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It appears that random generation is a big trend these days when it comes to new plugins.
I’m completely cool with this. When creative burnout hits, it’s good to have a backup plan. It’s good to have a tool that can create melodies and sounds that you’d never even think of before. I’ve covered several different types of these plugins, and today, I’m going to talk about one that may look like an arpeggiator, but has so much more going on under the hood.
Futurephonic’s Rhythmizer Fusion does everything you’d want an arpeggiator to do, and then some. It doesn’t just control the notes that the arpeggiator plays: it also controls the velocity, gate, groove, and even if you’re only playing one note or an entire chord. It does all of this in a very controllable manner, randomizing all of these aspects while still allowing you to maintain power over the entire process. And, whenever you find something you like, you can keep it by hitting the “Loop” button.
There are also included pathways to sync up macros from Rythmizer Fusion into popular DAWs like Serum, Diva, and Pigments. Even if you don’t own any of those synths, you’ll still be able to get a lot of use out of this plugin. At the very least, it allows you to create arps and melodies that you may have never been able to think of. As I said earlier, that’s the power of randomization.
But, is randomization really the best way to make arps and melodies? Let’s find out.
So Many Parameters
Before we get started here, I wanted to link in this video from the Futurephonic team. This is about as good of a tutorial as you’ll ever see for any plugin, ever. It’s less than 2 minutes and not only shows you what’s possible with the plugin, but provides instant audio examples. Check it out!
So, to start, there’s something you should know when you open the plugin that’s kind of subtly hidden in the plugin’s interface. Right next to the company’s name, there are two options: Mono and Poly. I cannot stress this enough: MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT MODE YOU’RE IN! The plugin automatically opens up in Mono mode, which just takes one note and creates an arp out of it based on a key that you give it. Poly mode allows you to play several notes at once and have more control over the arps that you create.
For the purpose of this review, I’ll be mainly using Poly mode as I usually create my arps from sustained chords.
So, now that we’re in poly mode, let’s take a look at what you can do from left to right. On the left is the pitch shifter, which just shifts the pitch of the notes you’re playing. Then, the direction module allows you to determine whether your notes are playing in a scale upwards, downwards, or some of both (to do that, just adjust the hexagon to the right of the triangles to completely randomize in which way the notes play). You can also mess with how many octaves play at much and how often they may play right below it.
To the right is the main arpeggiator. Turning the chance knob right determines how many notes besides the root note are being played, while turning the extend knob determines if any extra notes outside of the ones you’re playing will be played. My favorite function of the plugin is right below it: move the slider to the right and you’ll be able to blend in the full chord you’re playing to your arp to play intermittently. You can also further mess with those chords with the flux, spread, and scatter options right next to it, and even make your chords play even more notes by adjusting how many voices are playing at once.
To the right of that are three more important functions: the velocity knobs (allowing you to adjust how hard the notes are playing; which you can also randomize), the gate knobs (allowing to adjust how long the notes play; which you can also randomize), and the looper. You can choose how long the looper records for, hit it, and the plugin will begin repeating at the interval you’ve set it at. This is a great way to quickly save a cool texture you may discover.
The rhythm page features a few more randomization options. You can slide any of the groove knobs to the right to add the chance of an eighth, fourth, or thirty-second note to be played in your pattern, and also set the plugin to play in triplets. The step sequencer works as a traditional step sequencer would as well, giving you more control over every note in your arp. And lastly, the sliders on the left further mess with your rhythm: for example, adding glitch will make your notes repeat instantly, while human will humanize your notes by throwing them ever so slightly off time.
For the main functions, that’s about it. There are a bunch of presets you can play with, as well. There are also options to map some functions from popular synths (like Serum and Diva) directly into the plugin so you can randomize parts of your synth as well, which you’d access by clicking the Map button and setting up the pathways properly using the guide they send with you. I personally will not be talking about this function just because I’d like to show that you can use the plugin really well even without those pathways, but they’re definitely a cool bonus.
Now, with the plethora of randomization options available, let’s play.
MIDI Insanity
I fear that this plugin does its job a little bit too well. It randomizes things to a level I once thought was impossible.
It’s clear that the plugin knows just how good it is at what it does. With even the slightest tweak of a knob, you can send your melody into a completely different world. For that reason, a steady hand and a readiness to hit the loop button are ESSENTIAL when using Rhythmizer Fusion. Another cool feature they’ve added is the ability to drag out any MIDI that the plugin has recorded in a given session; just drag from the two triangles at the top and you’ve got a MIDI line of what you just played.
But, regardless, this thing is unpredictable and borderline unstable. And, normally, I’d consider that a bit of a detriment to a plugin. However, with Rhythmizer Fusion, its unpredictability is maybe its greatest asset. You fully never know what you’re going to get, and that only adds to the fun of using it. It can go from controlled chaos to panic mode in a matter of seconds, but when you’re trying to inspire creativity, that may be just what you need.
Here’s a quick 16-bar demo I made with a simple pluck and chord progression. The first four bars are untouched, and then the rest get crazier and crazier. You’ll hear the main chord enter the melody, the rhythm get further and further away from a traditional 16 bar arp, and the velocity and gate of the notes change rapidly.
Now, I’d never use this entire sequence in a track. But, there are specific parts of it that I really, really like, and would want to build on. That’s why it’s so good that the plugin allows you to loop certain parts and drag the MIDI out at any time. If it comes up with a good idea, you can use it!
Pros & Cons
Pros:
It’s beyond an arpeggiator.
Even though you could use it as one, Rhythmizer Fusion goes far beyond what a traditional arpeggiator can do. With the amount of parameters you can randomize in this plugin, it could create entirely new melodies at the click of a button. Simply labeling it an arpeggiator sells it short: it’s a creativity-boosting machine.
I think it’s priced reasonably.
For what they’re giving you, 55 USD seems perfectly fair. If it were just an arpeggiator, I’d say 55$ is pricy. But, as I just mentioned, there’s a lot more going on here that justifies the price tag.
Cons:
Is it too random?
As I alluded to earlier, this is a highly unpredictable, and borderline unstable, tool. While there are a lot of tools (the looper, dragging out the MIDI) that allow you to save your work, be prepared for anything you do to change your sound drastically – and know that it’ll never play the same thing twice. If you really like a melody it spits out and you forget to save it, then there isn’t much you can do if you want to use it.
Conclusion: Should you get it?
If you need a new arpeggiator or want a tool that can easily create cool melodies for you, then I’d take a look at Rhythmizer Fusion. It’s fun and intuitive to use, and while it may be wildly unpredictable at times, there’s no denying that it has the power to generate the next great melody or arp that you haven’t even thought of yet. Just make sure to save your work!
Buy Rhythmizer Fusion here.
Ben Lepper is a music producer and journalist from Boston, Massachusetts.
