
Is there is cool way to control the arpeggiator on MK?
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Is there is cool way to control the arpeggiator on MK?
It seems like some parts such as in Owl City's "Hello Seattle" That the user has so much control over what is being played on the arpeggiator! Am I the only one missing this? I hope not
So anyway is there a Way to control the notes played on a MK BESIDES The normal up, down, random and trigger modes that you can choose from? AND besides all of the At.1 and At.2 and all of those settings, AND AGAIN BESIDES the note positioning on the 8 buttons at the middle of the keyboard.

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No, don't use an arpeggiator. Use a sequenced backing track just like Adam Young does. Watch what is performed live in the version below. No arpeggiator is being used. The arpeggio on his mac is played as a linear sequenced track or an audio rendering of it.
The problem with doing that arpeggio on a typical synth arpeggiator is getting portamento/glide on those legato notes in the middle, while the rest has a "music box" style style attack/release with no portamento. Most arpeggiators have no way to do legato and different portamento in the middle of the pattern, at least none that I've seen. On a sequencer this is no problem because those changes can be automated or layered on different tracks to produce a single arpeggio result.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpAgRjBRzcc
Notice also how different the live sound is to his released track. The difference shows how much production was involved to get the sound you hear on the released track, in which everything was sequenced, autotuned, harmonized, compressed, and mastered. He only plays the bells patch in the intro, and most of the time he's singing with a guitar strapped on, for chrissake. The least he could do is strap on a keytar and use a MicroKorg instead of those Nords, just to perpetuate the illusion for all the teenage cover bands who think they can do that track without sequencing and production. Keep hope alive.
The reality is that song is mostly done by pressing the PLAY button.
The problem with doing that arpeggio on a typical synth arpeggiator is getting portamento/glide on those legato notes in the middle, while the rest has a "music box" style style attack/release with no portamento. Most arpeggiators have no way to do legato and different portamento in the middle of the pattern, at least none that I've seen. On a sequencer this is no problem because those changes can be automated or layered on different tracks to produce a single arpeggio result.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpAgRjBRzcc
Notice also how different the live sound is to his released track. The difference shows how much production was involved to get the sound you hear on the released track, in which everything was sequenced, autotuned, harmonized, compressed, and mastered. He only plays the bells patch in the intro, and most of the time he's singing with a guitar strapped on, for chrissake. The least he could do is strap on a keytar and use a MicroKorg instead of those Nords, just to perpetuate the illusion for all the teenage cover bands who think they can do that track without sequencing and production. Keep hope alive.

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Awesome thanks
Sorry for my next question as I try not to be as slow as possible ;D how is it made? Is it a piano roll he is using on his macbook? Because In Hello Seattle it sounds so much like an arpeggiator but I can even tell anymore hah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VlK2BOhmvU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VlK2BOhmvU
Yesss...
Myspace.com/completingautumn ^_^
twitter.com/Adri3nChaos
Myspace.com/completingautumn ^_^
twitter.com/Adri3nChaos
Yeah, he's probably using ProTools or Ableton Live.
What you hear is an arpeggio. Not all arpeggios can be done on an arpeggiator, and the one on Fireflies is an example. Apparently it was worth the effort for him not to use a standard arpeggiator because that "toy whistle" portamento sound in the middle is a big part of the appeal of that intro, in my opinion. He probably spent many, many days working on that intro sound in his home studio. How do I know? I've worked on a cover of that intro myself just to get a good idea of what he was doing to get that sound. You quickly run into the limitations of the arpeggiator when you actually disect the elements of that sound. I got a pretty good cover on my DS-10 plus, but I had to use two tracks to get it for that legato portamento mixed with the non-gliding notes. I also notice that not all notes in the arpeggio have equal levels, as the high note peaks are emphasized, which is another thing an arpeggiator normaly can't do. Most arpeggiators have a simple gate time value, not individual velocity/levels per note.
That's why it's so valuable to learn how to program synth sounds, because coming up with a unique, fresh sound isn't often possible when using the same presets that every other musician gets merely for writing a check. Building sounds takes effort and creativity that you can't buy off the shelf.
What you hear is an arpeggio. Not all arpeggios can be done on an arpeggiator, and the one on Fireflies is an example. Apparently it was worth the effort for him not to use a standard arpeggiator because that "toy whistle" portamento sound in the middle is a big part of the appeal of that intro, in my opinion. He probably spent many, many days working on that intro sound in his home studio. How do I know? I've worked on a cover of that intro myself just to get a good idea of what he was doing to get that sound. You quickly run into the limitations of the arpeggiator when you actually disect the elements of that sound. I got a pretty good cover on my DS-10 plus, but I had to use two tracks to get it for that legato portamento mixed with the non-gliding notes. I also notice that not all notes in the arpeggio have equal levels, as the high note peaks are emphasized, which is another thing an arpeggiator normaly can't do. Most arpeggiators have a simple gate time value, not individual velocity/levels per note.
That's why it's so valuable to learn how to program synth sounds, because coming up with a unique, fresh sound isn't often possible when using the same presets that every other musician gets merely for writing a check. Building sounds takes effort and creativity that you can't buy off the shelf.
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Best thing I have ever heard thank you, and thank you for everything from a beginnerxmlguy wrote: That's why it's so valuable to learn how to program synth sounds, because coming up with a unique, fresh sound isn't often possible when using the same presets that every other musician gets merely for writing a check. Building sounds takes effort and creativity that you can't buy off the shelf.


Yesss...
Myspace.com/completingautumn ^_^
twitter.com/Adri3nChaos
Myspace.com/completingautumn ^_^
twitter.com/Adri3nChaos
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One neat trick with the microKORG arpeggiator is to use the "Portamento" feature to slide from one note to the next. To make this work you might also need to adjust the "Gate" time (length of the notes) so that it's long enough to sustain the slide.
Put some gaps in the arpeggio sequence to make room for the slides.
You can hear this effect in this video I made. Skip forward to 4:25 to hear the sound I'm referring to (the gurgly, bassy sound).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5j00OAAPig
This sound also uses the microKORG's "Amp" distortion effect.
Put some gaps in the arpeggio sequence to make room for the slides.
You can hear this effect in this video I made. Skip forward to 4:25 to hear the sound I'm referring to (the gurgly, bassy sound).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5j00OAAPig
This sound also uses the microKORG's "Amp" distortion effect.