Feature request: Random pick from chord pool

[Adam Wilson]

While awaiting delivery of my Octo , and while reading the manual I came up with an idea for the OS. Maybe it’s in there aready and I missed it, maybe it’s really useful for you guys as well.

IDEA

I’m looking for an easy way to randomize the pitch used for a given step, out of a pool of available pitch values, in order to control the variations, and get this done with very little effort.

For example, imagine I have this simple 3-step sequence running: C – E – G, etc. Now I want the second step to variate between E and F, nothing else, resulting in the possible sequences C – E – G or C – F – G.

IMPLEMENTATION

I came up with the idea of using the chord data stored in a step for this purpose. A step can hold up to 7 pitch values. Now what if the Octo would be able to randomly pick a pitch from the available set of notes, and only produce that single note instead of all of them?

Based on the above idea, my random-from-pool idea would involve the following steps:

1. Record the notes C, E+F and G for steps 1, 2 and 3 resp.
2. Tell the track to output no more than 1 voice (this is the new feature).

That should do it. Now if only one pitch value is stored in a step, the Octo can only select that single pitch, nothing new. However, if two or more pitches are available in the step, the Octo will randomly pick one. Super simple, very easy, and no effector tracks needed.

To improve on the above, if we tell the track in step 2 above to output no more than N voices, and a step has more than N pitch values stored, the Octo will randomly pick up to N pitches out of the pool, and produce double voices or chords with controlled variation for that step. And still very easy to do.

If this is not already available, I’d LOVE to work this way.

Cheers,
Robert

Post edited by: robert, at: 2008/04/29 20:08

[gseher]

That is beautiful! I like it:cheer:

[Adam Wilson]

Thanks Lars.

One optional addition could be a randomize amount factor, something like AMT.

With the factor set to zero, the track still outputs no more than N voices, but in a reproducable manner: simply using the first N pitch values stored in the step (if present). With the factor set to full, we get a full random behavior.

Now when playing my example C – E – G sequence, and randomise factor set to zero, it plays C – E – G in 100% of the cases. But opening the factor a little bit will introduce the alternative C – F – G sequence only now and then, like an occasional mutation. Opening the factor slowly to full results in a 50/50 chance in getting both variatons.

[gseher]

I don’t think I would use this feature much myself. However, from my simplified black-box understanding of the Octopus….

I would say, implement the [probability] AMT in strum patterns.

In this way every note on the chord can have it’s own probability. Makes sense?

Cheers,
/R

[Adam Wilson]

But would that guarantee that no more than N notes are generated for given step, when each of the strummed notes has its own probability value? Theoratically, this could mean that all notes get strummed, or zero.

This is all from my understanding that the strum feature only specifies the distribution of notes over time, not so much the amount of notes being played.

[gseher]

nope it’s a matter of chance

it was just an idea…

[Adam Wilson]

It’s definitely a nice idea, Zinoff. It’s just something that *I* wouldn’t use as much, heh.

[gseher]

I like this one too, so I took a look at how to build it in.
The basic version can be done pretty easily: build a chord, set the step to polyphony of 1 and have the pitch be selected at random from the chord.
The cost here is one variation of the multi-trigger mode, namely at the place where you specify whether one or all note-offs are sent for a multi-triggered step. I wonder what your thoughts are on this.

[Adam Wilson]

gseher wrote:

Quote:

I like this one too, so I took a look at how to build it in.
The basic version can be done pretty easily: build a chord, set the step to polyphony of 1 and have the pitch be selected at random from the chord.

Exactly! Thanks for concidering this, Gabriel!

So you went for step level polyphony. That’s even nicer, since you now can have full, normal chords at one step, and do the random pitch from pool trick in another step, in the same track. Drool… If I hadn’t ordered my Octo already I’d do it right now, lol.

I really like the simplicity of this feature, btw.

Quote:

The cost here is one variation of the multi-trigger mode, namely at the place where you specify whether one or all note-offs are sent for a multi-triggered step. I wonder what your thoughts are on this.

Darn, I have NO idea what you’re talking about. I’m still very much a newbie. Can you tell me where I can find this in the manual?

I expected to pay a UI price for this of course. Let me put it this way: will your approach allow us to implement the other features, eventually? That is, a polyphony of up to N notes, and the randomnes factor?

Post edited by: robert, at: 2008/05/02 18:20

[Adam Wilson]

If only you’d be able to allocate 7 free bits in the Step data. We’d need 3 bits for the polyphony (1-6 notes really), and the remaining 4 bits could be used for a 32-step random factor.

Or else maybe the Track data has these free bits? That would mean though that all chords in a track would be treated equally. The Step level approach would be the preferred one, obviously.

I’m reading the Strumming Chords section right now, btw.

Post edited by: robert, at: 2008/05/02 18:37

[Adam Wilson]

gseher wrote:

Quote:

The cost here is one variation of the multi-trigger mode, namely at the place where you specify whether one or all note-offs are sent for a multi-triggered step. I wonder what your thoughts are on this.

Do you mean the choice of Off, Orange and Red as described in the Step repeats section, page 80?

If that’s the one, I guess you opted to sacrifice the Red option? I don’t see how it differs from the Off setting, but if it only has an experimental value, I guess the random-from-pool feature has a higher interest.

That would also mean you only have a single bit available for this option, no way to ever increase the polyphony to more than one voice. Of course I’d be *very* happy with this feature for monophonic notes, I also think the chord variations that would be produced with the higher polyohony settings will be very interesting.

Is it UI space you’re looking for, or data space, Gabriel?

[gseher]

Hi Robert,
yes, the page 80 content is what I was referring to, and the red function is what I was thinking of replacing with the base mode of the random pitch feature.
As far as space goes, UI and data are equally important – without a good UI it’s better not to build anything , and data on step level is "scarce" in the sense of its high multiplier. But it looks like we have a plan now.

[Adam Wilson]

gseher wrote:

Quote:

As far as space goes, UI and data are equally important – without a good UI it’s better not to build anything

Well I guess all of us here couldn’t agree more.

Quote:

… and data on step level is "scarce" in the sense of its high multiplier. But it looks like we have a plan now.

Okay! Looking forward to it!

Thanks again,
Robert

[Ian Duncan]

I would use this all the time. I currently don’t use ‘chord’ very often at all.

Derek

[Adam Wilson]

dadek wrote:

Quote:

I would use this all the time. I currently don’t use ‘chord’ very often at all.

Glad to hear you like this new feature, Derek.

The fact that the Octopus can do chords was one of the things that pulled me in, knowing I wouldn’t be on a dead end, feature wise. I think it’s pretty impressively implemented (whith the circle and all), and I’m sure I’ll be using it quite a bit.

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