Arpeggiators are one of the best tools to create beautiful melodies. Because letās face it: writing melodies is hard.
At its core, arpeggios are simply notes from a chord played consecutively.
Sounds pretty simple right? However, modern DAWs and MIDI keyboards bring them a step further. All you need is a chord progression to create beautiful leads, atmospheric pads, and more.
Thatās what weāll cover in this guide! Together we will look at:
- What an arpeggiator is
- How to create arpeggios with your MIDI keyboard
- Arpeggiator tricks in FL Studio and Ableton Live
- The best (free!) arpeggiator plugins out there
- 3 creative ways to use arpeggiators in your music
Letās dive in! š
Arpeggiators and Arpeggios: What Are They? š¤
You might be thinking: āArpeggiators? Iāve never heard of that beforeā¦ā.
But Iām sure youāve heard the term āarpā before.
Arps are a staple of modern electronic music. They are very common in sample packs:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 1 examples of arp samples in Splice](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-43.png)
So what are arps, arpeggios and arpeggiators?
Arp simply stands for arpeggio: a chord where the notes are played in a rising or descending order.
Some famous examples include the main theme of āClocksā by Coldplay, āEverybody Hurtsā by R.E.M and āCanāt Help Falling In Love With Youā by Elvis Presley:
But I could have literally picked from hundreds of well-known songs. That is how popular arpeggios are.
The term āarpeggioā actually finds its origin in the Italian word arpeggiare ā meaning āto play upon the harpā. This is because the traditional harp is played one note after the other.
Arpeggiators on the other hand are a more modern invention.
An arpeggiator is an automated version of an arpeggio. Arpeggiators came to prominence with the rise of synthesizers:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 2 an AKAI MPK mini MIDI controller](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-44.png)
Instead of having to play every single note in time, you simply play a chord. The synth then plays out the notes of your chord separately.
Arpeggiators are included in most MIDI keyboards, as well as most hardware and VST synths. There are even dedicated plugins to create arpeggios!
How to Create Arpeggios
As we discussed, arpeggios are a sequence of notes borrowed from a chord. This means you could record them manually ā if you have a good sense of rhythm! Or you could draw them one by one in your piano roll.
But using an arpeggiator makes the whole process faster and more creative.
There are 3 main ways to generate arpeggios:
- With your MIDI keyboard
- Through your piano roll
- With a third-party plugin
Letās explore them! š
Your MIDI Keyboardās Arpeggiator
Firstly, letās take a look at arpeggiators on MIDI keyboards. Most modern MIDI keyboards will have an āarpeggiatorā or āarpā section.
If your keyboard has beat division such as 1/8, 1/16 etc. over the keys, you have an arpeggiator:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 3 an AKAI MPK mini MIDI controller](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-45.png)
Letās go over some of the parameters of an arpeggiator:
- Tempo: sets the tempo at which the arpeggio plays
- Division: how many notes are played per beat
- Swing: sets the amount of swing added to the sequence
- Mode: determines in which sequence the notes are played
- Octave: over how many octaves will the arpeggio play
- Latch: when enabled, the arpeggio keeps playing even when you release the notes
Letās explore each of these with some examples.
Note: the way you access parameters will be different for each MIDI keyboard. So make sure to read the manual!
Parameters of an Arpeggiator
Tempo sets the speed of your arpeggiator. Usually, you will want it identical to your projectās tempo.
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 4 the tempo setting on the AKAI MPK mini MIDI controller](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-46.png)
Division lets you decide how many notes play per beat.
Common beat divisions include 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16:
Note that in these 2 examples, I am simply playing an A minor chord. The arpeggiator is doing the rest!
Next, swing lets you add more or less swing to your sequence:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 5 a meme about swing](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-47.png)
Mode lets you choose in what order the notes are played.
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 6 The mode knob on the AKAI MPK mini](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-48.png)
Common modes include UP, DOWN, ORDER and RANDOM:
In both these examples, I am playing the same A minor chord.
āORDERā is another useful arpeggiator mode. It will play the notes in whichever order you press them.
Octave determines how many octaves the arpeggio plays.
Finally, āLatchā will continue to arpeggiate the notes even after you lift your fingers.
FL Studio: The Arpeggiator Tool
If you donāt have a MIDI keyboard, donāt worry. Modern DAWs provide many ways to generate arps.
Letās have a look at FL Studio. First, draw in the chord you want to arpeggiate:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 7 drawing a chord in FL Studio's piano roll](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-50.png)
The duration of the chord will determine how long the arpeggio lasts. Next, go into your Piano Roll tools. There, select āArpeggiateā:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 8 using the arpeggiate function in FL Studio](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-49.png)
You will be greeted with the arpeggiator settings window:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 9 the arpeggiator settings in FL Studio](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-51.png)
Here you can switch between different arpeggio patterns. You can also select the octave range.
Decreasing the ātime multiplierā will increase the number of notes, and vice-versa.
On the other hand, āGateā lets you shorten or lengthen each note.
Finally, you can also access pre-saved MIDI patterns:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 10 opening presets in FL Studio's arpeggiator](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-52.png)
FL Studioās arpeggiator is definitely a useful tool. However, I do find its parameters a bit limited and not that intuitive at times. But if youāre looking for some quick inspiration, it definitely works!
Ableton Live: The Arpeggiator Plugin
Ableton Live takes a different approach with its arpeggiator.
Here, you have a separate plugin that processes your chord:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 11 loading the arpeggiator plugin in Ableton Live](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-53.png)
Under MIDI Effects, load up the Arpeggiator. Next, load up your synth, and draw in a MIDI chord.
The effect will be an arpeggio, even though your Piano Roll shows a chord:
Letās have a look at some of the parameters of this arpeggiator:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 12 The Arpeggiator plugin in Ableton Live](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-54.png)
Style lets you pick from more than a dozen different arp sequences:
Next, āRateā and āGateā determine the beat division and length of each note:
The āTransposeā section lets you switch between major and minor keys. You can also shift your sequences up or down any number of semitones:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 13 The transpose parameters in Ableton Live's Arpeggiator](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-57.png)
Finally, the āVelocityā section is a cool way to accentuate certain notes:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 14 The velocity parameters in Ableton Live's Arpeggiator](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-56.png)
Looking to bring your arpeggiator skills to the next level? Check out our latest video on YouTube channel š
Third-Party Arpeggiator Plugins (Free!)
An arpeggiator is an effect like any other. Instead of adding reverb or delay, you are transforming the chords into a sequence of notes.
This means that there are many plugins you can use to generate arpeggios.
So letās have a look at some of the best free arpeggiator plugins out there.
BlueARP
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 15 The BluARP plugin](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-58.png)
BlueARP definitely doesnāt boast the most modern UI. But its arp and step sequencer capabilities make up for it.
Some of its parameters include:
- Gate time
- Swing
- Sync (beat division)
- āForce to scaleā: the arpeggiator will only play notes in a given scale
BlueArp also combines the power of a step sequencer.
This means you can adjust each note of your sequence with different velocities, gate times, octave jumps, etc.
Finally, you get more than 128 presets to play with, from acid sequences to techno basslines.
Podolski by U-He
By the makers of Diva comes Podolski, a virtual analog synth with arp/sequencer functions:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 16 The Podolski plugin](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-59.png)
Its synthesis features are bare-bone: 1 oscillator, 1 filter, and 1 envelope.
However, its arpeggiator section comes with plenty of customization options.
For example, each step of the arpeggio can be modulated further with LFO and filtering:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 17 teh step sequencer function of Podolski](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-60.png)
You can also change the length of each note to create more rhythmic patterns:
Finally, you can transpose each note individually to create custom sequences:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 18 the transpose function in Podolski](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-61.png)
Oh, and did I mention it was extremely CPU-light?
HypercyclicĀ
Hereās another plugin that deserves a makeover:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 19 The Hypercyclic arpeggiator plugin](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-63.png)
However, donāt be fooled by the interface.
This arpeggiator can create pretty much any arp sequence imaginable.
Some of its features include:
- two tempo-synced LFOs to modulate various parameters
- possibility to modulate the sequencer step size itself. This can lead to interesting glitchy effects
- a groove function for off-beat playing. The groove parameters can also be modulated over time by the LFOs
In the words of its maker, Hypercyclic is āat the border between chaos and regularityā. You can quickly introduce randomness and syncopation, all while keeping the musicality.
Soā¦ When Should I Use Arpeggios?
Now that weāve looked at how to use an arpeggiator, letās look at āwhenā. One of the most common ways of using an arpeggiator is for your lead melodies.
But there are many more unique ways to use arpeggios š
Letās look at a few š
Create Movement in Your Pads
One issue many beginners face is not having enough movement. What do I mean by āmovementā?
The way I like to understand āmovementā is: are things static? Or are they evolving?
Let me give you 2 examples:
Movement can come from a lot of different things. Stereo imaging, subtle filtering, phasingā¦
One way to create movement in your pads is to use an arpeggiator.
For example, you can turn this chord progressionā¦
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 20 Drawing chords in FL Studio's piano roll](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-65.png)
ā¦ into something like this:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 21 Turning chords into arps in FL Studio's piano roll](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-66.png)
I simply transformed the chords into an arp, then set the reverb to 100% Wet.
Hereās another example of a pad made with an arpeggiator:
Create Counter-melodies
In music theory, a counter melody is a secondary melody played in counterpoint with the primary melody.
Its goal is to add texture and interest to a track. Many examples of this can be heard in Beatles recordings:
Arps can be a great way to introduce countermelodies in your tracks. Hereās an example:
You can hear how the arp sits in the background and adds interest. Using an arpeggiator is a great way to keep your track moving forward.
Create Human-sounding Drums
I know I said that an arpeggio is a chord broken down into notes.
Butā¦ what if we used an arpeggiator onā¦ hi-hats for example?
This is a great way to create realistic grooves.
For this, I am going to use Ableton Liveās Arpeggiator. First, load up a Drum Rack and an Arpeggiator:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 22 Loading an Arpeggiator onto a Drum Rack in Ableton Live](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-67.png)
What Iāve done is load the same hi-hat 4 times into the Drum Rack. Iāve then made subtle changes to each one. I changed for example the pitch, the volume, and the envelope.
Then, set the Arpeggiator to āRandomā style, and Rate to 1/16. Finally, draw in all 4 notes in the piano roll like such:
![Arpeggiators: The Hidden Key to Beautiful Melodies š¶ 23 Using the Arpegiattor to vary drum hits](https://www.edmprod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-68.png)
The arpeggiator is now going to run through the 4 variations of our hi-hat at random. Give it a listen:
Thatās a Wrap!
Thatās it for this guide! Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how arpeggiators work. š
Did I miss out on anything? Let me know at [emailĀ protected].