Create an Atmosphere With a Simple Arp

Arpeggiators have been vital in great tunes for decades since they quickly and easily break down a track's chords into multi-note blocks and brilliant cascading melodies. They can also give any static sound a shimmering life. In the following tutorial, I'll show you how to create an atmosphere with a simple arp.

As an illustration, I have prepared a short sequence in our SoundBridge: DAW, which contains most instruments of the whole mix, including the simple arp sequence. Let us listen to it in the context of the whole mix and then solo.

~Full Mix (Arp Sequence Unprocessed)

~Arp Sequence - Solo (Unprocessed)

Use a Delay to Create an Atmosphere With a Simple Arp

To add some movement to this arp sequence, I'll start by processing it with a simple delay. Following that, I filtered some low frequencies and used the Tal-Dub delay effect. Let's see how that sounds.

~Arp Sequence - Solo (Delay)

The reverse delay effect will be the following effect in our plugin chain. It's an excellent tool for pushing sounds into the background. I used GVST's reverse delay, which has simple controls, as shown in the image below. With that, I should point out that to keep the arp sequence in the background. I purposefully reduced the dry signal's value while increasing the wet signal's value.

~Arp Sequence - Solo (Delay+Reverse Delay)

I'll finally process my newly created atmospheric sound with additional filter and reverb effects because I want it to move as much as possible. Next, I'll then be using a band-pass filter. Also, I'll automate the frequency parameter; the reverb will be the final effect in the chain. Let us hear the final result solo and then in the context of the whole mix. 

~Arp Sequence - Solo (Delay+Reverse Delay+Filter+Reverb)

~Full Mix - Arp Sequence (Fully Processed)

If you liked this article about audio processing, here are some more on the same subject:

• Revive Your Mix With a Multiband Harmonic Enhancer

• Produce a Live Bass Sound (Part 1)

• Take Control of Your Sub Frequencies

• How to Make Ambient Music