User's Manual

66
The Arpeggiator Section
A well-designed arpeggiator can make someone who’s new to music sound like a pro. Add a bit
of music theory and some sound design chops to the mix and the results can be amazing. The
presets make an ironclad case for that.
An overview of the Hydrasynth arpeggiator features was provided in the Arpeggiator basics
(p.11) section of the Quick Start Guide. This included the similarities and dierences between
the controls of the keyboard and desktop models. The main focus of this chapter is to describe
the arpeggiator parameters and how to use them.
Arp Edit Mode
To enter Arp Edit mode, hold the [SHIFT] button and press [ON] in the Arpeggiator section of
the top panel. The Right display will reveal the rst eight parameters of Arp Edit mode. Use the
Page Down arrow to access the second page of parameters.
Arp parameters: page 1
Tempo
Use Control knob 1 to adjust the tempo, or
press [TAP TEMPO] three or more times to
set the tempo manually. Hold [SHIFT] while
turning Control knob 1 to ne-tune the
tempo.
If Clock Sync is set to an external source the
letters EXT will be shown prior to the tempo.
This setting is found on MIDI: Page 4 (p.86).
Division
Control knob 2 selects the basic time division
of the arpeggiator relative to the tempo. There
are 12 settings here, 4 more than the top
panel knobs can reach. The Triplet options are
there too, and the Triplet LED will light as they
are selected. You can also press [TRIPLET] to
select that setting immediately.
Swing
The top panel Swing knob oers eight
settings, including O. But there are actually
26 settings between 50% and 75%. Use
Control knob 3 to select a value, or use the
Swing knob rst and then Control knob 3 to
select a nearby value.
Gate
Turn Control knob 4 to adjust the relative
duration of the arpeggiator notes. The full
range of the parameter is available here for
both models: 5% to 100%.
Octave mode
This parameter is not present on the top
panel. It works together with the Octave
setting, which must be >1 or you may not
hear a dierence. Use Control knob 5 to select
the options. The descriptions are based on an
Octave setting of 2 except as noted:
• Up plays the notes in the original octave
and then repeats the pattern an octave
higher.
• Dn (down) plays the notes in the original
octave and then repeats the pattern an
octave lower.
• UpDn (Octave = 3) plays the notes in the
original octave, repeats them in the next
2 octaves, repeats them in the middle
octave, and starts over.
• Alt plays the notes in the original octave,
repeats them in the next octave, and then
reverses the entire pattern. The top and
bottom notes are repeated.
• Alt 2 is identical to Alt except the top and
bottom notes are not repeated.
Octave
Use Control knob 6 to set the range of the
arpeggiator. Minimum range is 1 octave;
maximum range is 4 octaves.