StepPolyArp: Configure Sequencer for a particular scale?

catherder

I’m fairly new to SPA, have read the manual, but I am still not sure about the quickest way to configure the sequencer for a particular scale. The most versatile way is probably to use intervals for the different lines instead of absolute note values. e.g. 0 2 4 7 9 for a major pentatonic scale.
Is there a way to create this kind of preset quickly? Ideally something like simply choosing “minor pentatonic” and have the right intervals configured. I don’t understand what the scale setting in SPA actually does - it seems to do nothing with the actual sequencer grid. The manual only mentions it in relation to the arpeggiator function.

dwell

In StepPolyArp you send the notes as they are configured on each lane of the main sequencer. They can be absolute (A, B, C# and so on) or relative (default): 0, +2, +5, +7 and so on.

These numbers indicate intervals from the root, independent of the chosen scale. In the default mode the 3rd interval is not set and so you don't hear a "difference" when choosing major or minor scales.

This is the same in arp or sequence mode.

You could choose notes or intervals per project - it is a bit cumbersome but doable - and/or create a few presets with your preferred notes. When you have a set of relative notes (intervals) you can bypass the quantiser (choose chromatic) and transpose the root note as you wish.

This is exactly the reason I stopped using this sequencer. It's been a while and English is not my main language but I hope it is more or less clear.

catherder

@dwell said:
In StepPolyArp you send the notes as they are configured on each lane of the main sequencer. They can be absolute (A, B, C# and so on) or relative (default): 0, +2, +5, +7 and so on.

These numbers indicate intervals from the root, independent of the chosen scale. In the default mode the 3rd interval is not set and so you don't hear a "difference" when choosing major or minor scales.

This is the same in arp or sequence mode.

You could choose notes or intervals per project - it is a bit cumbersome but doable - and/or create a few presets with your preferred notes. When you have a set of relative notes (intervals) you can bypass the quantiser (choose chromatic) and transpose the root note as you wish.

This is exactly the reason I stopped using this sequencer. It's been a while and English is not my main language but I hope it is more or less clear.

Thanks for the very detailed explanation. I was thinking about going exactly down that route, but I was just wondering if there is an easier way to achieve this in SPA. That "Scale" setting is still a mystery to me. Playing around I think it mainly affects the layout of the virtual keyboard and probably acts as a note quantizer for the MIDI input.

dwell

@catherder said:
Thanks for the very detailed explanation. I was thinking about going exactly down that route, but I was just wondering if there is an easier way to achieve this in SPA. That "Scale" setting is still a mystery to me. Playing around I think it mainly affects the layout of the virtual keyboard and probably acts as a note quantizer for the MIDI input.

I also wish there was an easier way. I tried and wrote to the developer because I really like the app but I guess I got tired in the end. So many shiny apps coming out all the time.

It was long ago so maybe I don't remember right but I think the quantizer was at the end? I'm not sure...

There is ShowMidi, if you want to check which notes get out: https://github.com/gbevin/ShowMIDI

And Mker, Drambo or the newer EG Nodes which I think are a good alternative.

catherder

@dwell said:

@catherder said:
Thanks for the very detailed explanation. I was thinking about going exactly down that route, but I was just wondering if there is an easier way to achieve this in SPA. That "Scale" setting is still a mystery to me. Playing around I think it mainly affects the layout of the virtual keyboard and probably acts as a note quantizer for the MIDI input.

I also wish there was an easier way. I tried and wrote to the developer because I really like the app but I guess I got tired in the end. So many shiny apps coming out all the time.

It was long ago so maybe I don't remember right but I think the quantizer was at the end? I'm not sure...

There is ShowMidi, if you want to check which notes get out: https://github.com/gbevin/ShowMIDI

And Mker, Drambo or the newer EG Nodes which I think are a good alternative.

Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve got them all. Collecting, playing and programming sequencers is part of my electronic music hobby.

craftycurate

@catherder said:
I’m fairly new to SPA, have read the manual, but I am still not sure about the quickest way to configure the sequencer for a particular scale. The most versatile way is probably to use intervals for the different lines instead of absolute note values. e.g. 0 2 4 7 9 for a major pentatonic scale.
Is there a way to create this kind of preset quickly? Ideally something like simply choosing “minor pentatonic” and have the right intervals configured. I don’t understand what the scale setting in SPA actually does - it seems to do nothing with the actual sequencer grid. The manual only mentions it in relation to the arpeggiator function.

All you need to do is choose a scale and a root note from the Scale section, and that will constrain all output notes to that scale type and root note. The only exception is "Chromatic" which will not constrain the input notes to any given scale.

This will constrain the output to that scale without needing to do anything to the grid (which defaults to one note per step without any transposition as shown below).

The transposition values on the left of each grid will transpose those notes whose grid cells fall in that lane, but this is unrelated to Scale/Root. It will simply add or subtract that number of semitones to all the notes triggered by cells in that row.

catherder

@craftycurate said:

@catherder said:
I’m fairly new to SPA, have read the manual, but I am still not sure about the quickest way to configure the sequencer for a particular scale. The most versatile way is probably to use intervals for the different lines instead of absolute note values. e.g. 0 2 4 7 9 for a major pentatonic scale.
Is there a way to create this kind of preset quickly? Ideally something like simply choosing “minor pentatonic” and have the right intervals configured. I don’t understand what the scale setting in SPA actually does - it seems to do nothing with the actual sequencer grid. The manual only mentions it in relation to the arpeggiator function.

All you need to do is choose a scale and a root note from the Scale section, and that will constrain all output notes to that scale type and root note. The only exception is "Chromatic" which will not constrain the input notes to any given scale.

This will constrain the output to that scale without needing to do anything to the grid (which defaults to one note per step without any transposition as shown below).

The transposition values on the left of each grid will transpose those notes whose grid cells fall in that lane, but this is unrelated to Scale/Root. It will simply add or subtract that number of semitones to all the notes triggered by cells in that row.

Thanks for explaining this. So the built in “Scale” function is quantising the output to the scale. That makes things easier.

craftycurate

@catherder said:

@craftycurate said:

@catherder said:
I’m fairly new to SPA, have read the manual, but I am still not sure about the quickest way to configure the sequencer for a particular scale. The most versatile way is probably to use intervals for the different lines instead of absolute note values. e.g. 0 2 4 7 9 for a major pentatonic scale.
Is there a way to create this kind of preset quickly? Ideally something like simply choosing “minor pentatonic” and have the right intervals configured. I don’t understand what the scale setting in SPA actually does - it seems to do nothing with the actual sequencer grid. The manual only mentions it in relation to the arpeggiator function.

All you need to do is choose a scale and a root note from the Scale section, and that will constrain all output notes to that scale type and root note. The only exception is "Chromatic" which will not constrain the input notes to any given scale.

This will constrain the output to that scale without needing to do anything to the grid (which defaults to one note per step without any transposition as shown below).

The transposition values on the left of each grid will transpose those notes whose grid cells fall in that lane, but this is unrelated to Scale/Root. It will simply add or subtract that number of semitones to all the notes triggered by cells in that row.

Thanks for explaining this. So the built in “Scale” function is quantising the output to the scale. That makes things easier.

Yes, AFAIK, the Scale function is like the final filter in the chain - everything gets piped through that and constrained to that scale/root.

btw the transposition values at the left of each lane can be changed by dragging up and down e.g to create octave jumps, and multiple notes can be triggered at once by having more than once active cell in a column.

Also, tap on each cell to change its playback options - this adds a whole level of creativity e.g. the numbers 1-7 allow you to state which of the input notes should play at this step (1 = lowest note) e.g. to create a bassline where you want the note on first beat of the bar to be the root note of the input chord.