I started playing around with arpeggiators while I was generating material for this album.  An arpeggiator is a handy function on a synthesizer, or in my case, a plug-in on a MIDI track in my computer software, that takes the output from the key or keys you're holding down on the keyboard and either generates extra notes from them or plays the notes form the chord you're holding in sequence.  The latter function was what the arpeggiators was designed to do.  I generally use them to create riffs from sequences of notes that I'm playing.

I started mucking about with these because of The Knife's album Silent Shout and some of the solo work of Spencer Krug.  Both utilize the arpeggiators heavily.  Most synth-based music does. 

I'm finding them really exciting because I'm creating sounds and textures that I'd have to be a virtuoso octopus to actually play.  Plus they free up my other hand to do something else at the other end of the keyboard.

So here's 4 examples of me in "generating material" mode, i.e. yelping incoherently out-of-tune over out-of-time keyboard playing.  I solemnly promise this all gets turned into something resembling music in the end.

another_place_for_your_eyes.mp3 (653 KB)

blackfish.mp3 (933 KB)

i_smell_cordite.mp3 (606 KB)

its_an_illusion.mp3 (943 KB)