Descending Cascade Arp FX

Sounds like: A fast, clean cascade of notes falling from high to low.

Sound type: arp · Genre: Techno, Trance · Style: clean descending arpeggio run used as a transitional FX

A fast, clean descending run built from the arpeggiator's Down direction: rather than a chaotic or rhythmic pattern, this is a single melodic cascade falling from a wide held chord, used as a transitional impact FX rather than a played instrument voice.

Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad

Digitone II

Exact match: MODE DOWN on the real ARPEGGIATOR menu

SYN page 1

• ALGO: 1
• RATIO C: 1.00
• MIX: -64

SYN page 2 · Operators A & B

• LEV (A): 0
• LEV (B): 0

FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode

• FREQ: 80
• RESO: 30
• TYPE: 0 (LP)

AMP page

• ATK: 0
• DEC: 30
• SUS: 0
• REL: 15
• MODE: ADSR

ARPEGGIATOR menu

• MODE: DOWN
• SPEED: 1/32
• RANGE: 3
• LEN: 12
• N.LEN: 40

Digitone II's ARPEGGIATOR menu options are OFF/TRUE/UP/DOWN/CYCL: MODE DOWN walks a held wide chord from the top note down to the root. RANGE 3 spreads it across three octaves so the fall has real distance to travel, and fast SPEED at 1/32 keeps the whole cascade quick enough to work as a transitional hit rather than a slow melodic phrase. ALGO 1 routes operator A (and B) into carrier C, so LEV (A) and LEV (B) are set to 0 on SYN page 2 and MIX is -64 (the X output, C only).

Syntakt

Approximation: No arpeggiator: SY CHIP note-cycling with reversed offsets stands in

SYN — SY CHIP

• WAVE: Anim 1
• TUNE: 88
• SPD: 1/32
• DEC: 30
• OF2: -12
• OF3: -24
• OF4: -36
• OVER: 10

FLTR PAGE 1

• FREQ: 80
• RESO: 30
• TYPE: Lowpass

AMP PAGE 1

• ATK: 0
• DEC: 30
• SUS: 0
• REL: 15

AMP PAGE 2

• MODE: ADSR

Syntakt has no general per-track arpeggiator; SY CHIP's built-in note-cycling stands in. TUNE is set high (the top of the fall) and OF2/OF3/OF4 use negative offsets (-12/-24/-36 semitones) so the cycle steps downward rather than up, the same falling shape as MODE DOWN gives natively elsewhere.

Novation Summit

Exact match: Type Down

OSCILLATOR 1

• WAVE: Sawtooth
• RANGE: 8'

MIXER

• Osc 1: 100

FILTER

• SHAPE: LP
• FREQUENCY: 80
• RESONANCE: 30

AMP ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 30
• SUSTAIN: 0
• RELEASE: 15

ARPEGGIATOR

• Type: Down
• Rhythm: 0
• Octaves: 3
• Gate: 70
• SyncRate: 32nd

Type Down is a real, literal arpeggiator direction: hold a wide chord and Octaves 3 spreads the fall across three octaves. Fast SyncRate 32nd keeps the whole cascade tight enough to work as a transitional FX hit.

Arturia MiniFreak

Exact match: Mode Down

OSCILLATOR · Osc 1

• TYPE: BasicWaves
• WAVE (Morph): 50 (pure sawtooth)
• TIMBRE (Sym): 0
• SHAPE (Sub): 0
• VOLUME: 100

ANALOG FILTER

• TYPE: Low Pass
• CUTOFF: 80
• RESONANCE: 30

ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 30
• SUSTAIN: 0
• RELEASE: 15

ARPEGGIATOR

• Mode: Down
• Octave Range: 3
• Gate: 70%
• Time Division: 1/32

Hold a wide chord spanning several octaves. Osc 1 is BasicWaves with Morph at 50 (pure sawtooth): the Morph knob runs from a square (0) through a sawtooth (50) to a double sawtooth an octave up (100), Sym only changes the pulse width below 50, and Sub adds a sine an octave down (0 here). Mode Down with Octave Range 3 gives the full falling cascade. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.

Dreadbox Typhon

Approximation: No arpeggiator: hand-programmed descending step sequence

FRONT PANEL

• WAVE: ~4 o'clock (VCO1 saw blended with VCO2 saw)
• CUTOFF: ~3-4 o'clock (~80%)
• RESON: ~4 o'clock (~30%)
• AMP TIME: ~1 o'clock (medium-fast)
• VOLUME: ~12 o'clock

NOTE SEQUENCER (SQNCR button)

• LENG (shift page): 12
• DVS (shift page): 32
• PROB (shift page): 100
• SWI (shift page): 50 (no swing)
• STEP / OCV / NOTE / GATE / VEL: Twelve hand-set descending notes across three octaves, top to bottom: C+2, G+1, E+1, C+1, G, E, C, G-1, E-1, C-1, G-2, C-2
• GATE: 40 (0 = rest, maximum = tie)

Typhon has no arpeggiator, but it has a real note sequencer (SQNCR button: 1 to 32 steps over a 6-octave range, with per-step octave, note, gate, velocity, plus probability, division and swing). Program the descending notes directly instead of holding a chord. Fast DVS at 32nd-note divisions keeps the whole run quick. The Filter and Amp ADSR shape each note.

ASM Hydrasynth Desktop

Exact match: Mode Down

OSCILLATOR 1

• MODE: Single
• WAVE: Saw

FILTER 1

• TYPE: LP Ldr12
• CUTOFF: 80.0
• RESONANCE: 30.0

ENVELOPE 2

• ATTACK: 0 ms
• DECAY: 100 ms
• SUSTAIN: 0.0
• RELEASE: 80 ms

ARPEGGIATOR

• Mode: Down
• Octave: 3
• Octave Mode: Down
• Gate: 70%
• Division: 1/32

Mode Down is a real arpeggiator direction (one of Up, Down, Up / Dn, Up & Dn, Order, Random, Chord, Phrase). Octave Mode Down and Octave 3 spread a wide held chord's fall across three octaves at a fast 1/32 division.

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