Arpeggiator – Reason101

45 – RPG-8 Arpeggio Fun (Pt.3)

And now for the third and final installment of my series which explores the RPG-8 in depth. In this tutorial, I’m going to go a little deeper and explore the CV and Pattern possibilities, using the Arpeggiator for some versatile sound control techniques.

You can download the project files here: advanced-arp-setups. There is one .RNS file which contains the 3 setups discussed below. In addition, the 3 separate Combinators are included. The whole thing is in a zip file. Open them up to follow along with the ideas below.

The RPG-8 CV Inputs

The 5 CV inputs on the back of the RPG-8 Monophonic Arpeggiator — The 5 CV inputs on the back of the Arpeggiator

Before jumping into the setups, it’s important to know some of the more advanced CV options that are available on the back of the RPG-8 device. These include the following 5 CV inputs:

Gate Length CV In
Velocity CV In
Rate / Resolution CV In
Octave Shift CV In
Start of Arpeggio Trig In

Note that if you use any of these CV connections, the changes that they affect on your Arpeggio will not be reflected if you “Copy Arpeggio Notes to Track.” In other words, if you see the blinking light at the bottom of the CV connections on the back, AND you copy your arpeggio notes to track, the notes will not sound as intended (or with any CV input changes). But as I said in the first part of this series, there’s really very little need for you to copy the notes to track in the first place. Instead, keep any RPG-8 devices included in the .RNS file. This way, you’ll never come up against this problem.

Note: When using the CV inputs, the incoming CV is merged together with the setting on the front panel. For example, if your Gate Length is set to 40, and a CV value of +10 is sent to the Gate Length CV Input, then the resulting Gate Length will be 50. Same goes for the first 4 CV inputs. “Start of Arpeggio Trig In” is either in an “on” or “off” state, and therefore, this rule doesn’t apply.

If you look at how this graphs to the front of the RPG-8, you can make the following connections, which should help you to visualize what part of the RPG-8 is being controlled via CV:

The front of the RPG-8 highlighting which parameters can be modulated via CV input (on the back).

If you think about this for a moment, it takes a little to wrap your head around the concept. You are using CV to control a device, which in turn controls another device. That’s the gist of it. So armed with this knowledge, here are a few Arpeggiator setups to showcase some advanced Arpeggiator setups. Bear in mind there are probably a million and one ways to set things up. This is simply just a little taste of what can be done.

Note: For the following setups, you should add a simple chord that runs the length of 4-8 bars in a clip on the Combinator’s sequencer track. Then set the Left / Right locators at the start/end of the clip. In the transport bar, click the “Loop” button so that the clip loops over and over (see the project download .RNS file for reference). This ensures you can hear the effect of the Arpeggiator (s) as you play around with the settings.

Using 2 Arpeggiators to Control a Single Sound Source

This is a great way to get familiar with using both the CV input connections, as well as the Pattern section. First, let’s look at the video, and then I’ll briefly outline the setup.

In this setup, you create a Combinator with a 6:2 line mixer. Then create a Malstrom. Set up a basic sound, as shown below. Then add an RPG-8 device underneath the Malstrom. It will automatically be routed to the Malstrom’s Note / Gate CV inputs.

The front of the Malstrom Panel, with the sound I've chosen to showcase this Arp setup

Now create another RPG-8 underneath the first. Flip it around and route the Note CV output into the “Shift” CV input on the Malstrom. Send the Gate CV output of the second RPG-8 into the “Start of Arpeggio Trig In” on the first RPG-8. The note is now controlling the “Shift” parameter of the Malstrom’s sound. And the Gate is now controlling when the first Arpeggiator is going to start triggering (or rather, retriggering).

On the second RPG-8, press the “Pattern” button. Enter in a new pattern by skipping over a few steps (clicking the pattern step lights just above the Pattern window).

Now test it out by playing it. Notice that the notes played in the second RPG-8 determine how high or low the “Shift” parameter goes, and the “Gate” of the second RPG-8 determines the Starting of the first RPG-8 (retriggering). Since you entered a pattern on the second RPG-8, this pattern will determine when and which notes will be sent from the second RPG-8 to the first (as well as to the Malstrom).

The main CV routings on the back of the rack. Note the Subtractor's LFO1 is going into the Spider A Splitter.

The real fun comes when you start applying various modulations to the Combinator Rotaries and buttons. For example, try setting the “Pattern” of the second RPG-8 as the source for Rotary 1. Now you have a real-time pattern switcher. That’s just one example.

Controlling and Controlled by a Single Sound Source

In this setup, we’ll use Thor to both Control the Arpeggiator, which in turn is used to control the note/gate of the Thor sound source. It’s kind of cannibalistic because you’re using parameters on Thor to control a device which in turn is controlling itself. But you can get some really nice results this way. Here’s how it operates:

The first thing to do is create a Combinator with a 6:2 line mixer. Then create a Thor and RPG-8 device in that sequence. Everything will be auto-routed. Add in your favorite Thor patch. After this is done, create 4 CV parameters in Thor’s Modulation Bus Routing Section (MBRS) as follows:

LFO 1 : 100 > CV Out1

Mod Env : 100 > CV Out2

LFO 2 : 100 > CV Out3

Global Env : 100 > CV Out4

The front of the rack showing the Thor settings and MBRS routings.

In this way, Thor has four modulations that can be applied to all four CV inputs on the back of the Arpeggiator. Next, flip the rack around and lead each CV Modulation Output to the four CV inputs in the RPG-8, respectively. From there, it’s just a matter of tweaking the settings for the front panel Thor modulations, as well as the front of the RPG-8 parameters and the trim trim pots on the back of the RPG-8 (Remember that the RPG-8 CV Inputs merge the incoming signal with the front panel parameter settings, so you have to strike the right balance between the CV input trim knobs and the front panel equivalents). All three of these things (Thor modulations, RPG-8 CV input trim knobs, and RPG-8 front panel settings) determine the final sound of the Arpeggio coming out of Thor.

The back of the rack showing the Thor modulating the RPG-8, which in turn is creating Arpeggios for Thor

Bringing Multiple CV Sources together with the RPG-8

In this type of setup, I’ll use the Waveforms in a Malstrom to affect parameters in an RPG-8, and in turn use 2 RPG-8 Arpeggiators to affect a Thor sound source.

In this setup, create a Combinator with a 6:2 Line Mixer. Then create a Thor device, and RPG-8 device under that. This RPG-8 will auto-route to the Thor device. Then create another RPG-8 underneath that, and finally, holding the shift key down, create a Malstrom device under the bottom RPG-8. Make the following additional CV connections at the back of the rack:

Thor LFO 2 Output > RPG-8 1 Rate/Resolution CV Input (Trim Knob = 12)

RPG-8 2 Note CV Output > Thor’s CV 1 Modulation Input (Thor’s front MBRS panel should be “CV In1 : 100 > Osc2 Pos”)

Malstrom Mod A Output > RPG-8 2 Octave Shift CV Input (Trim Knob = 64)

Malstrom Mod B Output > RPG-8 1 Gate Length CV Input (Trim Knob = 127)

The front of the Thor device has an Analog Oscillator in the first slot and a Wavetable in the second slot, both going through a low pass ladder filter in Filter Slot 1. See below for the settings:

Once this is done, set up the Malstrom to use both curves. The Curves should be set as follows:

Mod A: Curve #3 (square wave) set to sync with a rate of 5/4

Mod B: Curve #2 (double saw wave) set to sync with a rate of 1/4

The following shows the settings:

The Malstrom Mod A and Mod B curves used to Modulate the Arpeggio

Now take a listen to what you’ve created. As in the previous examples, let the sound loop as you make any final settings to the Curve/Rates in the Malstrom, CV trim knobs on the back of the RPG-8 devices, and Arpeggiator settings on the front of the Arp devices. Remember, what I’m providing here are just a few examples of what can be done. There’s so much more you can explore on your own. So take it as a template and come up with your own designs.

Where do you go from here?

Anywhere quite frankly. Another thought I had, which I haven’t tried yet, is to try using the Arpeggiator to control the parameters of the Thor Step Sequencer. I haven’t tried it yet or worked on anything in that respect, but I think you could definitely find innovative uses like this.

I think, when it comes to the RPG-8, there are several interesting possibilities. Just always keep in mind the notes on the sequencer need to be on the Arpeggiator track. This one tip is the one that most pops up when people are trying to figure out how to use the device. So place clips either on the Arpeggiator track, or if the Arpeggiator is inside a Combinator, place the clips on the Combinator and ensure the RPG-8 is “receiving” notes in the Combinator’s Modulation section (it does by default).

So there you have it. A few different approaches to using the RPG-8 Monophonic Arpeggiator in Reason 4 or 5. As you can see, there’s a lot of flexibility to the device. Even those who claim to be purists; drawing in their notes by hand in the sequencer or playing them out on a keyboard controller should be encouraged to take a look at this versatile device. It’s not just for arpeggiating notes you know. Like Thor, there’s a lot under the hood of this device that may go unnoticed, even by professionals. I just hope this encourages them to take another look at one of my favorite Reason devices. Until next, time, thanks for reading and watching, and please leave a comment if you like what you see or you have any questions.

44 – RPG-8 Arpeggio Fun (Pt.2)

In Part 2 of my exploration of the RPG-8 Monophonic Arpeggiator, I’m going to dig a little deeper under the hood and see what kind of fun we can have with it. The arpeggiator is usually used to enhance the synth devices. But with a little tweaking, we can apply it to other areas as well, like Kong and Redrum, as well as using it to create multiple arp lines from the same synth. So let’s get busy.

To start, the project files for both Part 1 & Part 2 can be downloaded here: arpeggiator-fun. The files are fairly self-evident. You have one .rns file which shows you the basic RPG-8 setup, and a few combinators to showcase some of the tricks I’ll show you. The file is available in zip file format.

Creating a Left/Right Double Arp Setup

Creating an RPG-8 to control a device is all well and good. But how about kicking it up a notch. Let’s create two Arps that are controlling the left and right audio signals and affecting them with different Arpeggios (actually, in this tutorial the Arpeggios are similar, but travel in two different directions and have different “Insert” parameters to play slightly different arpeggios left and right). In this case, create a Subtractor, adjust the parameters to get a synth line that you like (melodies work well). Then create an RPG-8 underneath and the Arp device auto-routes to the Subtractor. Once this is done, select both the Subtractor and RPG-8, right-click and Duplicate the Devices and Tracks. The following shows the routing setup at the back of the rack. Note that I also split the device signals and sent one audio pair through a Unison device to fatten it up a bit.

The Subtractor and RPG-8 routing at the back of the rack to set up your melodic synth lines.

The Subtractor becomes the perfect experimental sound source, because this synth is monophonic to begin with. The video below shows in more detail how this setup is put together.

Using the RPG-8 to Control Kong

This is just a quick little look at a different way you can play Kong. Everyone is always looking at new ways to use the Kong device, so here’s a new one. This procedure explains how you can pair the Kong device with the RPG-8 Arpeggiator. This opens the possibilities to use the RPG-8 to act as a sequencer for your drums, and if you turn up the rate you can get some wonderful glitch sounds out of Thor.

In this setup, you create the Combinator with a 6:2 Mixer (the mixer is optional though), and then the Kong device. Create the RPG-8 under the Kong device and it automatically routes up with Kong via the 4 outgoing CV cables.

Note: In the following three setups (with Kong, Redrum, and the Dr.OctoRex), the methods only use the Gate trigger, meaning that the Arpeggiator is only controlling the Gate of the drums. Kong doesn’t have internal CV pitch controls, so you can’t directly control the pitch of Kong. However, it should be noted that if you use the Arpeggiator to control Redrums, you could send the Note / Gate CV cables of an RPG-8 into the Gate / Pitch CV input on an individual drum. This type of setup allows you to create 1 RPG-8 device to control 1 drum in Redrum. So you can imagine a setup that uses 10 RPG-8 devices to control all the drums in a Redrum Kit. Try that out if you want pitch control (and who said Redrum was obsolete?).

The routing on the back of the Combinator: The Kong and RPG-8 Arpeggiator

From here it’s a walk in the park to use the Arpeggiator to trigger Kong. You just need to create some notes on the sequencer in the usable range of Kong (either C1 to D#2 or C3 to B6). To do this, add the notes in the Combinator track in the sequencer, and with the note clip selected, open the Tools Window (F8). Then use the “Transpose Notes” function, select “Random” and enter the minimum/maximum note value and press the “Apply” button. Done.

Here’s the video to show you the setup details:

Using the RPG-8 to Control a Redrum

Now let’s see if it’s possible to have an Arpeggiator trigger the Redrum, so that Reason 4 drummers aren’t left out in the cold. The downside to using an Arp to trigger the Redrum is that there are no single set of CV connections to trigger the device as a whole. You could trigger the gates of each drum separately. However, you can’t trigger all drums at once. What’s needed is a workaround. And this workaround comes in the form of putting the entire setup inside a Combinator and having the Arpeggiator trigger the Combinator via its CV connections.

Create the Combinator as you did previously with the Kong setup. Then add your Redrum with your favorite kit. Now, instead of creating the RPG-8 under the Redrum, go outside the Combinator and create it underneath the Combinator itself. This will automatically connect the CV cables to control the Combinator. Once this is done, move the RPG-8 inside the Combinator (so you can save the entire Combinator patch later).

The alternate Redrum routing where the Arpeggiator triggers the Combinator and any devices inside.

Now, as we’ve done before, we can create some notes on the Combinator lane and adjust them from C1 to A1, which is the usable range of the Redrum device.

See below for the video which details this setup.

Using the RPG-8 to Control a Loop — That’s right, a Loop!

Ok so this one is a little out there. You’re going to get some very glitchy results, but in the same way we can Arpeggiate the Redrum, we can also arpeggiate the Dr. OctoRex loop player. Keep in mind this is really going to get glitchy. So be prepared. Because you’ll need to really really experiment with this one to get something you like out of it. And it’s ultimately completely unpredictable. But here’s the idea in the following video:

Now let’s look at the issue of Pitch. Since the above videos show you how you can use the Gate of the Arpeggiator to trigger the gate of the drum devices, we need to do a little adjustment to set up the Pitch correctly. With the Redrum, for example, you can set up the Arpeggiator to trigger the Gate / Pitch CV inputs on each individual drum. On the Dr. OctoRex, you can leave the Gate CV out from the Arpeggiator where it is in the Combinator, but move the Note CV out cable to the Osc. Pitch input on the back of the Dr.OctoRex. Here’s a video which outlines how these methods are achieved:

So those are just a few ways you can play with the RPG-8 to create interesting melodies and experimentation. Do you have any other ideas you would like to share when it comes to creative Arpeggios? Anything you would like further explained? Drop me a comment and let me know.

43 – RPG-8 Arpeggio Fun (Pt.1)

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you a few interesting ways you can use the RPG-8 Arpeggiator in Reason 4 and above. We’ll first cover the basics and then move into more interesting territory in Part 2. For this tutorial, I’ll run through setting up an RPG-8 device, and then explore all the device parameters.

To start, the project files for both Part 1 & Part 2 can be downloaded here: arpeggiator-fun. The files are fairly self-evident. You have one .rns file which shows you the basic RPG-8 setup, and a few combinators to showcase some of the tricks I’ll show you. The file is available in zip file format.

Arpeggios for Dummies

The RPG-8 is a device that allows you to play arpeggios. What’s an arpeggio? In simple terms, it’s a “broken chord” whereby the notes of a chord are played successively rather than simultaneously. To think of this in simple piano terms, if you were to play three notes in a triad (first, third, and fifth, for example), you would place all three fingers on the three different notes and press the keys at the same time. This produces a chord. Instead, an arpeggio plays the chord in succession: your first finger goes down on the first note, second finger then goes down on the third note, and third finger then goes down on the fifth note. The notes are played one after the other.

Setting up the RPG-8

Before jumping into an explanation of setting everything up and exploring all the parameters, I thought I would put together this video and show you visually and audibly how it all works. Then you can read the full explanation below.

Setting up the RPG-8 is fairly easy. Create your sound device (Subtractor, Malstrom, Thor, NN-XT, for example), then create the RPG-8. Everything is automatically routed up for you. From then on, all you need to do is enter some notes on the RPG-8 track (NOT THE SOUND DEVICE), and you’ll hear the Arpeggios playing from those notes. Of course, if you set up the RPG-8 inside a Combinator, you might want to create a special track for the RPG-8 in the sequencer — though placing notes on the Combinator track will trigger the RPG-8 to play (because the RPG-8 is set to Receive notes in the Combinator). Just make sure that any notes you want to play arpeggiated should reside on the RPG-8 track or in the Combinator that houses the RPG-8 and you’ll be safe.

Default routing for the RPG-8 Monophonic Arpeggiator

It should also be noted that the RPG-8 is a monophonic device. In other words, it’s one note at a time. You can create polyphonic setups by duplicating the device (both the sound source and the RPG-8) and then sending the audio output from both devices to different channels on a mixer or merging them together using a Spider Audio Merger/Splitter. This is a common setup or workaround to making your arpeggios polyphonic. Yeah, it’s a bit of a pain. But it’s not a major hassle either IMHO.

RPG-8 Parameters

So now that you understand how an arpeggio operates, we can easily make a few connections on the RPG-8 device. Open one up and you’ll see the following controls:

The RPG-8 Front Panel, with all the Parameters shown

Note: The RPG-8 is divided into 3 main areas. On the left, you have the “Midi-CV Converter” area. Translated into english, these are your “Keyboard” controls. This includes the Velocity knob, Hold button and Octave Shift settings. Generally, these controls relate to how notes are input from the keyboard controller (or other midi controller device). In the middle, you have the “Arpeggiator” controls, which affect the way the arpeggios operate. Finally, on the right side, you have the “Pattern” section, which can add a separate internal rhythm to the arpeggios.

Velocity: As with any other device, the Velocity value is determined by how hard you play your keys on the keyboard. The harder you play, the louder the notes will sound (depending, of course, on the velocity levels you set up in the device being controlled). When this knob is set fully right, you are in manual mode, which means the velocity is determined by how hard or soft you play the keyboard (this is the default). If, however, you set the knob anywhere else on the dial (left of the manual position), the velocity level is fixed, based on the dial. For example, if you set the knob to 64, then no matter how hard or soft you play the keyboard, your velocity level will remain on 64 (ie: 50% or half-level velocity).

Hold: This is one of the best features of the Arpeggiator device in my humble opinion. Using this simple button can free you up to do other things on your keyboard while the arpeggio continues. The way it works is you turn it on, then play a chord. Then lift your hand off the keyboard (Release). Notice that the Arpeggio continues to play? Now play a new chord. The new chord will overwrite the old chord and continue to play. Turn the “Hold” button off, and the arpeggio stops playing. In this way, you can continue to maintain an arpeggio playing while jumping off to play other devices. Or you can create a series of Arpeggiators and play different rhythms on each device to have them all running their own rhythms and chords simultaneously, without ever entering more than one chord on each device. One of the most useful features of the RPG-8 to be sure!

Note: If you have the Arpeggiator On/Off button (see below) turned off, adding a new note will not overwrite previous notes. Instead, the Hold will leave the gate open, meaning the notes will be “additional” to the previously held notes. This may be what you want or intend. But usually, you want the notes replaced when they are held. Still, it’s nice to have options.

Octave Shift: This allows you to transpose the notes up or down 3 octaves each way. You can use this to shift notes up or down an octave in a “live” setting, or if you find you’ve input notes on the sequencer that are too high or too low, you can adjust them here. Nothing too exciting, and I think the idea behind this feature is pretty self-evident.

The Arpeggiator’s “On” button: 99% of the time you’ll want to leave this button on. It simply turns on/off the Arpeggiator section of the device. See the above note for a situation where you may want this button turned “Off.”

Mode knob: This can be thought of as the “direction” of your arpeggio. If you think in terms of the previous triad I was explaining, up would play the root, third and fifth in succession, while down would play the fifth, third, and root. Up/Down would play the root, third, fifth, third, root. Random would play the notes in a random order. Finally, manual creates arepeggios that move in the same direction that the notes are played when they are input. Input a C1 and then a C2 and then a C0, the notes will arpeggiate up from C1 to C2 and then down from C2 to C0. It basically follows the direction you play manually.

Octave: This determines the range of your arpeggio. Using our example, If you set this to 1 octave, the arpeggio will not stray from the octave that is played. The triad will be played in succession and within the octave that is initially input. If you enter 2 Octaves as your parameter, the triad will play within the range of the current octave plus an additional octave above. It’s important to note that the octave range increases. It does not decrease. If you wish to extend the range one octave below the current octave, an easy solution is to set the Octave Shift parameter to “-1” and then select the “2 Oct” button. This essentially places the arpeggio within the two octave range; one octave below the current octave AND the current octave being played. Sounds confusing, but becomes obvious once you start applying the parameters to an arpeggio which is currently playing.

Insert: Probably the most complicated aspect of the Arpeggiator section, the best way to think of the insert function is to understand that it injects a rhythm to the Arpeggio by altering the sequence of notes being played. This is another one of those “great to have” features because it can add a lot of interest to the sound, without having the arpeggio sound static or dull. “Hi Insert” will start by inserting the highest note, then play the next note in the arpeggio sequence; inserting the highest note after each subsequent arpeggio note (after every second note). “Low Insert” will start by inserting the lowest note, then play the next note in the arpeggio sequence; inserting the lowest note after each subsequent arpeggio note (after every second note). 3-1 and 4-2 are more rhythmic in nature and don’t actually add any new notes into the sequence. “3-1 Insert” plays 3 notes forward, and then goes back 1 note, then starts playing 3 more notes from there. “4-2 Insert” plays four notes forward, and then steps 2 notes backward, and plays the following 4 notes. Hi and Low Insert can be thought of as introducing new notes, while 3-1 and 4-1 Insert simply reshuffles and restarts the arpeggio sequence at a different point in time (either 1 note back after 3 notes are played, or 2 notes back after 4 notes are played).

Here are some examples using real-world arpeggios for a C Major chord (C, E, and G) with the Inserted notes listed in rounded brackets and restarted notes listed with square brackets (with the Arpeggio Mode set to “Up” and the Octave setting set to “1 Oct”):

No Insert: C – E – G – repeat

Low Insert: (C) – E – (C) – G – repeat

Hi Insert: (G) – C – (G) – E – repeat

3-1 Insert: C – E – G – [E] – G – C – E – [C] – E – G – C – [G] – repeat

4-2 Insert: C – E – G – C – [E] – G – C – E – G – [C] – E – G – C – E – [G] – repeat

Notice that the 4-2 insert is identical in sequence to the “No Insert” setting. This is because the way the algorithm works on a triad is indiscernible to not having any insert set. If you were to create a 4-note chord, however, the 4-2 Insert will have a noticeable difference. The moral of this story: Insert values sometimes don’t have any effect on the arpeggios you are playing.

Rate knob: This determines how fast the notes are played. Very simple. You can have it free-form, meaning that the rate is not tied to the song’s tempo, or you can have it synced, meaning the speed is tied to the song’s tempo.

Note: if you want to tie the rate parameter to a Rotary within a Combinator, you can expand the capability by assigning both the Free Rate and Sync Rate to the same Rotary and then tie the sync parameter to a button. With this setup, you can use one Rotary to change both the free and sync rate, and switch between the two via the sync button on the Combinator. Easy as pie!

Gate Length knob: This determines when the gate is triggered. If it is fully left, the gate is “tied,” meaning that the gate is always on. In other words, the notes are meshed together and seamlessly play from one to the next, with no “breather” or “break” between the notes. If the gate length is further to the right, the gate breaks up the notes more and give a sort of “staccato” feel. Fully right and the gate makes the note extremely short, if not inaudible.

Single Note Repeat button: This is one of those parameters I think should be under the “Keyboard” section, but anyway. It basically determines how the Arpeggiator works when single notes are played. If left on (default), playing a single note triggers the gate over and over. So the note repeats based on the “Gate Length” setting. If turned off, any single notes that are played will not repeat, but playing multiple notes at once (polyphony) results in the Arpeggiator being triggered. This can work very well if you want to play a monophonic synth line, and break into an arpeggio when more than one note is played simultaneously. Very dynamic when used correctly.

Pattern button: This turns on the “Pattern” section of the device. The pattern section can best be described as a mini-matrix or mini sequencer inside the RPG-8. You can use the +/- “Steps” buttons to reduce or add steps into the pattern. By default, when you turn on the pattern, all steps in the pattern are enabled. This means the arpeggio plays through from the beginning of the pattern until the end. If you click on the pattern step buttons above the pattern window, you end up removing notes inside the pattern. This means the pattern will “skip over” those steps and move on to the next step which is enabled. It’s very similar to the way the Thor step sequencer works. Use the shuffle button to add a sense of shuffle or swing to the pattern (similar to the shuffle button on other devices like the matrix and Redrum).

Note: One really neat thing is that you can program the pattern to be changed on the fly by controlling it via one of the rotaries on the Combinator. This gives you access to 127 different patterns. However, if you automate it directly in the sequencer, you have access from -32768 to +32767 pattern variations. That’s a total of 65535 pattern variations. Yup. You got that right. So automate this sucker in the sequencer if you’re in the studio, and map it to a combinator if you need to play it live.

Note: The pattern window helps to show you which notes are playing within the arpeggio. It can play the full range of notes from C-2 to G8, but the pattern window will only display notes from A-2 to D#7. That’s why the notes appear so flat. It has to show 8.5 Octaves worth of notes (103 notes in total). But it does! Perhaps that’s where the “8” comes from in the name of the device?

So that’s the RPG-8 in a nutshell. Stick with me and I’ll show you some further tips on how to use this device in my next tutorial. Drop me a line and let me know what you think so far, or if you’re looking to do something specific with the device. I’d be happy to try and help you out. All my best!

20 – CV Switching

Learn how to switch between 2 CV sources that control a single destination. This method can expand the number of patterns you use in a Matrix (from 32 to 64) to control a single destination. It can also allow you to switch between two RPG-8 Arp devices or any two CV sources anywhere in Reason and Record for that matter.

At some point when working with CV, you end up wondering if you can expand beyond the limits. For example, if you have a Matrix loaded with 32 pattern banks, you’re going to wonder if you can push it to 64. If you have an Arp applied to an instrument, you’re going to wonder if you can have two Arps applied to the same instrument. I know that’s what I was wondering a few nights ago. And that’s the subject of this article. How to expand upon CV connections by switching between these CV devices in real-time.

You can download the project files in the following zip file: cv-switching. These project files include 2 Combinators that show you how to switch between two matrixes or two Arps on the fly. Both Combinators are connected to the same mixer, so to hear each one separately, just mute/solo each one and press play on the Transport bar.

Switching between 2 Matrixes

First open up a new document, and first place a 14-2 Mixer at the top (if you are in Record, you won’t need the mixer, because everything gets tied to your BIG mixer).
Now, open up a Combinator and holding Shift down, place a sound source at the top (for example, a Subtractor), a Thor underneath that, and then two Matrixes underneath the Thor.
Next, flip the rack around and let’s route the audio up. Route the Left Audio output from the Combinator to Channel 1 on the mixer. Then Route the Audio out of the Subtractor to the Left audio In of the Combinator (From Devices).
Now for the CV routings. Route the CV 1 and CV 2 Modulation outputs from the Thor to the Gate and CV Sequencer Control section of the Subtractor, respectively. Take the Note and Gate CV of Matrix “A” and route them to the CV 1 and CV 2 Modulation inputs of the Thor, respectively. Finally, route the Note and Gate CV of Matrix “B” to the CV 3 and CV 4 Modulation inputs of the Thor, respectively.
Proper CV routings for the Thor and Matrix A & B devices
Flip the rack around. On the Subtractor, select a patch you like, or program in some patch parameters that you want to hear. Alternately, leave the default init patch as it is.
On the Thor, completely initialize the patch by turning Oscillator 1 Off, Bypassing Filter 1, turning off the Mod/Filter/Amp/Global envelopes, and reducing the Range, Polyphony, and Release Polyphony down to zero (0) in the Global section. We’re using Thor purely as a CV switcher between the two Matrixes.
In the Modulation Matrix area of Thor, enter the following:
CV In1 : 0 > CV Out 1

CV In2 : 0 > CV Out 2

CV In3 : 0 > CV Out 1

CV In4 : 0 > CV Out 2

A completely initialized thor, with the proper routings in the Modulation Bus Routing Section (MBRS)
In the Matrix A, fill up all 32 of your pattern banks with random patterns or midi patterns that you want to use to play the Subtractor. Random patterns are just quicker for the purposes of this exercise.
In the Matrix B, do the same. However, note that in the example file I have not loaded any patterns into Matrix B. This is so that you can hear the difference when you swtich between Matrix A and Matrix B. But for practical purposes you’ll want to load up all 32 pattern banks with more patterns with which to play the Subtractor sound source.
In the Combinator’s Programmer, select the Thor device (I call it the CV Switcher) and enter the following settings for the Modulation Routing:
Button 1 > Mod 1 Dest Amount : 100 / 0

Button 1 > Mod 2 Dest Amount : 100 / 0

Button 1 > Mod 3 Dest Amount : 0 / 100

Button 1 > Mod 4 Dest Amount : 0 / 100

The Combinator's Modulation Routings for the Thor device (CV Switcher)
For the Matrix A and Matrix B devices, enter the following programmer modulation (for both Matrixes):
Rotary 1 > Pattern Select : 0 / 31

Now, when you press the play button on the Transport, both matrixes will engage, but only one will be used to play the Subtractor, depending on the on/off state of the first button on the Combinator. This first button determines which Matrix is used (if off, Matrix A is used. If on, Matrix B is used). The first Rotary on the Combinator moves through all 32 pattern banks of both Matrixes, thus allowing you access to 64 pattern banks to apply to your Subtractor sound source.

Everything gets switched using the Thor. And the beauty of this type of setup is that you don’t need to worry about Matrix delay problems. Since both Matrixes are always running, and the Thor is used to switch between them, the switching is done completely in real-time with no latency whatsoever.

Ramping it up with an Arp

I won’t go into too much detail about applying this same technique to an Arp. You have the sample file, and you can open this up and see how it’s done. But basically, instead of two Matrixes, you have two Arps that are going through two Thors (one Thor controls the Note / Gate CVs, and the other Thor controls the Pitch/Mod wheel CVs).

One other difference is that you will need a separate Matrix to play the Combinator (ie: the Matrix Note / Gate CV will be sent to the Combinator’s Sequencer Control). This is to ensure something is triggering your sound source, whereas in the previous Matrix example, the matrix units themselves were triggering the sound source.

Alternately, if you don’t want to trigger your sound source via the Matrix, you can set up two sequencer tracks (one for each Arp device) and add your midi note clips there. If you want to switch between both Arps and have them both playing the same part exactly, just duplicate the note clips on both Arp tracks so they are identical. Or have some fun switching up the notes. Experiment with this one.

Proper routings on the back of the rack for the Arp Switcher Combinator

Where do I go from here?

Using this method you can switch between any two CV sources going to the same destination CV input. So let your mind wander and try it out using a Scream or RV7000 or any filter envelope. Anywhere you use CV, this method hopefully inspires you to try playing around with CV and using it more creatively when working on your songs.

Did you find this tutorial useful or beneficial? Let me know. And as always, if you have other ideas related to CV switching, please share them with all of us.

Arp Box

This is an Arp Box Combinator I developed for Lewis from “Resonant Filter,” which uses 2 Arps working together to provide some interesting sound design potential. The Combinator is fully programmed and you can switch out the sound sources if you like.

Download the Combinator: arp-box

Description: Lewis from “Resonant Filter” told me he really liked Arps, so I thought I would put another one together which focusses solely on utilizing the Arp within a Combinator, and providing for most of the control of the Arps from the Combinator. So this is an Arp Box Combinator I developed, which uses 2 Arps working together to provide some interesting sound design potential. The Combinator has full automation applied to the Rotaries and Buttons. Furthermore, it uses the Malstrom Curves to adjust some settings on the Arps (documented below).

Features: The “Arp Box” has several features associated with it. I was attempting to get a cross between a playful glitch-inspired machine and a traditional Arp. The following are the main features according to Combinator assignments:

Pitch Bend: This affects the Modulation Rate of both the Rate and Gate for the 2 Arps. Moving it down slows down the arp, while moving it up can speed up the Arp, and create a fast-pitch stuttering effect. Best used when performing for quick little quirky Arp changes.

Mod Wheel: This affects the mode of the Arps at the same time. Moving the Mod wheel changes the Arps’ progressions (either Up / Up+Down/ Down, etc.)

Rotary 1: Controls the Rate/Gate Malstrom’s A curve, which in turn affects the Rate of both Arps. Adjusting this Rotary cycles through the Malstrom’s 31 curves.

Rotary 2: Controls the Rate/Gate Malstrom’s B curve, which in turn affects the Gate Length of both Arps. Adjusting this Rotary cycles through the Malstrom’s 31 curves.

Rotary 3: Controls the Velocity Malstrom’s A curve, which in turn affects the Velocity of both Arps. Adjusting this Rotary cycles through the Malstrom’s 31 curves.

Rotary 4: Adjust’s the Thor’s Filter 3 Frequency.

Button 1: This turns the Arps’ Hold buttons on (when lit) and keeps Hold off (when not lit).

Button 2: Affects the Insert of the Arps. When the button is not lit, the Insert is 3-1. When the button is lit, the Insert is 4-2.

Button 3: When this button is off, the Arps do not respond to velocity shifting from the Velocity Malstrom. Velocity is constant. When turned on, the Velocity is shifted according to the curve in the Velocity Malstrom. Note that with the Velocity turned off, adjusting Rotary 3 has no effect.

Button 4: When this button is off, there is very little resonance applied to the Thor Filter (and as a result, the sound). When this button is turned on, a high resonance is applied to the Filter. There’s also a little more balancing going on in order to more closely match the volume between low and high resonance, but essentially this is a quick way to get a whole new sound out of the Arp Box.

Note: In addition to the above programming, you can use the Thor Filter underneath the 6:2 Line Mixer to set up the Delay and Chorus for some quick FX. Button 1 turns on the Delay, and Rotary 1 adjusts the Delay Time. Button 2 turns on the Chorus, and Rotary 2 adjusts the Chorus Delay. So you have a few additional parameters with which to work.

Usage: It can be used as is to insert an adjustable Arp in your tracks, played in a live performance setting, or used as a template with your own sounds. Just keep the Arps as they are and switch out the sound source to your own device or patch.

Other Notes: Feel free to change the Patches for the two NN-XTs or change the device to another sound source (either a Sampler or Synth). Also, you don’t have to have both devices playing the same sound at all. So experiment here first. Also, by default (and for the default sound of the Arp Box), the first arp is set to -1 Octave Shift, and the second Arp is set to -2 Octave Shift. This is so that the first Arp provides the main melody line, while the second Arp provides a bottom end. Depending on your sound, you may want to adjust this Octave Shift setting to whatever you wish. Also, if you don’t like the Low Pass Ladder filter in Thor, you can switch it to any other filter. Depending on your sound source, one of the other filters may suit your own patch better. Finally, if the Rate of the Arp is not to your liking, you’ll have to change this setting on one or both Arps manually. Though the Pitch Bend wheel affects the Rate, it may not be the best rate when the Pitch Bend is in its default position. Playing with the Rates on both Arps can produce some interesting sound designs.

Let me know what you think?