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Use of arps

I feel indifferent about the use of arps in my production. I have never used an arp. It feels like my music would be unoriginal and like not alot of thought/emotion would go behind the melodies I would write while using an arp. At the same time, I can see the benefits of using arps, if I were to make my own anyway.

Do you guys use arps? How do you guys feel about arps? I need some perspective!

i owned an arp odyssey but never a 2600...





luuuuuckkkkkkkyyyyyyyyy

































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wait

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using an arp if it works well in your track. Don't get caught up with stuff like this, just make music. Some people prefer to make tools while others prefer to make music and still some yet prefer to make both. Whatever floats your boat and keeps the creativity flowing.

Re: Use of arps

quote:

Originally posted by sicc I feel indifferent about the use of arps in my production. I have never used an arp. It feels like my music would be unoriginal and like not alot of thought/emotion would go behind the melodies I would write while using an arp. At the same time, I can see the benefits of using arps, if I were to make my own anyway. Do you guys use arps? How do you guys feel about arps? I need some perspective!

I think maybe you're confusing an arp with a step sequencer? All an arp does is cycle through the notes (and octaves of those notes) that you are holding down (or drawn into your piano roll) in a repeating pattern, usually up, down or up/down. Step sequencers are used to create those "one-note wonder" type of melodies in which you just hold down a note and the step sequencer plays back a pre-programmed melody built on intervals related to whatever note you're holding.

Arps I find are great building blocks for any tracks...If you can lay down a solid 16 bar arpeggio'd chord progression it should make easy work of throwing down harmonies and melodies.

I use them in practically all of my work...I can't imagine trance without arpeggios...

You can do them manually, or let a sequencer do it for ya...whatever works. I find you can get alot more delicate arp-lines if you do them by hand though...

i think you need to break down what exactly an arp is. It is just a bunch of notes to fill in the texture. Arpeggio.

i dont use harps either.

Thanks for the input guys. I too cannot imagine trance without arp's, and maybe I do need to do some more research on them.

no you just need to not use the prewritten arpeggios in z3ta+ or nexus or whatever it is you're talking about. an arpeggio is a musical term for a chord that's broken into individual notes and played rhythmically, what you're talking about are just prewritten lines some vsti's come with. don't use them.

For sure. In some of my plugins they allow me to edit the sequencing of the arp instead of using the pre-written ones. I might look into this.

I just play the notes, myself, but not because I think I'm better than an arpeggiator.


Mostly, just because I suck at playing keyboard and playing it out is a chance to practice what is so sorely lacking.

What sound like arps in my stuff are almost always programmed and delayed notes. Just because I like to pick the notes I use and change it round a bit. Arps sound very arpy sometimes ( )

In fact I think i've used an arpeggiator twice in the last year for a single synth layer in each case.

Although they can be useful for generating ideas.

This (an obvious arpeggiator)

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9741243


Turned into this (still unfinished)

http://soundcloud.com/bluffmunkey/t...e-army-wip-mk-2


I doubt I would have heard the inspiration for the track had I not been messing around with chords in an arp preset.

i think harps is one of the most beautiful sounding instruments out there..not sure why you wouldnt wanna use it in trance, actually i think more people should.

quote:

Originally posted by tehlord What sound like arps in my stuff are almost always programmed and delayed notes. Just because I like to pick the notes I use and change it round a bit. Arps sound very arpy sometimes ( ) In fact I think i've used an arpeggiator twice in the last year for a single synth layer in each case. Although they can be useful for generating ideas. This (an obvious arpeggiator) http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9741243 Turned into this (still unfinished) http://soundcloud.com/bluffmunkey/t...e-army-wip-mk-2 I doubt I would have heard the inspiration for the track had I not been messing around with chords in an arp preset.

Did what the track turned into have an arp in it? No matter yes or no, this track is awesome man. good work.

quote:

Originally posted by sicc Did what the track turned into have an arp in it? No matter yes or no, this track is awesome man. good work.

Yes, although it's more of a percussive element and mellow melodic layer.

The point is that in this case the arpeggio both inspired, and was included in the track.

Glad you like it thogh

I like both arps and plucky type sounds, they are bright and can add a lot of dynamics to a track w/out taking away that much headroom.

In Nexus realize theres more than 1 way to turn off an arp/sequence. First is to turn off the arpegiator or gate, and the second is the "feature matrix" under MFX. Just click on all the numbers to turn the sequence off.
And some sounds are trailed with other long decay sounds that don't sound right so if you shorten the release it will sound more like a isolated pluck or arp. Other sounds are just a mess and I don't use them.
But the reality is even if you spend countless hours making an "original" arp, you can likely find at least 1 or 2 sounds in nexus that sound close to it. It just has sooooo many sounds (takes up 16gigs alone on my HD) so I have no problem with using them. I do at least try to modulate them on my own terms or will layer other sounds over them all together so it sounds totally different and often times not so nexus like.

edit: tehlord thats a pretty cool song but that break is wayyyy too long.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Robby Rox edit: tehlord thats a pretty cool song but that break is wayyyy too long.

It ain't finished

Like everything else I do

I even bought the Total India sample pack to go all Vinda Jaya and never got round to it

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