Lanes have independent lengths (two to 32 steps) and resolution (quarter to 64th notes with triplet or dotted note options). Each lane plays a single pitch, but you can use MIDI input to change the pitch assignments. As always with generated material, capture Polyform's output and edit the results. Spektro Audio's ACDGEN step sequencer is a good match for Polyform. Step sequencers are an alternative to using MIDI clips to feed Polyform, and you'll find a variety of them covered in the February 2019 Live column. Lowering the Density will thin things out and Delay will shift the output by the indicated number of 16th notes. Events will still be triggered by incoming MIDI notes, but now the position in the Polyform sequence will change in sync with Live's MIDI clock. It will change to 'Clock' and the sequence position will now conform to the Clock Rate setting on the Options tab. use the mono MIDI clip to step the Polyform sequence. One good way to get a feeling for the real-time controls is to create a mono instrument track, play a MIDI clip on that track and set the Polyform track's input to the MIDI output from the instrument track - ie. Finally, the Pitch Probability tab in the Tweaks section sets the probability that the incoming note will be used as the root for the chord or be played as an extra note. The Options tab's Post Quantizer button controls whether the intervals are quantised to the selected key and scale.

The Key and Scale drop-downs at the bottom determine the root and whether the thirds are minor or major. Clicking any of the buttons will suppress its interval.

From left to right the buttons represent intervals of -12, -5, +3 or +4, +7, +12 and +15 or +16 semitones (octave down, fourth down, minor or major third up, fifth up, octave up, minor or major 10th up). The small white dots indicate which intervals are being played when chords are triggered. Try it with Post Quantizer turned off in Polyform's Options tab.ДЄs the generated sequence plays, small white dots appear above some of the white and blue Chord Quality buttons in the Main tab of the View section. Select the Main tab in the View section and then play C3 repeatedly on your MIDI keyboard.

Arm the new track for recording and ensure the Polyform track's Monitoring mode is set to 'In' or that the track is also armed.Д¦. The settings on the other tabs and the settings of the six knobs at the bottom right of the display apply in real time.ДҐ. The settings in the Tweaks tab of the View section as well as the events' chord voicings are locked in once you've generated a sequence. The currently selected event will be shown in white.Д¤. (The Length knob's range is two to 16 and eight is the default.) One horizontal bar represents a single note and three horizontal bars represents a chord, which may contain as many as seven notes. Click the Generate button and you'll see eight 'events' in the top-right display. This will create a new MIDI track named 'Polyform REC' next to the Polyform track, and Polyform's output will be automatically routed to the new track for recording - insert the playback instrument on that track.ДЈ. Select the Options tab in the View section (centre), and click the 'Create Recording Track' button (see ScreenВ 1, above). (You could insert it before the instrument on an instrument track, but targeting a separate track lets you capture Polyform's output.)Дў. Setting up Polyform can involve a bit of head scratching, so I'll start with some step-by-step basics:ДЎ. In either case it plays the currently selected event when it receives a note. It steps through that sequence as it receives single MIDI notes or by following Live's clock. Polyform generates a sequence of as many as 16 events each of which is either a chord, a single note or empty. For example, you could use Polyform to turn a monophonic solo or bass line into a chord part, and you could then use HEXO to 'arpeggiate' the chords in complex patterns or to create a six-track drum part with the chords assigning the kit pieces. HEXO ( uses polyphonic input to change the pitch of the notes generated by its six sequencer lanes. Polyform ( turns a monophonic note stream into polyphonic output. This month we'll have a look at a couple of Max For Live step sequencers - Polyform from Spektro Audio and HEXO from K-Devices - that respond in real time to MIDI input. Step sequencing is usually a passive process: make a few settings and let it rip. We look at two Max For Live devices that bring your step sequencing to life.

You can modify generated sequences in the View Main and View Options tabs as well as with the six knobs at bottom right. The Polyform track's output is routed to the Polyform REC track to capture generated sequences.

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