Some Notes on the Little Phatty ARP

via Amos on the AH list. This is in reference to the ARP demos in this post.

"Hi all; thanks for listening.The arpeggiator is a firmware feature of Little Phatty OS 2.0, which is currently in progress; I am testing it as we develop it.
It will start shipping with the new LP Stage edition version II, which should be out next month.
Once that's done we will release an update for all LP Stage Editions which will give them the new features; after that we plan to port it to the Tribute Edition as well.
Joe & other Tribute owners: it's looking like the new OS adds enough code that it won't all fit on the Tribute's smaller memory.
We'll make sure that TE owners can upgrade their memory so they can run the full v2 OS, and I'll see if we can do a "lite" v2 with as many features as will fit in the original memory.

The new v2 features include the arpeggiator, and tap tempo and MIDI sync for both the arpeggiator and the LFO. The arp can have its own internal clock, or MIDI sync with many different clock divider options, or you can clock the arpeggiator from the LFO. The LFO can now sync to MIDI with its own clock divider separate from the arpeggiator's (meaning a 16th-note arpeg synced with a 2-bar filter sweep, for example).

The arpeggiator has the following specs:

Patterns: UP, DOWN, ORDERED. (Random is planned but not yet implemented)
Modes: LOOP, OSCILLATE
Octaves: -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3
Latch on/off

This provides a lot of flexibility. Here is how it works:
Modes: LOOP means that the pattern is played from beginning to end, and then again from beginning to end (equivalent to a ramp wave driving a sequencer). OSCILLATE means that the pattern is played from beginning to end, and then in reverse back to the beginning (equivalent to a triangle wave driving a sequencer).
The Octaves setting is used to repeat the pattern at sequential octaves away from the original notes; 0 plays only the original notes entered, +1 plays the original pattern and then repeats it one octave up; -2 plays the original pattern and then repeats it one octave down, then repeats it two octaves down.
So, you can get the classic "Up/Down" pattern by setting Pattern = UP, Octaves = +1, Mode = OSCIL. "Down/Up" would be Pattern = DOWN, Octaves = -1, Mode = OSCIL. However, the fact that these settings are distinct from one another means that you can get some novel patterns also; for example you can have the notes you enter play back from highest to lowest (pattern = DOWN) but repeat this downward pattern an octave higher, and then again an octave higher (Octaves = +2)... and then reverse, playing the notes low-to high but repeating at descending octaves.

Pattern = ORDER is very nice also, as it allows you to arpeggiate notes in the order you play them, for more interesting melodic phrases. This also works in OSCIL mode, so that the arpeggiator will play a phrase in the order you enter the notes, and then in reverse order."