Arrangement points


You can add an arrangement point at any beat in your music in order to customize your accompaniment. For example, you can start with a chords-only backing, then switch on the bass four bars later, and finally add the drums yet another four bars later.

Arrangement points can be used to define song breaks and endings. ChordPulse lets you control 'Drums', 'Bass', and 'Chords' independently to provide many options for your music. In addition, you can use two or more arrangement points for a given song break or ending and enjoy even more variety.

An arrangement point is effective until the next arrangement point or the end of the chord page, whichever comes first. This also means that each chord page starts with the default arrangement.

Adding arrangement points

Move your mouse a few pixels above the top of the chords at the desired beat:

Left-click on the symbol to add an arrangement point and open the editor:

Alternatively, right-click on the symbol to add an arrangement point by choosing a preset from the following menu:


Editing arrangement points

You can select different modes and audible parts of 'Drums', 'Bass' and ' Chords' independently.

The 'Drums' section consists of four parts:
[k]: kick drum, [s]: snare drum, [h]: hi-hat, [+]: other percussion

The 'Chords' section consists of three layers (a,b,c). The actual musical content of these layers varies with the music style. Typically, layer 'a' is a sustained sound (e.g. organ, strings, or synthesizer pad), layer 'b' is a rhythmic/percussive component, and layer 'c' is an additional decorative item (e.g. a guitar arpeggio).

You can adjust the volume levels of individual parts/layers by using the Session Mixer (open it from the 'Play' menu or press [M] on the keyboard).

Arrangement point menu

To access this menu, do one of the following:
   - click the icon in the arrangement point editor
   - right-click the diamond shape representing an arrangement point
   - right-click in an empty space in the arrangement point editor

Using this menu you can cut, copy, paste, or delete arrangement points and select from several arrangement presets.

Example: adding a song ending

You can define a song ending in a few clicks:

1. Select 'Repeat Off' by clicking on the repeat mode sensor:

2. Add an arrangement point at the start of the last bar of your song: right-click the symbol above the chord at the desired position and select 'Drum Break + Sustain Bass & Chords' from the menu:

You may also experiment with the following:
   - changing the inversion of the last sustained chord (e.g. one inversion up)
   - using two or more bars instead of one
   - moving the arrangement point back or forward by one or more beats
   - adding a short fade out effect