In the world of music production, rhythmic diversity is often the defining factor that sets an artist apart. Metarhythm 1.0 by ManifestAudio is a ground-breaking Max4Live device designed to push the boundaries of rhythm and unlock a new world of polyrhythmic potential in Ableton Live 12. Serving as a vital part of ManifestAudio's robust MIDI Toolset, the Metarhythm sequencer offers an intricate yet intuitive assembly of creative controls.
The primary control is the MIDI note dial located at the heart of the interface, where all rhythm generation occurs. High on accessibility, this device features pattern direction controls situated above the note dial, along with scale awareness and pattern inversion options below it. These design elements allow musicians of all levels the liberty to shape rich rhythmic textures with enhanced freedom and versatility.
At the upper left, Metarhythm 1.0 features the pulse rate control, enveloped by an optional multiplier and divider, offering an expansive range of compositional intervals. Directly underneath this sits the count masking options, adding yet another layer to the rhythmic puzzle. For those seeking the power of advanced Euclidean sequencing, the upper right dispatches this feature smartly, making Metarhythm an innovative device capable of producing captivating, scale-aware rhythmic patterns.
At the base of the interface, dials control the length, velocity, and chance of the generated notes. Not forgetting the bottom section, which offers a spread of controls, including the accent count, rotation, and value, followed by the velocity deviation range. Each function brings invaluable creative potentials, all waiting to be manipulated and harnessed into your own unique music production style.
One of Metarhythm 1.0's most striking features is its ability to generate intricate MIDI sequences using seven unique randomization algorithms. This feature, alongside the entire MIDI Toolset, which includes MIDI generators like Metaflux and transformers like Euclidifier, ensures a fully scale-aware, intuitively drawable complex gestures, and inspiring creative flow in your music production workflow.
Simply put, Metarhythm 1.0 is a game-changer, a rhythmic magician among MIDI sequencers. Cutting-edge features such as pattern inversion lend it the power to defy convention and introduce new dimensions of music creation to Ableton Live 12. Are you ready to explore new rhythmic landscapes?
For those who dare to break the boundaries, Metarhythm 1.0 offers such a rich, unlockable wealth of compositional possibilities that every music producer should consider making it an essential part of their Ableton Live 12 arsenal. Currently, it's available for download with a commitment to make you imagine, dream, and create like never before.
You can explore and get the Metarhythm 1.0 sequencer at https://maxforlive.com/library/device/10182/metarhythm and the complete MIDI Toolset including this device can be downloaded from https://manifest.audio/allmax/midi-toolset-001.
Embrace the newness, embark on an exciting rhythmic adventure, produce music like never before. Metarhythm 1.0 is here to reverberate your world with its polyrhythmic charm!
Example Usage
Welcome to the world of polyrhythmic creation with Metarhythm 1.0, a Max4Live device that opens the door to complex and evolving patterns in your Ableton Live sets.
To get started, first load Metarhythm 1.0 onto a MIDI track within Ableton Live. Once you've placed the device into the track, create a MIDI clip to trigger the device – this can be as simple as a sustained note that spans the duration of the clip.
Let’s begin by exploring a basic polyrhythmic pattern:
- Start by setting the 'Pulse Rate' to a base rate of 1/4. This will set the foundational pulse of our rhythm.
- Next, adjust the 'Count' dial to '7' and the 'Euclidean' dial to '3'. This will create a pattern of 7 steps with 3 active pulses, spread evenly across the 7 steps.
- Leave the 'Rotation' at zero for now. This means our pattern will start right at the beginning of our clip.
- Now, go to the MIDI note section and set the desired note. This will be the pitch of the generated MIDI notes.
- Subsequently, adjust the 'Chance' dial. Setting this to 100% ensures all the steps defined by the 'Euclidian' settings generate a note.
Press play on your Ableton Live session, and you’ll hear a 7/4 polyrhythmic pattern emerge, with notes playing on the 3 pulses of the Euclidean rhythm.
To add more interest, try experimenting with the 'Velocity' and 'Accent' parameters to give more dynamic variation to your pattern. The 'Rotate Accents' feature can also shift the accents within your rhythm to add further complexity:
- Increase the 'Accent Count' to '2', which will apply two accent hits within our 7-step pattern.
- Adjust the 'Accent Rotate' dial to change the starting point of accent notes.
Finally, enable the 'Scale Aware' function to ensure that the notes generated by Metarhythm fit into the key of your track just perfectly, helping you maintain musical coherence even with experimental polyrhythms.
By following these steps, you’ve created a simple yet intriguing polyrhythmic pattern with Metarhythm 1.0. From here, the possibilities are endless. Use these newfound skills to fuel your creativity and explore the vast rhythmic landscapes Metarhythm has to offer in your music production journey.
Imagine we want to create a polyrhythmic sequence that plays against a standard 4/4 kick drum pattern to introduce a level of complexity to our techno track. To achieve this, we would employ Metarhythm 1.0's capacity to craft intricate rhythms effortlessly.
To start, let's set our base rhythmic interval by adjusting the pulse rate at the upper left of Metarhythm. We want our sequence to run slightly offset from the kick, so let's choose a base rate of 1/16 notes, with a pulse multiplier of 3. This implies our sequence will have a rhythmical event every 3/16 notes, creating a contrasting rhythm against the 4/4 pulse.
Next, we'll use the Euclidean options to sculpt our pattern. Let's aim for a sequence that spans two bars of 4/4 time. Given our kick is in 4/4, we'll want our sequence to loop over a different amount of steps. To create a tension between the two rhythms, we select 15 steps for our Euclidean pattern, with a high density of 11 filled steps, providing a compelling percussive character to our sequence. By rotating the start point of the pattern by 4 steps, we'll achieve a syncopation that makes the rhythm even more intriguing.
At the center note dial, specify the MIDI note where rhythms will be generated. Choose a note that corresponds to the percussive sound you wish to sequence. Let's say we select a D1, which on our drum rack triggers a rimshot.
To add variation and humanize our sequence, utilize the dials at the bottom of Metarhythm to manipulate velocity and chance. Set the velocity somewhere around 70 to ensure our rimshots don't overpower the mix but vary each hit by a deviation range of 15 to give it a more natural feel. The chance might be put at 90% to ensure most notes trigger while still allowing for occasional space—adding to the groove's dynamic.
Now, to give our pattern an accented backbeat, we adjust the accent count to sync with our 4/4 kick. Set the accent count to 4 with the value turned up to enhance velocity on every second quarter note, creating a punchy interaction with our steady kick drum.
Finally, play with count masking options to remove certain steps, allowing for rests and creating more complex polyrhythms. Experiment with masking every third step to introduce breathing space into the pattern.
This configured Metarhythm sequence now runs in juxtaposition with our steady kick drum, adding substantial depth and interest to our techno track. What was once a straightforward 4/4 rhythm now pulses with a unique polyrhythmic life, thanks to the Metarhythm 1.0. And since it's all MIDI, try out different drum sounds or layer a bassline with the same rhythm for even more creative results.
Further Thoughts
In the realm of electronic music, polyrhythmic textures provide a landscape rich with complexity and depth—and unlocking these textures becomes a breeze with Metarhythm 1.0, a marvelously designed Max4Live device by ManifestAudio. Let's explore a hands-on example that showcases the polyrhythmic potentials of this midi_device within an Ableton Live 12 session.
Imagine creating a track where the percussive elements defy traditional timing, giving rise to an intricate dance of beats that captivate the listener. To start, load Metarhythm 1.0 onto a MIDI track and select a suitable drum rack. Now, initiate the journey into polyrhythmic creation:
- Begin by setting the pulse rate. Choose a base rate of 1/8th notes, multiply by 3, and divide by 5. You have instantly established a rhythm that spans beyond common time signatures, creating a beat that repeats only every 7.5 beats in a standard 4/4 measure.
- Moving on to the Euclidean options, let’s create a pattern that spans 16 steps with a density of 5 filled steps—which essentially scatters your drum hits across the span in a pleasingly non-repetitive way. But why stop there? Add a rotation of 3 steps to the pattern to shift the starting point, resulting in an ever-evolving rhythm.
- Now delve into the count masking options, silencing every third note to add an extra layer of rhythmic complexity, effectively allowing some beats to breathe while others punctuate the silence.
- With the MIDI note dial, pick a base drum hit—a low kick drum will serve as the backbone to your rhythm. Rotate the pattern direction and apply pattern inversion and scale awareness to switch things up; this takes your beat on a melodic journey as well, respecting the scale you're working in.
- The dials at bottom are your creative playfield for dynamics. Adjust the base length for a mixture of staccato and legato hits, set the velocity to give life and human touch to your pattern, and vary chance percentages to introduce controlled randomness.
- Employ the accent count, rotation, and value to further accentuate certain beats, coupled with velocity deviation for those accents to stand out, ensuring a dynamic soundscape.
- To expand your beats into a full composition, duplicate the Metarhythm 1.0 across several tracks, each with a unique percussion instrument. Apply diverse settings on each instance, creating a symphony of interlocking patterns that weave in and out of phase with each other, resulting in a rich tapestry of rhythmic interplay.
- With your polyrhythmic foundation in place, use other devices within MIDI Toolset 001 to manipulate the rhythm further—Euclidifier to intricately re-pattern a high-hat sequence or Inebriator to subtly modulate note lengths and velocities for a grooving shuffle.
In this detailed use case, Metarhythm 1.0 has opened up a vast world of rhythmic possibilities by generating patterns that push the listener's expectations into new territories. This is just a glimpse of what music producers and live performers can achieve with this device, elevating their tracks from conventional to extraordinary. For those eager to experiment with rhythm and texture, Metarhythm 1.0 offers the tools to weave polyrhythmic spells bound only by the limits of your imagination.