Arpeggiator magic?

[Craig Fowler]

I've been comparing the Roland Cloud version of the Juno-106 with Softube's equivalent Model 84. I'm a big fan of pretty bleepy bloopy sounds, but am a novice when it comes to synths (despite having being a preset cowboy since the 90s!).

I'm not interested in comparing authenticity. The dilemma I have is that although I already own the Softube version, Roland's has an 'instant gratification' factor that the Softube lacks. I think this is largely because some of the presets that I like use an arpeggiator (and effects) that simply aren't present in Softube's Model 84.

If I want to try to match the programming of the Roland on the Softube and then 'apply' arpeggiation, what is my best way of achieving this? I'm so ignorant I don't even know if this is a midi effect or an audio effect! 

Would appreciate any recommendations/pointers here! I'm assuming that if I need a third party plugin, something simple should do the trick, as there appear to be only minimal options for controlling Roland's arpeggiator.

Thanks in advance, one and all!

[Amberwolf]

Usually arp is done to the midi before it reaches the synth, if it's not an internal function of the synth.

I don't know about the modern Sonar, but my ancient one has an arp in each midi track, though it is not as easy to use or as functionally elegant as it could be (thsi may have changed). This arp effectively works like an MFX in the bin, applying in realtime to the clips in the track, or can be bounced to new clips, etc.  

You can do quite a bit of stuff with it.  My track Just Give Me A Voice has a piano / strings interplay that was created using the per-track arp to make the midi clips based on my playing, then I edited the resulting clips to create the midi that then drove the sounds you hear.   Each sound I used has a different velocity curve, so t hey both respond differently to the same MIDI.

 

Usually I use the arp that's built into a synth if it has one, and almost always I use Z3TA+2 for synth stuff (which also allows you to use your own MIDI pattern for the arp)..

 

There are also other arp fx, probably some VSTs for this, and somewhere I have some arp MFX I thihk, but haven't used them enough to even remember their names.

 

Some arps dont' ahve all the features needed to be really useful, but generally they'll need to have a way to either run free at whatever time signature or tempo they are set at, or to sync to host, and wehther or not to restart the pattern on every note you start, or simply jump into the pattern at that point in the sequence so the pattern stays locked to the song's measure/beat, etc.  

Some arps have no velocity modulation built in--if you press a note at a velocity, all the notes in the arp pattern will be at that velocity.  Some have velocity for each note in the pattern, and teh velocity you play determines the base velocity these are modulated around.   Some primitive arps only play at the velocity they were set to or patterned at, and dont' respond to your actual note velocity.  Etc.   

VBeing able to create my own patterns for an arp is a necessity, and being able to export the pattern already there (drag to a lcip, bounce to a clip, etc) so I can edit it and do what's needed with it, is another one.  You might not need this...but if you could do it you might find a universe of possibilities.  

 

I often play arped stuff to delays, usually some form of pingpong, often a 3/2, or  a specific time like 450ms one side, 600 the other, and may have to edit the pattern to work with that.   

 

 

 

[Craig Fowler]

Thanks for the very detailed reply! Will need to try the one built in to Cakewalk a bit more, as so far I've had it crash or do nothing - but I'm sure it's user error!

[mettelus]

Another option is enabling MIDI output on a VSTi that has an internal arpeggiator and route its Output to the VSTi you want to use it on. This is  essentially how Scaler is predominantly used even though it does have internal sounds.

A couple lists you might want to checkout are:

1. Section 2 of the Content Section on this page, the Best Free Arpeggiator Plugins, and 
2. The 7 Best Free Arpeggiator VST Plugins 2025 (a couple in there are included in the first link)

 

 

[Craig Fowler]

51 minutes ago, mettelus said:

Another option is enabling MIDI output on a VSTi that has an internal arpeggiator and route its Output to the VSTi you want to use it on. This is  essentially how Scaler is predominantly used even though it does have internal sounds.

A couple lists you might want to checkout are:

1. Section 2 of the Content Section on this page, the Best Free Arpeggiator Plugins, and 
2. The 7 Best Free Arpeggiator VST Plugins 2025 (a couple in there are included in the first link)

 

 

Great stuff - thanks for the idea and the links! I've seen Scaler mentioned but hadn't realized that was how people were using it.

[Craig Fowler]

1 hour ago, mettelus said:

Another option is enabling MIDI output on a VSTi that has an internal arpeggiator and route its Output to the VSTi you want to use it on. This is  essentially how Scaler is predominantly used even though it does have internal sounds.

A couple lists you might want to checkout are:

1. Section 2 of the Content Section on this page, the Best Free Arpeggiator Plugins, and 
2. The 7 Best Free Arpeggiator VST Plugins 2025 (a couple in there are included in the first link)

 

 

Cool to see a freebie from U-he on the list!

https://u-he.com/products/podolski/