Arpex by Mark Towers
MAXFORLIVE MPE ARPEGIATOR
MAKE YOUR OWN TRIPLE PACK: Buy any three or more Mark Towers products at the same time and get a 20% Discount (automatically applied at checkout)
ARPEX is a next-gen arpeggiator built for producers who want to go beyond the grid. Fully compatible with MPE controllers like the ROLI Seaboard and Sensel Morph, this Max for Live device unlocks unprecedented expressiveness in your arpeggiated sequences. Slide and pressure data from your playing directly shape the octave and duration of each note, delivering real-time sonic variation with every gesture. Whether you’re laying down lush, legato atmospheres or stuttering rhythmic bursts, ARPEX responds like a living instrument.
Use it with or without MPE—custom sequencers for velocity and duration give you granular control. Activate random loops, set swing and rate sync, or dive deep with per-step editing for endlessly evolving patterns.
Key Features:
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MPE-ready arpeggiator with slide and pressure control per note
-
Real-time modulation of octave range and note duration
-
Velocity & duration sequencers with up to 32 steps
-
Randomize, shift, and activate steps for generative patterns
-
Sync to BPM or run freely with millisecond timing
-
Full swing and restart modes for nuanced rhythmic flow
-
Works great with standard MIDI controllers too
-
Designed for Ableton Live with Max for Live
Shape arps with your fingertips, and let ARPEX become an extension of your musical intuition. Perfect for ambient textures, cinematic builds, or glitchy EDM riffs—grab it now and start bending your melodies into new dimensions.
USER GUIDE: Arpex Manual
Arpex by Mark Towers
MAXFORLIVE MPE ARPEGIATOR
MAKE YOUR OWN TRIPLE PACK: Buy any three or more Mark Towers products at the same time and get a 20% Discount (automatically applied at checkout)
ARPEX is a next-gen arpeggiator built for producers who want to go beyond the grid. Fully compatible with MPE controllers like the ROLI Seaboard and Sensel Morph, this Max for Live device unlocks unprecedented expressiveness in your arpeggiated sequences. Slide and pressure data from your playing directly shape the octave and duration of each note, delivering real-time sonic variation with every gesture. Whether you’re laying down lush, legato atmospheres or stuttering rhythmic bursts, ARPEX responds like a living instrument.
Use it with or without MPE—custom sequencers for velocity and duration give you granular control. Activate random loops, set swing and rate sync, or dive deep with per-step editing for endlessly evolving patterns.
Key Features:
-
MPE-ready arpeggiator with slide and pressure control per note
-
Real-time modulation of octave range and note duration
-
Velocity & duration sequencers with up to 32 steps
-
Randomize, shift, and activate steps for generative patterns
-
Sync to BPM or run freely with millisecond timing
-
Full swing and restart modes for nuanced rhythmic flow
-
Works great with standard MIDI controllers too
-
Designed for Ableton Live with Max for Live
Shape arps with your fingertips, and let ARPEX become an extension of your musical intuition. Perfect for ambient textures, cinematic builds, or glitchy EDM riffs—grab it now and start bending your melodies into new dimensions.
USER GUIDE: Arpex Manual
Product reviews
4.3 out of 5
3 reviews
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February 24, 2024
This reviewer bought this product from our store.
I own a Push 3 standalone and was looking for an arpeggiator which can work while being in the standalone mode without a laptop. That means it has to based on m4l and it would be nice if it has MPE support. Important for me was that you can edit your rhythm on push3 standalone, i.e. being able to edit the selectors and velocities on the push. I looked at many devices on the m4l website but none could do that (Arp control was the closest but it only allows editing the first 8 steps). Except one: The newest version of Arpex. Should mention that I got a developer copy, not sure if this is already available to buy. And it has the MPE support as bonus. Works great for my use case. Thank you!
May 17, 2025
This reviewer bought this product from our store.
This is a really great little arpeggiator with some pretty good functionality when using with MPE or without. I'm using it with the E-Osmose until they get there shit together with the port 2 issue. in the meantime this does what I want. This is worth having regardless if you use MPE devices. I'm giving this a "Good" in the ratings... would be perfect if it had a hold function.
March 27, 2025
This reviewer bought this product from our store.
A fantastic arpeggiator if you have a midi controller want to be able to be more expressive with with your arpeggios. Outside of the MPE implementation, the sequencer view makes it an exceptionally useful arpeggiator regardless
Arpex by Mark Towers
ARPEX is an expressive arpeggiator Max for Live device. It works just like a regular arpeggiator with the addition of MPEfunctionality.
Incoming MPE slide and pressure data is used to control the octave transposition and note duration for each individual note.
This means by sliding or applying more pressure to each note, exciting new variations of the arpeggiated pattern can be played, in real-time.
CONTROLS
SLIDE PRESSURE SWITCHES – When turned on, incoming MPE slide and pressure values generated by each note are enabled. These values can be used to control either the octave range or duration of an individual note in the arpeggiated pattern. When turned off, a constant value can be set in place of incoming values using these number boxes. Use the Slide/Pressure Switch to determine how incoming MPE slide and pressure values are assigned.
SLIDE PRESSURE VALUES – If the ‘Slide’ button is turned off, use this number box to set a constant value to control either the octave range or duration of incoming notes.
STYLE – Select a rhythmical pattern to be generated based in the in coming notes.
VELOCITY MODE – If turned on, incoming velocity values will be ignored, and instead generated by the velocity sequencer. If turned off, incoming velocity values will be used per note.
MAX OCTAVE MODE – Set the maximum octave range for notes generated in the arpeggiated pattern.
DURATION MODE – If turned on, duration values triggered by incoming MPE pressure or slide (depending on assignment) will be ignored, and instead generated by the duration sequencer. Duration that is set to a maximum value will generate overlapping notes (legato).
If turned off, incoming duration values triggered by incoming MPE (pressure or slide) will be used per note.
SEQUENCER VIEW – Switch between the velocity and duration sequencers.
SEQUENCER STEPS – Set the number of steps in the velocity/duration sequencer. 1 -32
VELOCITY SEQUENCER – If active, incoming velocity values will be ignored, and instead generated by the velocity sequencer at the same rate as specified by ‘Rate’.
VELOCITY SHAPES – Generates preset patterns on the velocity sequencer for the number of steps currently set.
SHIFT – Shift all values of the sequencer left or right. This applies to Velocity, Duration and Active Steps.
RANDOM LOOP – If turned on, the velocity sequencer values will be randomised on each pass of the sequencer loop giving new values each time.
RANDOM – If turned on, the velocity sequencer values will be randomised on each pass of the sequencer loop giving new values each time.
DURATION SEQUENCER – If ACTIVE, duration values triggered by incoming MPE pressure or slide (depending on assignment) will be ignored, and instead generated by the duration sequencer. Duration that is set to a maximum value (above the horizontal line) will generate overlapping notes (legato).
RATE SYNC/TIME – Notes will be generated at a speed determined by the rate setting. The rate can either be synchronised to Live’s BPM or run freely, set in millisecond intervals by pressing the ‘Sync/Time’ button.
SWING – Turn on to apply swing to the arpeggiated pattern generated. Use the swing amount number box to determine a swing amount. Swing is only applied if ‘Rate’ is set to ‘Sync’ and is either a 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32 note division.
SYNC/TIME SWITCH
- Sync= The speed of the arpeggiated pattern will synchronise to Live’s BPM as specified by a note value.
- Time= The speed of the arpeggiated pattern will run independently from Live’s BPM in millisecond intervals.
RESTART– Restart the arpeggiated pattern so that it plays from the beginning.
- OFF= the pattern is not restarted.
- NOTE= the pattern is restarted every time a new note is played.
- SEQ= the pattern is restarted every time the sequencer loops over.
MPE THROUGH – Enables MPE control data to pass through the device (Poly Key Pressure, Control Change, Aftertouch, Pitch Bend etc.)
COMPATABILITY
ARPEX will function as a standard arpeggiator with any regular MIDI controller but to make full use of its design, an MPE controller will be needed (see below).
Ableton PUSH (although not an MPE controller, Ableton Push does have polyphonic aftertouch which means it could be used to control one of Arpex’sparameters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Arpex is fully compatible with MPE controllers such as the ROLI Seaboard and Sensel Morph. Any MPE-capable controller that transmits slide and pressure data per note should work seamlessly with the device.
With MPE enabled, the slide and pressure data generated by each individual note can control that note’s octave transposition and duration within the arpeggiated pattern. This means you can reshape the arpeggio in real-time through physical expression rather than drawing automation.
Yes, absolutely. When the Slide and Pressure switches are turned off, you can set fixed constant values using the number boxes instead, so the device functions as a capable standard arpeggiator for any MIDI setup.
Arpex is a Max for Live device, so you will need Ableton Live Suite or a copy of Live with a Max for Live licence installed. We recommend running the latest version of both Live and Max for Live for the best performance.
Simply drag the Max for Live device file into your Ableton Live User Library, or drop it directly onto a MIDI track in your session. From there it will load and be ready to use straight away.
Yes, slide and pressure operate as separate controls, and each can be assigned to either octave range or duration independently. This gives you a great deal of flexibility in how your physical expression maps to the arpeggiated output.
Arpex will work with any instrument in Ableton Live, MPE-capable or otherwise. The MPE expressiveness comes from your controller input shaping the pattern, so even a standard synth will benefit from the dynamic variations Arpex produces.
Important Information
V1.0.0 – Initial Release – February 2021
Our Products are generally provided as Zip file downloads which in all cases will need to be extracted and saved to your hard drive prior to installation. Details on the different file type provided and what to do with them are below.
.alp Files – These are Ableton Live Packs and will either install directly into the Packs Section of the browser of Ableton Live or ask you to save them to your hard drive. For packs that install to the library, when you double click on them you will see a pop up window asking you to confirm that installation is ok as the files are described as “Legacy”. This is fine and you are ok to proceed, the packs are created using the format for an earlier version of Live and so remain compatible with the current version.
.amxd files – These are individual MaxforLive Devices and can be stored anywhere on your hard drive. We’d advise creating a folder for them and then adding that folder as a location within the Places section of Lives Browser.
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