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User-created arpeggiator patterns?


Starship Krupa

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Question 1: the Reference Guide talks about how we may save arpeggiator presets, but doesn't go into any detail on how to possibly create our own custom patterns. Am I missing something? Is this possible to do (within a reasonable definition of "possible").

Question 2: legend has it that there was once a set of over 500 user-created .arp files called "Alesion ARP Presets.zip." I can find the page on the old Cakewalk Inc. site that used to host it for download by Project5 users, and I can find a reference to it on this site that also has the same patterns in .ptn format. I can even laboriously load the .ptn files that are available into the Cakewalk arpeggiator and use them, one at a time via multiple open dialogs.

However, I can't find the file itself. I'm sure there's someone who has it or knows where I can find it. I've been messing about with arpeggiators lately and would love to have 500 more patterns to play with and/or be able to create my own custom ones for use in Cakewalk.

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9 hours ago, azslow3 said:

At least now I have realized that P5 patterns ARE MIDI clips. I mean something Cakewalk can insert into a project as MIDI clip.

Yes, I noticed a couple of days ago that there actually is a P5 Pattern filter available when selecting File > Import > MIDI.

awqbvhz.jpg

The pattern will be displayed as MIDI in Cakewalk and thus be available for modification, but the problem is of course that there is no way of saving MIDI as a pattern file. I can't really understand why that function was omitted in SONAR as the Bakers at that time definitely had access to the P5 program code. But who knows, maybe they still have it stored in some long-forgotten repository and quite easily can dust it off and integrate it into CbB?

Or, otherwise, that "Magic Fingers" azslow3 might find it an interesting challenge to write an external MID > PTN  converter?

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21 hours ago, azslow3 said:

Do they have some "extra" functionality in comparison to normal MIDI clips?

I mean "real" patterns in other programs have many "extra properties". F.e. some notes don't change position when the pattern is transposed, other stay in tune, etc.
Are some Cakewalk patterns also have similar properties?

Good question.  If there were a file format document that explained the structure (including all the possible features/parameters), I'd be interested. 

5 hours ago, Canopus said:

. . . that "Magic Fingers" azslow3 might find it an interesting challenge to write an external MID > PTN  converter?

As an old man, I no longer have the ability to mine file formats and figure out what's what by trial and error, but if there is no such document and others are interested, I'm willing to help.  

 

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7 hours ago, Canopus said:

Yes, I noticed a couple of days ago that there actually is a P5 Pattern filter available when selecting File > Import > MIDI.

awqbvhz.jpg

The pattern will be displayed as MIDI in Cakewalk and thus be available for modification, but the problem is of course that there is no way of saving MIDI as a pattern file. I can't really understand why that function was omitted in SONAR as the Bakers at that time definitely had access to the P5 program code. But who knows, maybe they still have it stored in some long-forgotten repository and quite easily can dust it off and integrate it into CbB?

Or, otherwise, that "Magic Fingers" azslow3 might find it an interesting challenge to write an external MID > PTN  converter?

Since they still can read these files, I think they still have the code to write it.

But I can write external utility. That is why I have asked which features to check and may be try to implement. In P5 documentation I have already seen how to mark notes as "flam" and there is corresponding control in the arpeggiator. MIDI in Cakewalk does not have such flag (or I am not aware about it), unlike f.e. Step Sequencer.

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2 hours ago, User 905133 said:

As an old man, I no longer have the ability to mine file formats and figure out what's what by trial and error, but if there is no such document and others are interested, I'm willing to help. 

The format is simple. "Sufficiently old" programmers can recognize it in a HEX editor 😏

But "trial and error" is problematic without a program which can generate the files, since in such condition we can only guess what is saved inside. I mean without the knowledge what is saved, it is a kind of pointless to search how that is saved. At the moment we know there should be MIDI notes with standard number of attributes. These I have  found already. But there are several more attributes for every note, something apart from notes (may be CC/etc... now since I know loading PTN into Cakewalk is possible I can check) and something for the clip as a whole.

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