Creating a simple arpeggiator in Kilohearts Phase Plant
Kilohearts Phase Plant doesn’t have a dedicated arpeggiator, yet, however you don’t need one to create compelling arps – here’s why…
A question that has been coming up quite often is regarding a dedicated arpeggiator module within Kilohearts Phase Plant. While there is talk of the developers introducing this in a future update, you can still create compelling arps using the tools at hand. There is even a factory preset that uses a similar technique – it’s in the “Tutorial” preset folder.
The LFO module in Kilohearts Phase Plant is incredibly powerful, not only does it allow you to draw in your own custom shapes, but the grid and snapping capabilities are perfect for creating arps and sequences. The edit window also pops up in a separate instance, allowing you to resize it – making those ultra-fine adjustments very easy.
The major difference between a dedicated arpeggiator module and using a custom LFO, is that the LFO doesn’t handle your note triggers. This is both a blessing and a curse, it takes a bit longer to set up but having the note and trigger information handled by two separate modules allows you to do some interesting things.
Creating variations…
You can use this technique in combination with last week’s tutorial, creating multi-layered synths alongside the arp sound. This is a great way of creating “signature” patches, something you can call on when creativity strikes to increase workflow. All you need to do is adjust a few simple parameters to create a ton of variations. Simply changing the tempo of the LFO, trancegate or adjusting some of the steps, creates a whole new pattern.
You can also create a second custom LFO to simulate the velocity of different steps in your sequence, applying slight modulation to the amplitude or filter – the sound design possibilities really are endless.
For an in-depth walkthrough on how to set this up, check out this week’s tutorial video here:
[youtube_sc url=”https://youtu.be/NPGdC2rABZA”]
