Retouch Control Phrase Key Trigged Sequencer Player User Guide

Phrase Key Trigged Sequencer Player

Specifications

• Product Name: Phrase
• Product Type: Key Trigged Sequencer Player Rack Extension
• Compatible with: Reason
• Version: 1.2.0
• Website: www.retouchcontrol.com

Product Usage Instructions

1. Introduction

Phrase is a player device for the Reason rack which specializes
in the creation of musical motifs and phrases. It can inspire new
ideas for melodies, bass-lines, chord progressions, and even drums
and percussion parts. The programming interface allows for fast
results without the need for drawing notes on a piano roll.

2. Overview

The main interface elements of Phrase are:

• 16 step sequencer

• Keyboard or MIDI device trigger

• Note track support in Reason

• Edit menu for individual or entire row parameter settings

• Built-in presets for quick sequence generation

• Sequence-level editing functions for altering all parameters at
  once

• Customizable randomization engine

• Note correction algorithm to force outgoing notes to chosen key
  and scale

• Instant phrase generation with desired length

• Up to 4 sequence variations per patch

• Live switching of sequence variations

3. Usage

3.1 Sequencer basics

To set the Number of Steps, Offset, and Direction of the
sequencer:

• Step 1: Go to the Sequencer basics section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for setting the desired
  values.

3.2 Programming Steps

To program individual steps:

• Step 1: Go to the Programming Steps section in the manual.
• Step 2: Learn about the Anatomy of a Step.
• Step 3: Follow the instructions for setting Step On, Gate
  Length, Velocity, Duration, Transpose, and Play Modes.

3.2.1 Anatomy of a Step

Understanding the components of a step:

• Component 1: Step On
• Component 2: Gate Length
• Component 3: Velocity
• Component 4: Duration
• Component 5: Transpose
• Component 6: Play Modes

3.2.2 Step On

To set Step Trigger probability:

• Step 1: Go to the Step On section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for adjusting the
  probability.

3.2.2.1 Step Trigger probability

To understand and adjust Step Trigger probability:

• Step 1: Go to the Step Trigger probability section in the
  manual.

• Step 2: Follow the instructions for adjusting the
  probability.

3.2.3 Gate Length

To set Gate Length:

• Step 1: Go to the Gate Length section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for setting the desired
  length.

3.2.4 Velocity

To set Velocity:

• Step 1: Go to the Velocity section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for setting the desired
  velocity.

3.2.5 Duration

To set Duration:

• Step 1: Go to the Duration section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for setting the desired
  duration.

3.2.6 Transpose

To set Transpose:

• Step 1: Go to the Transpose section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for setting the desired
  transpose value.

3.2.7 Play Modes

To set Play Modes:

• Step 1: Go to the Play Modes section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for setting the desired play
  mode.

3.2.7.1 Play Mode Randomization

To randomize Play Modes:

• Step 1: Go to the Play Mode Randomization section in the
  manual.

• Step 2: Follow the instructions for randomizing play
  modes.

3.3 Sequence Edit

To perform sequence editing tasks:

• Step 1: Go to the Sequence Edit section in the manual.
• Step 2: Learn about Copy and Paste, Randomization, Fast Edit
  Button, and Scale and Key Correction.

3.3.1 Copy and Paste

To copy and paste sequences:

• Step 1: Go to the Copy and Paste section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for copying and pasting
  sequences.

3.3.2 Randomization

To use the randomization feature:

• Step 1: Go to the Randomization section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for randomizing sequences.

3.3.3 Fast Edit Button

To use the Fast Edit Button:

• Step 1: Go to the Fast Edit Button section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for using the Fast Edit
  Button.

3.3.4 Scale and Key Correction

To correct notes to a chosen key and scale:

• Step 1: Go to the Scale and Key Correction section in the
  manual.

• Step 2: Follow the instructions for correcting notes.

3.4 Variations

To generate phrase variations:

• Step 1: Go to the Variations section in the manual.
• Step 2: Follow the instructions for generating phrases.

4. Tips and Tricks

Explore various tips and tricks for using Phrase:

• Tip 1: Using the Start and End locators as selectors for
  editing

• Tip 2: As you go arpeggios

• Tip 3: Experimenting with Chord Progressions

• Tip 4: Percussive ideas

• Tip 5: Short and Sweet

5. MIDI Implementation

To implement MIDI functionality:

• Step 1: Go to the MIDI Implementation section in the
  manual.

• Step 2: Follow the instructions for implementing MIDI
  features.

6. Remote Implementation

To implement remote control features:

• Step 1: Go to the Remote Implementation section in the
  manual.

• Step 2: Follow the instructions for implementing remote
  control.

7. Version History

To view the version history:

• Step 1: Go to the Version History section in the manual.
• Step 2: Refer to the provided information about previous
  versions.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: Can Phrase be used with any other DAWs besides Reason?

A: No, Phrase is specifically designed as a Rack Extension for
Reason and cannot be used with other DAWs.

Q: Can I switch sequence variations while my music is
playing?

A: Yes, Phrase allows live switching of sequence variations,
giving you the flexibility to change your music on the fly.

Q: How many sequence variations can I have per patch?

A: You can have up to 4 sequence variations per patch in
Phrase.

Q: Can I generate entire phrases with just one click?

A: Yes, Phrase offers the ability to automatically create entire
phrases of the desired length with just a mouse click, providing
instant inspiration.

Phrase
Key Trigged Sequencer Player
Rack Extension for Reason

Phrase User Manual

USER MANUAL
version 1.2.0
www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 1 of 53

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

4

2. Overview

5

3. Usage

6

3.1 Sequencer basics

6

3.1.1 Setting the Number of Steps, Offset and Direction

6

3.1.2 Sequence Global Parameters

8

3.2 Programming Steps

11

3.2.1 Anatomy of a Step

11

3.2.2 Step On

13

3.2.2.1 Step Trigger probability

14

3.2.3 Gate Length

16

3.2.4 Velocity

18

3.2.5 Duration

20

3.2.6 Transpose

23

3.2.7 Play Modes

27

3.2.7.1 Play Mode Randomization

31

3.3 Sequence Edit

33

3.3.1 Copy and Paste

34

3.3.2 Randomization

36

3.3.3 Fast Edit Button

37

3.3.4 Scale and Key Correction

38

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 2 of 53

3.4 Variations

39

3.4.1 Generate Phrase

40

4. Tips and Tricks

41

4.1 Using the Start and End locators as selectors for editing

41

4.2 “As you go” arpeggios

43

4.3 Experimenting with Chord Progressions

44

4.4 Percussive ideas

46

4.5 Short and Sweet

47

5. MIDI Implementation

48

6. Remote Implementation

51

7. Version History

52

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 3 of 53

1. Introduction

Phrase is a player device for the Reason rack which specializes in the creation of musical motifs and phrases. A great tool to inspire new ideas for melodies, bass-lines, chord progressions, even drums and percussion parts. The programming interface does away with the traditional piano roll to get results fast. Thanks to several editing options, it’s easy to create or modify sequences in just a few clicks. No drawing of notes required.
At the core of the device lies a 16 step sequencer which is triggered when you play a note. Like an arpeggiator, you trigger it with a keyboard or other MIDI device capable of sending notes, but you can also use a note track in Reason. With every new note, the sequence is automatically transposed and adjusted based on the step parameters. If you hold down more than one note at once, you can get different results from the same sequence just by changing the order in which the notes are played.
Each step of the sequence has the following parameters: 1. Step On with Trigger Probability: steps can be turned on or off. When a step is turned off, it acts like a note rest. Each step can be assigned a trigger probability. 2. Gate Length: there are 4 settings which determine the note length relative to the step duration 3. Velocity: the velocity of the outgoing note for the given step 4. Duration: independent for each step, from as short as 1/64th to as long as 1 bar 5. Transpose: incoming notes can be transposed up or down from the original pitch within a 4 octave range 6. Play Mode: when more than one note is pressed at the same time, this parameter determines which of the held notes is played
The step parameters can be set individually or for an entire row at once. Each parameter type has it own edit menu with various options for altering the values. For some parameter types, there are built-in presets which are great starting points for generating new sequences quickly.
Similar editing functions are also available at the sequence level, where all parameters for all steps can be altered at once. A customizable randomization engine can help spark new ideas. To keep things in check, the note correction algorithm will force all outgoing notes to the chosen key and scale. In addition, you can automatically create entire phrases of the desired length in just a mouse click for instant inspiration.
Finally, you can have up to 4 sequence variations per patch, and these can be switched live during play.
Phrase is fast to program, fun to use and it encourages experimentation. Try it out and see for yourself!

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 4 of 53

2. Overview
Here is a quick overview of the main interface elements. For more details on each section, refer to later parts of this manual.
2
4 3
5

1

1. Main interface for programming the sequence. Each step has a set of parameters which can be set independently from the rest. These are described in details in section 3.2
2. Programmable displays for setting the number of steps in the sequence, the starting position offset, and the direction
3. Clicking on one of the labels opens an “Edit” menu for that specific parameter. The editing functions affect the selected parameter only for those steps which are included between the “Start” and “End” step locators shown with an “S” and “E” labels above the main sequencing area
4. Clicking on the “Seq Edit” label opens the edit menu for affecting all the parameters of the sequence which are included between the “Start” and “End” step locators. The black button remembers the last editing function which was performed from the edit menu and can be used to speed up successive edits. The orange button is used to set a scale and key for the correction of outgoing notes.
5. There are 4 sequence variations that can be selected during playback by using the numbered buttons. Clicking on the “Variation” label opens an edit menu with operations like duplicate and reset.

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 5 of 53

3. Usage
Phrase is a player device and hence it needs to be instantiated on top an instrument. This can be a synth, a sampler, a drum machine or anything which receives notes and is able to make noise!
Just like the native Reason RPG-8, a sequence in Phrase is trigged by pressing a key on a MIDI device or by notes programmed on a track. Ideally you have a MIDI device connected to your computer which you can play. As you press a key, the selected note is played in a sequence according to the parameters set for each of the step, for example the note duration, the note velocity and the note transposition. If you have more than one key pressed at the same time, then the way the notes are played depends on the “Play Order” parameters. Here you can get some really interesting results just by pressing the same keys in a different order each time.
3.1 Sequencer basics

3.1.1 Setting the Number of Steps, Offset and Direction
Click in the display and slide up or down
to change the number of steps or
the offset

Click in the display to select a direction

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 6 of 53

When changing the number of steps or the offset, you can see which section of the sequence is selected by looking at the sequence start and end locators right above the main sequencing window. When the sequence starts playing, you will se a running light between the locators indicating the currently playing step.

Start locator

End locator

Running Light

As far as the directions are concerned, similar ones can be found in other Reason devices, for example Thor’s step sequencer, and they should be familiar to the reader. Nonetheless, here is a brief description:
sequence proceeds from start to end point, and jumps back to start point after reaching the end point sequence proceeds from end to start point, and jumps back to end point after reaching the start point
sequence proceeds from start to end point, then immediately reverses its direction sequence proceeds from start to end point, plays the end step twice and it reverses its direction same as Ping Pong, but starting from the end step in reverse direction same as Pendulum, but starting from the end step in reverse direction
sequence proceeds in random order between start and end steps sequence steps in a random walk fashion between the start and end locators

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 7 of 53

3.1.2 Sequence Global Parameters
The global parameters affect how the sequence is played. There are 4 global parameters and these can be accessed by clicking on the “Step Edit” label as shown below
Click on the Seq Edit to access the global settings

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 8 of 53

if Retrigger is enabled, pressing on a new key while another key is held down will restart the sequence from its start position. If Retrigger is disabled, pressing a new key while another one is held down will not restart the sequence which continues to play from its current position, also know as Legato.
Quantize forces the sequence to start at a precise grid division of the Reason sequencer.
If Quantize is set to something other than “none”, the sequence will not start as soon as you press a key, but it will wait until the next time division is reached. This works when the Reason sequencer is running. If the playhead is stopped, the sequence is not going to start until you press “Play”.
If Quantize is set to “none”, the sequence starts as soon as you press a key, regardless of whether the Reason sequencer is running or not.

Phrase User Manual

if you have more than one key pressed at the same time, then Note Order determines how the notes are ordered internally.
“As Played” stores the notes in the order they were received
“Note Number” stores the notes from lowest to highest
This setting has a profound effect on the way the “Play Mode” parameter works. For more on that, read on.

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 9 of 53

from the Swing menu, you can choose one of the swing preset settings. If “none” is selected, no swing is applied to the sequence. All other values will apply a varying amount of swing, from very “Light” swing to “Heavy” swing. Set to taste.
if enabled (default), when steps with the “Prev” or “Skip Prev” play mode reach the bottom of the array of notes in memory, they’ll continue to play from the top of the array, continuously cycling through the notes. Similarly, when steps with the “Next” or “Skip Next” play mode reach the top of the array, they’ll continue to play from the bottom of the array. if disabled, when steps with the “Prev” or “Skip Prev” play mode reach the bottom of the array of notes in memory, they’ll continue to play the bottom note. Similarly, when steps with the “Next” or “Skip Next” play mode reach the top of the array, they’ll continue to play the top note.

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 10 of 53

3.2 Programming Steps

3.2.1 Anatomy of a Step

Each step has a set of identical parameters which can be set independently of each other. You create sequences by adjusting these parameters. To make editing faster, each parameter as its own editing menu which makes it possible to edit multiple steps at once. If you press Alt and then click on in the step area, a “Step Edit” menu opens with various options for editing.

If more than one note is held down, it determines which note(s) is played

Press Alt + click in the step area to open the
Step Edit menu

Sets the transposition in semitones for the playing note

Sets the duration of the step

Sets the velocity for the step

Sets one of 4 available gate lengths for the step

cmd(Mac)/ctrl(Win) on a parameter to reset it to default
Phrase User Manual

Turns a step on or off, and set the Trigger Probability
www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 11 of 53

A word about the “Paste Special” option in the Step Edit menu. The difference from the regular “Paste” command is that when you use “Paste Special”, the contents of the step which is being overwritten are copied into memory so they can be pasted somewhere else. This makes it easier to “swap” steps for example, as shown in the example below where step 5 and step 10 are swapped.

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 12 of 53

3.2.2 Step On
Here you turn steps on and off. When a step is turned off, it is greyed out. Please keep in mind that even if a step is turned off, it still remains part of the sequence and it is played through (i.e. it is not skipped), but the note is NOT played.
You can quickly modify the “Step On” parameter of multiple steps by accessing the Step Edit menu, as shown below. You can shift, shuffle and randomize the steps. There are also presets with some interesting patterns which can be used as great starting points. Please note that editing actions are restricted to the steps between the start and end point locators (see section 4.1 for more info).

Step 2 is turned off and hence it’s greyed out

Click on the “Step On” label to open the edit
menu

Patterns can be used as quick starting points

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 13 of 53

3.2.2.1 Step Trigger probability
It is possible to set trigger probabilities for each step in the sequence. Press “Shift”, then click and drag in the “Step On/Off” area to set a probability for the selected step.
Shift + click and drag to change the step trigger probability

Steps 2, 5, and 9 with various trigger probabilities

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 14 of 53

You can reset the trigger probability for all steps at once by going to the Step Edit Menu, as shown below.

Click here to open the Step Edit menu

Reset the Trigger Probabilities from the Step Edit menu

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 15 of 53

3.2.3 Gate Length
The gate length determines for how long the note(s) is played during the duration of the step. There are 4 possible settings and these correspond to 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. For example, if the step has a duration of 1/16 and the gate length is set to 50%, then the note will only play for half of 1/16, which is 1/32. Gate length is a great parameter to experiment with for creating interesting grooves out of repetitive sequences.

click on the left area to set the gate at 25%

click in the middle area to set the gate at 50%

click on the left area to set the gate at 75%

click on the far left area to set the gate at 100%

Actual Note length

1/4 x 1/16 = 1/64

Phrase User Manual

1/2 x 1/16 = 1/32

3/4 x 1/16

www.retouchcontrol.com

1/16 Page 16 of 53

Clicking on the “Gate Len” label opens the Gate Length edit menu which allows quick editing actions for all the steps between the start and end locators. There are options for shifting, shuffling, randomizing and resetting the gates. With the Randomize [min, max] option you can choose the min and max values to be used in the randomization process. This is done by looking at the values of the start and end step which will be used respectively as the min and max values.
reset all selected steps to the chosen value
click on the “Gate Len” label to open
the edit menu

randomizes the selected steps using the start and end step values as min and max
Phrase User Manual

Start step is 50% and this is used
as the min
www.retouchcontrol.com

End step is 100% and this is used
as the max
Page 17 of 53

3.2.4 Velocity
Each step has it own velocity setting. You can change it by simply clicking and dragging on the numbered circles. If you click on the “Velocity” label, the Velocity Edit menu opens with several options for affecting all the steps included between the start and end point locators. You can randomize the velocities, reset them, or use presets for crescendo and diminuendo. If you select “EXT velocity”, the steps will use the velocity of the incoming MIDI notes instead.

Click on the circle and drag up or down to change the step velocity

Click on the velocity label to
open the edit menu
Press the Alt key and drag the mouse up or down to adjust the relative velocity of all the steps between the start and end locators

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 18 of 53

assign random values
between 0 and 127

assign random values using the start and end step
values as min and max

start step value is used as min

end step value is used as max

Phrase User Manual

creates a velocity crescendo for the steps between the start and end locators using 9 as the min and 127 as the max

creates a velocity crescendo for the steps between the start and end locators using the start step value as the min and
the end step value as the max
creates a velocity decrescendo for the steps between the start and end locators using 10 as the min and 127 as the max
creates a velocity decrescendo for the steps between the start and end locators using the start step value as the max
and the end step value as the min

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 19 of 53

3.2.5 Duration
Unlike typical step sequencer and arpeggiators, Phrase lets you select a duration for each step which can be as short as 1/64 or as long as 1 full bar. For a given step, clicking on the duration value opens up a menu with the various length options. Also, clicking on the “Duration” label opens the “Duration Edit” menu with options for affecting the duration for all the steps between the start and end locators. Click on the Duration label to open the menu
assigns randomly duration values smaller than 1/8
assigns randomly duration values smaller than 1/4
assigns randomly duration values smaller than 1/2 bar
assigns randomly duration values smaller than 1 bar
assigns randomly duration values from 1/64 to 1 bar
uses the start step duration value as the min and the end step duration value as the max for the randomization

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 20 of 53

Whenever you change any of the duration parameters or you change the number of steps and offset, a temporary text feedback appears in the center of the running light strip to indicate the current length of the sequence included between the start and end point locators. This feedback can be toggled on and off by clicking directly in the area as shown below.
text feedback showing the length of the sequence between the start and end locator. Click in the area to toggle on/off the text

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 21 of 53

You can automatically generate duration patterns of different lengths from the Duration Edit menu. There are options for normal and triplet step times. Please be aware that the generate algorithm keeps into account the type of “Direction” selected. So for example if you have the “Pendulum” direction and you select to generate a 2 bar pattern, the algorithm will actually generate a 1 bar pattern which is traversed twice due to the change in direction of the pendular motion.
Open the Duration Edit menu to access the Generate Pattern menu

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 22 of 53

3.2.6 Transpose
For each step, you can set a transposition of the incoming note. You can add or subtract 24 semitones to the incoming note, which translates to a max transposition of 2 octaves up or down. Using the transpose parameter can create really interesting melodic results, but don’t be afraid to experiment with other material, like drum or percussive samples. Clicking on the “Transpose” label opens the “Transpose Edit” menu with various options to affect the steps between the start and end locators.

Click on the Transpose label to open the edit menu

Inverts the current transposition amounts

assigns random values within one octave up assigns random values within one octave down

assigns random values within two octaves up

assigns random values within two octaves down

Phrase User Manual

assigns random values within one octave up and down

assigns random values within two octaves up and down

uses the start locator value as the min and the end locator value as the max for the randomization

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 23 of 53

Phrase User Manual

every other step is either raised or lowered by 4 semitones
every other step is either raised or lowered by 7 semitones
every other step is either raised or lowered by 4 or 7 semitones alternating
every other step is either raised or lowered by 5 semitones
every other step is either raised or lowered by 12 semitones

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 24 of 53

There are two handy shortcuts when adjusting the transposition of all the steps between the Start and End locators. Instead of using the menu options “Shift Up” and “Shift Down” in the Transpose Edit Menu to adjust the transpositions, you can simply hold down the “Alt” key and then click + drag the mouse up or down on the Transpose label.
Shortcut: Hold down “Alt” then click and drag to change the transpositions for all the steps

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 25 of 53

Additionally, if you hold the “Alt” + “Ctrl/Cmd” keys and then click + drag the mouse up or down, the transpositions are adjusted only for the steps which have values other than zero transposition (“+/-“).
Shortcut: Hold down “Alt” + “Ctrl/Cmd” then click and drag to change the transpositions for all the steps with
non-zero transposition

This step is not affected since it has zero transposition

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 26 of 53

3.2.7 Play Modes

The Play Modes determine which note is played when you have more than one key pressed at the same time on your keyboard. By changing the play mode parameters you can go from classic arpeggios to more advanced sequences.

The important thing to understand about the Play Modes is that they are influenced by the setting for “Note Order”, which is accessible from the “Seq Edit” menu. The Note Order determines how the notes pressed on your keyboard are stored internally by the device. If Note Order is set to “As Played”, then the notes are stored in the order they were received. If Note Order is set to “Note Number”, then the notes are stored from the lowest to the highest pitch, regardless of when they were received. This internal ordering of the notes is essential for contextualizing the function of play modes like “Current”, “First”, “Previous”, “Next” and so on, since they depend partly on the way the notes are ordered in memory.

Another important parameter to understand is the “Cycle Prev and Next play modes”, which is accessed from the “Seq Edit” menu. As of version 1.2.0, this is enabled by default and it allows the “Prev”, “Next”, “Skip Prev” and “Skip Next” modes to continuously cycle thru the array of held notes. For example, if the sequence has reached the last held note in the array and the “Next” play mode is applied, it will circle back to the beginning of the array and play the first note. On the other hand if this option is disabled, it will stop to the last note and continue to play that.

To select a play mode for a step, simply click in the circle area to open the selection menu.

click in the circle area to open the play mode menu

“Note Order” and “Cycle Prev and Next modes”
settings in the Sequence Edit menu

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 27 of 53

Note Order / PlayMode

As Played

Note Number

of the notes currently held down, plays the note that was last pressed if no note was playing, otherwise it continues to play the note that was playing in the previous step

plays the first note in the temporal held notes array

plays the note with the lowest note number in the pitch held notes array

plays the last note in the temporal held notes array

plays the note with the highest note number in the pitch held notes array

in the temporal held notes array plays the note one position down from the note that played in the previous step. If this note does not exist, it continues to play the previous note*

in the pitch held notes array plays the note one position down from the note that played in the previous step. If this note does not exist, it continues to play the previous note*

in the temporal held notes array plays the note one position up from the note that played in the previous step. If this note does not exist, it continues to play the previous note*

in the pitch held notes array plays the note one position up from the note that played in the previous step. If this note does not exist, it continues to play the previous note*

in the temporal held notes array plays the note two positions in the pitch held notes array plays the note two positions

down from the note that played in the previous step. If this

down from the note that played in the previous step. If this

note does not exist, it continues to play the previous note*

note does not exist, it continues to play the previous note*

in the temporal held notes array plays the note two position up from the note that played in the previous step. If this note does not exist, it continues to play the previous note*

in the pitch held notes array plays the note two positions up from the note that played in the previous step. If this note does not exist, it continues to play the previous note*

plays all the notes currently held down as a chord

ties the current step to the previous step and extends the previous step by the current step’s duration. All other parameters are the same as those of the previous step

• if the “Cycle Prev and Next play modes” setting is enabled, then once the end of the held notes array is reached, it circles back in either directions to find notes to play. For example, if the sequence has reached the last held note in the array and the “Next” play mode is applied, it will circle back to the beginning of the array and play the first note.

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 28 of 53

Of course if you have only one note pressed on the keyboard, all play modes parameter just play that note, so you don’t need to worry about making adjustments even for sequences that were programmed for multiple key presses at the same time.
If you click on the Play Mode label, then you get access to the Play Mode edit menus which offers various options for altering all the steps between the start and end locators. These include Shift, Shuffle, Randomize and Reset.
click on the Play
Mode label to open the edit menu

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 29 of 53

The Play Mode presets offer a quick way of creating classic arpeggio patterns, like Up or Down, Up and Down, and so on. The preset will be applied for the steps between the start and end loop locators, so if you change these locators for editing purpose, you can mix and match different patterns to create more complex ones.
Presets applied to all 16 steps

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 30 of 53

3.2.7.1 Play Mode Randomization
It is possible to randomize the play mode type for the chosen step in the sequence. The randomizations are 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Select an option to activate it. Once activated, select that option again to deactivate it.
Click in the round area to open the play mode menu for the chosen step

Phrase User Manual

Select one of the four randomization options

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 31 of 53

With the first option selected, there is a 25% chance that when the step is triggered, the play type is selected randomly from all the available modes, otherwise the original play mode is used. With 100% selected, the play mode is always chosen randomly every time the step is triggered.
If the randomization is active, the graphic circle around the play mode goes from solid to partially or fully dashed as shown below.

25% randomization

100% randomization 75% randomization 50% randomization

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 32 of 53

3.3 Sequence Edit
So far we have discussed the editing of a single step, or of rows for successive steps for a specific parameter only. With the Sequence Edit menu it is possible to alter all of the parameters at once for the steps contained between the start and end locators.
Click on the Seq Edit label to open
the menu

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 33 of 53

3.3.1 Copy and Paste
Let’s say you are programming a sequence and you stumble on a combination of steps which sound quite good and you would like to repeat those same steps somewhere later in the sequence. One obvious options if to copy and paste each step one by one. But there is a faster way and it involves using the Start and End locators as selection tools. This technique is discussed in more details in section 4.1 and it can be used for most other editing functions as well.

} }

Goal is to copy these 4 steps to another part of the seq
Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 34 of 53

Step1: move the Start and End locators to the steps you want to copy

Step 2: click on Copy from the Seq Edit Menu

Step 3: move the Start and End locators to the steps you want to paste
Phrase User Manual

Step 4: paste the steps to
the new location!

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 35 of 53

3.3.2 Randomization
Randomization can be a great way to come up with interesting sequences with little effort. You have the option to control the “strength” of the randomization by choosing how many parameters you want to alter. There are 4 options, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. At 25% only few parameters will be altered, at 100% most parameters will be altered. If you want to exclude certain parameters from randomization, you can do that by unchecking them in the list.

uncheck the parameter(s) to exclude from randomization

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 36 of 53

3.3.3 Fast Edit Button
When you are executing editing functions like “Shift Left”, “Shift Right”, “Shuffle” and “Randomize”, instead of using the edit menu multiple times to repeat the same action, you can use the “Fast Edit” button. Located just below the “Seq Edit” label, it remembers the last operation you performed from the edit menu and will repeat that operation again when you press it.

check mark shows which editing command is assigned to
the button

check mark shows which editing command is assigned to
the button

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 37 of 53

3.3.4 Scale and Key Correction
You can force the outgoing notes to a certain scale and key. The correction happens as the very last step, that is note transpositions as well as chords will be corrected. Very convenient to have enabled when you want to “tame” the results of randomizations!

Click on the left side to open the Key selection menu

Click on the right side to open the Scale selection menu

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 38 of 53

3.4 Variations

Phrase can have 4 different sequence variations per patch. You can change variation live during play, either by clicking on the 4 variation select buttons or by automating the variation parameter in the sequencer. Clicking on the “Variation” label opens the edit menu with various options like duplicating the current sequence to another slot or resetting the entire sequence. An important parameter is the “Restart when switching” option. By default, when you change variations, the sequence will continue to play from the current step in to the next variation. This is called “Legato”. If you want the sequence to restart from the start step when you switch variations, then enable “Restart when switching”. When enabled, you will see a check mark next to it.

click on a select button to change
variation

change variation via automation

enable to restart the sequence when switching variation

duplicate the current variation to another slot

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 39 of 53

3.4.1 Generate Phrase
You can generate complete phrases by using the “Generate Phrase” entry from the Variation Edit menu. Select the desired length in bars, and voila’ a new phrase to be used in your music! Please keep in mind that the length of the phrase is affected by the “Direction” which is currently active. If for example the Pendulum direction is active and you select to generate a 2 bar phrase, the algorithm will actually a generate a 1 bar phrase which is then equal to 2 bars when traversed in either direction.

Open the Variation Edit menu to access the Generate Phrase menu

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 40 of 53

4. Tips and Tricks
4.1 Using the Start and End locators as selectors for editing
You can use the Start and End locators to perform editing functions. Basically, when used this way, you move the locators to a certain position in the sequence only temporarily, for the purpose of performing an editing task, and then you return them to their original positions. In section 3.3.1, there is already an example of using the locators as selectors for copy and paste of steps. Here it’s another example where the goal is to create a velocity crescendo from steps 1-8 and a velocity decrescendo from steps 9-16.

Step1: set the locators between steps 1-8 by changing the number
of steps
Phrase User Manual

Step2: apply the crescendo preset to the selected steps
www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 41 of 53

Step 3: move the locators to steps 9-16 by changing
the offset

Step 4: apply the diminuendo preset to the selected steps

…and the velocity ramp up/down is
done!
Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Step 5: the locators are returned to their original positions…
Page 42 of 53

4.2 “As you go” arpeggios
In traditional arpeggiators, you set in advance the order in which the notes are played. Usually it’s low to high or high to low, or a combination of those. With Phase, you can press the same three notes, and based on the order they were played, you get different results. As long as you have the Note Order set to “As Played”, then this is true.
For example, load the factory patch “Arp 01” from the “Arp Variations” folder, and play a simple C Major chord (C, E, G). But instead of pressing all keys at once, press the keys one after the other. There is no reason for you to play chords this way but this makes it easier to see. You should notice that when you press the keys in different order, the resulting arpeggio will sound different. You can use this technique with more complex patches and change the sound of the sequence “as you go” just by rotating the key presses.

Note Order should be set to “As played”
Phrase User Manual

play the notes in different order to
hear different arpeggios
www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 43 of 53

4.3 Experimenting with Chord Progressions
Since Phase is capable to outputting chords, you can experiment with progressions and get some interesting results (fingers crossed). There are multiple approaches to this, but in this section, we’ll discuss two of them. The first one is great for coming up with parallel progressions which are very commonly used in genres like deep house and some IDM. For that classic sound, the key is to play a single chord (typically some 7th chord) and then use transposition to create some interesting movements.
Play a 7th chord using
Scales&Chords

Adjust the step transposition to taste
Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Don’t use scale correction
Page 44 of 53

This second example is for more typical chord progressions. The concept is similar to the first example, in that you use step transposition to move the chord notes around, but this time with Scale correction enabled so that the notes are being forced to the same scale, thus creating chords which are fully diatonic. And in contrast to the other example, you don’t have to play the same chord, but you can change chords as you like until you find a progression that works.
Play a chord or more

Apply transposition
to taste
Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Use scale correction
Page 45 of 53

4.4 Percussive ideas
Some interesting results can be obtained when using Phrase with drum samples. The trick of using arpeggiators to create drum fills is well known. Because Phrase can also send multiple notes per step and each step can have its own duration, things can get even more interesting. You can hook up Phrase to one of the stock drum machines, like Kong or Redrum. But if you want to get even more bang for your buck, we recommend using an NNXT with loads of drum or percussive samples loaded. This will increase the chance for happy accidents. In the example below, an NNXT with over 30 drum samples is used. Try it with some of the patches from the “Percussive” folder and see what you can come up with!

load the NNXT with drum and percussive sounds and
automap chromatically

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 46 of 53

4.5 Short and Sweet
Sometimes you only need a few steps to get interesting results. With the right synth patch, you can create some great textures by using fast steps and high transpositions. In the example below, we are using Europa with the default patch. In Phrase, the sequence consists only of 3 steps with some significant transpositions. By adjusting the Amp settings on the synth, you can go from staccato to more ambient textures with minimal effort. To keep everything within your working key and scale, you can use the built in note correction.

use only few steps with fast durations and
high transpositions

turn on note correction if you want to stay
within the chosen key and scale

adjust the Amp settings to create your desired texture

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 47 of 53

5. MIDI Implementation
MIDI CC – Parameter
[4] = Variation [5] = NumberSteps_P1 [7] = NumberSteps_P2 [8] = NumberSteps_P3 [10] = NumberSteps_P4 [12] = OffsetSteps_P1 [13] = OffsetSteps_P2 [14] = OffsetSteps_P3 [15] = OffsetSteps_P4 [16] = Direction_P1 [17] = Direction_P2 [18] = Direction_P3 [19] = Direction_P4 [20] = Scale_P1 [21] = Scale_P2 [22] = Scale_P3 [23] = Scale_P4 [24] = Key_P1 [25] = Key_P2 [26] = Key_P3 [27] = Key_P4 [28] = Transpose1_P1 [29] = Transpose2_P1 [30] = Transpose3_P1 [31] = Transpose4_P1 [33] = Transpose5_P1 [34] = Transpose6_P1 [35] = Transpose7_P1 [36] = Transpose8_P1 [37] = Transpose9_P1
Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 48 of 53

[39] = Transpose10_P1 [40] = Transpose11_P1 [41] = Transpose12_P1 [42] = Transpose13_P1 [43] = Transpose14_P1 [44] = Transpose15_P1 [45] = Transpose16_P1 [46] = Transpose1_P2 [47] = Transpose2_P2 [48] = Transpose3_P2 [49] = Transpose4_P2 [50] = Transpose5_P2 [51] = Transpose6_P2 [52] = Transpose7_P2 [53] = Transpose8_P2 [54] = Transpose9_P2 [55] = Transpose10_P2 [56] = Transpose11_P2 [57] = Transpose12_P2 [58] = Transpose13_P2 [59] = Transpose14_P2 [60] = Transpose15_P2 [61] = Transpose16_P2

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 49 of 53

[62] = Transpose1_P3 [63] = Transpose2_P3 [65] = Transpose3_P3 [66] = Transpose4_P3 [67] = Transpose5_P3 [68] = Transpose6_P3 [69] = Transpose7_P3 [70] = Transpose8_P3 [71] = Transpose9_P3 [72] = Transpose10_P3 [73] = Transpose11_P3 [74] = Transpose12_P3 [75] = Transpose13_P3 [76] = Transpose14_P3 [77] = Transpose15_P3 [78] = Transpose16_P3 [79] = Transpose1_P4 [80] = Transpose2_P4 [81] = Transpose3_P4 [82] = Transpose4_P4 [83] = Transpose5_P4 [84] = Transpose6_P4 [85] = Transpose7_P4 [86] = Transpose8_P4 [87] = Transpose9_P4 [88] = Transpose10_P4 [89] = Transpose11_P4 [90] = Transpose12_P4 [91] = Transpose13_P4 [92] = Transpose14_P4 [93] = Transpose15_P4 [94] = Transpose16_P4 [95] = OnOff
Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 50 of 53

6. Remote Implementation
To obtain the complete list of all the available parameters which are controllable via Remote, use the “Extract Device Remote Info” from the File menu in Reason. Here is a partial list of all available parameters.

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 51 of 53

7. Version History
Version 1.0.0: initial release
Version 1.0.3: Added: Cmd(Mac)/Ctrl(Win) + click to reset a step parameter Added: Locrian and Super-Locrian scales Fixed: device error when controlling the scale parameter from a combinator knob Fixed: shift up/down commands from the Transpose edit menu now only affects the steps which have transpositions Fixed: “Last” play mode not working as expected when “Note Order” was set to “Note Number” Fixed: “Scale” and “Key” are now properly labelled when automated in the sequencer
Version 1.0.5: Added: option under Globals, “Cycle Prev and Next play modes” Added: “Tie” play mode to tie steps together Added: expanded Reset options unde the Play Mode edit menu Fixed: in some instances, “Send Notes to Track” would create overlapping notes Fixed: Variation label was not legible in the inspector when automated
Version 1.0.6: optimizations for Reason 12 HD
Version 1.0.8: Added: On/Off automation and remote control Fixed: stuck notes when turning On the device after processing notes in Off mode Fixed: stuck notes with “Hold” button engaged and next step set to “Tie” Fixed: variation 4 did not quantize notes to the selected key and scale
Version 1.0.9: Added: “Insert Step at” and “Remove Step at” in the Sequence Edit menu Added: “Random Walk” choice for sequence direction
Version 1.1.0: Fixed: On/Off button state not remembered correctly when re- opening a saved song Fixed: “Shift Up” and “Shift Down” from the Transpose edit menu did not change steps with zero transposition Added: New Arp and Chord patches, plus new Analog Sequences for classic Berlin style sounds

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 52 of 53

Version 1.2.0: Added: Play Mode Randomization options from the Play Mode menu Added: “Skip Previous” and “Skip Next” play modes Added: “Generate Pattern” from the Duration Edit menu Added: Step Trigger Probabilities Added: “Paste Special” from the Step Edit Menu Added: Shortcuts to change the step transpositions by clicking and dragging on the Transpose label Added: Automatic phrase generation from the Variation Edit menu

Phrase User Manual

www.retouchcontrol.com

Page 53 of 53

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)  >>

Download This Manual (PDF format)

Download this manual  >>