Be the curator
Version 3.0 of Audiomodern’s Riffer can output multiple random riffs at once
Although a rare few randomisation tools will automatically print – ie save – whatever they create, in most cases the tools discussed on these pages are by their very nature spontaneous, meaning that you’re likely to get different results each time you play back your track or run your sequencer. The key to making the most of these tools as a creator is to capture and curate the results. When you’ve got a setup running as desired, record whatever audio or MIDI is being created. Try capturing multiple takes and use comping/editing tools to select the bits that work best and ditch anything that doesn’t quite work. Working this way, one particularly fun method is to simultaneously capture two or more randomised streams – such as a glitch probability-triggered drum pattern pair with a randomised bass riff. While multiple unpredictable elements will likely sound a bit too all over the place a lot of the time, odds are you’ll stumble on one or two moments of unexpected synchronicity you might have struggled to create otherwise.