So far, it’s a convenient and efficient approach to beat programming, but the real strength of Liquid Rhythm lies in its ‘intelligent’ features. With dozens of BeatForms and BarForms on offer for each instrument, WaveDNA claim that the built-in BeatForms and BarForms can be combined to create ten quadrillion different patterns, and that’s before you even start programming custom rhythms in Note Edit Mode. There are so many options on offer that it’s impossible to think of this as ‘just’ a preset-based tool. Liquid Rhythm treads the fine line between presets and user-programmed patterns very well. It’s particularly useful for instruments which tend to repeat throughout a bar, such as hi-hats and percussion sounds. Version 1.4 also introduces a BeatForm Editing option, which allows you to ‘paint’ clusters of notes into the arrangement view. You can, of course, choose to ignore the BeatForms and BarForms found in BeatWeaver and simply program your own patterns from scratch in the arrangement window. BeatForms sit in BarForms, which are entire bars of beats. The notes can also sit in what Liquid Rhythm calls BeatForms, which are groups of notes that fit into an 8 th-note beat. Diamonds are used to represent notes, with rectangular bars above them to indicate velocity. Patterns are displayed using a simple notation system which differs slightly from the typical step sequencer or piano roll grid. Version 1.4 also introduces a new Custom Instrument Type option, which allows you to override the default instrument type of the chosen sound. Suggestions are made based on the instrument type, so if you select a kick drum track you’ll get suggestions of suitable kick drum patterns, which might be totally different to the patterns suggested for, say, hi-hats. A BeatSeeker option below the Map automatically highlights the most appropriate patterns for your beat, with an option to specify a genre in order to whittle the choice down further. Select a bar in the arranger, then audition one-bar patterns on the BarForm and BeatForm Maps until you find something which works in your groove. BeatWeaver is the feature which best demonstrates Liquid Rhythm’s unique approach, based around a multiple-choice system for creating one-bar rhythms from pre-defined BarForms and BeatForms. There are a few different ways you can approach the creation of beats in Liquid Rhythm, but the most obvious places to start are the BeatBuilder section and BeatWeaver, the software’s built-in ‘rhythm synthesiser’. It’s worth noting that once you’ve created a beat you can also swap samples in real time as the arrangement plays back, making it easy to audition different drum sounds in the context of the overall beat (this should really be taken for granted in 2014, but too many sample-based drum machines and instruments still complicate the process). Before creating a beat, you begin by putting together a kit from the sample library (kits can contain loops as well as individual hits). The range of built-in sounds is quite thorough thanks to a selection of genre-based additional downloads, while custom sample libraries can also be added with ease. The central focus is the Arranger Canvas, which is instantly familiar as a linear arrangement view just like you’d find in a DAW. Liquid Rhythm runs as a standalone application, interfacing with your DAW via a VST/AU/RTAS plugin. With version 1.4 (a free upgrade for existing owners), the aim isn’t so much to reinvent the package, but to hone and polish the features to make the entire approach more efficient and even more flexible. Version 1.3, released late last year, was a substantial overhaul of the software, introducing a number of innovative new features. WaveDNA’s Liquid Rhythm offers a unique approach to drum programming. Liquid Rhythm, with BeatWeaver’s BarForm Map in the centre
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