MIDI Arpeggiator Patterns

[Bill Phillips]

Do arpeggiator preset names (1a, 1-Note 3c, etc.) mean anything? The names don't seem to indicate much of anything about the pattern. Also how are they created or edited? I looked at one with Notepad which couldn't display many of the characters in the file.

Is the arpeggiator intended to work only with triads? The patterns they play varies depending on the number of keys depressed but not necessarily in any specific ways.

Any information or guidance appreciated.

[User 905133]

2 hours ago, Bill Phillips said:

Do arpeggiator preset names (1a, 1-Note 3c, etc.) mean anything? The names don't seem to indicate much of anything about the pattern. Also how are they created or edited? I looked at one with Notepad which couldn't display many of the characters in the file.

I always assumed they were given abbreviations, descriptive, or made up (e.g., "arpesque") names and plain old sequential numbers.

Edited January 15, 2021 by User 905133

[Bill Phillips]

18 hours ago, User 905133 said:

I always assumed they were given abbreviations, descriptive, or made up (e.g., "arpesque") names and plain old sequential numbers.

Thanks. Is there a pattern editor for the ARP files that would allow editing existing files or creating new ones? I know where the patterns are stored and some pattern names (Ebm9) explain the pattern but most (like ElGtr 07) don't. Also the pattern that many ARPs play depends on the number of keys in the chord and to me they are unpredictable. Auditioning each one seems to be the only way to determine what they will do.

[User 905133]

59 minutes ago, Bill Phillips said:

Thanks. Is there a pattern editor for the ARP files that would allow editing existing files or creating new ones? I know where the patterns are stored and some pattern names (Ebm9) explain the pattern but most (like ElGtr 07) don't. Also the pattern that many ARPs play depends on the number of keys in the chord and to me they are unpredictable. Auditioning each one seems to be the only way to determine what they will do.

The Inspector-based Arpeggiator came along (for the most part), while I was doing pattern and song stuff (including arpeggiation) with hardware sound modules (OS-based arpeggiators) and a hardware sequencer/sound module.  Maybe some veterans who know about the inner workings of the SONAR/Cakewalk Arpeggiator know.  

My guess is that to find out how each pattern works you wouldn't have to audition each one, but the logic behind the arpeggiation would emerge by testing a carefully selected sample of the existing patterns. Of course, if there is a guide or someone who can explain it, that would be very handy!!!  

I don't know if there is a way to edit the *.ARP files themselves to change them.  To me it seemed that they were designed to be used by tweaking the parameters in the Inspector section.  I'd be interested in answers to the questions you raised, too.

 

[DocBob]

I tried to read an arp file as a text file...  no dice. It is proprietary and not editable as far as I can tell. If anyone figures out a way, I’d love to know.

[User 905133]

32 minutes ago, DocBob said:

I tried to read an arp file as a text file...  no dice. It is proprietary and not editable as far as I can tell. If anyone figures out a way, I’d love to know.

I have tried reading a couple of *.ARP files with a Hex Editor--without success.  There was nothing obvious to my eye (except the file/arp name) and my file structure mining days are over. For me, I have hardware and software that meets my needs if I can't use the Inspector-based Arpeggiator. It does what it does rather well and seems to me to be consistent in what it does.  

Sometimes I have found the MFX Arpeggiator useful for some tasks.  

A thread in a previous forum: FYI.