33
The Arpeggiator
Summit has a versatile Arpeggiator (Arp) which allows arpeggios of varying complexity
and rhythm to be played and manipulated in real-time. When the Arpeggiator is enabled
and a single key is pressed, its note will be retriggered. If you play a chord, the Arpeggiator
identifies its notes and plays them individually in sequence (this is termed an arpeggio
pattern or ‘arp sequence’); thus if you play a C major triad, the notes making up the pattern
will be C, E and G.
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The primary controls for the Arpeggiator are on the panel: other, secondary arp parameters
– including clock source, swing and sync rate – are set up in the Arp/Clock menu (see
below). The Arpeggiator is enabled by pressing the Arp On button
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.
Tempo
The Tempo control
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sets the basic rate of the arp sequence: the range is 40 to 240
BPM. If Summit is being synchronised to an external MIDI clock (see page 34), it will
automatically detect the incoming tempo and disable the internal clock. The tempo of the
arp sequence will then be determined by the external MIDI clock.
Note that Tempo sets the clock rate for all Summit’s tempo-synchronised features: e.g.,
Delay Sync and LFO Rate Sync, as well as the Arpeggiator rate.
Tempo control is also available on Page 1 of the Arp/Clock menu as the ClockRate
parameter.
If the external MIDI clock source is removed, the Arpeggiator will continue to
“flywheel” at the last known tempo. However, if you now adjust Tempo, the
internal clock will take over and override the flywheel rate.
Arp Mode
When enabled, the Arpeggiator will play all notes held down in a sequence which is
determined by the setting of the Type control
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. The options available are summarised
in the table below. The third column of the table describes the nature of the sequence in
each case.
TYPE DESCRIPTION COMMENTS
K
Ascending Sequence begins with lowest note played
J
Descending Sequence begins with highest note played
K J
Ascend/descend
Sequence alternates
KJ2
As KJ, but lowest and highest notes are
played twice
Play Key order
Sequence comprises notes in the order in
which they are played
Random Random
The notes held are played in a continuously-
varying random sequence
Chord Chord
The notes making up the sequence are played
simultaneously, as a chord
Type selection is also available on Page 2 of the Arp/Clock menu as the Ty pe parameter.
Arp Rhythm
As well as being able to set the basic timing and mode of the arp sequence (with the Type
control and the SyncRate parameter in the Arp/Clock menu), you can also introduce
further rhythmic variations by adjusting the Rhythm control
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. The Arpeggiator comes
with 33 pre-defined arp sequences; use the Rhythm control to select one. In very general
terms, the sequences increase in rhythmic complexity as the numbers increase; Rhythm 1
is just a series of consecutive crotchets, and higher-numbered rhythms introduce more
complex patterns, shorter duration notes (semiquavers) and syncopation.
You should spend some time experimenting with different combinations of
Rhythm and Type. Some patterns work better with certain choices of
Type.
Rhythm pattern may also be selected on Page 2 of the Arp/Clock menu with the Rhythm
parameter.
Octave range
The Octave control
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allows upper octaves to be added to the arp sequence. Set to 1,
the sequence will contain only the notes played. When set to 2, the sequence is played
as previously, then immediately played again an octave higher. Higher values extend this
process by adding additional higher octaves. Note that settings other than 1 have the effect
of doubling, tripling, etc., the
length
of the sequence. The additional notes added duplicate
the complete original sequence, but octave-shifted. Thus a four-note sequence played with
Octaves set to 1 will consist of eight notes when Octaves is set to 2. The range available
is from one to seven octaves.
Arp octave range may also be selected on Page 2 of the Arp/Clock menu as the
Octaves parameter.
Note duration
The Gate control
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sets the basic duration of the notes played by the Arpeggiator
(though this will be further amended by the Rhythm control and the SyncRate menu
setting). Gate length is a percentage of the step length so the time during which the gate
is open depends on the master clock speed. The lower the parameter value, the shorter
the duration of the note played. At its maximum value (127), one note in the sequence is
immediately followed by the next without a gap. At a value of 63, the note duration is exactly
half the beat interval (as set by the Tempo control), and each note is followed by a rest of
equal length.
Key Latch
The Key Latch button
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plays the currently selected arp sequence repeatedly without
the keys being held. If further key(s) are pressed while the initial keys are being held down,
the extra note(s) will be added to the sequence. If further keys are pressed after releasing
all the notes, a new sequence consisting only of the new notes will be played.
Arp data transmission
Summit can transmit MIDI note data from the arpeggiator, and can also force the
arpeggiator to play notes according to received MIDI note data. See page 42 for more
information.
The Arp/Clock Menu
The following Arpeggiator settings are available in the Arp/Clock menu, which has four
pages. Note that some of these settings duplicate physical controls in the panel ARP
section.
Arp Menu Page 1:
CLOCK 1/4
ClockRate 120BPM H
Source Auto
Status INT 120.00bpm
Tempo
Displayed as: ClockRate
Initial value: 120 BPM
Range of adjustment: 40 to 240 BPM
This parameter sets Summit’s internal clock rate in BPM. It provides the clock for Summit’s
tempo-synchronised features: Arpeggiator, Delay Sync and LFO Rate Sync.
This parameter duplicates the physical Tempo control
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.
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