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Arpeggionome Pro midi input - what is it good for?

ColoobarColoobar
edited December 2015 in General App Discussion
Ive been playing around with trying to input a midi trigger into arp. from various sources, with little luck.  Seems it doesn't work at all with my midi keyboard, and seems unresponsive when I try to send midi to it from another app.  It says it has midi clock sync etc but what I want to do it trigger it from some other app and then record the resulting midi data from arp. back into a daw, and in sync. Has anyone else had any luck with this?

Comments

  • ZetagyZetagy
    edited December 2015
    In Arp Pro, set midi in to Arp Pro midi in. Each backup saves 128 settings x 16 banks, to access different banks switch to a different channel. I've done some pretty crazy stuff by making backups that use all 2048 available settings-! So yes, what you are asking is possible, and this is an infinitely useful tool.

    oh, by the way forget about clock sync just get it running and have another app send in to switch settings.
  • ColoobarColoobar
    Hmm, I tried setting it to use Arp pro virtual midi in MTS.  It still doesn't seem to trigger anything. 
  • ZetagyZetagy
    Arp Pro isn't showing as an output option in MTS. I just bought it to sort this out, what an unwieldly interface, looks like it can make nice sounds but reminds me of Meteor usability-wise.

    Anyway, what you are asking about can be done easily in Beatmaker, maybe you can try it out there and if you like the results of the arp you record, you could send it over to MTS?

    let me know, id be happy to talk more about this
  • CarnbotCarnbot
    edited December 2015
    I was intrigued by this too since I like arp pro but never quite got into using it much. I 
    tried sending midi notes from different apps but it doesn't allow you to. It's like Alexandernauts other app fugue machine, it only allows midi in for clock sync and pattern set change. You still have to play it from within the app it seems. So you could use MTS to trigger different pattern changes maybe.

    not tested it but pretty sure you could sync and record midi into MTS though.
  • ZetagyZetagy
    Arp Pro can do this... With Beatmaker at least-! It's so powerful when used this way I can't even believe it. If you want to go down this path, trust me ... You are on to something. Don't give up, make it work-! I'll try to post a video tomorrow...
  • CarnbotCarnbot
    @Zetagy said:
    Arp Pro can do this... With Beatmaker at least-! It's so powerful when used this way I can't even believe it. If you want to go down this path, trust me ... You are on to something. Don't give up, make it work-! I'll try to post a video tomorrow...
    I'm certainly interested if you've found a way :) ....I don't have Beatmaker though.
    It would be a strange workaround since in the midi settings it says that only sync and pattern change is read via midi in.
  • AndyPlanktonAndyPlankton
    @Carnbot said:
    @Zetagy said:
    Arp Pro can do this... With Beatmaker at least-! It's so powerful when used this way I can't even believe it. If you want to go down this path, trust me ... You are on to something. Don't give up, make it work-! I'll try to post a video tomorrow...
    I'm certainly interested if you've found a way :) ....I don't have Beatmaker though.
    It would be a strange workaround since in the midi settings it says that only sync and pattern change is read via midi in.
    I don't have either app,  but have an idea.

    If you have pattern change,  can you use a blank pattern as the default pattern,  so silence when this pattern is playing,  then send pattern change to a pattern with notes when you want to trigger it,  then pattern change back to the blank pattern to stop ?
  • ZetagyZetagy
    Well, here is the video. It's 10 minutes long and not for the faint of heart, but maybe the gear heads might enjoy:


  • ColoobarColoobar
    edited December 2015
    Very cool.  Great looking video and sound quality, too.  That's exactly what I'm trying to do.  Guess I'll have to try and find space on the iPad for 'ol Beatmaker again.  One question:  I didn't see in the midi settings whether you had Arp Pro synced from BM clock or not.  I may have more quastions later after I try it.

  • ZetagyZetagy
    No clock sync here. I've manually matched the bpms and manually start Arp Pro. Once BeatMaker's notes start hitting and changing the presets, everything magically falls into sync.
  • CarnbotCarnbot
    Interesting thanks for posting, definitely learned a few things about Arp pro. 

    I think I'd still find Step poly arp easier for doing the same thing as you can chain patterns in a sequence in the app but it makes me want to explore Arp pro a bit more :)

    btw posted earlier before the video but it's in "review" maybe because there were quotes in the post? Not sure anyway, but basically I was saying that it would be good if @Alexandernaut  added midi learn of the controls ( and the central pad area which is essentially an x y pad) that would make great automation possibilities.
  • ZetagyZetagy
    @AndyPlankton unfortunately there's no such thing as a blank pattern in Arp Pro.
    @Carnbot i wish there were more automation too, but the XY pad might be tough as there are more than 128 dots...
  • CarnbotCarnbot
    @Zetagy said:
    @AndyPlankton unfortunately there's no such thing as a blank pattern in Arp Pro.
    @Carnbot i wish there were more automation too, but the XY pad might be tough as there are more than 128 dots...
    Ok yeah, then maybe you could have 2 midi knobs or sliders, one controlling x position and the other y position? 
  • ZetagyZetagy
    hmm... wishful thinking @Alexandernaut ;
  • ColoobarColoobar
    edited December 2015
    Hmm.  I tried it in BM and 4 other midi generating apps, and still it's a no-go for midi input.  Guess I need to know a little more about what version of Arp you are using, your BM instrument and midi configuration.  Also, why is it changing the KEY in arp pro and not the initial note of the arp in the existing key?  That seems very strange if that's the way the app handles midi by default.
  • CarnbotCarnbot
    I think because it's a workaround, could be wrong but I think what is happening is each pattern is saved in a different key and the midi notes are triggering pattern changes 

  • ZetagyZetagy
    That's right. The only thing that is changed by the MIDI notes are patterns. So, I decided to take the 128 notes and look at what I wanted to change in a pattern, and map that to a piano roll. Each note is a musical key, each octave is a scalar transpose up. Having 16 banks to fill, one bank per MIDI channel, I did this for several different scales.
  • RUST( i )KRUST( i )K
    I know there is a gem hidden in this app.

    Can't find it yet.

    Bought for IPhone to figure it out on spare time and will re engage with my IPad after that.

    I think his apps are great designs and ideas, I just don't know if they are what I need at this time.    

    I try and make them a part of things but doesn't seem to gel like some other concept apps.  
  • ColoobarColoobar
    @Zetagy said:
    That's right. The only thing that is changed by the MIDI notes are patterns. So, I decided to take the 128 notes and look at what I wanted to change in a pattern, and map that to a piano roll. Each note is a musical key, each octave is a scalar transpose up. Having 16 banks to fill, one bank per MIDI channel, I did this for several different scales.
    I haven't really messed around with presets and patterns inside Arp Pro, but this looks like the way to go.  Can you set up a group of presets to play on each note of the same scale?  What's are the midi settings to set this up in BM?  I noticed in the video that you were using your own preset called 'empty keyboard'.
  • fjcblancofjcblanco
    Thanks for sharing, @Zetagy.
  • ZetagyZetagy
    In BM, the empty keyboards are just that: there are no samples loaded. But they send MIDI out, each of the first 16 tracks is sending to a different channel. Those channels are seen by Arp Pro as different bank selects. Then, within each bank, there are 128 presets, which are switched by sending MIDI notes. Only one preset can be activated at once, I just made a way to access all 2048 of them.
  • ColoobarColoobar
    Zetagy.  It looks like you've put a lot of work into this system.
  • ZetagyZetagy
    A lot of thought, yes-! But making the actual presets was a breeze once i figured out how to edit my .arp files ...
  • CarnbotCarnbot
    @AndyPlankton said:
    @Carnbot said:
    @Zetagy said:
    Arp Pro can do this... With Beatmaker at least-! It's so powerful when used this way I can't even believe it. If you want to go down this path, trust me ... You are on to something. Don't give up, make it work-! I'll try to post a video tomorrow...
    I'm certainly interested if you've found a way :) ....I don't have Beatmaker though.
    It would be a strange workaround since in the midi settings it says that only sync and pattern change is read via midi in.
    I don't have either app,  but have an idea.

    If you have pattern change,  can you use a blank pattern as the default pattern,  so silence when this pattern is playing,  then send pattern change to a pattern with notes when you want to trigger it,  then pattern change back to the blank pattern to stop ?
    What would be ideal in Arp pro though would be to be able to control arp position on the virtual keyboard via a midi keyboard which you can't seem to do. This is really easy to do in Step poly Arp.

    However I see Arp pro as a kind of a Thumbjam arp, an expressive live instrument made for the touch screen. It's really interesting what it does, just haven't found an ideal way to fit in my workflow yet....

    It would be good if it had midi learn, the central area is basically an x/y pad then you could control it remotely and automate @Alexandernaut :)
  • CarnbotCarnbot
    @AndyPlankton said:
    @Carnbot said:
    @Zetagy said:
    Arp Pro can do this... With Beatmaker at least-! It's so powerful when used this way I can't even believe it. If you want to go down this path, trust me ... You are on to something. Don't give up, make it work-! I'll try to post a video tomorrow...
    I'm certainly interested if you've found a way :) ....I don't have Beatmaker though.
    It would be a strange workaround since in the midi settings it says that only sync and pattern change is read via midi in.
    I don't have either app,  but have an idea.

    If you have pattern change,  can you use a blank pattern as the default pattern,  so silence when this pattern is playing,  then send pattern change to a pattern with notes when you want to trigger it,  then pattern change back to the blank pattern to stop ?
    What would be ideal in Arp pro though would be to be able to control arp position on the virtual keyboard via a midi keyboard which you can't seem to do. This is really easy to do in Step poly Arp.

    However I see Arp pro as a kind of a Thumbjam arp, an expressive live instrument made for the touch screen. It's really interesting what it does, just haven't found an ideal way to fit in my workflow yet....

    It would be good if it had midi learn, the central area is basically an x/y pad then you could control it remotely and automate @Alexandernaut :)
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