Creating AWESOME Pads With Aleatoric Sequencing 🤯 | feat. Arturia KeyStep Pro and Waldorf Blofeld

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Howdy doody, frienderoonies! Today we're here for a fun patch idea all about using the power of Aleatoric sequences to create lush pad sounds. This is a lot of fun to do, and the Arturia Keystep Pro makes it incredibly simple thanks to it's fast and intuitive sequencing abilities.
We'll also be using my handy dandy Waldorf Blofeld because it's an awesome synth for pads, and features some nice modulation options to keep things interesting! So, we'll also be diving in to a few tips and tricks to spice up your pad patches in your favorite synths.
▼▼▼TIMESTAMPZ:▼▼▼
0:00 Howdy
0:47 The Setup
1:20 Final Result
2:28 Overview/Bare Patch
3:58 Sequencing Basics
6:11 Overlaping Sequencers
8:50 Sequencing Tweaks
10:06 Aleatoric Sequencing
12:57 Making Cool Pads
17:06 Adding Effects
19:18 KSP Trick
20:03 Final Patch Demo
21:55 Closing Thoughts
Stay classy!
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[@VenusTheory]

Wanna grab a Blofeld or KSP? Use my affiliate link and support the channel in the process! bit.ly/3nwp4PL

[@evertdeboer]

Thanks Venus Theory! This is exactly why I had bought the Keystep Pro and exactly the kind of stuff I want to experiment with! Your channel is a real treasure trove to me! Super!

[@2112jonr]

Top notch stuff as always - learned LOADS from this video, thank you matey !🙂

[@HybridCult]

Really useful tips for this type of sequencing. Thank you Cameron

[@AlanKroeger]

Great video, I appreciate that you tie in musical methodology and device capabilities

[@stasostrikov1439]

lovely warm way to use such a great synth!

[@67waz]

thanks! this gave me a total new perspective for creating evolving sounds in general.

[@garyturner5204]

An awesome video! Thank you for sharing this information, and explaining everything you did to make an awesome background was that evolves!

[@VenusTheory]

No problem at all. Hope it gives you some ideas for your next track/patch!

[@madmatt112]

A great example of amazing sound design. Cheers, my dude.

[@VenusTheory]

Glad you dig the video!

[@camimrf]

hey this is awesome content ! thank you

[@markbelcher1777]

enjoyed that, THANK YOU!

[@MatthewLowes]

Great technique! Will definitely be using this. Thanks so much for sharing. Cheers. :)

[@CharlieNorth]

Thank you. I did learn something and I did enjoy the video. 👍😀

[@dukeax6241]

Quite lovely nice work👍

[@J_R_OX]

Awesome tutorial

[@antfactor]

Nice ideas. Recently bought this controller. This is (also) why I enjoy the Elektron machines. Even when occasionally vexing - LOL. Cheers.

[@ElMarko2000]

Mind blowing!

[@markgriskey]

if you reduce the math of your sequences. 16 = 4/4 time 12 = 3/4 time and 14 = 7/8 time so these aren't as weird as if you made sequences like 16 11 14 which would create loops in 4/4 11/16 and 7/8 time. So you can use this technique to make the pattern weirder or less weird ;}

[@VenusTheory]

It's also a lot of fun with extended step ranges as this controller goes up to 64 steps, which can allow for some really wild combinations that sound like they never really repeat.

[@derekbaker3279]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@julienbayle]

thanks. now I just bought a blofeld.

[@carlostagnoli2704]

Thanx a lot, great tutorial! Really useful tips also for Blofeld users like me! Un saluto dall' Italia :-)

[@CadenceMusicStudio]

Love your coffee priority - I can relate

[@RealityShiftUK]

Can’t wait to get my black blowfield to use with the key step pro

[@antoineguilbeault8025]

For those who don't have de KeyStep Pro you can do similar stuff in the pigments 2 sequencer 👌

[@rickmunro4538]

it doesn't have the four tracks nor the randomness in the same way, though.

[@RileyGein]

If you use Ableton you could have 4 different midi tracks sending to the blofeld (or any synth ) and use that like the 4 tracks on the KSP

[@skyscan5225]

Stochas can do it for free. www.kvraudio.com/product/stochas-legacy-by-audio-vitamins

[@JasonGillmanJr]

Is this appropriate time to mention that I love the "Drunk" LFO in Falcon? No? Ok.

[@NigelMerrick]

Even though I own no hardware other than a MIDI keyboard, this was immensely interesting and valuable, I can see how some of the players in Reason can be used to create similar effects to this, combined with instruments that have their own inbuilt sequencers if needed. Really enjoyed this one and the amazing ambient sounds. Cheers 😊

[@dustincassidy]

Absolutely! If you’re a Reason user, check out the onboard sequencer on the Thor. Get a few different instances going at the same time and BOOM!

[@theknotsewsuite]

Is that that (in)famous Blofeld effects crackling from external clock i hear???

[@ms.marieanne]

I’ll try this later :) great tutorial

[@VenusTheory]

Enjoy! Tons of fun to mess with and get some cool drones.

[@maydaygoingdown5602]

Wow,..I'm buying this and I don't even make music lol.

[@mattg1094]

Lol

[@sportsfreundberlin]

Sad

[@cryptout]

Very cool, you could “Hainbach” it, record to (virtual) tape and slow down to your liking.

[@moorhertz829]

Cool video! It’s made me want to buy the Blofeld….I’ve used Waldorf NAVE on the iPad and love that app and the modulation possibilities, but this hardware version seems more suited for me!

[@darrencurtis4277]

Great love it ! Can you do this same thing with Push 1 ?

[@BruecknerAmbient]

Wonderfl to see that the Blofeld still is receiving some appreciation (I own one since 2009 and it's still one of my favourite synths - probably because for a long time it was the only one I had, and I know it better than any other...). By the way, I don't think You'd really do any external sequencer to do that (although I also enjoyed seeing You using the Keystep Pro, because that's in fact one of the other few pieces of hardware I own...). Anyway, I guess You basically could achieve that kind of randomisation inside the Blofeld using its arpeggiator, which also has a random mode. Of course, to get that polyrhythm thing going, You'd need to have four copies of the sound with different cycle length of the arpeggiator and then use multi-mode, but the result should be similar.

[@stosemcls]

I'm a simple man. I see blofeld - I like it!

[@craigmoran893]

When i see a Blofeld i wanna throw it across the room.

[@RileyGein]

@@craigmoran893 send me it instead. I’ve already got one but you don’t say no to a free blofeld

[@craigmoran893]

@@RileyGein I took it back and got a Virus Snow. cost me another $900 though. I had a 1st generation Blofeld, buggy firmware and three encoders were screwing up after a couple of months.

[@DragosStefan]

You would probably love Loomer Architect (it's a modular MIDI toolset).

[@UltraD52]

I don't have either of these, but a cool software version of the concept might be Vital and Stochas.

[@kmdaykin]

VCV rack is perfect for this type of FSU shenanigans.

[@elifan2523]

Great tutorial, gonna bring some of these ideas into the octatrack, should get similar results with it’s random sequencer, individual step lengths and 8 midi sequencers :)

[@VenusTheory]

Great idea actually - one of these days I might need to pick one of those up!

[@elifan2523]

@@VenusTheory yeah! if you find a second hand mk1 it’s more or less the same as the mk2 for a fraction of the price ;)

[@andrewhall6038]

For those of us who do not own a KSP, the 'Stochas' and' HY-RPE2 free' VSTs can get you a long way along the road :-)

[@VenusTheory]

Need to try the HY sequencers, heard some pretty good things!

[@andrewhall6038]

@@VenusTheory Just bought the full version of the HY-RPE2 euclidean sequencer. Damn this is powerful...

[@jamesjr2550]

@@andrewhall6038 I just bought it yesterday day deal with plugin boutique and was going to use it with my keystep 37

[@jamesjr2550]

I was doing this earlier with my keystep 37

[@klangmeisterei]

Thanks, this is awesome! Is there any way to do this sort of sequencing in Cubase? Also, is this your actual voice? (I really am wondering!)

[@fincorrigan7139]

Set up the Step Sequencers in Midi Inserts at different step lengths

[@edvinpedvin]

Hmm, did you say Paulstretch? Is that still available or are there good alternatives?

[@cynthiaroberts7206]

Howdy Doody. Thanks. You inspired me to buy a Blofeld. Could you please explain how to connect it to my KeyStep pro? Thanks. (Or where to learn this clearly). Love your channel. One of my favorites. :)

[@VenusTheory]

Yo! Really just with a MIDI DIN cable. Sorta depends on what you want to do, but purely just 'control Blofeld with KSP' means a MIDI Cable from the KSP to the Blofeld and you're in business!

[@cynthiaroberts7206]

@@VenusTheory Thank you SO much. I really appreciate it. Keep up the awesome work. My nephew was a DJ and also thinks you have a very rich voice too. Thanks.

[@Jonas-km4qx]

wow

[@AndreasR86]

Funny, I got HY-RPE2 recently and making a pad with it like this was the first thing I tried.

[@VenusTheory]

Really need to try their sequencers at some point!

[@citizenofearth]

Awesome! And now I need a Blofeld, which is already on my top list. I thought the Blofeld already has built-in reverb, no?

[@VenusTheory]

Definitely worth getting one. Absolutely adore mine. Blofeld does have a reverb built in but it's pretty gross and not worth using unless absolutely necessary IMO. Don't let that steer you away though - not like you buy a synth for the effects!

[@citizenofearth]

@@VenusTheory No not a big deal, I can always send the Blofeld to a reverb insert channel into my DAW, or buy a hardware reverb if I decide to become DAWless, the Blofeld is worth every penny from what I've seen so far... I'd combine it with a Hydrasynth and that would become a music powerhouse, unbeatable for the price.

[@craigmoran893]

Get a second hand Virus Snow.

[@stefanie_m466]

seen 20 videos of hydrasynth, and a few from Blofeld. why does the Blofeld sound so much more beautiful? hydra is so metallic feeling and the Blofeld is like eh, nice to the ears

[@VenusTheory]

Haha welcome to the Blofeld club! Some people love it, some people hate it. I can't say what it is about it, but the Blofeld is just a magic machine. So glad I finally broke down and bought one!

[@BrentODell]

Okay, okay! I bought the damn KSP... jeez... :)

[@LoVeAmBiEnT]

Can this be done with the beatstep Pro? I haven’t even used it yet that’s why I’m asking but I do own one

[@musicandfilms9956]

I had a go at this using Cubase and the free FB Sequencair analogue sequencer plugin and got into difficulties trying to get the four sequences to both accept a Start/Stop command from the DAW and run out of clock sync. So I abandoned it, which is a shame. It won't work using a DAW's Key Editor, because the aleatoric pad sequences have to run freely at a much slower tempo than the rest of the tracks, and DAWs (or Cubase Elements, for sure) have no means to play with sequences as Key Step Pro does.

[@dominiccoppola2305]

This might be a dumb question but how are you able to multitrack? I have one synth plugged in exactly how you have the Blofield in and am following the same steps. It seems like I can only record on Track 1. Any time I switch to a different track, the KSP recognizing the steps I am putting into it but I am getting no sound.

[@SouthShoreSonics]

Now all they have to add is Global transpose to all tracks, and I'd be buying a KSP

[@ckjjclan]

Did I catch that the keystep tracks can target 4 diff patches inside the Blofeld? Is that available in something like the cobalt8, or other synths? Is there a name for that feature? Or did I misunderstand… I tried to find that in the video again, but couldnt… thx

[@VenusTheory]

That's correct! The Keystep can output different MIDI channels, and the Blofeld can layer up to 16 sounds together and have them assigned to separate MIDI channels. Cobalt does not feature it, but most older synthesizers from the 90s/00s are multitimbral and can do that, especially the old sound modules and whatnot. For some reason, most synths don't have this feature anymore sadly.

[@hvrmonic1337]

16:20 "wssshasshsiuuu" :)

[@kirkegodfrey414]

See also logic x new step seq for this stuff. Has probability etc to really F^

[@juliusaitken]

Nice video. At some point your 4 sequences are going to be so messed up that you’re effectively playing a chosen scale with random note triggers? Better maybe to have some of those patterns interacting cyclically so that the ear/brain tries to work out what’s going on!?

[@deemarr9151]

I have a mint yellow q. ..and the keypro...im craving...any help anyone that has one..im enjoying my q....small...but ..ohhhh

[@xaosm_os]

… multi-timbral, 16 midi channels, you ca do a full track if you have that kung fu in you.

[@markgriskey]

Boy do I hate that stupid ad for the "MIDI Packs" Anyone can learn how to play simple stuff like this guy is selling. Why are people so opposed to practicing. and a ctually learning how to play? Anyway - that's my rant ;} now I'll watch your video ;}

[@VenusTheory]

They're almost a meme at this point

[@waytogomojo]

Stop making me buy more synths.

[@Heleno.]

.

[@sensemusicofficial]

why not just call it polyrhythmic ?

[@VenusTheory]

Well, polyrhythmic implies that there is a consistent rhythm. The magic of Aleatoric sequencing is that the playback is random.

[@jayboni541]

did i seriously get beat at first by a bible verse

[@ZaoFuneralOfGod]

Great job Venus! Listen, I have bought an Arturia Keylab 49 Essential but via midi I can only play the Blofeld, I can't connect sequencer and other stuffs to Blofeld. Do you think the problem comes from the keyboard?