Arp · Manual p. 14–15, 59, 84–87
Ratcheting arp pluck
A short pluck through the arpeggiator with Ratchet and Chance, so the pattern varies itself.
Load it in the playground1
Why it works
Plucks work well in arpeggios because each note dies before the next, so the pattern stays clear. A short ENV 1 on the filter adds the ‘pluck’.
Ratchet adds quick repeats inside a step, and Chance makes those repeats appear only some of the time, so a simple pattern keeps changing.
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On the Hydrasynth Deluxe
- 1.
Press [INIT] twice. [ENV 2]: Sustain 0, Decay about 0.3 s, Release 0.2 s. [ENV 1]: Decay about 0.22 s, Sustain 0.
Manual p. 20, 59
- 2.
In FILTER CONTROLS with FILTER 1 selected: CUTOFF around 58, ENV 1 around +40.
Manual p. 23, 54
- 3.
Press arpeggiator [ON], hold a three-note chord and press [LATCH].
Manual p. 14, 87
- 4.
Set MODE to UP / DN, OCTAVE to 2, DIVISION to 1/16 and GATE to about 45%.
Manual p. 15, 84–85
- 5.
Turn RATCHET to 2 and CHANCE to about 35%, then SWING to 58.
Manual p. 15, 84–85
- 6.
Set TEMPO, or tap [TAP TEMPO] three or more times.
Manual p. 84
You should hear…
A bouncing, slightly swung pattern where some notes stutter into double hits, different every bar.
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Variations
- Ratchet 4 with Chance 15% for rare, glitchy rolls.
- On the hardware, Mode = Phrase gives 64 preset melodic phrases (p. 85, 120).
- Use Arp Step Offset to start the pattern from a different note (p. 86).
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Questions
- What is Ratchet on the Hydrasynth arpeggiator?
- The number of subdivisions in a step: 1, 2, 4 or 8. Chance sets how likely a ratchet is on each step (manual p. 85).
- How do I keep the arpeggio running after I let go?
- Press [LATCH]. [SHIFT] + [LATCH] gives sustain behaviour instead (p. 87).