RIFF

Controls

• KeyC / C# / D / D# / E / F / F# / G / G# / A / A# / B — The key the riff is in.
• ScaleMajor / Minor / Harmonic Minor / Melodic Minor / Dorian / Phrygian / Lydian / Mixolydian / Locrian / Major Pentatonic / Minor Pentatonic / Blues — The scale the riff's notes come from (major, minor, harmonic or melodic minor, the modes, major or minor pentatonic, blues); the key you hold starts the riff on the scale note at or below it.
• Seed1 to 999 — Picks the riff (1 to 999): every seed is a different pattern, and the same seed always plays the same riff, in REAPER and in every DAW.
• Density0 to 100% — How many of the steps play a note (0 to 100%); the first step always plays, the others are rests when they miss.
• Steps4 to 32 — The length of the pattern in steps (4 to 32) before it repeats; more steps add to the end of the same riff.
• Rate1/8 / 1/16 / 1/32 / 1/8T / 1/16T / 1/32T — The step length, synced to the tempo: 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32 notes, or their triplets.
• Octave Range1 to 3 — How far the riff climbs above the key you hold: 1 to 3 octaves of the scale.
• Note Length10 to 100% — How long each note lasts as a share of its step (10 to 100%): short values play staccato, 100% plays legato.
• Rhythm Lock0 to 999 — Keeps a rhythm while Seed rolls new notes: 0 is Off (the rhythm follows Seed); any other value plays the rhythm of that seed (the LOCK RHYTHM switch in the display sets it to the current seed).
• Velocity Range0 to 100% — How much the step velocities vary below the velocity of the key you hold (0% plays every step at it).
• Accent0 to 100% — The share of steps that are accented, played well above the others (0 to 100%).
• Variation0 to 100% — How often a step plays a new note instead of repeating the note one beat earlier (0% repeats a one-beat motif, 100% is all new notes).

Best uses

• Hold one key and get basslines, leads or hooks that are always in key
• Roll through seeds to find a riff, then lock its rhythm and change only the notes
• Tempo-synced arpeggio-like runs and triplet rolls from a single held key
• Transpose a riff live: the key you hold is its root, the last key pressed leads
• Feed any synth or sampler with endless, repeatable melodic ideas

Properties

A MIDI effect: MIDI in, MIDI out, the audio passes through untouched (place it before an instrument). The pattern comes from two separate Park-Miller random streams seeded by Seed: one for the rhythm (which steps play, their velocity and accents), one for the pitches (root jumps, steps and skips, motif repeats), so it is fully deterministic and Rhythm Lock can keep one while the other changes. While the host plays, the steps sit on its beat grid (the step is the beat position divided by the rate, modulo Steps); stopped, the riff starts with the key and runs at the host's tempo. One note sounds at a time and every note-on gets its note-off; releasing every key, all notes off (CC 120/123) or the transport stopping ends the riff. Pitch bend, controllers and sustain pass through; poly pressure of the leading key goes to the note sounding. Sample-accurate and the same in the JSFX, the GFX version and the VST3/CLAP.

Formats

• JSFXJSFX for REAPER, with REAPER's own sliders
• GFXJSFX GFX for REAPER, with its own interface
• VST3VST3 for any DAW
• CLAPCLAP for any DAW

Factory presets

Driving Bassline · Sparse Groove · Acid Line · Pentatonic Lead · Blues Shuffle · Eighth Note Riff · Fast Arp Run · Triplet Rolls · Dorian Funk · Minor Hook · Wide Melody · Staccato Pulse · Steady Repeat · Locked Groove · Ambient Drift