Here are two audio files providing examples based on the techniques described in my Cubase workshop article in the August 2025 edition of Sound On Sound.
www.soundonsound.com/techniques/cubase-14-play-probability-velocity-variance
1. Cubase 14 Make MIDI Move JW Audio Example 01.wav
This file, comprising four short sections, illustrates the workshop example based on the 16th note hi-hat pattern.
a) The first section contains a two-bar 16th note hi-hat pattern (repeated twice so you hear four bars). While there’s already some performance variation in the velocity of the hits, there’s no randomisation/variation added by using the Velocity Variance or Play Probability lanes.
b) The same 16th note hi-hat pattern, but with the Velocity Variance and Play Probability lanes used to add variation to the 16th-note hits. The two-bar MIDI loop is repeated four times (eight bars in total). I’ve perhaps overcooked the amount of variation here, and not considered which positions at which the two-bar pattern get variations applied to them. While the results do produce some interesting elements, they’re a little too random, making the performance lack a sense of cohesion.
c) This section follows the example described in the workshop and the strategies I outlined there. Additional hi-hat hits have been added to the 32nd grid positions in only the second bar of the pattern, and these have been subjected to some additional Velocity Variance and Play Probability as shown in the screenshot in the workshop. This two-bar loop is repeated eight times so you can audition a good number of pattern cycles, each with a different result. The results are interesting. The core 16th-note hits hold the basic tempo/rhythm, but the new 32nd note hits create a syncopated feel to the second bar of each loop and are different on each occasion. As described in the workshop, if repeated often enough you could easily build your final performance around best of these variations.
d) This section adds a kick and snare pattern to the same hi-hat loop, to give the hi-hat some context. Again, the two-bar MIDI clip is repeated eight times. The main kick and snare hits have no probability/velocity randomisation applied, and they provide a solid foundation for the drum pattern. However, I’ve added some kick and snare hits as ‘ghost’ notes (low velocity, with the Play Probability around 30%) through the main loop, and a few additional snare ghost notes in the last beat of the second bar. The idea with the latter was to provide an almost randomised ‘ghost note snare roll’ at the end of the two-bar phrase. This is perhaps less successful that the hi-hat processing, with some of the repeats working OK and others sounding a little clunky. Again, as described in the article, even if it’s difficult to find settings that always produce good results, you have the option to pick the best of these randomised performance elements.
2. Cubase 14 Make MIDI Move JW Audio Example 02.wav
This file illustrates the workshop example based on the two-bar bass loop. There are three short sections:
a) The first section contains a two-bar MIDI bass loop (repeated twice to you hear four bars). While there are performance variations in terms of note velocity, there’s no randomisation/variation added using the Velocity Variance or Play Probability lanes.
b) This section contains the same two-bar phrase repeated eight times and, as described in the workshop, some Velocity Variation has been applied throughout the two-bar phrase. However, four additional notes have been added to the phrase in locations where the phrase itself had some space between the existing notes. These new notes have Play Probability values applied (within the 25 to 40% range). As a result, these notes aren’t triggered every time the loop repeats and appear as occasional accents within the performance. With careful choice of the locations of the notes, and the Play Probability values used, you can easily create some subtle performance variations to spice up an otherwise repetitive pattern.
c) The same bass loop, put into a musical context with a drum loop. The core kick and snare hits are held steady in the drum pattern used, but Velocity Variance and Play Probability has been applied to some additional snare notes (notes between the main beats and with lower velocities) to create some snare ghost notes, and to a couple of the additional kick notes. The hi-hat pattern also has some notes with Velocity Variance and Play Probability applied. Each pass through the two-bar loop therefore has variations in both the bass and drum performance. Applied with some care and suitable restraint, the results can add some very usable performance variety to avoid the obvious repetition that a static MIDI loop can create.