RPG-8 Parameters

MIDI-CV Converter parameters

The MIDI-CV Converter section to the left contains parameters that affect the CV output from the RPG-8, regardless of whether the Arpeggiator section is activated or not. The following parameters are available:

Velocity

The Velocity knob can be used to set a fixed velocity value for the notes that are output via the Gate CV Out jacks on the back of the RPG-8. If you set the Velocity knob to a value between “0” and “127”, the Gate CV Out will be fixed (at the set value) regardless of the velocity of the incoming MIDI notes.

Turning the knob fully to the right activates Manual (“Man.”) mode (a LED is lit when activated). In Manual mode the velocity levels will be sent out via the Gate CV Out with the same velocity value as they are input, i.e. “what goes in, will come out”. Manual mode is on by default in new devices.

There is also a “Velocity CV” input at the back. If this is connected to a controller source (a LFO modulation output for example), the output will be a merge between the Velocity setting and the applied CV modulation by the LFO - see “CV Inputs”.

Hold On/Off

If the Hold parameter is activated (lit button), an arpeggio will continue to run even if you release all keys. It will continue to arpeggiate the last notes played until a new note-on is received.

•	If you continue to hold down at least one key when Hold is on, any new notes will be added to the existing arpeggio as opposed to starting a new arpeggio.

•	If the Arpeggiator section is off, and the Hold function is activated, there will be no note-offs for incoming notes played (i.e. the CV Gate stays open).

•	The Hold On/Off status responds to Sustain Pedal messages - as long as the pedal is pressed down, Hold will stay activated.

Octave Shift

This allows you to transpose the RPG-8 Note CV output in octave steps. You can octave shift up or down 3 octaves.

Octave Shift can also be CV controlled.

Arpeggiator parameters

The middle section contains the Arpeggiator parameters that govern how the arpeggio is played. The following parameters are available:

Arpeggiator “On” button

This switches the Arpeggiator on or off.

Mode switch

This determines the direction of the arpeggio notes.

| Mode	| Description
Up	This will generate an arpeggio that plays from the lowest note to the highest note.
Up+Down	Notes are played from lowest note to highest, then from highest back down to the lowest. The very lowest and the highest arpeggio notes are not repeated. I.e. the arpeggiator will play the lowest note to the second highest note, then the highest note to the second lowest note.
Down	Notes are played from the highest note to the lowest note.
Random	The notes you input will be arpeggiated randomly.
Manual	Notes are arpeggiated in the same order they are played when input.

Octave range buttons

The Octave buttons allow you to set the octave range of the arpeggio.

Use as follows:

| Octave range	| Description
1 Oct	The arpeggiated notes will be those that you press down on the keyboard.
2 Oct	If you select this, the arpeggio will be extended to a two octave range, i.e, the arpeggio pattern is played then repeated one octave up. In Random mode, the notes you input are played in random order over 2 octaves.
3 Oct	Same as 2 Oct but extended to a three octave range.
4 Oct	Same as 2 Oct but extended to a four octave range.

Insert buttons

Insert can be used to add variations to the arpeggio by repeating certain notes in a predetermined order. It works as follows:

| Insert mode	| Description
Off	No Insert repeat.
Low	The lowest note is repeated in between every second note in the arpeggio.
Hi	The highest note is repeated in between every second note in the arpeggio.
3-1	The arpeggio will play 3 notes forward, then step 1 note back and from there play 3 notes forward etc.
4-2	The arpeggio will play 4 notes forward, then step 2 notes back and from there play 4 notes forward etc.

Rate

This sets the rate of the arpeggio. There are two basic modes for the Rate parameter:

If Sync is activated, the Arpeggiator will play in sync with the sequencer tempo. By changing the Rate you can make the Arpeggiator play in different tempo resolutions in relation to the tempo setting.

Straight, dotted or triplet note values are available in 1/2 to 1/16 resolutions. In addition, there are also 1/32, 1/64 and 1/128 (straight) note resolutions.

If the “Free” button is activated, the arpeggio rate is free running, and not synced to tempo.

The Rate is then selectable from 0.1 to 250Hz.

Gate Length

This determines the length of the arpeggio notes. Minimum value is 0 (Gate closed - no output). Maximum value is “Tie”, meaning the gate is open all the time. This parameter can be controlled via CV.

Single Note Repeat

Single Note repeat governs how the arpeggiator behaves when the user plays single keys or monophonic lines.

When Single Note Repeat is on, a single key will retrigger the gate, meaning the note will repeat.

If the Octave setting is 1 Oct, the note will simply repeat (given the Gate Length setting is not set to “Tie”). If the Octave setting is set to anything else, the note will repeat according to the Octave, Mode and Insert settings.

When this is off, single notes will not repeat and RPG-8 will play arpeggios when the user plays more than one key (chords).

Shuffle

Shuffle is a rhythmic feature, that gives the arpeggio a more or less pronounced swing feel. It works by delaying all sixteenth notes that fall in between the eighth notes.

In the RPG-8 you can switch Shuffle on or off using the corresponding button. However, the amount of shuffle can be set globally (for all devices that incorporate this feature) with the Global Shuffle control in the ReGroove Mixer.

The Shuffle on/off switch in RPG-8 and the Global Shuffle control in the ReGroove Mixer.

Pattern editor

The Pattern editor allows you to introduce rests for arpeggio steps which can produce more rhythmic results. The Pattern editor has 16 step buttons at the top, and a main grid display where the arpeggio notes are represented as horizontal bars for each step in the arpeggio. The pitch of the arpeggio notes are shown on the vertical axis. Notes within the C-1 to C7 octave range are shown. Notes cannot be edited in the display, they are only a visual representation of the arpeggio.

The Pattern editor is activated with the “Pattern” button.

When activated, the Pattern button and the 16 Step buttons light up.

When you play a chord (or in case you have recorded notes, when you start playback) the arpeggio will play according to the current Arpeggiator parameter settings, as normal.

The only difference is that a pattern will be repeated in the display so that all 16 steps play the pattern.

A three note chord with Pattern off...

...and with Pattern on.

If you click on a step button it goes dark. This means that this step will insert a rest in the arpeggio pattern.

Note that no arpeggio notes are “skipped”. Inserting a rest means that the step will be silent and the next active step will play the next note in the arpeggio pattern.

The “Steps -/+” buttons can be used to set the number of steps in the Pattern editor.

E.g. if you press the “Steps minus” button four times the last four step buttons will go dark and the Pattern editor cycle will start over after step 12.

Pattern functions

When the Pattern editor is activated, you will find some specific pattern functions on the Edit menu (and on the device context menu). These are as follows:

| Function	| Description
Alter Pattern	The Alter Pattern function modifies existing step patterns. Note that there has to be a pattern to start with - using the Alter function if all step buttons are active (or inactive) won’t do anything.
Randomize Pattern	The Randomize Pattern function creates random patterns.
Invert Pattern	This will invert the pattern, i.e. active steps will become rests and vice versa.
Shift Pattern L/R	The Shift Pattern functions move the pattern one step to the left or right.

Automating the Pattern editor

To automate the RPG-8 step buttons a little planning is necessary.

In the sequencer, each automation point represents all the possible combinations of each of the 16 step buttons on/off status, so the numbers become slightly bewildering (there are 65535 possible variations).

This makes it difficult to control the automation by drawing events in the sequencer as each position represents a different combination of all the button’s on/off status.

You can of course automate the buttons manually while recording but this is not always a solution as you may wish to change the on/off status of several buttons simultaneously.

The solution to both these issues is to record “snapshots” of the Pattern editor:

1.	Set up the buttons as you want them from the start of the song, e.g. all buttons “on”.

This will be your “static value” which is active from the start.

2.	Right-click the buttons and select “Edit Automation” from the context menu.

A Pattern automation lane is created and the Pattern buttons will have a green rectangle around them to indicate that they are automated.

3.	Start the sequencer in play mode, and set up the buttons as you want them (except one - see below) for the new pattern combination.

Note that the Automation override indicator on the transport will light up, but this is as it should be.

To record the button’s status, you need to press at least one button after entering record mode. Thus, you need to save one “last” button to press during record to automate the Pattern editor to an exact combination of the 16 button’s on/off status.

4.	Enter record mode and press the “last” step button where you want the automation to happen. Continue recording for as long as you wish the pattern to play, then click stop.

A clip has been added on the Pattern automation lane.

5.	If you open the clip by double-clicking on it in the Arrange view you can see that the clip has one automation point.

Note that it is the clip that governs the start and duration of the automation, not the point itself.

If the snapshot automation is not in the right time position, you can simply reposition the clip so that it starts where you want the change to occur using the usual methods.

When the clip you recorded ends, the buttons will revert to the static value you set up in step 1.

6.	By using this general method you can continue to add further clips to the Pattern lane, each containing a “snapshot” of the Pattern editor buttons.