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A. Open the Random
Generator by selecting "Smart Random" from the Patterns menu. The Random
Generator window will open up as shown here.

The Random Generator is
used to generate sequences of notes within the selected area (4 bars in
our example.) The window can be set to exercise some degree of control
over the generated sequences. Here are some key points:
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The Random Generator generates
sequences on the selected track only.
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Depending on the settings,
the sequences can be completely random or completely controlled.
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The Random Generator can vary
pitch, velocity and rhythmic pattern in both predictable and random ways.
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The Preview button plays exactly
the sequence you will get by clicking the check mark.
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Each time you click the Preview
button, a different sequence will be generated. Hence, the same settings
DO NOT produce the same results.
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B. Set the Random Generator
values as shown here.

The settings in the top
third of the window control how much pitch variation there will be as well
as the basic unit of rhythm. In our case, there will be no variation in
pitch (General Amplitude = 0 & Never repeat notes off). The basic unit
is 16th notes (60 ticks).
When Never repeat notes
is turned on, successive notes of the same pitch are prohibited. This takes
precedence over the General Amplitude setting. So if it were turned on
here, there would be some variation in pitch even with General Amplitude
= 0.
The settings in the middle
third of the window control the pattern and length of the rhythm loop.
In our case, the loop is 16 beats and every other note will sound. This
is the meaning of the string of note symbols and commas.
The bottom third of the
window controls how much the sequence is like a repeating loop. With Feedback
set to 0% there is no looping--the whole sequence is random. With Feedback
set to 100%, the sequence loops in a way controlled by the "loop a" and
"loop b" settings. Other Feedback values produce results in-between--some
looping mixed with some randomness.
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C. Click the check
mark and the Random Generator will generate a 4 bar sequence of alternating
16th notes and rests much like that shown here.

The notes in the sequence
vary in velocity but are all the same pitch. You have no control over the
velocity variations except as they are influenced by the Feedback and loop
settings. You can, of course, use Xx's other tools to edit the velocities
later.
Delete the sequence.
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D. Select 8 bars this
time and open the Random Generator again.
Change the General Amplitude,
Never repeat notes and Rhythmic Pattern values as shown below then click
the green check mark to generate the sequence.
Since the Random Generator
generates different sequences each time it is applied, there is no way
to picture exactly what you'll get, but here is an example.
Here are three things
to notice:
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The sequence appears not to
loop--each group of 16 beats is different. This is a result of the Feedback
setting of 0%.
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The pitch range is limited
to roughly an octave. This results from the General Amplitude setting of
30. (The range is 0 to 200.)
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The rhythmic pattern exactly
matches the pattern shown in the Random Generator window.
Delete the sequence.
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E. With 8 bars still
selected, open the Random Generator again.
Change the Frequency to
100% either by moving the slider or clicking the number at its right end
and typing in "100". Now click the green check mark to generate another
sequence.
Notice this time that
the sequence repeats itself every measure. The frequency setting of 100%
ensures that the sequence eventually repeats. If the frequency were high
but less than 100% the successive measures would be similar but not exact
replicas. As we saw above, if the frequency is low (0% in that case) the
successive measures are very different (i.e. more random).
The length of the repeating
pattern is determined by the "loop a" and "loop b" settings. Their interaction
is complex, but here are a few guidelines.
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Keep the loop a setting less
than the loop b setting.
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Set loop b to half the size
of the loop you want.
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If the Rhythm Pattern is irregular
and you want it repeated, make both loop a and loop b multiples of the
Rhythm Pattern length.

(Note that in our example,
the pattern does not repeat because loop a is 8 while the pattern length
is 16.)
Delete the sequence.
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F. With 8 bars still
selected, open the Random Generator again.
Change loop a to 12 by
either using the scroll "wedges" or by clicking the number and typing "12".
Now click the green check mark to generate another sequence.
The main thing to notice
about this sequence is that the rhythm pattern DOES NOT repeat every measure.
It does, however, repeat every 2 measures. This is forced by the frequency
setting of 100% together with the loop b setting of 16.
Delete the sequence.
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G. This time, select
32 measures, and open the Random Generator again.
Change the frequency to
90%, change loop a to 24, and change loop b to 64. Click the green check
mark to generate another sequence.
One thing to notice about
this sequence is that groups of 3 measures (48 16th notes) are similar
though not identical. The loop a setting of 24 accounts for the 3 measure
pattern and the frequency of 90% accounts for the variation between successive
3 measure groups.
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H. With the same 32
measures still selected, choose track 2 by clicking the pink square in
the Track Selector Bar.
)
Open the Random Generator
and change the Start Duration to 120 and the loop a setting to 32. Click
the green check mark to generate a second track.
Choose track 3, open the
Random Generator again and change some of the other settings. In particular,
make some changes to the Rhythmic Pattern. Click the green check mark to
generate a third track.
Of course, your results
will differ, but here's an example of what might result.
Delete all tracks.
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I. Select track 10
by clicking the red square in the Track Selector Bar.
(If you are using Beatnik, track 10 will use percussion sounds. If you
are using an external MIDI device, you will need to set MIDI channel 10
to a percussion program. This is the standard setting for GM devices.)
Change Xx's scale mode
to "Dodecaphonic" and turn track 10's Track Loop Switch on.
Open the Random Generator
and change its settings as shown.
The Start Duration of
80 ticks means the rhythm pattern units will be 8th note triplets. The
General Amplitude and "Never repeat notes" settings ensure that each use
of the Random Generator will (usually) result in notes of the same pitch.
The Rhythmic Pattern shown is one measure of quarter notes. (The rests
are the remaining 8th note triplets.)
Select 4 bars and experiment
with various Frequency, loop a and loop b settings. For this experiment,
it's a good idea to choose high frequencies and use odd numbers for the
loop settings (like loop a = 5 and loop b = 11, for example).
Each time you click the
green check mark, make sure the newly added notes are selected, and use
the up and down arrow keys to change the percussion sound while the sequence
is playing. Note that you can select all notes of a specific pitch by clicking
on that pitch on the keyboard at the left. (Sometimes the Random Generator
may produce two pitches. If this happens, you can select one of the pitches
and move the notes to match the other. This way, each pass corresponds
to a new percussion sound.)
If you set Xx's grid to
80 to match the Random Generator's Start Duration, you can conveniently
use the right and left arrow keys to nudge some percussion parts forward
or backward by 8th note triplets. If you hold down the Control key while
doing this, the notes will wrap around the other end.
The illustration shows
one example of a percussion track generated this way.