Make it move

Arp · Lesson 1 of 3 · AR1

Exercise Hold a chord, switch on the arp (up/down/random, hold).
Result A moving pattern from a held chord.

The 1st step of the arp track in PatchPond's subtractive synthesis curriculum. Capstone — ties rhythm to sound — and this lesson is where you meet arpeggiator (dir, hold, octave) for the first time.

What you'll learn

A music box that plays whichever notes you hold down for it.

An arpeggiator takes a held chord and turns it into a sequence of single notes — playing the chord one note at a time in a chosen direction, rate, and octave range. Direction sets the order: up plays low-to-high, down plays high-to-low, up/down bounces, random shuffles. Read more →

Build this lesson live in the PatchPond studio. Web MIDI in, on-screen keyboard otherwise. The patch you make here loads back into iOS later on — same patch format.

Open in studio →
AR1 Make it moveAR2 Lock to timeAR3 Combine