I guess you read my crazy hacks then. Not sure I can add much more to that.

Most straight forward would be to make a user ARP that lasts a while and set it to hold/loop. Properly setup, you won't hear when it's triggered again - similar to not really being able to hear a violin change bow directions with a long sustained note. There's the usual ways to start and stop the drone under arp control.

Sorry J, I was not intending my reply to be flippant or de-value your solutions (scrub hacks 🙂 if it was in fact you who developed them).

I noticed the v2.5 references Drones, which makes me think they have made a feature to do this, but I can't figure out what.

I have tried ARP HOLD, which works to a fashion but only holds 1 note for some reason, not 3 or 4.

So if I play a Gm, the Gm sounds, but only the D note holds.

Go to Cm and only the G holds.

Its very frustrating in a "Close But No Cigar" sense.

Another thing I've been wondering about...

Making ARPs play in correct Harmony or a way of setting the Key Signature

Example Key of C Major

Play a "C" and the ARP plays a C Major
Play an "A" and the ARP plays an A Minor.

I was able to record a user arp and it drones a Gm if I play G Bb D. Or plays a Gmaj if I play G B D. And plays major chords if I play a single note. It's not key signature aware - so it will not play diatonic chords. In order to do diatonic chords - you can spend a long time messing with microtuning and multiple Parts. It's ultimately easier just to play the right trigger notes.

What I did to record was used the normal performance recorder. Copied Part 1 to Part 2 and Part 3 so I had 3 Parts total (I started with a 1-part Performance). Then recorded 24 measures of holding a major C chord. I could have recorded more measures. Typically, I'd set the tempo up (fast) so I don't have to wait as long to mash down the keys. When I saved to ARP - I set Track 1 to "1", Track 2 to "2" and Track 3 to "3" and Track 4 to "off". Set all 3 tracks to "Org Note" type.

Make sure your Part (Part Settings->General, Mono/Poly) isn't setup for mono-phonic. That'd force a single note.

I also set Arp advanced to "Toggle" mode so I can easily stop and start the drone.

Certainly, the Arp -> Individual set the active arp to my new "drone" user arp.

It's not the only way. If you can have an FM drone - then it's easier to use infinite release. Then trigger a motion sequence to stop the drone. If you're not concerned about starting and stopping it with keys - then you could just cut the volume off (or fade out). Or use a slider to get rid of the drone. Or scene button mute it. Or ...

Thanks J. You are truly a good egg! 😀

I am still on a learning curve so as I plough through the Reference Manual I will make sure to try this.

Cheers,

Tony

Hello Tony
I’ve done Shine On recently. I am assuming that what you want to do is play the drone and the Keyboard solo lead over the top. The solution requires a sustain pedal. Apologies if this is simpler than what you are asking

Split the keyboard with the drone chords in the left hand and the lead in the right hand
Turn the sustain pedal off for the right hand
Play the Gm chord drone once by hand and keep the sustain pedal held down
Play the lead over the top
The Cm chord only comes in after the key solo finishes and the guitar solo starts so from then on play the drone chords by hand

For those drone chords I tried 3 different approaches
1) layer of string machine and organ with a moog bass note (authenticish)
2) Putting all the notes of the chord drones on different elements of the same part. This puts the drones on 3 keyboard notes only freeing up space on the keyboard for background Fx (such as the wine glasses)
3) I have the Easy Sounds Evolving Soundscapes library that has a waveform called ‘Pink’, which is perfect for the job

Cheers
Graham

Of go buy a Freeze pedal like guitar player use. They hit a chord or whatever then step on the Freeze pedal and the sound drones away until they take there foot off the pedal. I think some delay pedal can do the same thing and endlessly hold a sound. There must be a way to do that with the effects on the Montage to play a chord then trigger a delay to make it sustain indefinitely, crank the delay feedback up till it drones????

Graham’s solution seems the easiest - as working a sustain pedal is quick to setup and works intuitively for keyboard players. (Can’t think of an easier way to drone some Parts and leave others free to play). You can select which Parts will receive Sustain (left hand) while your lead sounds (right hand) can be set to ignore the sustain pedal.

The “Receive Switch” is programmable on a per Part basis and since the left-hand drone sounds only need a small physical region, you can leave the majority of the range for your lead sound
While in [EDIT]
Select Part 1
Touch “Mod/Control” > “Receive Sw”
Set the “Sustain” box = Off for the lead Parts, On for the ‘drone’ Parts.

Easy-peasy!

Thanks for this

Hello Tony

1) layer of string machine and organ with a moog bass note (authenticish)

Cheers
Graham

Thanks Graham for the Sustain Pedal suggestion. I am a guitarist for 30+ years, and I never played keys till now, I didn't even know such things existed. I will order a sustain pedal today.

I also note you suggested the Performance name "String Machine". I had this favourited for shortlisting sounds.

Do you know, is the String Machine is emulating the ARP Solina String Ensemble? Apparently this is one of the instruments used by Rick Wright on the intro.

Of go buy a Freeze pedal like guitar player use. They hit a chord or whatever then step on the Freeze pedal and the sound drones away until they take there foot off the pedal. I think some delay pedal can do the same thing and endlessly hold a sound. There must be a way to do that with the effects on the Montage to play a chord then trigger a delay to make it sustain indefinitely, crank the delay feedback up till it drones????

Thanks for your suggestion.

I am a guitar player and familiar with the Freeze pedal concept (EHX do one). I have a bunch of "big box" Strymon pedals that can do this also, but I have to keep my rigs separate.

I have noticed on YouTube a lot of KB players using the Strymons. But they are 50% the cost of the MODX7, even though they sound awesome.

Bad Mister...

thanks for pointing out the Receive switch. Saved me hours of scouring the Manuals.

Tony
‘String Machine’ sounds to me like an emulation of the Solina string machine used on the song. That is what I would use.
Good luck
Graham

Dear All,

I don't have a Sustain Pedal... yet.

I tried my Boss EV5 expression pedal, but that seemed to do a whole bunch of nothing.

I figured I would just use an Assign Switch as an alternative in the meantime (Sustain on/off).

I am sure you can, but I can't figure it out. I can't see/find anything that says Sustain in the target Destination list.

I see main headings InsA, InsB, Part Param and Element. Then there are a whole bunch of parameters under each of these headings, but none that affect sustain (just *EG Hold, which is something different).

I'll keep trying.