Nora CM, the latest addition to the CM Plugins suite, is a "polyphonic phrase arpeggiator with piano roll technology" that DSP boffins Squaredheads have created by fusing elements from both versions 1 and 2 of their commercial Nora arpeggiator - and it's completely free with issue 225 of Computer Music magazine.
It's a MIDI processor, meaning it doesn't output any audio; instead, it sits before a MIDI synth or instrument, takes in multiple MIDI notes, then allows you to funnel these notes into a precise sequence before they hit your instrument of choice.
Enter notes on Nora CM's Phrase Editor - a familiar piano roll-style display - to define when and how the notes of your chords will be played back, and at which octave. Adjust note position, length, overlap, velocity, playback speed and more, and chain multiple clips of sequences together using the Playlist, before saving individual clips via the intuitive Browser.
Features and uses:
- Advanced polyphonic phrase arpeggiator with piano roll technology
- Complete control over note length, overlapping notes/chords, velocities, spaces between notes and more
- Edit up to 3 octaves and 4 notes per octave
- Editing tools: cut, copy, paste, undo and redo
- Two clock modes: synced to your DAW's tempo, or as a 'classic' fre-running arpeggiator
- Real-time effects: shuffle, velocity randomization and play speed settings
- Pitch alteration for each Phrase Editor note, plus a 'force-to-scale' feature with 17 available scales
- Sequence and arrange unlimited clips via the Playlist
- Fully resizable interface
- 17 scales and over 200 presets to choose from
- 32-/64-bit PC VST
- 32-/64-bit Mac AU/VST/MIDI FX (OS X 10.8 or above)
How to get Nora CM:
Buy Computer Music magazine issue 225 (CM225) and you can download Nora CM right away.
For more info on CM Plugins, read our FAQ, and find out about our Vault download system.
If Nora CM's melodic manipulations have you itching for more, take a look at the full version, Nora 2. It features up to five octaves and up to eight notes per octave, a powerful Pattern Editor allowing 64 patterns per track, a Randomizer for generating ad-hoc patterns, over 1200 presets, and more. Head over to Squaredheads' website for the full lowdown.
