Role in the mix
Plucks (sounds with an immediate attack and short decay: synthetic pizzicati, marimba-like sounds, mallets, "house plucks", progressive and future bass plucks) and arpeggios (rhythmic sequences of chord notes, arpeggiators from the Juno, Jupiter, Prophet, analog sequencers) are rhythmic-harmonic engines: they bring movement in sixteenth or eighth notes and define the melodic groove of trance, progressive house, synthwave, melodic techno, electronic pop and soundtracks. In the mix they must be rhythmically defined, not smeared by tails, and consistent with the space (synced delays).
Choosing the sound
- Envelope: attack 0–5 ms, decay 100–400 ms, sustain 0–20%, release 50–300 ms. The decay determines the perceived "length": shorter for fast sixteenth notes.
- Filter with envelope (high amount, decay similar to the amp) for the classic "pluck"; key tracking for brighter high notes.
- Arpeggiator: in FL, Channel settings has the arpeggiator (Arp) in the Misc section; V Collection: Jun-6 V, Jup-8 V (built-in arps). Accented velocities (accent on the first sixteenth of the group) and variable gate give groove.
- Tempo: sixteenth notes at 120–130 BPM last ~115–125 ms: a decay longer than the distance between notes creates mush.
Gain staging
Peaks −14/−10 dBFS; plucks have strong transients but low average energy.
Corrective EQ
- HP 150–300 Hz (higher if the arpeggios are in the mid-high register).
- Mud 250–500 Hz: −2/−3 dB, especially with reverb.
- Attack click at 3–6 kHz too loud: −1/−2 dB or transient shaper.
- LP 8–12 kHz if they overlap with the hi-hats.
Creative EQ
- Definition +1/+3 dB at 2–4 kHz.
- Air shelf at 10 kHz in trance plucks.
Compression
- Light or absent; sidechain pumping in house/progressive.
- "Glue" compression on the arpeggio + delay bus to hold them together.
Transient shaper
Release − to shorten the tails (rhythmic cleanup); Attack + to define.
Saturation
Light for density; tape for synthwave; bitcrush for chiptune.
Delay (central)
- Synced delays dotted 1/8 or 3/16, triplet 1/4: they create polyrhythms (trance, progressive, "The Edge" in electronic music).
- Filtered ping-pong (HP 300 Hz, LP 5–6 kHz), feedback 20–45%.
- Ducking of the delay sidechained from the plucks themselves in dense passages.
Reverb
- Plate/hall 1.5–3 s, pre-delay 20–50 ms, filtered return; longer in breakdowns.
- Plucks with a "big" reverb but a dry source: the rhythm stays readable.
Modulation
- Chorus for width, slow phaser, long-period LFO on the cutoff (2–8 bars) for arpeggio evolution.
Stereo and panning
- Wide arpeggios (unison, chorus, stereo delay) with the low end mono.
- Two complementary arpeggios: L and R at ±40–70.
- Synced auto-pan as an effect.
Sidechain
- Kick pumping (house, progressive, trance).
- Dynamic EQ at 1–4 kHz from the vocal.
Automation (fundamental)
- Cutoff and decay/resonance that open up in builds (the classic trance/progressive gesture).
- Higher delay and reverb send in breakdowns.
- Arpeggio gate/length.
Differences by genre
| Genre | Approach |
|---|---|
| Trance / progressive | 1/16 arpeggios, automated cutoff, 3/16 delay, hall |
| Melodic techno | hypnotic arpeggios, slow filters, long reverbs |
| Synthwave | Juno/Jupiter arp, chorus, gated reverb |
| Future bass / pop | bright plucks, pumping, delay |
| Tropical house | marimba/flute plucks, dotted 1/8 delay |
| Soundtrack | ostinatos of plucks and pizzicato strings, hall |
Common mistakes
- Decay too long, smearing the sixteenth notes.
- Delay not synced or not filtered.
- Plucks and hi-hats in the same high band.
- Arpeggio without velocity variation: mechanical.
Starting settings
| Parameter | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Attack / decay / release | 0–5 ms / 100–400 ms / 50–300 ms | Length suited to the tempo. |
| Filter with envelope | High amount, decay similar to the amp | The 'pluck'. |
| Arpeggiator | 1/16, gate 50–80%, velocity accents | Groove. |
| High-pass | 150–300 Hz | Cleanliness. |
| Transient – release | −10/−30% | Readable rhythm. |
| Delay | Dotted 1/8 or 3/16, ping-pong, feedback 20–45% | Polyrhythms. |
| Delay filters | HP 300 Hz, LP 5–6 kHz | No wash. |
| Reverb | Plate/hall 1.5–3 s, pre-delay 20–50 ms | Space with a dry source. |
| Sidechain | Pumping 3–8 dB | House/progressive groove. |
| Width | Wide, mono < 150 Hz | Safe stereo movement. |
Frequencies to watch
| Range | What to do |
|---|---|
| below 150–300 Hz | High-pass. |
| 250–500 Hz | Mud with reverb: −2/−3 dB. |
| 500 Hz–2 kHz | Melodic core: leave it. |
| 2–4 kHz | Definition: +1/+3 dB. |
| 3–6 kHz | Attack click: −1/−2 dB if excessive. |
| 8–12 kHz | LP if it overlaps with the hi-hats; air in trance plucks. |
Example chain
| Step | Tool | Settings | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound design | Sytrus / 3x Osc + Arp / Jun-6 V / Serum | Pluck env, filter with envelope, arp 1/16 | Foundation. |
| Corrective EQ | Fruity Parametric EQ 2 / Pro-Q 3–4 | HP 250 Hz; −2 dB at 400 Hz | Cleanup. |
| Transient | Transient Processor | Release −20% | Definition. |
| Saturation | Distructor / Saturn 2 | Light | Density. |
| Modulation / stereo | Vintage Chorus / Spreader | Chorus 25%, Low Bypass 150 Hz | Width. |
| Delay (send) | Fruity Delay 3 / Multiband Delay / EchoBoy | 3/16 ping-pong, HP 300 Hz, LP 5 kHz | Polyrhythms. |
| Reverb (send) | LuxeVerb / Valhalla Plate | Plate 2 s, pre-delay 30 ms | Space. |
| Sidechain | Fruity Limiter in SC / Kickstart 2 | Pumping on 1/4 | Groove. |
| Automation | Automation clip on cutoff and sends | Opening in builds | Evolution. |
How to check the result
- Spacing between notes readable in the spectrogram (tails that do not continuously overlap).
- Arpeggio bus correlation > +0.2; mono < 150 Hz.
- Delay returns filtered, no energy below 300 Hz.
- 8–12 kHz band not competing with the hi-hats.
- Delay synced to BPM (no drift over an 8-bar phrase).