Using Arpeggiators in MIDI Tracks

One of the things I like to do on my MIDI tracks is to set up a track that, for example, receives MIDI from my MPK mini and sends that MIDI through some arpeggiators, which are all right here.

Mapping Arpeggiators

I've mapped the different arpeggiators buttons on my launch pad just like this, which allows me to then take different chords and, you know, have arpeggiation on it.

• Drum Pads:
  I've got this set up on the drum pads as well. So if I turn that on, the way this works is:

  • The drums here are not set to receive MIDI from my MPK mini.
  • They are set to receive MIDI from my track MPK pads because that's the track that has the arpeggiator on it.

This saves me the hassle of sending those pads to whatever track I want without having to have all these different plugins on here. Otherwise, you'd be putting arpeggiators on every single instrument you want to use.

Launchpad Setup

I've got a similar idea going on with my launchpad here. This one has another arpeggiator. The only difference is I just have this one mapped to these sets of buttons. So when I have my percussion sounds, I can just kind of hold down a couple buttons and get a cool rhythm out of it.

Starting a Song with Arpeggiators

Now, one kind of cool thing about doing an arpeggiation is it can be a nice way to start a song because you want to start on beat. If I may refer back to this track here, the way I start this song live is:

• I begin with an arpeggiator just like this.
• I add effects to it, just wanting to get my tempo matched up right, so I'm playing around.
• Then, I drop in my drums.

I've just started the song by playing this little arpeggiation, and I'm still playing it, adding effects. Now I'm ready to go into my song.

Advantages of Using an Arpeggiator

It's kind of a cool way to open up a track maybe by just having your arpeggiator going. Your arpeggiator is going to keep you in time, so you don't have to worry about being in time or not.

• Starting a Track at Different Tempo:
  It'll all work out right.

So, it's a handy little trick that I like to use when starting tracks: to use an arpeggiator to get things going.