7. Generating random riffs using HY-Plugins’ HY-Sequencer Free

1 Let’s check out HY-Plugins’ HY-Sequencer-Collection Free, a chopped-down version of their full sequencer plugin. HY Sequencer loads as an instrument plugin, but it doesn’t make any sound itself – you have to route its output to another instrument (See MIDI Plugins 101 below). Here in Bitwig Studio, we simply drag HY-Sequencer onto a track, and place an instrument after it.

2 Press play in your DAW, and HY-Seq should play the instrument. The initial sequence consists of seven notes – all C at the moment. We can change the notes using the knobs on the right-hand side of the interface. You’ll notice that the actual notes played are chosen randomly. We can dictate that random behaviour using the plugin’s other parameters…

3 The sliders on the very left determine probability for the next step. Bring down all except for the one on the very left, and the sequencer cycles +1 or > each time, moving around in a circle. With the other sliders, we can add some likelihood that the note chosen will be influenced by another factor: moving backwards (<), staying the same (=), random (?), or going back to the central note ( 0).

4 In the next panel along, we can set the probability of certain notes being triggered after the central note. To the right of that, we can set the probability of the octaves that any given note will strike. All of this is enough to come up with some interesting generative MIDI patterns.

5 We can also use HY-Sequencer-Free to set the Velocity Range (the diversity of note loudness), the Gate Range (ie, note length), and the Probability of the note actually playing at all (new notes will still be selected, though). Have a play and see what you can come up with!

6 Down at the bottom, we can see that we’ve been working on Pattern 1. If we flip it over to Pattern 2, we get a whole new canvas to set up another sequence. We can choose different notes and, of course, different probabilities for moving between them. The plugin’s got 12 available patterns in all, and you can Copy and Paste patterns.

7 By activating the Chainer, we can sequence the sequencer! It’s set to 4 steps by default, and it cycles through them one by one. Those first four steps, though, are all set to Pattern 1. Simply select the number below a number to set them to another pattern. We can extend the sequence to encompass more steps by using the Size dropdown.

8 At the bottom-right, we can select global note properties. Change the

Scales the plugin uses (you don’t have to reset the notes you’ve programmed for this to take effect); the Global Octave, and fine-tune ( Transpose); add Swing; and slow down the sequence with the Clock parameter. Download the plugin from bit.ly/hyseqfree.