Noob: entry-level recommendations for letting Pyramid take over

Pyramid
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Thanks again to the very-helpful folks who replied to my first post!

I bought a Pyramid, have had it for 24 hours, have overcome all the initial technical obstacles, and am in the middle of translating a previously-written song into a Squarp-powered arrangement.

I’ve been keeping it very simple. Using four pieces of vintage hardware: an SCI Drumtraks, SCI Sixtrak, Roland MKS-50 and Roland JX-3P.

To keep it simple, I am using the SCI Drumtraks as the clock, and am using previously-programmed drums I’d already created on the Drumtraks. It’s about a 5-minute song.

Per some of your helpful suggestions, I am using my Keystep Pro as an external midi keyboard…and am running the SCI Drumtraks’s clock through the Keystep into the Pyramid.

I’m using just three tracks on the Pyramid for this initial song (one track each for the Sixtrak, MKS50, and JX-3P).

I’ve broken down the 5-minute song into 7 patterns of various lengths (from 8 bars to 29 bars).

Everything is working perfectly! The Pyramid is exactly what I’ve been searching for. (I’m sure the Hapax will work even better at some point in the future when I’ve gained more experience.)

My question: there is a 16-bar instrumental/solo section (am playing electric Baritone guitar over all of this) before the final verse in (the key is C minor)…these 16 bars are where I would like to try one of the ways the Pyramid can take the song to an unpredictable place.

Does anyone have a favorite feature/go-to move to recommend I try first? I’ve read the manual and watched several YouTube videos, and see several ways to approach it…just wondering if there’s a particular methodology (the Euclidean features, etc.) I should attempt first…I’m clocking off the SCI Drumtraks so it would have to be a non-drum-centric method.

Thanks!

m.

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Glad you’re liking it! I remember the “yes, this is it!” feeling quite well, in my case after endless frustrations with the DAW world.

I guess polyrhythms are the thing Pyramid does like nothing else out there. The delay effect is a favorite of many, me included, chain with something else for something wilder. While not something I’d recommend starting your Pyramid journey with, if you can loop back MIDI, that opens up a deep and wonderfully weird rabbit hole to explore (search for posts from @CreepyPants)

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this probably isn’t wholly unpredictable - but it can be depending on your playstyle:

one thing i like to do is to use non standard pattern lengths for a pattern or two. So like, normally my music is all in 8 16 or 32 bar chunks. Sometimes i’ll have one element be like 46 or 48 or 30 or 12. At least for highly looped music like i like to do this seems to let my ears keep thinking things are interesting and sometimes leads to some happy accidents.

I like to do a similar trick with the midi cc lfo like have it be 12 bars instead of 8 or 16.

On that note - i’m a big fan of sample & hold in the cc lfo to add some ‘randomness’ to sounds.

ymmv. glad you’re having fun with pyramid :slight_smile:

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These are good ideas - thanks!

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