloud account link, pretty much every track on there uses EMX at its core)

neotechtonics · Post by **neotechtonics** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:03 pm

swamped with work... dont worry i havent forgotten. will get around to uploading that clip eventually

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Arp Rate and Arp Notes

Arp Rate and Arp Notes

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