Exploring ARP - Chord Mode

video upload by midicake

"Never remember your chords? Never learned to play keys?

I've been exploring what can be done with Chord Mode. Here are some ideas and a short performance.

Enjoy.

Midicake ARP is on sale now at https://www.midicake.com"

DAWLess Mini Synth JAM | J-6 & JX-08 | Volca Beats | Midicake ARP

video upload by midicake

"A friend lent me some little Roland synthesizers to try out with Midicake ARP. They are both packed with good sounds and very playable. For that Mid-80s vibe, they really shine.

I'm not that taken with the J-6 sequencer but, given its size, it still packs a lot in. Once you disable the in-built sequencers, however, driving them with ARP makes for a brilliantly compact tabletop setup!

And, of course, ARP opens up possibilities that just can't be achieved any other way. Who needs Astrolab!? ;)"

Midicake Arp Demo Tracks Thelxinoe

video upload by midicake

"I was messing with Polyphony on the Blofeld synth and came up with this little ditty.

The ability to set the scale notes, that each arp follows, while the song is playing is pretty cool and another way to experiment with melody generation using Midicake ARP."

Tutorial | Configuring Live Play on Midicake ARP

video upload by midicake

"A short tutorial on how to configure Midicake ARP for Live Play with an external MIDI controller.

ARP supports MIDI Through, Global Scale Setting and Live Triggering of Sequences. This is how it can be configured."

Minimalist Four to the Floor with Midicake ARP

video upload by midicake

"Sometimes you just need a bit of minimal four to the floor to gets you moving. 🎧

With Midicake ARP, the bassline rhythms, drums and melodies for this track came together in a matter of minutes. It's so quick to generate new ideas. Configuration in Ableton is super simple, too. Then just explore chords/scales to find the movement and emotion that matches your mood. It's awesome and nothing else does it this way.

Ⓜ️🆔ℹ️🍰"

Midicake ARP - Tutorial 3 - Playing ARP

video upload by midicake

Midicake ARP - Tutorials

"The goal of this series of videos is to introduce all of ARP's features and get you up and running quickly. In this video, we'll look at Playing ARP and connecting MIDI devices."

Midicake ARP - Tutorial 2 - Basic Operation and Features

video upload by midicake

Midicake ARP - Tutorials

"The goal of this series of videos is to introduce all of ARP's features and get you up and running quickly. In this video, I’ll highlight each of the features and how to navigate the controls.

Contents
00:00 - Welcome
00:16 - Layout and Controls
00:38 - Playing Notes and Chords
01:08 - Play & Stop
01:51 - Arpeggiator Controls
02:14 - Custom Chords and Scales
02:50 - Sequencing Chords
03:15 - Editing Parameters
04:13 - Loading Patches
05:10 - Assigning Macros to Parameters
05:32 - Support for MIDI Controllers
05:54 - MIDI Connections"

Chord Progressions Made Easy | Midicake ARP

video upload by midicake

"Chord Progressions Made Easy with Midicake ARP Ⓜ️🆔ℹ️🍰

I've been wanting to do something more orchestral for a while and this is it. Experimenting with chord progressions on ARP is so easy. Whether you have music theory knowledge or not, ARP gives you fast access to thousands of chords and the freedom to explore what works best for your compositions.

This was made with various sample pack sounds, while ARP provided the arrangement with just a few parameter tweaks."

All The Sevens - 7 Beats per Bar ARP

video upload by midicake

"Why not use 7 beats per bar? Midicake ARP let's you do any musical time divisions you'd like so let's give it a go.

We hook Midicake ARP up to the Eurorack Synths and make some music."

"Lanky Nerd Reveals All" (about Midicake) 😲❗

video upload by midicake

"'The inside scoop. Midicake ARP maker, reveals the gritty details of ARP's journey from humble beginnings to MIDI Sequencer notoriety!'

I chat about ARP, why it exists and why it's my life now. :)

Just a bit of fun. Enjoy!"

Demo Tracks - Euporie

video upload by midicake

"Expanding on the last demo but a change of pace :)

Midicake ARP is programmed so that a single arpeggiator is triggering 4 synthesizers by modulating the MIDI channel over the length of a bar.

Use custom bounce patterns for the bassline played on the Pro-1.

Also using the System-1 as the MIDI note sync.

https://midicake.com"

Demo Tracks - Jupiter XIV

video upload by midicake

"A first Demo Track using the new Poly Meter feature of Midicake ARP.

Made using Kontakt sampler instruments in Ableton and 4 channels on Midicake ARP, all running at 7/1 steps per bar.

The new firmware, including the new polymeters) will be available soon!"

All gear is better in black (replacing the Midicake Arp case)

video upload by Richard DeHove

"Why just make a quick guide on replacing the Midicake Arp's front panel when I can have an extended gripe about too-colorful gear? So here it is, all talk and no music about the joys of black front panels. For reasons unknown a jumble of gear colors disturbs me. Perhaps there's some deep explanation centring on light patterns, color contrast and their interaction with brainwave states? After all, why are some color groupings universally regarded as "beautiful" or "harmonious" - such as a sunset - and other combinations like brown and orange, or magenta and red, judged terrible? Either that or I'm just getting more grumpy and demanding. In the meantime, if anyone knows of a black overlay sticker for the Big Sky, I'm in.

0:00 Approved colors
1:18 Midicake Arp
2:35 Strymon neon
3:24 Arp front panel
3:50 Replacing the case
5:35 Knob time
6:55 Ta da!

Lots of downloads for supporters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/richarddehove
Many thanks to my kind patrons who keep this channel ad-free
My website: https://richarddehove.com/"

Hypnotic jam with Sequential Take 5, Midicake ARP, Dreadbox Nymphes, Roland SH-101, DrumBrute Impact

video upload by Jay Hosking

"Please support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jayhosking
A live, semi-improvised synthesizer jam performed entirely on hardware.

I'm lucky enough to have access to a new studio space, and am now in the process of moving over there. That means the days and nights have been long. One evening I was casually noodling on the Take 5 and came up with a patch and arpeggio I liked, but didn't feel I had time and capacity to do a full sequence and arrangement with other devices.

That's where the Midicake ARP comes in to save the day. Rather than sequence anything, I simply sent my MIDI data out of the Take 5 and into the ARP. The ARP then recontextualized the notes and can send them out to up to four other devices (here, I used three, plus MIDI clock to the DrumBrute Impact). Thanks to the ARP, I could explore chords and improvisation without having to write a single note in a sequencer. The ARP really is a great solution to a classic songwriting problem: being able to find the song with all the parts at once, rather than imagine all the parts and then write them.

From there, it was a matter of laying down some instruments and effects I liked the sound of. No surprises here, other than the Boss DM-101, which I got recently. It doesn't quite have the personality of the Matriarch delay, but it's a great and more versatile analog delay that I look forward to using more.

All in all, a really fun jam, and I was extremely grateful to have the tools I needed to write the song on the fly across multiple instruments.

Thanks for listening.

Sequential Take 5 - main arpeggio, MIDI controller/data out
Midicake ARP - "sequencer" (note recontextualizer? arpeggiator?)
Arturia DrumBrute Impact - drums
Dreadbox Nymphes through Strymon BigSky - arpeggio two
Blackout Model D through Boss DM-101 - bass synth
Roland SH-101 through Walrus Sloër - arpeggio three (the slow high one)
Kenton Pro-Solo Mk3 - MIDI to CV for SH-101
Kenton MIDI Thru - MIDI through to all devices

Performed and recorded live, with eq, compression, and limiting in the box.

https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com"

Midicake ARP - Modulating the MIDI Channel!

video upload by midicake

"This has been on the TODO list for ages and I was so happy with the results I had to share. :)

16 sounds in Ableton, each set to a different MIDI channel. ARP is set to modulate the output MIDI Channel on each arp over a number of bars.

Coming soon! MIDI Channel modulation will be included in the November firmware update.

https://www.midicake.com"

Midicake - January Demo Track - Kallichore

video upload by midicake

"You can't tell from this angle but this is the new version of Midicake ARP, complete with USB Host port! So I took the opportunity to plug in the new MIDI keyboard."

Exploring ARP - Why it doesn't behave like a classic arpeggiator

video upload by midicake

"People have asked many times why Midicake ARP isn’t doing what they expect it to when playing a keyboard.

ARP doesn’t function in the same way as a classic arpeggiator.

In this video I want to explain the key difference and why it makes Midicake ARP pretty special.

So why doesn’t ARP arpeggiate like a classic arpeggiator?"

In Need of Inspiration?

video upload by midicake

"In need of inspiration? Visit midicake.com to find out more about this unique and inspiring way to create melody."

Demo Track - Orthosie - A Wealth of Space

video upload by midicake

"Live Improvised Music Performance using Midicake ARP and Ableton/Kontakt to inspire a sense of space."

Modulating Modulation with Midicake Arp

video upload by midicake

"ARP truly never ceases to amaze me. I'd been writing test code all day for the new timing Poly Meters feature. I'd written a test for layering multiple modulations of the same parameter and it struck me that I'd never done much with modulating the FX Amount. Essentially, modulating modulations. Doing so makes for a virtually unlimited range of patterns. :)"