With the Ostinato Builder, you can compose small snippets of repeated music that will loop endlessly. You can move around the interface with your keyboard or click directly on the grid with your mouse to shape this loop. This helps you create a musical idea that sounds coherent, which you can then develop further by adding counter-melodies or changing harmony.

Let’s kick things off with the top section which establishes the musical context. To set the tonal centre select a root key from the Thread key dropdown. Then select a scale type from the Scale dye menu. The options is Major, Natural Minor, Dorian, and Mixolydian. These selections dictate seven pitch rows displayed on the main grid. Finally, choose how long you want your loop to be (selecting between 4, 6 or 8 threads). This defines how many beats the pattern cycles through before it repeats.

How to Use the Ostinato Builder

From the toolbar at the top of the grid, choose one of the available tools. To use it, tap the lines on the grid where you would like to place the note. If you have chosen the Pitch needle, you’ll add a note at specific heights based off the grid rows. If you’ve used the Snip to rest tool, you will create a gap in sound (silence) for the duration of that beat. Using the Tie a knot tool will extends the preceding note into the next slot, creating a sustained sound. Lastly, the Stamp accent tool puts a strong note over other notes already present. Pressing the number keys from 1-4 on your keyboard switches the tool. Alternatively, you can switch between tools by clicking their icons.

To construct your phrase, tap on the lines of the grid. The horizontal rows are for pitch (the higher notes is at the top), while the vertical columns are for time (from left to right). Tap on one of the lines to add a note if you’ve chosen the Pitch tool. To add a break in the pattern, switch to the Rest tool. You can also use the Tie tool to extend a note beyond its usual length. Finally, the Accent tool lets you mark particular beats, bringing them into focus in the mix.

Then once you have established your pattern you can change it without having to redraw it. Below the grid are some quick variation buttons that transform your idea. Lift one scale step moves all notes in your chosen scale up by one step. Mirror the contour flips your melody around a central pitch. The “Reverse the weave” button plays the pattern backwards. Pass first thread back rotates your sequence so the first beat moves to the end. All these functions enables you to discover new versions of your initial idea.

On the right is the sidebar for controlling the interaction between the loop and harmony. There are two options here for the behaviour of the pitch. Pin exact pitches holds your notes in place as the chords beneath them alter. Follow chord fibers lets the notes slide around a little according to the chord’s current tones. This produces some interesting tension and resolution effects.

Further down you have the option to include a second layer on a companion spool. Selecting a pedal beam gives you a constant bass note, while counter-spool plays a mirror version of what is on the top. The entry offset and cycle length can be adjusted here to generate polyrhythms on the second layer.

In the chord journey section, you can listen to your loop played with a progression. Here are four chord cards showing the harmony at any given moment. You can tap on any one of these to step through diatonic chords for each card. There are four stages in the journey and you will hear each chord for a certain duration while the ostinato continues looping away. It’s about hearing how your pattern fits within various harmonic contexts.

Fine tune with the sliders at the top. The Shuttle pace slider lets you set the tempo in beats per minute. Drag it to speed up or slow down. The Thread swing slider gives the timing a slight groove and makes straight eighth notes sound more like they have rhythm underneath. The Loom volume slider sets the master output level.

As the shuttle travels across your pattern, a live readout at the top of the grid shows the current status and pitch. Editing becomes more precise and faster with keyboard shortcuts. The Tab key skips over sliders, dropdowns, and other controls. You can also use the arrow keys to move from cell to cell within the grid without using the mouse. Once a cell is highlighted, hitting Space or Enter applies the chosen tool to that cell. If the shuttle is running when you press Escape, the playback will stop. Keyboard shortcuts keep you in the flow without having to reach for the mouse all the time.

Play around with the spools that come with it too. Overlapping patterns are created by a smaller cycle compared to the main loop. Then change the entry offset. This is where the second layer starts compared to the main loop. Doing this gives you an interesting variation on what might otherwise be a plain two-note pattern. And if you need more space to work, there’s a fullscreen option which expands the interface. Just press the question mark button to bring up the help panel which offers a guide to all of the keyboard and mouse commands.

Begin with just a four-thread pattern in a major key. Two notes plus two rests will set the pulse nicely. Press the Weave the chord voyage button and listen as it loops through the basic progression. Click on the chord cards to alter the harmony. How about adding a counter-spool that fills out the sound?

That’s what the Ostinato Builder is all about: exploring. Turn the knobs, morph your concepts and discover how repetition can give an identity to even the smallest of musical fragments.

You should of tried it already.