Have you tried just using the ARP button on the front panel?

Hi Andrew,

The ARP button turns off the arpeggio once it is playing, but when I turn it back on, nothing happens until I press the two keys to recreate the arpeggio. Is there a way to save a specific looping ("hold") arpeggio pattern that I can turn off/on with one button at a later time? Thanks

Arpeggios are always started by touching the keyboard.

An Arpeggio can take musical skill to begin. Anyone (including your favorite pet) can start a Pattern or a Sequencer playback - a simply button press or tap of a computer Spacebar can start playback of recorded data.

An arpeggio, while recorded data, is not always fixed — it can be molded and controlled in real-time. It requires a specific Note-On, often at a specific Velocity, and it can playback in the selected musical Key, with either Major, Minor, Dominant, Diminished or Augmented chord variations depending on the Note-On events used to trigger it. And you must play the Note-On events at the appropriate Measure and Beat within the music for it to make sense musically. You might want to wait to bring in the Arpeggio Phrase at the Bridge of the song, in a different key. You might need to modulate the key.

Musical skill is required. Anyone can press a start button … but a start button does not include Measure, Beat, Key, Velocity or any of the possible information that an Arpeggio requires to do it’s thing. You start Arpeggios by defining a specific set of Notes on the Keyboard to do the job. As an ARP Phrase was once played by a musician, it’s playback (triggering) must be started by input from the keyboard.

A Sequence or a Drum Pattern… simply plays back exactly the same every time. So your cat or dog is qualified to start/stop them… but I’m afraid musical skill is going to be required to start (trigger) an Arpeggio.

Hope that helps.

Thanks, Bad Mister. I guess my question is: Is it possible to record and save a specific arpeggio phrase or pattern/sequence of notes on the MX49 that I can play and/or stop with the press of one button? Perhaps I'm confused because on my MOX6, I'm able to press the Play transport button when in Pattern mode to play a short arpeggio pattern I saved. I'm able to start and stop the pattern by pressing the play and stop buttons respectively. I was hoping I could accomplish the same thing on the MX49, but can't figure out how to do it despite having perused the Yamaha documentation.

Is it possible to record and save a specific arpeggio phrase or pattern/sequence of notes on the MX49 that I can play and/or stop with the press of one button?

No.

Perhaps I'm confused because on my MOX6, I'm able to press the Play transport button when in Pattern mode to play a short arpeggio pattern I saved. I'm able to start and stop the pattern by pressing the play and stop buttons respectively.

Your MOX6 had a sequencer - giving it the capability to record MIDI event data in either a linear Song or a loop-based Pattern Sequencer. The MX does not have this capability.

I was hoping I could accomplish the same thing on the MX49, but can't figure out how to do it despite having perused the Yamaha documentation.

You can stop trying. While the MX has an Arpeggiator and has the ability to respond to keyboard control… it is NOT capable of recording any MIDI data.
And while it has a couple hundred Drum Patterns, these can only be set to play along with what you are playing (as a glorified metronome) — you cannot record your own Patterns on board the MX. (Your MX comes with an entry level version of Cubase where you can record).

The MOX6 included the ability to record MIDI data which could be converted into User Arpeggio Phrases. But even there, Arpeggios are always started by KeyOn events. Arpeggio data is a special kind of data - it can interact with keyboard messages - like playing a phrase in a major key, when you finger a major chord; and then changing to play the phrase in a minor key when you flat the third to finger a minor chord. It does so in response to *you* engaging with the keyboard, in real-time.

A Pattern is a fixed set of MIDI events, it does not adjust chord quality from major to minor, for example… it only plays back ,exactly as documented. A Pattern can be started and stopped using just a button or it can be started, on cue, coordinated with a Note event.

Sorry, your MX is not capable of Recording MIDI data, on board the instrument… so you can neither create User Arpeggios, nor can you create MIDI drum patterns. You must select from the list of Preset Arpeggio Phrases and Drum Patterns on board.

The Arpeggios on the MX must be started by engaging the Keyboard
The Patterns (Drums in Part 10) can be started with the [PLAY] button or can be set to “Sync Start”.. where it waits for you to hit the keyboard at which time it begins the drum groove when touch any key.

Ah, thank you SO much, Bad Mister, for your thoughtful and thorough explanation of the differences between the MX49 and MOX6 with regard to Patterns vs. Arpeggios. You have answered my question, and I greatly appreciate your taking the time to do so. It makes sense now and I can stop beating my head against the wall. : ) Thank you, sir!