Thesys: Step Sequencer Plugin by Sugar Bytes Free Download

The top lanes handle the core of a riff or arpeggio. The pitch lane is where you set the root note, and when scales are in use, notes outside the key are kept out of your sequence. Below it, the velocity lane controls volume per step, and the gate lane controls the length of each note. Most programming work happens in these first three lanes before you assign finished patterns.

Recording is also an option. You can capture pitch directly from a MIDI keyboard, or paint steps by hand. The randomizer and mutate function can generate new patterns on the fly, which helps when you want to move a sequence somewhere unexpected.

The Performance Sequencer combines five sequencers in one window, with per-step control over octave, pitch bend, chord, note roll and randomization of humanizing parameters. Pitch Bend includes 20 preset shapes. The CC modulation lane outputs values from 0 to 127 to a MIDI CC of your choice, and up to eight modulation sequences can run at once, each controlling a different CC.

Up to 16 patterns can live in one project. You can sequence them in the Pattern Sequencer or trigger them from the keyboard. In performance mode, the keyboard splits into zones for pattern select, an action section and pitch transposition. The action section offers eight real-time effects, including looping, half-time, re-trigger and tempo break. Lane lengths can be set independently, so pitch, velocity and modulation can cycle over different step counts and produce evolving patterns.