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Evolving generative rhythm sequencers
Does anyone know of an evolving drum sequencing app that can improvise complex midi percussion sequences that evolve and unfold like tabla patterns?
looking for something that can be played live like a percussion sequencer instrument
to be more specific about what I mean by evolving/unfolding-obviously the tools used to make this are home grown, but I’d imagine other similar tools have since been built
Comments
Rozeta Rhythm. Set up different step lengths for each voice. Turn up the "variation" control. You can get all the evolution you could possibly want.
I don't know exactly what you are looking for in terms of playing live, but you can certainly control those parameters of RR live if you want. You have to do it in the app though, because unfortunately @brambos did not open RR up to midi CC control.
Here's one I did with RR that features a fairly non-repetitive beat:
Another trick I've used to add to the appearance of evolution is to send LFOs at the drum sound, but not sync them to the beat. Here's one with a non-varying drum beat, but it sounds like there is variation due to LFOs modulating the filter and amplitude:
@Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr Those are great tracks!!!! What the heck are you using for the bass line on the Robotland one? That is sick.... not to mention your GeoShred mad skills!!!!
That was Model D for the bassline, running through Perforator.
Different Drummer is theoretically good for this LFO trick, you can have different LFOs affecting pitch, rests, ties and a few other parameters. Its a brain-twister to make it sound musical though.
For live manipulation, try running Fugue Machine at your drum voices. FM gives you a lot of control that's fun to play live. Check out what this guy pulled off:
Patterning2 now has a ton of randomize and probability features init. I often fill up a whole pattern and just set the probability to full on a few steps, medium on others, and low as well... Also StepPolyArp can do some probability stuff.
The issue is that for the most part "random" rhythms sound like shit and are not really rhythms. A rhythm has to repeat enough for the brain to pick out a pattern eventually otherwise it's not a rhythms.. It's at best "glitch."
The best way to do it on iOS that I've found is:
Let's say you're using a 8 channel drum synth as your sound source.
Set up 8 instances of RozXoX (better than rhythm as you have more control over note placements, and anything you can do in rhythm you can do in XOX, plus XOX has the ability to send velocity, velocity level is cc mappable)
Each instance of XOX is for each voice of your drum synth
Create 8 patterns for each instance of each xox
Turn on MIDI pattern change for each xox
Route something like Collider or Particles into each XOX to change patterns in a somewhat musically coherent manner. If you build the individual patterns for each voice with some logic to them, you can get some very interesting patterns that still maintain some underlying structure.
Oh, Another awesome way to do this is to use the much under-loved Reactable SNAP... There's a way to control it via a Maschine Jam, but I dug into it and all it's doing is sending CC.
If you send CC 48 to SNAP (ch1CC48-ch8CC48) you can control the rhythm density sliders via something like ROZLFO, etc.
This is the midi map for SNAP...
Definitely look into Different Drummer. I've never really grokked it but this is definitely up its alley.
To @Drümünkey's point, I prefer to semi-intentionally set this sort of stuff up. For me, Patterning (even v1) works best because of a few key features. 1) probability, obvi. 2) differing track lengths. 3) the magic of "Rotate".
Saw someone do a neat trick with X0X: assign a single MIDI CC to each track's "Mutate" control. Make a beat (or several) and then send in the MUTATE CC to add the randomness when you want it.
I've never tried this but I imagine it might work well for what you're after: 1) using a few different Mutate CCs for different track groups, 2) use another sequencer at a different clock rate to trigger those mutate CCs and 3) use one or more of the Rozeta generative sequencers for single drum voices to keep some of it totally random/evolving.
Ack, sorry. Just listened to the video. You actually want to FSU. That track is pretty sampler heavy. The rhythms and the sounds are changing a lot. And sometimes they're hardly what most would consider a 'rhythm' in that it's not repeating.
Above stuff could still work but I'd look into combining that with Sector and/or GlitchBreaks. And/or invest the time into a modular app like Audulus which might be a more, er, "natural" way to do this sort of stuff.
Maybe midiLFO's into a pattern(s) in a drum app or into Different Drummer.
Spitballing, I haven't tried, yet.
Senode is a great playable polyrhythmic non-linear sequencer.
https://www.senode.org/#Home