The Roadz Bell sixths ballad figure

stab · bright · 74 BPM (66–84) · D major · 4 bars · 64 steps

Roadz BellPoly SynthBell-toned dyads in sixths at ballad pace

Every patch on the KORG minilogue xd

The technique

Four bars, four chords: I, vi, IV, V. Three strikes a bar, on one, three and four, and every strike is two notes a sixth apart.

The first strike of the bar holds for two beats. The two after it are short, and the space before the next bar head is where a bell is heard ringing down.

Choose the dyad from the chord. Over the I it is the key’s third under its root, then the fifth under the third, then the second under the seventh. On the first two strikes of every bar the lower note is a chord tone and the upper one is a sixth above it.

Keep the lower note under the upper by a sixth and never by a third. A third on a bell rings as one thick note; a sixth rings as two.

Never play the key’s fourth while the I is sounding. It sits a semitone over the third, and a bell holds it there. Over the V at the end it is the seventh, and the last strike plays it on purpose to lean home.

The bar head is the loud strike. The two after it are lighter, and the last one of the four bars is the lightest of all.

The chords

4 chords over 4 bars, in D major.

DegreeChordNotesBarsUnder the figure
IDD · F# · A1–1●
viBmB · D · F#2–2●
IVGG · B · D3–3●
VAA · C# · E4–4●

The figure is played over these chords; supply them separately if your rig allows.

The rules

  • Over I, never the 4th — it sits a semitone over the third and a bell holds it there.

The notes

4 bars in D major. Each note is in force across the steps shown.

  • steps 1–8·over I D·F#4 D5·degrees 3 1·MIDI 66 74
  • steps 9–12·over I D·A4 F#5·degrees 5 3·MIDI 69 78
  • steps 13–16·over I D·E4 C#5·degrees 2 7·MIDI 64 73
  • steps 17–24·over vi Bm·D4 B4·degrees 1 6·MIDI 62 71
  • steps 25–28·over vi Bm·F#4 D5·degrees 3 1·MIDI 66 74
  • steps 29–32·over vi Bm·E4 C#5·degrees 2 7·MIDI 64 73
  • steps 33–40·over IV G·G4 E5·degrees 4 2·MIDI 67 76
  • steps 41–44·over IV G·B4 G5·degrees 6 4·MIDI 71 79
  • steps 45–48·over IV G·A4 F#5·degrees 5 3·MIDI 69 78
  • steps 49–56·over V A·E4 C#5·degrees 2 7·MIDI 64 73
  • steps 57–60·over V A·A4 F#5·degrees 5 3·MIDI 69 78
  • steps 61–64·over V A·G4 E5·degrees 4 2·MIDI 67 76

The grid

Every step below strikes the note in force at that point. The grid is where the figure is played.

  • —1, 17, 33, 49 (all vel 110)
  • —9, 13, 25, 29, 41, 45, 57
  • —61 (vel 64)

On the KORG minilogue xd

minilogue xd · Voice

Settings for this voice

Settings for a stab · bright voice on this box, written here. They are not the preset’s own values: load the preset to hear it as it ships.

Settings

MASTER

  • PORTAMENTO0(0…127)
  • SWING0%(-75…75 %)

    0 is straight; the arpeggiator uses the same value

    EDIT MODE, PROGRAM EDIT, button 7

VOICE MODE

  • VOICE MODE TYPEPOLY
  • VOICE MODE DEPTH0(0…1023)

    Left at 0 — turning right crosses into DUO, which spends two voices on every key

VCO 1 / VCO 2 / MULTI ENGINE

  • VCO 1 · WAVESAW
  • VCO 1 · OCTAVE8'
  • VCO 1 · PITCH0c(-1200…1200 c)
  • VCO 1 · SHAPE560(0…1023)

    Shape, complexity, or duty cycle of the selected wave

  • VCO 2 · WAVESAW
  • VCO 2 · OCTAVE4'
  • VCO 2 · PITCH240c(-1200…1200 c)
  • VCO 2 · SHAPE620(0…1023)
  • VCO 2 · SYNCON

    Locks oscillator 2 to the phase of oscillator 1

  • VCO 2 · RINGOFF

    Oscillator 1 ring-modulates oscillator 2

  • CROSS MOD DEPTH0(0…1023)

    Oscillator 1 modulating the pitch of oscillator 2

  • MULTI ENGINE · NOISE/VPM/USRNOISE
  • MULTI ENGINE · TYPEHigh
  • MULTI ENGINE · SHAPE12000Hz(10…21000 Hz)

    CUTOFF — the high-pass filter on the noise

MIXER

  • VCO 1660(0…1023)
  • VCO 2700(0…1023)
  • MULTI200(0…1023)

FILTER

  • CUTOFF820(0…1023)

    Set too low and the patch may be barely audible

  • RESONANCE300(0…1023)
  • DRIVE0%

    The filter drive circuit, in three stages

  • KEYTRACK100%

    100% moves the cutoff with the key, centred on C4

AMP EG / EG / LFO

  • AMP EG · ATTACK0(0…1023)
  • AMP EG · DECAY280(0…1023)
  • AMP EG · SUSTAIN40(0…1023)
  • AMP EG · RELEASE260(0…1023)
  • EG · ATTACK0(0…1023)
  • EG · DECAY240(0…1023)
  • EG · INT48%(-100…100 %)

    Negative applies the envelope downwards

  • EG · TARGETCUTOFF
  • LFO · WAVETRI
  • LFO · MODENORMAL
  • LFO · RATE220(0…1023)
  • LFO · INT0(0…511)

    Hold SHIFT, turn INT to invert

  • LFO · TARGETSHAPE

EFFECTS

  • DEL/REV/MODDEL

    Selects which effect the two knobs below are setting; the other two keep their stored values

  • OFF/ON/SELECTON

    Hold SHIFT, flip to SELECT

  • DEPTH30%(0…100 %)

This block draws on the minilogue xd Owner's Manual E 9, pp.17-41; its values are starting points.