Someone sell me on AutoLatch

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dvdrtldg
Posts: 2386
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

22 May 2021

So I know it's only $9.00 in the shop and a lot of you guys are really into it. But I have it on trial and I can't figure out why I should be excited. I get how the thing works, I just can't see its creative potential

I'd be interested to know some of the setups you've got it going in, so that I can reproduce them and see if that convinces me of its greatness

Here are the players I own, how can AutoLatch add to the experience?

CV Player Tap
Evolution
Kompulsion
RND Generator & Randomizer
UTL Filter & Adjust
MIDI-CV Converter
ChordLine

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MrFigg
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Posts: 9123
Joined: 20 Apr 2018

22 May 2021

All I can tell you is that it’s a great player and you won’t regret . Seriously man. Take a leap of faith. You will be rewarded at the other end. Do it. Do it now.
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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dvdrtldg
Posts: 2386
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

22 May 2021

Yeah but how do I do it :lol:

I get that people love it. What I'm asking for is setups & tips on how to get started

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MrFigg
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22 May 2021

dvdrtldg wrote:
22 May 2021
Yeah but how do I do it :lol:

I get that people love it. What I'm asking for is setups & tips on how to get started
Just get it while you’re waiting on answers. Look on it as buying books before starting a university course :).
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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DaveyG
Posts: 2499
Joined: 03 May 2020

22 May 2021

Connect like this:

Polystep or Dual Arp -> Autolatch -> Europa

Set Europa up with a sound that has attack but also some sustain. Lots of the basses work well.
Then just hold down some keys and play with presets on Autolatch and on whichever player you put in front of it.
Turn Autolatch on and off to hear the difference.

Same idea also works well with percussive organ sounds where you can get some nice drone notes happening automatically.

For me it's one of those "happy accident" players. Some results are more usable than others but it's always fun to fiddle with it.

Bes
Competition Winner
Posts: 1127
Joined: 22 Feb 2017

22 May 2021

uh i have different re's to you but maybe do something like this? setup a few chords for a few bars, use an arp to turn that into a melody, split that melody to various instruments and use autolatch again to emphasise the rhythm

kompulsion (seq)
autolatch (long notes)
chordline
kompulsion (arp)

Combinator
mixer

utl (bass notes)
autolatch
bassinstrument

utl (pad notes)
autolatch
padinstrument

utl (lead)
autolatch
leadinstrument
- Certified Reason expert

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challism
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Posts: 4642
Joined: 17 Jan 2015
Location: Fanboy Shill, Boomertown

22 May 2021

MrFigg wrote:
22 May 2021
dvdrtldg wrote:
22 May 2021
Yeah but how do I do it :lol:

I get that people love it. What I'm asking for is setups & tips on how to get started
Just get it while you’re waiting on answers. Look on it as buying books before starting a university course :).
I've sold AutoLatch to death and am honestly tired of repeating myself. I would just second what MrFigg said. Just get it. It's $9 and worth every penny at full price, to be honest. It's one of my absolute top Players and one that I consider a must have. I use it all the time. It's very simple, but amazing. If you want to read more of what I've said about it before.... the search function is probably working. ha ha ha

It can be used in combination with any Player to get awesome results (or even with live MIDI or sequencer notes).
Here is a great, and probably overlooked use for it:
Beatmap
Autolatch
Non-percussive instrument
Players are to MIDI what synthesizers are to waveforms.

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EdGrip
Posts: 2343
Joined: 03 Jun 2016

22 May 2021

For me, I just like being able to quickly latch (and unlatch) notes! :D
It's one of those things I'm surprised isn't a basic feature of synthesisers.
Latch a note, or some notes, mess with some parameters, add a note, subtract a note... Put an arp after the latched notes and you've got an arpeggio that you can gradually evolve by altering the notes present, as well as by knob twiddling on the synth. That's the most basic use-case and worth the 9 bucks alone.

Putting it later in a player chain, and getting into the sequenced latch features, is all a bonus - but if you're into generative music, happy accidents, and modular-style sequencing, it's a very big bonus!

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guitfnky
Posts: 4408
Joined: 19 Jan 2015

22 May 2021

“I don’t get it. I can’t get good results”

“buy it anyway”

:lol: this forum is funny.
I write good music for good people

https://slowrobot.bandcamp.com/

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joeyluck
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Posts: 11029
Joined: 15 Jan 2015

22 May 2021

For the simplest getting started, use the patch "instant drama" on anything busy. AutoLatch is one of those REs I use to change things up.

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selig
RE Developer
Posts: 11685
Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Location: The NorthWoods, CT, USA

22 May 2021

At its simplest I use it for building long evolving drones (‘as a drone looper) - I even had a device on the drawing board for similar applications, but now I don’t need it!
Selig Audio, LLC

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challism
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22 May 2021

guitfnky wrote:
22 May 2021
“I don’t get it. I can’t get good results”

“buy it anyway”

:lol: this forum is funny.
ha ha, yes we are. But I think we are giving some useful advice on different ways to use it.

JUST BUY IT, ALREADY! ;)
joeyluck wrote:
22 May 2021
For the simplest getting started, use the patch "instant drama" on anything busy. AutoLatch is one of those REs I use to change things up.
When it comes to changing things up, I really like to use AutoLatch with Euclidean. AutoLatch is one of the best players to use in tandem with other players.
Players are to MIDI what synthesizers are to waveforms.

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Socram
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Posts: 172
Joined: 04 Jul 2015

22 May 2021

Heyo, developer of AutoLatch here so a bit biased. I'm going to throw out a couple common/exciting use cases, but as I always tell people, buy what you know will help you make better music. Don't just buy things just because they're on sale or people say they're good devices. Everyone's musical journey and needs are different!

As other's have mentioned its really a great companion player, typically to another player that generates notes. For example, it can take a running arpeggiation and make each note different lengths, adding a surprising amount of variety to something that might otherwise get repetitive over time. Using a Random sequence, or a sequence that's a different length than the arpeggiation length, causes different note lengths to fall on different notes of the arp each time, furthering this variety while still being quite musical.

Similarly its also a great way to spice up existing melodies you've composed in the sequencer for the same reasons. Ever wondered what your hand played staccato melody would sound like legato? Or vice versa? Throw in an AutoLatch, and you might be surprised by the results.

A lot of the capabilities are quite nuanced but can have dramatic results, such as the "Block Interrupts" toggle. As Joey mentioned the "Instant Drama" patch is a great example of this, and is demoed in the first video.

I think you'll be less inspired by using it standalone and just playing notes into it "live", but there's valid uses cases for this too such as live performance or constraining your playing to come up with something new.
Static Cling - Rack Extension Developer of Tome, Index, Optic, Chord Detector, Delta, and AutoLatch.
www.StaticCling.io
info@StaticCling.io

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guitfnky
Posts: 4408
Joined: 19 Jan 2015

22 May 2021

challism wrote:
22 May 2021
guitfnky wrote:
22 May 2021
“I don’t get it. I can’t get good results”

“buy it anyway”

:lol: this forum is funny.
ha ha, yes we are. But I think we are giving some useful advice on different ways to use it.

JUST BUY IT, ALREADY! ;)
joeyluck wrote:
22 May 2021
For the simplest getting started, use the patch "instant drama" on anything busy. AutoLatch is one of those REs I use to change things up.
When it comes to changing things up, I really like to use AutoLatch with Euclidean. AutoLatch is one of the best players to use in tandem with other players.
yeah, definitely seems like there are some good use cases in here. I see these from time to time where people are like “just but it, you can figure out what to do with it later”, and it just strikes me as funny is all. :)
I write good music for good people

https://slowrobot.bandcamp.com/

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dvdrtldg
Posts: 2386
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

22 May 2021

guitfnky wrote:
22 May 2021
“I don’t get it. I can’t get good results”

“buy it anyway”

:lol: this forum is funny.
I know right?

"First, buy it you must. Then the AutoLatch God appears to you in a dream and shows you how to use it. But patience and faith you must have"
If you're into generative music, happy accidents, and modular-style sequencing, it's a very big bonus
This is exactly what I'm wanting to use it for. Some interesting suggestions here and I now see how it can be useful. I think my problem was that I was expecting too much out of it, like "OK so it changes the gate lengths, so what" - but the "so what" turns out to be that changing gate lengths can make a lot of difference to a pattern, as well as the other features it offers

So... BOUGHT. I swear to god I have never fretted so hard over nine bucks. Thanks all
Last edited by dvdrtldg on 22 May 2021, edited 1 time in total.

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joeyluck
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22 May 2021

challism wrote:
22 May 2021
joeyluck wrote:
22 May 2021
For the simplest getting started, use the patch "instant drama" on anything busy. AutoLatch is one of those REs I use to change things up.
When it comes to changing things up, I really like to use AutoLatch with Euclidean. AutoLatch is one of the best players to use in tandem with other players.
Yeah I like combining a few things too. AutoLatch and Negate turns anything into something completely different :D

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MrFigg
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Posts: 9123
Joined: 20 Apr 2018

22 May 2021

AutoLatch and Step Note Recorder.
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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littlejam
Posts: 787
Joined: 15 Jan 2015

23 May 2021

hello,

nothing new to see here
just bookmarking for future reference
it is a nice community we have here
i wish i could contribute more with knowledge
i have autolatch
great device
it is neat to see how other users are using it

cheers,

j
littlejamaicastudios
i7 2.8ghz / 24GB ddr3 / Quadro 4000 x 2 / ProFire 610
reason 10 / reaper / acidpro /akai mpk mini / korg padkontrol / axiom 25 / radium 49
'i get by with a lot of help from my friends'

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challism
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23 May 2021

MrFigg wrote:
22 May 2021
AutoLatch and Step Note Recorder.
How about AutoLatch in combination with ANYTHING and EVERYTHING?!

Hey, dvdrtldg, did you buy it yet? I've already got it, but this thread is making me want to buy it again.

Maybe we could post some patches for dvdrtldg to use. What version of Reason are you on, and what players do you own/have access to?
Players are to MIDI what synthesizers are to waveforms.

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Jackjackdaw
Posts: 1400
Joined: 12 Jan 2019

23 May 2021

I like to be able to play samples on a loop without having to rexify them. I also use it with quad note generator to extend the note lengths and with beat map for the same reason.

I also like to open a gate on a synth and just modulate the sound coming out.

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dvdrtldg
Posts: 2386
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

23 May 2021

challism wrote:
23 May 2021
Hey, dvdrtldg, did you buy it yet? I've already got it, but this thread is making me want to buy it again.

Maybe we could post some patches for dvdrtldg to use. What version of Reason are you on, and what players do you own/have access to?
I bought it! Would love to see some patches. I'm on the latest version of 11, and posted my players earlier in the thread (I've trialled Quad, Sequences, maybe one or two others that I now can't access)

bidaar
Posts: 123
Joined: 30 Nov 2019

23 May 2021

I bought it a few days ago too because I know its a handy tool , but would love to see some patches etc .
Reason 11 Suite l FL Studio l Leaning Ableton n Bitwig l Windows 10 64bit
Trying and Learning to be a : Hip-Hop / Trap , Electronic & Experimental Producer l Mixing Engineer

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challism
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23 May 2021

Here's a bit of a spiderwebbed mess. I'm not saying this is good; just something I threw together in a quick attempt to showcase AutoLatch used in some different ways. This mess is kicking out a lot of variations, If you go thru and turn the different players on and off, try different player combinations, etc. AutoLatch really does add a lot of different possibilities.

AL mess.zip
(513.29 KiB) Downloaded 60 times
Players are to MIDI what synthesizers are to waveforms.

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DaveyG
Posts: 2499
Joined: 03 May 2020

24 May 2021

bidaar wrote:
23 May 2021
I bought it a few days ago too because I know its a handy tool , but would love to see some patches etc .
Here is a simple one from me. Just press play.

Notes from Beat Map and Autolatch makes some of them longer. Instant riff. Play with the presets in AL.
Attachments
autolatch noodle.zip
(148.45 KiB) Downloaded 46 times

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challism
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24 May 2021

DaveyG wrote:
24 May 2021
bidaar wrote:
23 May 2021
I bought it a few days ago too because I know its a handy tool , but would love to see some patches etc .
Here is a simple one from me. Just press play.

Notes from Beat Map and Autolatch makes some of them longer. Instant riff. Play with the presets in AL.
Sounds like a Depeche Mode synth riff. Nice. AutoLatch works so well with Beatmap, doesn't it? Really makes it a usable player for non-percussive instruments. Nice patch.

One of the default patches I like to use is Random Gates. Then you can turn off the PTRN step and just click on the different white (teardrop-shaped) gate numbers to quickly try out all the different gate lengths.

Speaking of patch names... gotta love that patch name: Missing Fingers with 3 out 5 gates a pass thru step.
Players are to MIDI what synthesizers are to waveforms.

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