Arturia KEYSTEP PRO - Page 105

6.4.1.2. Mastering Chains
Chain-making is the essential skill you need to master to create interesting arrangements.
When creating a song or a large-scale composition, you'll probably arrive at a moment
where you have created several sequences in each track. You probably don't want all of
them to play simultaneously, but you may want to start off with a sequence in Track 1 and
repeat it two times, after which a sequence in Track 2 will join in and play two times while
a different sequence is playing in Track1.
Something like this:
Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Track 4
first sequence
first sequence
second sequence first sequence
second sequence first sequence
second sequence first sequence
second sequence second sequence first sequence
second sequence
How do you create a song structure like that?
The trick is to use an empty or 'dummy' Pattern to create silence in the Chain. For example,
just leave Pattern 16 of each track empty for that purpose. Fill Patterns 1 and 2 with
sequences, which are unique on each track.
Creating the Chain for Track 1 is easy. Hold down the Chain button and twice press Pattern
+ step 1 (which holds the first sequence), then twice press Pattern + step 2 (which holds the
second sequence), then press Pattern + step 16 (the dummy) three times to fill the remaining
empty parts of the Chain.
When creating the Chain for Track 2, we start with the dummy pattern twice:
Select Track 2. To enter two dummy patterns, hold down Chain and press Pattern + step 16
twice, then twice press Pattern + step 1, then twice press Pattern + Step 2, then press Pattern
+ step 16 once to complete the Chain with a dummy.
You've got the basic idea, we hope. Continue until you've programmed all four chains. This
is the result, with the pattern numbers for the respective tracks shown in square brackets:
Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Track 4
first sequence [1] dummy [16] dummy [16] dummy [16]
first sequence [1] dummy [16] dummy [16] dummy [16]
second sequence [2] first sequence [1] dummy [16] dummy [16]
second sequence [2] second sequence [2] dummy [16] dummy [16]
dummy [16] first sequence [1] first sequence [1] dummy [16]
dummy [16] second sequence [2] second sequence [2] first sequence [1]
dummy [16] dummy [16] dummy [16] second sequence [2]
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