Patternal

Turn rhythmic patterns into MIDI drums and percussion. Feed it arrays of velocities and it spits out perfectly timed MIDI notes - think of it as your digital drum machine that synchronizes to score’s musical timing.

Perfect for drum programming, rhythmic experimentation, or any situation where you want to convert pattern data into MIDI percussion tracks.

How it works

Patternal takes pattern arrays where each pattern represents one drum sound (MIDI note) and a sequence of velocity values representing the rhythm. When it plays, each step in the pattern triggers at the right musical timing.

Pattern input - Arrays of [note_number, [velocity, velocity, velocity...]] Musical sync - Automatically quantizes to musical timing MIDI output - Note-on/note-off messages sent to MIDI bus Multiple drums - Handle several drum sounds simultaneously

Pattern format

Each pattern is a simple array with a MIDI note number and velocity sequence:

[
  [36, [127, 0, 0, 0]],    // Kick drum: hit on beat 1
  [38, [0, 0, 64, 0]],     // Snare: hit on beat 3  
  [42, [32, 0, 32, 0]]     // Hi-hat: hits on beats 1 and 3
]

Note numbers: Standard MIDI drum map (36 = kick, 38 = snare, 42 = hi-hat, etc.)
Velocities: 0-127 where 0 = silent, 127 = maximum volume
Pattern length: Can be any length - 4 steps, 8 steps, 16 steps, whatever you need

A simple example of script that generates patterns in the required format is available: the claves Javascript preset. It showcases how one can use the Total Serialism library shipped with score to support generation of stochastic rhythms.

claves

Creative applications

Drum programming: Create classic drum patterns - four-on-the-floor, breakbeats, latin rhythms, or experimental polyrhythms.

Algorithmic composition: Generate patterns procedurally and feed them to Patternal for instant rhythmic results.

Live performance: Change patterns in real-time during performances for dynamic drum arrangement.

Polyrhythmic experiments: Use different pattern lengths for different drums to create complex interlocking rhythms.

Pattern sequencing: Combine with Scenario to switch between different pattern sets over time.

Musical timing and sync

Patternal automatically synchronizes to score’s musical timing system, which means:

Tempo sync: Pattern playback follows the project tempo - change the BPM and patterns speed up or slow down accordingly.

Quantization: Pattern steps align perfectly to musical timing.

Frame-accurate: MIDI messages are generated at precisely the right sample to maintain tight timing.

Integration with score

Works seamlessly with score’s MIDI system - connect the output to MIDI devices, software synthesizers, or other MIDI processes.

MIDI routing: Connect to any MIDI device or application that receives MIDI input.

Effect processing: Send the generated patterns through various MIDI Effects for additional processing.

Multiple instances: Run several Patternal processes for different drum kits or layered rhythmic elements.

Advanced techniques

Variable pattern lengths: Mix 4-step kicks with 3-step hi-hats for interesting polyrhythmic effects.

Velocity programming: Use different velocity levels to create realistic drum dynamics and accents.

Ghost notes: Add subtle low-velocity hits between main beats for more human-like drum patterns.

Pattern morphing: Gradually change pattern arrays to create smooth transitions between different rhythmic feels.

Patternal pairs perfectly with Melodial for complete drum and melody programming, works alongside MIDI devices for output routing, and integrates with Automation for dynamic pattern changes over time.

ossia