Arpeggiator
New in 0.4.0. The arpeggiator plays a track’s held or sequenced chord as a pattern, in time with the Rytm. It works on any Sidecar machine, polyphonic or not, and on the MIDI machine.
The ARP page
Section titled “The ARP page”UP + FLTR opens the ARP page of the selected track. It is also in the SIDECAR MENU.
| Knob | Name | Values |
|---|---|---|
| A | MODE | OFF, UP, DOWN, UPDN, RND, PLAY (in the order played) |
| B | SPD | 1/4, 1/8, 1/8T, 1/16 (default), 1/16T, 1/32 |
| C | RNG | 1, 2 or 3 octaves |
| D | GATE | 25, 50 (default), 100 % (legato) |
| E | SWNG | 50 (straight), 58, 66 %: every second note late |
The settings belong to the sound: they are saved with the sound and the kit, and the pool carries them. A sound from before 0.4.0 reads OFF. With MODE OFF nothing changes.
What it plays
Section titled “What it plays”- A Rytm trig, until its LEN or until you let go of the pad. On 6-OP FM, MULTISAMPLE, WAVETABLE and GRANULAR a trig’s CHD chord is arpeggiated.
- The notes of a Sidecar poly track: whatever a step holds, for their own length.
- The pads in CHRO, and keyboards on the Pi. With the arpeggiator on, these reach any Sidecar machine, not just the polyphonic ones.
One note sounds at a time. On a poly track it plays with that track’s POLY CONFIG; elsewhere on the track’s own machine, mono.
An arpeggiated track holds the Rytm’s amp open, as a poly track does: the notes are the Sidecar’s, so the Rytm’s amp and filter envelopes do not shape each one. (Not on the MIDI machine, which has no audio.)
Timing
Section titled “Timing”The grid is the Rytm’s sequencer clock. A chord that starts just after a grid point plays at once (a trig always does); otherwise at the next point. Stopped or paused, it runs free from the first note at the last tempo. Keys and pads held when you press STOP keep running; a trig’s and the sequencer’s notes end.
When the held notes are gone, the last note plays out its gate. A hold shorter than the time to its first grid point (a short trig, a slow SPD) plays its first note at the release. STOP, another kit, a machine change, MODE OFF or the Rytm unplugged leave nothing playing.
Arp locks
Section titled “Arp locks”On a Sidecar poly track, a step can lock any of the five settings for that step only: hold the step and press FLTR for LOCK ARP, then turn A..E. The bottom bar names the value (S3 SPD:1/32 LOCK). NO clears the held steps’ locks, an encoder’s push clears that knob’s lock, as with any lock. The touchscreen’s ARP tool sets them on the selected note’s step.
- That step only. Other locks hold to the next trig; arp locks end at the next step, even an empty one.
- A slot like any other lock: copied, pasted and cleared with the step. A lock on an empty step changes a chord held over several steps on that one step.
- MODE locked OFF on a step: its notes play without the arpeggiator. MODE locked on with the sound’s OFF: that step’s notes are arpeggiated with the sound’s other values.
- Not on a plain Rytm track. A pattern with arp locks needs 0.4.0 or later: an older Sidecar refuses to play or save it.
Sequencer details: Poly mode. The RTRG page’s ratchets and per-step arps are a separate feature of the sequencer.