MikeViper Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Hey, MikeViper here. I've been using the Sytrus demo and it's pretty good. But demo has one very annoying limitation, every once in while there will be white noise. So are there any free programs like Sytrus? What I mean by that is, is are there any good free VST's with built-in arpeggiator presets like Sytrus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazygecko Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Sytrus is an FM synth. There's one called Oxe that's free. I'm not sure if i has an arpeggiator though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeViper Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Sytrus is an FM synth. There's one called Oxe that's free. I'm not sure if i has an arpeggiator though. Well, I'm more looking for something with an arpeggiator I guess. Or a synth VST that has arpeggiator presets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 As convenient as built-in arpeggiators are, you can do pretty much the same thing with just plenty of notes in some interesting rhythm on any synth. A few hints: - make sure the synth responds to different velocities, eg with changes in filter or waveform; and vary your notes' velocity - start off with short attack, short release notes, and experiment from there on, maybe a longer attack on either amplitude or filter fits the sound you're looking for - legato / a bit of glide/portamento can be just as cool as clean and distinct notes - use chords where appropriate, either in sequence in a one-note-at-a-time arpeggio, or as what ends up as a sustained chord with a lot of rhythmic changes to timbre and level - you can also use the modulation wheel and other midi cc as well as effect automation to change the sound, eg in a build-up to a chorus or when going into a softer part - if you aggressively filter out the frequencies of the sound, you can get a fair amount of variation just by writing an arpeggio melody spanning several octaves - you have more control of your arpeggio when you write it yourself, in that you can control how often each note is used, and when; maybe the root of the chord isn't that important - some DAWs come with their own arpeggiators that you can route your midi through - random notes quantized and adjusted to the appropriate scale can make for really interesting and inspiring rhythms and melodies Unfortunately, I have no synth suggestions with built-in arpeggiators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argle Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Are you looking for any old synth with an arpeggiator? Or a synth with an extremely complex arpeggiator like Sytrus? Or an FM synth with an arpeggiator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeViper Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Are you looking for any old synth with an arpeggiator? Or a synth with an extremely complex arpeggiator like Sytrus? Or an FM synth with an arpeggiator? Well basically an FM Synth with an arpeggiator that can do simple arpeggios, nothing too complex. But a stand-alone midi arpeggiator could work too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nase Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 FL has built in midi arp functionality, i think (assuming you're using that?) Once you can remember how regular chord arps look on a piano roll, you can indeed roll your own by punching in the arp phrase once and copypasting it ad infinitum. Idk man.. an arpeggiator is quite nice on a synth that you play live. It's not particularily essential to have when you sequence, unless it offers modes you can't replicate via midi very easily. Then again, it's a nice way to come up with semi-random patterns, i suppose. Imo just browse on kvraudio for some freebies with arps. Like half of the synths in their database should have arps. You might not want to limit it to FM. If you judge sytrus by its presets, it doesn't even sound that FMish for the most part. Lots of supersaws and classic analog sounding stuff in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I'd suggest just finding a synth that can make the type of sounds you want. More control over the sound is what I always look for. Arpeggiator voice modes are just a 'lazy' way of quickly testing arpeggios simply by playing chords, (or a way of playing in live, I suppose). Yes, you can write your own pitch shifter patterns in an arpeggio sequencer, but those are pitch shifts. You can't just play a whole bunch of long single notes and automatically get a pattern that fits every situation. Much more flexible to just write your own arpeggios. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nase Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 It's funny. Lack of control at the same rate is probably what many people use an arpeggiator for. I remember getting a few song ideas from arps now. If you want to get ideas for arpeggios you wouldn't normally do, it might be useful to let the algorithm take over a little. I'm the same as timaeus in that i like to have more control, but then again, creativity works differently sometimes. To similar effect, you could also look for synths with a built in step sequencer. For example, I remember being fond of krakli's EZ poly, found here: http://www.krakli.com/krakli-free-synths/ Not a very flexible or feature rich synth, but a good idea spawner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.