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RapidComposer(Manual Generated From Wiki Pages)

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Introduction

RapidComposer is a unique, non-destructive, phrase-based music prototyping software, with VSTi andSoundFont support. You can read more about the features, view screenshots and tutorials (includingtutorial videos) at www.musicdevelopments.com.

If you ever used a DAW, you won’t have any difficulties using RapidComposer. However, the softwaredoes assume that you have a basic knowledge of music theory, but even if you don’t, RC is veryhelpful in assisting you in regards to which chords fit together, and how scale intervals relate tochords.

This guide provides an introduction to RapidComposer and takes you through the basic workflow. Youare advised to use the pop-up help windows (also known as tooltips) which contain more detail. If youhover the mouse on any user interface element, a tooltip window appears after a few seconds.

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Installation And Software Activation

Windows Installation

During the installation, neither DLL files nor services are installed in the Windows system directories.

Path

The setup file automatically installs RapidComposer into the Program Files or Program Files(x86) directory (depending on your operating system, and whether it is the 32-bit or 64-bit version ofRapidComposer). The data and settings files are located in%UserProfile%\Documents\RapidComposerV3, actuallyC:\Users\(Username)\Documents\RapidComposerV3 directory.

Note: this worked differently in versions < v3.1 whenC:\Users\(Username)\AppData\Roaming\RapidComposerV3 was used as the documents folder. This isnot used anymore. RapidComposer will move the files seamlessly from the old location to the newone.

VST Plug-In Installation

The VST version of RapidComposer is installed in the same directory as the standalone version. Youneed to move the VST version (with the .dll file extension) manually to your preferred VST pluginfolder (this folder is different on anyone’s computer, but most of the time, plugins can be found in anyof the following locations):

C:\Program Files (x86)\VSTpluginsC:\Program Files (x86)\Steinberg\VSTpluginsC:\Program Files\VSTpluginsC:\VSTplugins

Uninstallation

Uninstalling the application can be done either by selecting “Uninstall RapidComposer” in theWindows Start Menu (inside the RapidComposer folder), or from the Windows Control Panel. Since thesystem is not changed in any way during the installation, you can also remove the folders withoutuninstalling the software. However, this is not recommended.



Software Activation

When first running RapidComposer, you will be asked to type the key code that you received withyour order. No internet connection is required.

Note: you need to unlock the program by running the standalone application first! Youcannot unlock RapidComposer by loading the RapidComposer VST plug-in in a VST host. When youload the RC VST plug-in, the program should already be unlocked.

macOS Installation

Open the .dmg file, and drag the RapidComposer application to your Applications folder. Thesettings file and the chords/scales/etc. libraries can be found in ~/Documents/RapidComposerV3.When the program first runs, it will populate the ~/Documents/RapidComposerV3 folder from itsresources.

VST Plug-In Installation

Copy RapidComposer.vst (or RapidComposerLE.vst) to /Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST or to yourhome folder: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST

Uninstallation

Delete the RapidComposer application from your Applications folder. If you installed the VST plug-in, delete the RapidComposer.vst (or RapidComposerLE.vst) file from /Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST or ~/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST

Software Activation

When first running RapidComposer, you will be asked to type the key code that you received withyour order. No internet connection is required.

Note: you need to unlock the program by running the standalone application first! Youcannot unlock RapidComposer by loading the RapidComposer VST plug-in in a VST host. When youload the RC VST plug-in, the program should already be unlocked.



We ask you kindly to please refrain from pirating/stealing software, especially from tiny companiessuch as ours. If you obtained a licensed version of RC for free somewhere on the internet, pleaseconsider deleting it from your computer, and buying a legitimate license from our official store.Countless hours of work was spent in the creation and tweaking of this unique, speedy,groundbreaking software, and we would appreciate if you respect the developers. Thank you!


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Portable Use (Windows Only)

It is possible to run RapidComposer from a pen-drive .

Preparations

You need to move the installed application from “Program Files” (or “Program Files (x86)”depending on 32/64 bit installation) directory to your pen drive, e.g. to D:\RC. Installation installsdata files to C:\Users\(Username)\Documents\RapidComposerV3 directory. MoveRapidComposerV3 to the program folder, e.g. to D:\RC so that D:\RC\RapidComposerV3 willcontain DB, Settings, SoundFonts, etc.

Usage

When RapidComposer is started from D:\RC, it will look for data files in RapidComposerV3 in thesame directory. If it cannot find it, the usual location will be used inC:\Users\(Username)\Documents\.

Settings

For portable use the locations of the Custom Phrases, Rhythm Patterns, Track Templates can be madeto point to directories on the pen-drive. For this use relative paths, like “.”, “..”, or path namesbeginning with “\”. The reference path (“.”) is the RapidComposerV3 directory.


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System Requirements

Windows

Windows Vista/7/8/10 (32-bit or 64-bit) with at least 1GB RAMIntel/AMD processor (1.4 GHz minimum)ASIO driver is recommended for low-latency audioVST host required if using RapidComposer as a VST plug-in

macOS

macOS 10.7-10.13 (latest update)Intel Core Duo1GB RAMVST host required if using RapidComposer as a VST plug-in


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RapidComposer Suggested Uses

RapidComposer is capable of doing a lot of interesting, powerful things, but here are just a fewsuggestions for how the program may be useful to you:

allowing you to make great-sounding music with no prior musical experience at allhelping you to better understand harmonic relationships in music, and finding chords that fittogether, musicallylearning “piano-style” patterns, if you’ve never touched a piano and would like to learn how towrite songs or accompany yourself on piano while you singin VST plugin mode, using some of the pre-made jazz-style chord progressions, synched withdrum loops in your favorite DAW software to use for solo practice, in various keys (for leadguitarists and pianists)using the Idea Tool (full version only) to quickly generate chord progressions (random key, oruser-specified) to help you come up with other parts for your songs, if you’re stuck and onlyhave one part.using the Melody Generator (full version only) to come up with melodies (for lead parts, vocalmelodies, countermelodies underneath vocals, and much more!)using the Melody Generator in VST mode (inside your favorite DAW), to hear how random, in-key melodies might sound over your half-finished audio tracks (perfectly in sync). You cangenerate a new/random melody idea over and over again, in any scale, any key, over anychord! Especially useful for singer/songwriters who have no problem coming up with chords andlyrics, but can’t seem to come up with melodies for their lyrics.for making ambient/soundtrack-ish music. Use some of the pre-made “ambient” chordprogressions from the Chord Progression Browser, and get ideas going fast!layer various melodic phrases together (on different tracks, with different instruments if youlike) to create dense, polyrhythmic harmonic textures that otherwise would take a lot of time(and musical theory knowledge) to complete, in any other program!


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The Basics

Basic Concept & Functionality

RapidComposer is used to produce compositions quickly using MIDI phrases. It is not meant to, andcannot mix, or master music. Once a composition have been finished, it can be exported as a MIDI,WAV, or AIFF file. These files can then be imported into a DAW for mixing and mastering. RC can alsobe used as a VST plugin inside your favorite DAW, for synching up audio and virtual instrument tracks(and vocals) with your RapidComposer compositions. Additionally, you can drag-n-drop entireCompositions or separate tracks to your DAW as MIDI files.

Before you start using RC, it is important to understand exactly what a Composition consists of. AComposition is a collection of one or more Tracks, each which contains an Instrument (SoundFont,VSTi, or MIDI) controlled by a Phrase or Phrase Generator. Tracks are common to the wholecomposition, and, like DAWs, combine to produce a musical arrangement with harmony and melody.

The basic unit of composition is a Phrase, which is a sequence of notes and/or chords (i.e. notes inparallel). Most commonly, phrases are created and extensively manipulated by using a Generator.There are many phrase generators in RC, more in the “Phrase Generators” chapter.

You can also create a phrase manually (in Note Editing Mode or in the Phrase Editor, by entering withmouse or recording from a MIDI keyboard). Furthermore, you are able to save custom phrases withRC. Generators and the Phrase Browser are covered in detail in other chapters. Commonly, you willstart with a Generator and tweak it, as this is the fastest way to get ideas going in RC.

There are two types of tracks utilized in RapidComposer:

Standard Tracks (MIDI) – Contain notes/chords/phrases for a particular Instrument. Thesetrack types are the bread and butter of RapidComposer.Audio Tracks – Audio track implementation is very basic with limited functionality (no pitch-detection or timestretch/tempo-matching). 16-bit/44.1 or 48 WAV and AIFF import only. Usefulfor sound effect placement, perfectly-chopped drum loops with a known, solid tempo, or fornon-harmonic sounds.

Phrases Explained

As mentioned previously, Phrases are the bread-and-butter of RapidComposer. RC uses MIDI phrasesintelligently, as no notes are “absolute” unless you want them to be. Since notes in phrases are not“absolute”, you can move phrases up and down after placing them in a Composition and they willautomatically (and quickly) be re-shaped by inverting the notes, all the while staying in key, andkeeping the same notes of whatever chord you chose!

Common practice with efficient piano playing requires the player to be able to easily “invert” chordsas needed, which, in the simplest of terms, means re-ordering the notes of the chord, to movebetween chords easily, without moving your hands much (the fingers do most of the moving). This isalso called “voice leading.”

In “root position”, a C major chord consists of the following notes on a piano (in order from lowestto highest): C E G. The scale notes in that order are named “root, 3rd, 5th.”



In “1st inversion”, a C major chord consists of the following notes (lowest to highest): E G C Tthe“3rd” of the chord is now the lowest note… also known as “3rd in the bass.”

in “2nd inversion”, a C major chord consists of the following notes (lowest to highest): G C E The“5th” of the chord is now the lowest note… also known as “5th in the bass.”

Each of these voicings has a certain type of sound. You can easily move between inversions by left-clicking & dragging a phrase up or down. This is how the voicings look inside a Composition, using thedefault Chord Generator (quarter notes):

ROOT POSITION C major— C E G (low to high)

1st INVERSION C major— E G C (low to high)

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2nd INVERSION C major— G C E (low to high)

Let’s say you have a C chord followed by an F chord in your Composition. The following screenshotshows a Chord Generator in “root position” (over the C bar), and an identical Chord Generator in “2ndinversion” (over the F bar). Notice how the lowest note (C) stays where it is, when “voice-leading” tothe F chord. RapidComposer does this automatically, and intelligently, as this is what theprogram was designed to do!

C (root position), then F (2nd inversion)

New Composition Settings

Now that you understand how phrases work in RC (inversions/moving but keeping the same notes),let’s learn more about composing in RC, and become more familiar with how Compositions arestructured in RC (using the Structure Inspector).

Let’s start a new Composition. The easiest way is to click this icon and choose “NewComposition” from the menu.

Then, you should open the Structure Inspector .

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Once you do that, this Structure Inspector window will appear:

If you then right-click, you’ll see this second Inspector window

thatappears directly to the right of the main Structure Inspector window. Here, you can set yourComposition name, tempo, key/scale, and time signature, as well as chord display (notes or romannumeral notation) and chord rules used for chord suggestions.

You can also click the “C Major 120 BPM 4/X” text items that appear at Bar 1, Beat 1, to set yourtempo, key/scale, and time sig:

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Pick any tempo you like, and set your key/scale. We can always change these settings later.

Structure Inspector

The Structure Inspector is yet another “rapid” part of RapidComposer. You can use it to build Parts ofyour Composition, and copy/paste new ones, and rearrange them on the fly. Each Part can have itsown key, tempo and time-signature that all override the global Composition settings. On the previouspage, we changed some settings in the Structure Inspector window (we picked a key, a tempo, and atime signature). Now let’s go over how RC Compositions are structured, within this very important(and powerful) window.

When you first start RC, you see your “entire” Composition. Within this Composition are “Parts”, andwithin those “Parts” are “Lines.” When you start a new Composition, you only see one part, and oneline, like this:

The key, tempo and signature is displayed for each part or line that changes it! Important: key,tempo and signature are inherited by parts from the composition, and lines inherit thesefrom the parts, so lower levels in the hierarchy inherit higher level settings. However theycan also override them!

When you click on a Part or Line a few buttons appear that allows you to add/duplicate/delete a part

or line:

Once you’re a little more familiar with RC, you might come up with a Structure that looks like this…

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You can easily add new Parts (and rename them to something logical such as “Verse” or “Chorus” or“Pre-Chorus 1” or “Chorus 2” if you want) and you can add new Lines to those Parts (Lines areautomatically named Line1, Line2, and are tied to each Part they are made from). You can edit onePart at a time, by double-clicking its name in the Structure Inspector. Right-clicking opens the MasterTrack Inspector where you can set up the scale, tempo and signature for the selected line or part.Remember, these properties are inherited from higher levels if you don't override them. If you createda line you can change its length by adding bars and beats in the Timeline Inspector. You can alsodelete a few bars to make it shorter by making a selection on the timeline and pressing Delete.

Let’s take the screenshot above. The 28-bar Composition has five separate Parts. Notice also howthere are a total of seven Lines beneath these five Parts. If you’re still confused, please see our Part 7Tutorial video “Structure Inspector” at http://musicdevelopments.com/videos.html.

More about Parts/Lines: Say you have a Part with a Line that’s four measures long. If you addanother Line to that Part, that Part is now a total of eight measures long (Line 1 is the first half of thatPart, and Line 2 is the second half of that Part. Both Lines can be different bar lengths & havedifferent chord progressions, if you want!). Seems complicated at first, but the more you use it, theeasier it gets.

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Working With The Master Track

Scale / Tempo / Time Signature are always displayed on the Master Track (added inversion 2.7). Left-click the scale and key (in this case, “C Major”, which highlights blue when youhover the mouse over it) to bring up the window below. You can easily pick a root, and common scaleset.

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Tempo Left-click the tempo (in this case, “120 BPM”, which highlights blue when you hover themouse over it) to bring up the window below. You can easily pick a new tempo (increments of 5 BPM,or a custom tempo). You can also tap-tempo after you click “Other”.

Time Signature Left-click the time signature (in this case, “4/X”, which highlights blue when youhover the mouse over it) to bring up the window below. You can easily pick a new time signature. Forexample, clicking “3” would insert a new Time Signature of 3/4 in your Composition.

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Want to insert multiple Key Changes, Tempos, and Time Signatures in your Composition? You easilycan, at any measure you want. If you right-click on that part of the timeline, elsewhere in thetimeline, you can easily change these properties later in your Composition, multiple times if you’d like(and you can change just the Tempo, or all three Composition properties if you like, anywhere youwant!)

The Browsers

The eight icons in the top left of the main RC interface are the Browsers or Browser Windows. Thethree you will use most will likely be the Phrases, Variations and Progressions, and the othersyou may not use as frequently are Scales, Chords, Instruments, Rhythm, and Tracks. TheBrowsers are part of why RapidComposer is indeed, so rapid.

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For example, you can open up the Progressions Browser and drag in absolute chords (in specifickeys) or a “Roman Numeral”-style progression (in your favorite key) to the Timeline in yourComposition, and instantly create a song arrangement. After dragging in a progression, you’ll thenneed some phrases to play over your chord progression. You can drag in a Generator or specificphrase of your choice from the Phrase Browser (or, even faster, select a phrase you want from thePhrase Browser, then if your desired track is selected (it should be, if you only have one track in yourComposition), just hit the letter F, which is a keyboard shortcut for Fill Track With Selected Generator).This takes no more than 10 seconds to do. Hit the spacebar and voila… you’re now listening to arapidly-composed piece of MIDI music.

The Variations Browser gives you exactly that: a bunch of variations for phrases. Any phrase youselect can be tweaked with anything in the Variations Browser. For instance, you might choose toapply some swing to a phrase, giving it a shuffle-feel, or you might want to mirror the phrasehorizontally, or humanize the phrase. These things and more can be found in the Variations Browser.

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This Browser is especially useful when combined with the Idea Tool (see Idea Tool section).

The Scales and Chord Browsers are not used often, you can add new scales and chords here, orremove some from the library. The browsers are not used for scale or chord selection duringcomposing, it is much faster and easier to use the Quick Suggestions window, or Chord Selector.Clicking on a scale on the master track lets you change the root note, or replace the scale from thepop-up window, so it is not necessary to open these browsers. In the browsers you can audition thesounds of scales and chords you might not be familiar with. Scales Browser previews all types ofscales from lowest note to highest note, and back down. Chords Browser plays a chord type or“color” (such as minor 7th or sus2) so you can hear how it sounds, and if you like it, you can drag thattype to a chord already in the Composition (doing so will change the chord type, but retain its root,although this is not the recommended practice).

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The Rhythm Browser shows all the custom Rhythms you have created or added to RC, which can beapplied to any Phrase or Generator.

The Instruments Browser shows all of the Soundfonts you added for use with RC (as well as theirpresets), and all of the VST instruments you added (along with their presets).

The Track Templates Browser shows all the custom Track Templates you made, such as aSoundfont's specific settings, with any Variations you applied beforehand.

Working With Phrases / Composing / Chords

So we’re now familiar with the basic functions of RapidComposer. Let’s build an arrangement for real.

1. Start a new Composition.

2. Click the Structure Inspector icon and set your Key (Scale), Tempo, and Time Signature. You canalso do this by left-clicking just below Bar 1, Measure 1 in the Composition (“Master Track” - sinceversion 2.7). Remember that any Parts you add to the Composition can have their own Key, Tempo, orTime Signature that all override the global setting. For this example, let’s keep the key of C major,tempo 120, and time signature of 4/4 (default when starting a new Composition).

3. The Composition defaults to the chord progression I - IV - V - I.

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Since we’re still in C major, the chords I - IV - V - I are C - F - G - C, respectively. But from here, youcan change them to any chords you want. Right-click the chord right below the timeline to changewhatever chord you like (Right-clicking brings up the Chord Selector window right after you click).

The Chord Selector window (above) has three “views” (Scale Degrees, List, or Palette). Choosewhichever you like most. Scale Degrees View shows only the “Roman Numeral” chord intervals,which is also commonly known in North America as the “Nashville Number System” or simply, the“Number Chords”. List View and Palette View show the note letters (C, D, E, etc), and PaletteView also shows the chord interval numbers. RC can intelligently combine “absolute” chords with“Roman Numeral” chords (a progression could show as “C, IV, Am, V” in the Composition, forinstance).

You can leave the Chord Selector window open as you change the chords on each bar (the ChordSelector view is a window that stays “always on top”). Simply right-click the chord in the timeline, andchange it to whatever you want by clicking a chord in the Chord Selector. Remember that the

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Composition shows we are editing/working with Part 1, and Line 1 (in the Structure Inspector).

Now…

Let’s assume you already have writer’s block. It’s the perfect time to introduce a helpful feature inRapidComposer– Chord Suggestions!

Chord Suggestions (added in version 2.7)

As we learned in the previous section, right-clicking a chord in the Composition timeline brings up theChord Selector window. As of version 2.7, we can left-click the chord instead, and left-clicking bringsup the brand new Chord Suggestions window (Chord Suggestions depend heavily on the ChordRules you specify - see the EDITORS section of this wiki, on how to use the Chord Rules Editor.

You can use the Chord Suggestions feature on any chord in the Composition, at any time! For thisexample, let’s keep the first chord as Chord I. For the next chord, however, we want to change the IVchord to a vi, instead. Notice how vi is an option for the next chord, when we left-click the IV in theComposition timeline. Notice also how the probability (neon green horizontal bar, underneath thechord degree) is high, for the vi chord, as the next chord in our progression.

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You can also click the right-pointing arrow in the Chord Suggestions window to show (and be able tochange) the additional chords that are suggested. Furthermore, if you click the Randomize icon(rightmost icon at the top of Chord Suggestions window), you can create a randomized progressionthat adheres to the Chord Rule set (and also immediately shows up in the Timeline). This is a powerfultool to find interesting chords very quickly!

Before we go any further, let’s look at the four main functions/icons in the Chord Suggestions window:

Chord Preview (default is on) When you click on a suggested chord, you can hear what it soundslike. Right-clicking offers more options for preview (Chord+Bass, Chord only, force root position, etc)

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MIDI input (default is on) If you have a MIDI device (keyboard) specified in Settings, you can playthe chord and RapidComposer will add it to the Composition on the beat & bar you clicked on. If thechord you play is in the Suggestions section, you will see it highlighted after you input it from yourMIDI keyboard. Right-clicking offers “Add octave number to chord”, so you can get a detailed view ofthe chord you input, on the Composition timeline.

Text input Clicking on this icon allows you to input the chord you want with your computer keyboard.Acceptable formats are the note letter (C for C major), lowercase m for minor, a number for anextended voicing (6, 7, 9, 11, 13), “sus” for suspended chords, etc.

Randomize Clicking on this icon gives you a random chord suggestion, and a random progression,after you click the right-pointing arrows in the Chord Suggestions window, to expand the availablechords. You can right-click the icon for even more further (and uncommon) options for randomization!

All of these suggestions can be completely customized in the Chord Rules Editor (Chapter 3). You canuse the included Chord Rules or create your own!

Included Rules:

Bach Harmonic Minor Scale RulesBach Major Scale RulesDefault Major Scale Rules (default)Default Minor Scale RulesMozart Harmonic Minor Scale RulesMozart Major Scale RulesPop Major Scale RulesPop Minor Scale RulesNew Rule — create your own using your favorite chords, even if they’re out of key!

Judging from the feedback of our customers/users at our forum, this is a very popular new feature inRapidComposer. We definitely find it very helpful, to make your Compositions truly rapid!

Let’s get back to our Composition example… remember, the progression we created so far is I - VIm-V - I. To make something completely different from the default progression, we can change the Vchord (on Bar 3) to a IV chord instead, and then the last chord (I on Bar 4) to a V chord. This is asimple pop progression, that was very popular in the 50s.

4. If you are happy with this progression (I - VIm - IV - V), and want to hear how Phrases sound overthose chords, let’s choose some. You are more than welcome to change the chords even more, ifyou’d like. But just to keep things simple, let’s stick with the progression and add some Phrases.

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For this example, let’s open the Phrase Browser and go to PianoSample01. Click with the right mousebutton to open the preview window:

You can quickly preview the phrase using the chords (you can select any Major, Minor or 7th chord) orif the phrase includes only scale notes only (e.g. a melody phrase) you can expand the previewwindow to show scale steps. The phrase preview window offers instrument selection, adding tags,inserting the phrase at the playback position, editing it, or removing entirely from the phrase browser.

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5. With PianoSample01 still selected in the Phrase Browser, go over to the track and click the greyarea (right underneath the track name). That makes the current track active/selected.

RIGHT-CLICK: If you right-click this area, it brings up the Track Inspector window, where you canchange the Soundfont or VSTi instrument (as well as their respective presets). You can also changethe track/phrase color if you like, and other options. Now hit the letter F on your keyboard, and youwill see that RC filled that track with the PianoSample01 phrase. Hit the spacebar to hear howPianoSample01 sounds over the chord progression you made.

Keep in mind that RC’s default track (Track 1) uses RCPiano (included Soundfont) as its defaultInstrument. If you’d like to change it, you can do so by right-clicking where it says Track 1 (you canchange it to a different Soundfont, or a VSTi of your choice).

If you don’t like the way the Phrases sound, either delete it (hit DEL) and choose another, or insert aGenerator (such as Generic) and right-click the Generator to edit it to your liking, using one of themany Rhythm types (more on this in Chapter 2). If you want to delete all of the Phrases at once anduse another Phrase (or Generator), select them all by left-clicking and dragging (doing so will highlightall phrases in that track) and then hit DEL.

6. If you’re happy with PianoSample01 (let’s assume you are, for this example), let’s now change thechord progression to a I - V - VIm - IV progression. Then, let’s add another Track to our Composition.Hit the letter A to quickly add another Track, and then right-click the Track’s grey area The TrackInspector window will open). For this example, we will choose the RCBass Soundfont.

7. Go into the Phrase Browser, and select Bass Generator. Then actively select our new track, then hit

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the letter F on your keyboard (You can also hit the letter B on your keyboard). RC will fill that trackwith the default Bass Generator, and every time the bar or chord changes, the Bass Generator will ofcourse follow it and match perfectly.

8. Let’s add another track. Hit the letter A. You’ll see a track right below the Bass Generator track.Let’s leave the instrument as is (default: RCPiano Soundfont), as we will now make this a Melody track(using the Melody Generator - not available in LE version). Go into the Phrase Browser and select theMelody Generator. Select this new (third) track, and hit the letter F. You will see the Melody Generatorfilled the four measures with a random melody generator on each bar.

9. You may or may not like what was generated. You can easily edit the Melody Generator (or anyPhrase Generator) by right-clicking the Phrase, and tweaking it using the many parameters in thePhrase Inspector. Please see Chapter 2 and also see our Part 9 Tutorials on “Generators” athttp://musicdevelopments.com/videos.html for more details on how to edit (“tweak”) Generators.

In the interest of saving time following this tutorial, let’s assume you are ok with these randomlygenerated melodies. Let’s now build more sections of our Composition.

10. Go back into the Structure Inspector.

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11. Click Part 1 (where we have been working) and you’ll see two “plus sign” icons pop up. Click thebottom plus sign to add a part AFTER Part 1 (most common) or click the top one to add another PartBEFORE Part 1. In this example, we clicked the bottom plus sign and you can see that theComposition has expanded to 8 bars total, and notice how this new Part has kept the same chords inthe same place (and has been conveniently named “Part 2”), but RC left the workspace open for newPhrases to be inserted.

You may have also noticed the “x2” button next to the plus sign buttons. x2 is a new function thatallows you to duplicate the current Part right after it, but x2 does something special– it retains all theChords and Phrases from the duplicated Part, thus saving you even more time!

Again, for this example, we used the bottom plus sign, so it added four new measures, keeping thesame chords as the previous part, but leaving the workspace open to add different Phrases.

From here, you can change the chords if you’d like, or put some new Phrases in. Notice how easy it isto create new parts and build a Composition filled with Phrases. Again, this is how RapidComposerdoes its thing. We assume you now have the basics of how Compositions work in RC, and how you canadd new Parts and Lines with the Structure Inspector. Again, we recommend watching our Tutorialvideos, especially Part 7 (“Structure Inspector”) and Part 8, entitled “Building A Composition Part ByPart” at http://musicdevelopments.com/videos.html for more details.


Permanent link:http://www.musicdevelopments.com/wiki/doku.php?id=en:overview:basics

Last update: 2018/12/04 14:30

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Phrase Generators

Generators are fully customizable MIDI phrases, which can be variations of chord accompaniment(basic rock/pop piano), arpeggios (arpeggiator, fingerpicking, piano-style, or string-ensemble-style), orlegato/monophonic (melodies, or basslines). In many of our Tutorial videos, we threw someGenerators into our Composition, to get some quick ideas going with phrases and patterns.

Clicking the magic wand icon in the Phrase Inspector enlarges the window and shows all theparameters for the currently used phrase generator. All Generators have Rhythm Generator andRhythm Processing options at the top.

The following phrase generators are included:

Arpeggiator: creates arpeggios from many types of patternsBass Generator: melody in a lower octave, resembling a bass guitar performanceChord Generator: simple rhythms: quarter notes, half notes, whole notes, etc.Dyads Run Generator: generates a MIDI run, commonly a “thirds run”Fingerpicking Generator: guitar-style patterns/arpeggiosGeneric Generator: piano-like patterns that can be easily manipulated rhythmically, based ona series of variablesMarkov Melody Generator: experimental, generates melodies where the next note dependson previous notes. Not available in LE versionMelody Generator: generates melodies that intelligently fit over any chord or key. Notavailable in LE versionModern Chord Pattern Generator: creates chord patterns used in EDM genre.Ostinato Generator: generates ostinato patternsPercussion Generator: generates percussion patterns using multiple percussion instrumentsPhrase Container: arranges phrases using the selected order in the trackPhrase Morpher: intelligently connects 2 phrases or phrase generators by analysing them andgenerating the missing notes between the two phrases. Not available in LE versionPiano Chord Pattern Generator: creates a pattern for the left and right handPiano Run Generator: rhythmically rich arpeggios running up and down chordsRandom Melody Generator: a simple but effective way of making surprisingly good melodies.Not available in LE versionRest: Use only in the Idea Tool to inserts rests in the compositionRhythm Mapper: maps a different rhythm pattern to a phrase (available only in the 'ConvertPhrase To Generator' menu!)Strings Staccato Generator: creates beautiful staccato patterns, perfect for orchestral andstring quartet arrangementsStrum Pattern Generator: creates realistic guitar strum patterns with lots of options

Arpeggiator

Create simple or complex arpeggiated phrases with the Arpeggiator. As most other generators, thearpeggiator uses the rhythm generator which lets you create rhythmically complex, interesting



arpeggiated phrases.

Arpeggiator Settings

Shape: there are lots of options for how the notes follow each other.Key Range: describes the number of chord notes to be usedRetrigger: the arpeggiated pattern will be restarted at the 'retrigger' duration (quarter notes).0 means the pattern never restarts.Fill Between Notes: it is an interesting effect when you fill the space between arpeggiatednotes with notesVelocity For Filled Notes: velocity used for the added 'filler' notes

Bass Generator

The bass generator is a simple way of creating bass phrases. The specialty of this phrase generatorthat it can connect to the first note of the next phrase (it looks ahead).



Bass Generator Settings

Note Usage: There are many settings inside this drop-down, besides the default “Use OnlyBass Notes”. Some of the other useful ones are “Use Bass Note+Fifth” or “Use BassNote+Fifth+Octave”. Experiment!Global Movement: Phrase shape. Available settings are Up (default), Down, Up-Down, Down-Up, Random, and Select Randomly.Note Movement: Specify how successive notes relate to each other. Available settings areNone (default), Alternating, Select Randomly.Connection To Next Phrase: Available settings are None (default), One-Note, or Two-Note,Select Randomly.Connection Movement: Available settings are Converge (default), Approach From OppositeDirection, Mixed/Random, Select Randomly.Transpose (Octaves): Available settings are None, -1, -2 (default), -3, -4 Octaves.

We encourage you to experiment with the other Rhythm types for the Bass Generator. The BassRhythm is very useful, indeed, but you might want something different from your Bass Generatorphrases. Notice how (after selecting the other Rhythm types) that all of the parameters might besimilar, with slight changes to accommodate the legato and/or monophonic performance and playingstyle of bass instruments.



Chord Generator

The simplest phrase generator that fills all rhythm events with chord notes. Optionally you can addbass notes to the phrase a few octaves below the root note.

Chord Generator Settings

Add Bass Note: add bass note using octave transposition. Values: -1, -2, -3, -4 Octaves

Dyads Run

This generates a MIDI run, specifically by interval, commonly a “thirds run”, similar to the bridge of“Let It Be”, but could also be any interval, with polyphony option.



Dyads Run Settings

Motion: specify up or down motionInterval: specify interval for the 2 notes. Possible values: Third (default), Fourth, Fifth, Sixth,Seventh, OctavePolyphony: when required, the polyphony can be increased by inserting notes in octavedistance from the original notes

Fingerpicking Generator

Most Generators have a rhythm Generator option at the top. The Fingerpicking Generator is one thatdoesn’t. The rhythm comes from the 'Speed' setting, which can be 1 or 2 events per quarter note.



Fingerpicking Generator Settings:

Speed: Available settings are Fast (default), Slow, or Travis Picking. Depending on how theseare set, you’ll see the notes below change to be more “busy” or more “simple.”Strings To Use: Lots of settings here. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Default is “Bottom 4Strings.”Add Pinch: Adding a pinch means plucking down another note at the same time you pluckdown the bass note. When enabled, another note is allowed to play besides the bass note.Available settings are None (default), Once, Sometimes, and Always.Sustain Notes: Note lengths increased so that notes last until the next note. Default setting isenabled, where the MIDI notes resemble fingerpicking an acoustic guitar.

Generic Generator

The Generic Generator lets you specify the proportion of chord/scale notes, the proportion of full



polyphony/partial polyphony/monophonic notes, and note repetition options.

Generic Generator Settings

Chord/Scale Notes: 100% Chord Notes only use the notes from the chord in your Phrase, andother settings mix scale notes in.Repeat Last: How often you’ll hear repeated notes back-to-back in your Phrase.Repeat Second Last: How often you’ll hear notes repeat, though not back-to-back.Full Polyphony/Monophony: Sets the percentage of notes that are played as full polyphony(all chord notes played together) or as a single monophonic note.Allowed Partial Polyphony: Sets the amount of notes that can be played together whenneither monophony nor full polyphony is used (2,3 or 4).Note Selection Hints: Available “Include” settings are Bass Note, Chord Highest Note, NoteBelow Chord Highest, Note Above Chord Highest

Markov Melody Generator

This phrase generator must be enabled among the Settings / Miscellaneous / Experimental Featuresbefore first use. It is only for expert users because there are MANY settings that you should set up.Markov Melody is a monophonic phrase generator where each note depends on the previous two



notes. You set weights (probabilities) with the sliders for all the scenarios that may happen. In the“Next Note” menu you can select from possible scale step offset for the next note compared to thelast or second last note (depending on the scenario).

Markov Melody Generator Settings

Higher Than Both, Between, Lower Than Both, etc (possible scenarios for the next note):weight for this scenarioNext Note: scale step offset for the next note compared to the last or second last note(depending on the scenario)



Melody Generator

The Melody Generator is based on 'steps and leaps' and we at MusicDevelopments feel it is a greatand incredibly useful addition to the full version of the program.

There are lots and lots of parameters to choose from and tweak, and you can get very usable results,in a very short amount of time!

Melody Generator Settings

Mode: Available settings are “Downbeat is always a chord note” (default), “Scale notes only(independent of harmony)”, “Downbeat and on-beat (1st & 3rd beat) is always a chord note”,“Chord notes only” and “Scale notes and chord notes”. Depending on how these are set, you’llhear more “chordal” melodies, or more “scalar” melodies.Options: Allowed up and down motion, and some other settings are here.

Penultimate note is a step above tonic: when set, the algorithm attempts to place



the note before the last note to be a scale step about the chord root noteAllowed up/down motion: check which intervals are allowed for steps and leaps fromone note to the otherConvert notes to 'chord note+scale steps' form: by default the Melody Generatorcreates scale-relative notes, but you can convert them to chord-relativeAllow 2nd to be a melody note: you can allow the 2nd to be a melody note even whenusing chord notes only. The 2nd very often participates in melodies.Allow 7th to be a melody note: you can allow the 7th to be a melody note even whenusing chord notes only.Don’t be afraid to experiment! Default settings are “Penultimate note is a step abovetonic (also depends on the chord!)”, and nearly all “Allowed Up Motion” and “AllowedDown Motion” scale intervals are checked (except Octave motion).

First Note: Available settings are “Random chord note” (default), “Chord root note”, “Randomscale note in note range”, and various absolute notes.Last Note: Available settings are “Random chord note” (default), “Chord root note”, “Randomscale note in note range”, and various absolute notes.Climax: There are many settings here. The default Climax setting is “First Note plus Major 3rd”.You can also choose “No Climax”, or various scale interval movements. Experiment!After Leap: This is the behavior that Melody Generator uses after notes “leap” (such as go upor down equal to or greater than a minor 3rd). The default setting is “Any step or leap (allow 2leaps in the same direction)”. You can also choose “Step in the opposite direction”, “Step in anydirection”, “Step or smaller leap in opposite direction”, or “Leap in opposite direction”.Steps & Leaps: Move to the right to have your melody movement be more “scalar” or step-wise, and move to the left to add more leaps to the melody.Note Repetition: Move to the right to increase the number of consecutive repeated notes inthe melody.Note Range: Default range is G2 to F4 (common tenor range).Random Movement: Specify the probability of an 'expected' movement. When set to 100%:7th will move up to the root, and 4th will move down to the third (and other rules). Please notethat sometimes the 'expected' movement is not possible when other conditions do not allow it.

Tips

Set the Movement slider all the way to the right (100% expected), and increase the NoteRepetition slider for more “melodic” results.

Set the Steps slider for a majority of steps (with fewer % leaps) for additional “melodic”results.

Set the Climax to “No Climax” for melodies that don’t reach a “peak.” (a lot of melodiesdon’t… they hang around in one place, unless the melody is deliberately trying to drawattention to itself (then, a climax is recommended).

To save pages and your time, we encourage you to experiment with the other Rhythm types for theMelody Generator. The Probabilistic Rhythm is one of the most useful rhythm types for melodies(we’ve done extensive tests to see which rhythm type should be the default, and the ProbabilisticRhythm always produced the most useful results, and quickly. Though ALL of the Rhythm types willgenerate something useful. Notice how (after selecting the other Rhythm types) that all of theparameters might be similar, with slight changes to accommodate the legato and/or monophonic



performance of melody.

Modern Chord Pattern Generator

Create EDM chords with this phrase generator! For best results use 'Modern Rhythm' or 'ModernRandom Rhythm' as the rhythm generator or you may edit the rhythm manually.



Modern Chord Pattern Generator Settings

Chord Placement: choose which rhythm notes represents the chord notes. 'Auto' will place achord to each 8th note, 'All' means that all rhythm notes are chords



Chord Notes: specify which chord notes to use for the full chord. Available settings: Root, 3rd,5th, 7th, 9th, Root-1 Octave, 3rd-1 Octave, 5th-1 Octave, 7th-1 Octave, 9th-1 OctaveChord Polyphony: Decide to use one chord note at a time, or all chords notesChord Note Length: the length of chords notes. Available settings: As In Rhythm, Until NextChord, Until Next Chord-16th Note, 16th NoteBass Placement: choose which rhythm notes represents the bass notes. 'Auto' will place abass note to each 16th note, 'All' means that bass notes are placed to all rhythm notesBass Note: Select which note to use as bass. Available settings: Random, Chord Root, 3rd, 5thBass Note Octave: Bass note transpositionBass Note Length: the length of bass notes. Available settings: As In Rhythm, Until Next Bass,Until Next Bass-16th Note, 16th Note

Ostinato Generator

An ostinato is a recurring rhythmic or melodic pattern often found in both classical compositions andpopular songs. Ostinato plays an important part in improvised music (rock and jazz), in which it isoften referred to as a riff or a vamp. The Ostinato Generator does not use an external rhythm pattern.



Ostinato Generator Settings

Pattern: choose from many pattern presetsDivision: used for making the rhythm, notes will start at 'division' positions. Available settings:1/8, 1/8T, 1/16, 1/16T, 1/32, 1/32T, 1/64Note Length: the note length for all notes (equal length). Available settings: Same as Division,1/8, 1/8T, 1/16, 1/16T, 1/32, 1/32T, 1/64Repeat Notes: it is possible to repeat notes maximum 4 timesPattern Length (Retrigger): pattern length in quarter notes. The pattern is retriggered whenthis length is reached.Insert Chord Root Note Every: insert chord root note one octave below every Nth event (notquarter note)Changed Note Count: the number of notes that are changed randomly in 'pattern length'duration. Downbeats and the first 3 notes are never changed.



Possible Intervals: specify allowed up and down motion intervals, in scale steps. Availablesettings: +1 to +7, -1 to -7 scale steps

Percussion Generator

Create percussion patterns using multiple percussion instruments. Set the drum map first, use apercussion soundfont/VSTi instrument. You can re-generate one percussion, or all (unlocked)percussion instruments. Clicking on the pencil icon will open the rhythm generator options, where youcan adjust the rhythm, or set up the rhythm manually.

Phrase Container

The Phrase Container lays out phrases in a certain order. Typically you add the phrases to be used inthe list, of which the Phrase Container will select the specified number of phrases, that it will lay downusing the specified arrangement.

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Phrase Container Settings

Number Of Phrases: number of phrases to select randomly from the listArrangement: order of phrases. The available settings depend on 'number of phrases'.Possible Phrases: add the phrases that you want to include in the container. When there aremore phrases than the 'number of phrases' setting, the necessary number of phrases arerandomly selected from the list

Phrase Morpher

Phrase Morphing means that when you place a 'source' and 'target' phrase in the composition, thephrases between the two will be composed automatically by RapidComposer so that there is a smoothtransition from the source phrase to the target phrase. There are several options to control this



transition. Usually there are many possible transitions, if you don't like the one offered by theprogram, pressing 'Regenerate' will create a different transition.

Phrase Morpher Settings

Quantization: Horizontal note movement control. Specify if you allow notes moving in timeand if so how they are quantized. Notes moving in time will change the rhythm, so if that is notwhat you want it is best to disable this option. Available settings: Disable Note Movement InTime, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, 1/128Vertical Movement: Vertical note movement control. Specify if you allow notes movingvertically (becoming higher or lower notes) and if so how they are handled. Moving notes can besnapped to scale notes or semitones. Available settings: Disable Vertical Note Movement, SnapTo Semitones, Snap To ScalePair Note Additions And Removals: When checked adding a target note and removing asource note will happen at the same time as far as other conditions allow. This results asmoother transition.Handle Chord Notes Together: When checked chord notes with no offset will beadded/removed together.Apply Automatic Transposition: Specify if transposition is applied to the generated phrases.When checked the highest note of the source phrase will approximate the highest note of thetarget phrase. This setting is ignored when guitar chords are used.

TipRead the phrase morphing tutorial!



Piano Chord Pattern Generator

The Piano Chord Pattern Generator makes separate patterns for the left and right hands. The lefthand (bass) patterns are taken from presets which have their own rhythm. The right hand uses therhythm generator output, and applies chord patterns on the rhythm.



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Piano Run Generator

The Piano Run Generator offers a variable-note-length run through different octaves, in anydirection, to easily add intensity or energy to a Composition. If you’re into minimalist piano composerssuch as Philip Glass or even Moby, you’ll love this Generator!

Piano Run Generator Settings

Technique: the “style” of the run. Available settings: Straddle, Straddle Without Middle Note,2-1 Breakup, 3-1 Breakup, Waterfall, Waterfall Using InversionsMotion: Upwards, Downward, Up-Down, Down-Up, Up-Down-Up-Down, Down-Up-Down-UpUp Motion Range: the number of events (not quarter notes or semitones!) when moving up.Down Motion Range: the number of events (not quarter notes or semitones!) when movingdown.Division: used for making the rhythm, notes will start at 'division' positions. Available settings:1/8, 1/8T, 1/16, 1/16T, 1/32, 1/32T, 1/64Note Length: the note length for all notes (equal length). Available settings: Same as Division,1/8, 1/4, 1/2



Random Melody Generator

This is a much simpler melody generator than 'Melody Generator' with less options. But still, it canmake very good melodies.

Random Melody Generator Settings

Options:Wide Melody (Bigger Steps): allow bigger jumps for notes.Last Note Is I: the last note becomes the root note of tonicForce Chord Note For Notes Longer Than 2/4: longer notes will be chord notes whenthis option is checked

Harmony Note Probability: higher probability means more chord notes will be used in themelodyNote Range: melody notes will be generated in the note range. Default: G2-F4Note Repetition Probability: higher probability means more notes repeated.

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Rest

This is an empty phrase used only in the Phrase Container and Idea Tool to add rest between phrases.

Rhythm Mapper

You can convert any phrase to a 'Rhythm Mapper' which lets you use a different rhythm pattern forthe phrase. This is available only in the 'Convert Phrase To Generator' menu in the Phrase Inspector.

Direct 1:1 Mapping

The rhythm events are mapped to phrase events. It is not the rhythm length that counts but thenumber of events in the rhythm. First the algorithm locates 'events' in the original phrase. An eventhas a position and a length. Events are when note(s) begin and last until the next note/event. Multiplenotes (e.g. a chord) may belong to a single event. Also all rhythm notes are considered as an 'event'.Then the rhythm events are applied to the phrase, by shortening phrase notes if needed. Please note:a faster rhythm may change the phrase length. E.g. when you have 4 quarter notes, and you apply arhythm consisting of eighth notes, the phrase becomes half the length. So the phrase length maychange when using “Direct 1:1 Mapping”.

Preserve Phrase Shape

This functionality is the same as the Apply Rhythm variation. The phrase length does not change.

Strings Staccato Generator

The Staccato Strings Generator is obviously best utilized with a Staccato Strings soundfont or VSTi.This Generator is absolutely perfect to create classical runs/arpeggios, that stay true to stringensemble arrangements, and the intervals they often use. The algorithm was painstakingly createdthrough extensive study of classical compositions by Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach.

If you love classical music and the beauty of staccato string arpeggios, this Generator might be the



missing puzzle piece for your ideas.

Strings Staccato Generator Settings

Polyphony: How “thin” the Phrase can be (Polyphony 3), or how “full” (Polyphony 8 or 9). Putsimply: Polyphony 3 means 3 performers playing complimentary arpeggios, and Polyphony 9 or10 means more than 3 performers playing complimentary arpeggios in different octaves.Density: Default setting is Low+Medium+High. Other available settings are Low, Low+Medium,Medium, Medium+High, and High.

Strum Pattern Generator

Create interesting and realistic guitar strum patterns with this generator! Use the 'Steel Guitar' presetfrom the included 'GeneralUser GS-RC' soundfont, or similar virtual instrument.



Working with phrase generators

Let’s get to know Generators in detail. First, open up the Phrase Browser:

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As you can see, there are several Generator types. Each phrase generator makes its own uniquepatterns, for different purposes you need to use different phrase generators. You can learn moreabout them in the next Section (Generator Parameters). In earlier chapters, we mentioned whichGenerators are more commonly used, and which ones are used less frequently. In case you forgot,here are the most common Generator types, according to our customers/users:

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Bass, Chord, Fingerpicking, Generic, and Melody Generators. Let’s start a New Composition,and create a chord progression. Right-click the first chord on each bar (in the Chord Selector window,choose “Scale Degrees” instead of “List”, to work with the chords by Roman Numerals.). Now, createthe common chord progression I - V - VIm - IV.

Now, let’s create several new tracks in our Composition, by pressing the + key on your keyboardthree times (first click on a track to make it the keyboard focus). This should create 4 tracks total.

Now let’s set the instrument for each track that we’re going to put a Generator on. In these examples,we will be using the included Soundfonts that come with RapidComposer. To customize theInstrument for each track, you’ll need to pull up the Track Inspector. In case you forgot, we canaccess the Track Inspector by right-clicking the Track Header (where the name of each Track is).

Leave track 1’s Instrument as default (it defaults to the RCPiano soundfont). Set track 2’s Instrument

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to the “GeneralUser GS-RC” soundfont, Acoustic Bass preset (this will be our Bass track, of course)Set track 3’s Instrument to the “GeneralUser GS-RC” soundfont, Nylon Guitar preset (we will beputting a Fingerpicking Generator on this track). Set track 4’s Instrument to the “GeneralUser GS-RC”soundfont, Clarinet or any other lead preset (this will be our Melody Generator track). If you are usingthe LE version, you can skip adding a 4th track, as Melody Generator is only available in the Fullversion.

Your Composition should now have each track set to a different soundfont presets.

Now insert some chords…. for this example, our progression is I - V - VIm - IV (C - G - Am - F) and weleft our Composition / Master Track settings default (key of C, 120BPM, 4/4 time).

Left-click the Track Header for Track 1, so Track 1 is the active/selected track. Hit Q on your computerkeyboard, and Track 1 will fill with the default Generic Generator.

Left-click the Track Header for Track 2, so Track 2 is the active/selected track. Hit B on your computerkeyboard, and Track 2 will fill with the default Bass Generator.

Left-click the Track Header for Track 3, so Track 3 is the active/selected track. Hit N on your computerkeyboard, and Track 3 will fill with the default Fingerpicking Generator.

Left-click the Track Header for Track 4, so Track 4 is the active/selected track. Hit M on your computerkeyboard, and Track 4 will fill with the default Melody Generator (not available in LE version).

Your Composition should now look like this:

We’re going to “tweak” one Generator at a time in this chapter. Let’s first work with the GenericGenerator on Track 1. To pull up the Phrase Inspector window, right-click one of the Phrases (forexample, the Phrase in Bar 1, which plays through the I chord).

You’ll see this Phrase Inspector window (at right). There are 5 icons at the top of the window. Click the3rd one, which looks like a magic wand. This is where you will make the common changes to yourGenerators.

NOTE: For these examples, we won’t change much, but the next Section of this Chapter (GeneratorParameters) shows the many, many ways Generators can be “tweaked” to achieve your desired

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result.

After you click the magic wand icon, you’ll see that the Phrase Inspector window enlarges and showslots of cool parameters for the Generic Generator we placed on Track 1. Let’s hit the main PLAYbutton to hear how the Phrase sounds, with the rest of the tracks. Sounds alright, but we might wantto tweak the Generic Generator by “randomizing” it (in RC, this is called “Generate+Apply” and thereis also a keyboard shortcut for it, which is the letter G (after a Generator is selected).

With the Phrase highlighted and the Phrase Inspector window open, we can hit the letter G to create anew randomization of the Generator. Another easy and fast way to do this is as follows: Hit the right-facing arrow next to the Generator name. Whichever way you choose, you’ll see the 1/1 changed to2/2.

This is called Phrase Local History. What it allows you to do is save and recall previous states ofphrase generation (most commonly used with Generators). For example: “4th of 4”, or “6th of 6” nearthe Generator names. These indicate that we’ve generated/applied three additional Generators in onegenerator, or five additional Generators (using different parameters) in another. These can be recalledand changed at any time, by clicking the left or right arrows on each phrase!

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Let’s go back to our Composition. Press PLAY again and listen to all four bars. Sounds pretty good, butmaybe the Melody Generator in Bar 1 isn’t complimenting the Composition the way we’d hoped. Let’swork with Phrase Local History some more, but before we do, let’s tweak some of the MelodyGenerator parameters, in the Phrase that is located on the 1st bar.

1. Change the “Division” parameters to 1/4.

2. Change the “Mode” to Scale Notes+Chord Notes., instead of Downbeat is always a Chord Note.

3. Now, click the “Regenerate!” button. Then “Apply To Selection.” (or just hit the letter G, as itcombines both commands).

4. Press PLAY. Still not satisfied?

5. Left-click the right-facing arrow next to the Generator name, to create entirely new GeneratorPhrases quickly (as long as the Generator is highlighted). Both the letter G and clicking the right-facing arrow do the same thing: “Generate+Apply”.

6. Keep pressing PLAY until you find something you like.

In the screenshot below, it took us only 4 additional generations/randomizations of the MelodyGenerator before we found something we liked. Initially we were going to go with the 1st generation.But we decided after listening back to the others, that the 5th generation sounded better to our ears.To cycle through the generations, simply left-click the left-facing arrow or right-facing arrow, and youcan press PLAY to see how each sounds in the Composition. Truly rapid composing!

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Last update: 2019/09/13 13:11

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Rhythm Generators

Besides being able to edit rhythm manually, there are some interesting tools to generate rhythmpatterns using mathematical algorithms. The rhythm generators are available only in the phrasegenerator Rhythm menu.

The following rhythm generators are included:

Modern RhythmModern Random RhythmSchillinger's InterferenceSubdivisionPolyrhythmGeneric RhythmProbabilistic RhythmEuclidean RhythmSmooth RhythmBass RhythmSimple IntervalsToggle IntervalsManual Editing

Rhythm Processing

There are a few rhythm settings (collapsed by default) that are common to all rhythm generators. Youcan see these controls under the rhythm generator UI, suggesting that these process the rhythm afterrhythm generation. Please notice that note length is part of the rhythm in RapidComposer.

Dotted Notes: Use dotted notes where possible. E.g. when selecting “Dotted 1/4” when thereare 2 quarter notes one after the other, the length of the first note becomes 3/8 and the length



of the second quarter note becomes 1/8. Options are None, Dotted 1/2, Dotted 1/4, Dotted 1/8,Dotted 1/16, Double Dotted 1/2, Double Dotted 1/4, Double Dotted 1/8, Double Dotted 1/16Note Length: options are Sustain Notes, Set Equal Length, Change By Percentage, Change ByOffsetRotate: shift notes left or right, using the snap settingRests: you can insert silence in the middle of a rhythm patternAccents: increase or decrease 1/4, 1/8 or 1/16 note accentsHumanize: humanize note positions, lengths, and velocity

More detailed descriptions of the various rhythm generators are followed:

Modern Rhythm

Modern Rhythm creates rhythm patterns used in modern EDM styles (trance, dubstep, trip-hop,DnB…). The rhythm is based on groups of three 16th notes with some 8th notes lead in. It is best touse with the Modern Chord Pattern Generator.

Modern Rhythm Settings

Divide 3-Note Groups: Specify how a group of 3 16th note should look like. Possible options:No (16th+16th+16th), 1-2 (16th+8th), 2-1 (8th+16th), Randomly (choose any previoussettings), Randomly For Each (select a random division for each group).Lead-in 8th Notes: You can use one or two (or none) 8th notes at the beginning of the rhythmpatternRemove 16th Notes: Remove all 16th notes from the patternComplexity: This setting will change 1 or 2 groups of 16th notes by re-grouping. Possible

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options: Simple (no re-grouping), Medium (1 re-grouping), Complex (2 re-grouping)

Modern Random Rhythm

Modern Random Rhythm is a rhythm generator for EDM (trance, dubstep, trip-hop, DnB…) andother modern styles especially for chord patterns. It works by joining preset rhythm patterns used inEDM songs randomly.

Schillinger's Interference

Schillinger’s Interference (based on Joseph Schillinger's work) places pulses on every Nth positioncreating an interference pattern. You can achieve a lot of nice results using this rhythm type.Experimentation is the key!

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The settings above show the defaults for the Schillinger’s Interference Rhythm (using the GenericGenerator). All of these parameters can be changed and tweaked to your liking. Let’s run throughwhat each setting for Schillinger’s Interference means.

Schillinger’s Interference Settings

Duration: A pulse will be placed every Nth 'pulse width'. Set N with the Duration sliders.Phase: You can offset the pattern. Valid phases are zero to Duration-1.Pulse Width: Available settings are 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64. The basic duration unit used bythe generator. Set it to 1/16 to better see how it works.

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1 Pulse, 2 Pulses, 3 Pulses: Specify what happens when there are 1, 2, or 3 pulses at a givenbeat.

Subdivision

Subdivision works by recursive slicing of a long note. It is especially useful for creating percussionphrases but it can also create some very melodic and quirky patterns, which can be perfect for“chiptune” music. You can achieve a lot of great results in this style by increasing the Number ofSubdivisions slider above the default of 6 (13 to 16 is a great number), and also increasing the FullPolyphony slider to above 50%. Subdivision is useful in a lot of other ways.



The settings above show the defaults for the Subdivision Rhythm (using the Generic Generator). All ofthese parameters can be changed and tweaked to your liking. Let’s run through what eachSubdivision setting means.

Subdivision Settings

Subdivision: Available settings are Random Weighted (default), Random, or Successive.Depending on how these are set, different algorithms are used.Number of Subdivisions: The number of slices, that is how many new notes are created. How“busy” the Phrase can be (or how “simple”).




Polyrhythm

Polyrhythm allows a phrase to include notes that are off-beat or uncommonly-placed. You canachieve a human-like performance quality using this rhythm generator type. You can set a duration(e.g. 2/4) which is then divided into 'division' parts.




The settings above show the defaults for Polyrhythm (using the Generic Generator). All of theseparameters can be changed and tweaked to your liking. Let’s run through what each Polyrhythmsetting means.

Polyrhythm Settings

Division1, Division2, Division3: Sets the number of divisions. E.g. if you set 5, the specifiedduration will be divided into 5 equal length partsBeats To Divide: Sets the duration in quarter notes that you want to divide.

Generic Rhythm

Generic Rhythm (especially inside a Generic Generator) is one of the most useful ways togenerate “piano-style” patterns. Don’t be fooled by the word “generic”, as it is anything but.



The settings above show the defaults for Generic Rhythm (using the Generic Generator). All of theseparameters can be changed and tweaked to your liking. Let’s run through what each Generic Rhythmsetting means.

Generic Rhythm Settings

Density: How “busy” the Phrase can be (or how “simple”)Note Placement: Available settings are 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32.Musical Stress: Available settings are Strong, Strong-Middle, and Strong-Medium-Weak.




Probabilistic Rhythm

This generator will place notes based on probabilities. The bigger divisions have higher probabilities,e.g. 1/1 will more likely contain a note than 1/4 and 1/4 will more likely contain a note than 1/8, etc.

The settings above show the defaults for a Generic Generator. Notice how the default Rhythm is




“Probabilistic”, interval at “Half Beat”, etc. All of these parameters can be changed and tweaked toyour liking. Let’s run through what each setting for Probabilistic Rhythm means.

Probabilistic Rhythm Settings

Division: Available settings are 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 2 Beats (2/4), 3 Beats, 4 Beats, 6 Beats, 8 Beats.Depending on how these are set, you’ll see the notes below change to be more “busy” or more“simple.”Density: The number of notes to generate. How “busy” the Phrase can be (or how “simple”)Randomness: Sets the movement or phrasing of the Phrase. Random can lead to someunexpected surprises, and Expected is the opposite.Musical Stress: Accents to use in the rhythm pattern. Available settings are Strong,Strong+Middle, and Strong+Middle+Weak.

Euclidean Rhythm

The greatest common divisor of two numbers is used rhythmically giving the number of beats andsilences, generating almost all of the most important World Music rhythms. The beats in the resultingrhythms are as equidistant as possible.



Euclidean Rhythm Settings

Steps: the length of the rhythm sequence in 'division' unitsDensity: it is the number of notes spread evenly in the number of stepsOffset: offset of the rhythm sequenceMirror: possibility to mirror the sequenceDivision: the note length used in the rhythm sequence




Smooth Rhythm

This generator creates a sequence where the neighboring note lengths are either the same, twice orhalf of the previous note.

Smooth Rhythm Settings

Shortest Note Length: the length of the shortest possible note in the sequenceLongest Note Length: the length of the longest possible note in the sequenceAllow 1:2:1 Division: option to allow/disallow a 1:2:1 division of a 4 unit long note

Bass Rhythm

Bass Rhythm places interesting rhythmic patterns one after the other. It suits monophonic sounds(obviously a bass guitar, and other instruments) best. If you play with the sliders a bit, you canachieve a lot of great dance/trance/techno-style piano patterns using this Rhythm type, with aGeneric Generator.



The settings above show the defaults for Bass Rhythm (using the Generic Generator). All of theseparameters can be changed and tweaked to your liking. Let’s run through what each Bass Rhythmsetting means.

Bass Rhythm Settings

Patterns: Select the possible patterns that are inserted to each quarter note. Available settingsare One Note On Beat, Two 16th Notes Before and After Beat, Two 8th Notes Before and AfterBeat, Two 16th Notes Before and a Note On Beat, and finally, Two 8th Notes Before and a NoteOn Beat. Depending on how these are set, you’ll see the notes below change to be more “busy”or more “simp

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