From intricate trap-style high-hats to ornamental note runs, exotic rhythms, and pleasantly-glitched musical phrases, Pulse Engine is the latest generative MIDI effect from Berlin’s Manifest Audio.
Probabilistic Pulsation
Described as “not unlike Live’s Beat Repeat, but for MIDI”, Pulse Engine is driven by a chaotic note generator that produce “clusters” of notes at rhythmic intervals, with note rate randomized on a per-cluster basis.
Note rate randomization can be switched off for manual control, or triggered with incoming note-on messages. Rhythmic rates can be restricted to randomize within a constrained range while selecting from any combination of dotted, triplet, or conventional rhythms.
Trust The Process
Generated note pitch can be transposed internally, or via incoming MIDI in receive mode. These notes provide a basis for further pitch randomization, optional LFO pitch control, and progressive transposition occurring on each note within a cluster to produce cascading note runs.
You can also specify a base velocity to be randomized within range constraints, along with a decay to taper note velocities down on a per-cluster basis. The same dedicated LFO can be applied to velocity as well, with optional phase offset to differentiate the contour.
Including Manifest Audio’s unique Gate and Side modes, Pulse Engine’s play state can be based on incoming MIDI information by responding in conversation to other elements or probabilistically filling the open spaces of a sparse sequence. Set the play chance at a high value to generate output consistently, or reduce it to produce occasional bursts of musical ornamentation.
Thinking Globally
Pulse Engine can be constrained to 68 built-in scales in any key, both of which can be pinned locally, or, by default, controlled by an instance of Global Hub – the workflow utility that comes bundled with Pulse Engine and Manifest Audio’s other MIDI effects: Chance Engine, Octopulse, Pattern Engine, and Subtraction Engine.
Generative Engineering
Pulse Engine also comes bundled with sixteen helpful presets that showcase the diverse applications of the device, from intricate IDM melodics to playful percussion programming and plenty in between.
Meshing seamlessly with Manifest Audio’s collection of existing MIDI effects, their unconventional Pulse Engine completes a dynamic ecosystem of creative tools designed to spark inspiration through unique interaction.
Pulse Engine is on sale with introductory pricing until 18 May 2022:
https://manifest.audio/allmax/pulse-engine
Check their other Max for Live MIDI Effects: