Find yourIDEA.

Put CreakBox on an instrument track and loop a useful part of your song: a kick, a drum groove, a chord bed, or simply a few bars of space. Start at a comfortable listening level. A bassline that sounds spectacular on its own may need fewer notes, less resonance or a shorter tail once the track comes in.

For normal pattern audition, use INPUT: PTN and SRC: INT. In SYNC: HOST, start your DAW transport; its tempo drives the pattern. In SYNC: FREE, CreakBox uses its own BPM setting and Space starts or stops its free clock while the editor has keyboard focus. FREE sync is a clock mode, separate from the product's free/licensed status.

Open IDEA with the left-hand page button. An empty tree reads <none>. Entering the workspace starts an idea audition context; creating or selecting an idea lets you hear its patterns and sound. Generation itself does not start the DAW transport.

Perhaps the second note is perfect, the gate rhythm already sits around the kick, or the filter sound needs no further movement. A lock tells the generator to preserve that value while it explores the rest. You can protect a whole category, a pattern lane, one complete step or one setting within a step.

Click LOCK on the IDEA page to enter Lock Mode. The button turns red. On Perform and Pattern, the upper IDEA button reads LOCK in red and small lock dots appear on eligible controls. Click that upper LOCK button to leave Lock Mode; the left-hand IDEA page button returns you to the workspace.

Click a global switch again to remove that group lock. Individual locks stay configured. A global group can protect a setting even when its individual dot is green: the dot indicates its own explicit lock, while the group protection is shown by the global switch and Active Locks.

Lock a sound control on Perform

With Lock Mode on, open PERFORM. Click the small dot on an eligible knob or selector: green means individually unlocked; red means individually locked. Click again to release it. For example, lock Cutoff and Resonance to keep the filter's central character while allowing envelope, pattern and effects exploration.

The dot is its own target. Drag elsewhere on the knob to make a manual adjustment. Quick controls can show a lock for their currently assigned parameter when it is an eligible creative sound parameter. That lock belongs to the underlying parameter, not to the Quick slot number. Circuit calibration values are not randomized by IDEA.

Lock a pattern at exactly the right level

Open PATTERN and select the pattern slot you want to protect. The local locks refer to that particular slot: a P1 lock does not automatically become the same lock in P2, P3 or P4.

1. One property on one step: click the small dot in that step's PITCH, GATE, ACCENT, SLIDE or ATTACK cell. You might keep Step 2's pitch while allowing its accent or slide to develop.
2. One whole step: click the dot beside the step number. It groups that step's pitch, gate, accent, slide and Attack locks.
3. One whole lane: click the dot beside PITCH, GATE, ACCENT, SLIDE or ATTACK at the left. It groups that lane's locks across all sixteen stored steps in the selected pattern.
4. All four patterns: return to IDEA and use the PATTERN Global Lock.

A step or lane group turns fully red when every member is explicitly locked. Clicking an incompletely locked group locks all its members; clicking a fully locked group releases them. Individual cells show the precise protection.

Read and tidy Active Locks

The right-hand display separates GLOBAL LOCKS from LOCAL LOCKS. Entries such as P1 / Gate Lane or P1 / Step 2 / Pitch identify exactly what is configured. Click a lock entry to select it. Right-click an entry and choose Delete to remove that protection. Removing a global entry also switches off its matching global button. Headings and <none> rows are informational.

Locks are shared across the IDEA workspace. Selecting a different branch recalls its music and sound, while your current lock configuration remains in place. A lock protects the value in the current working idea during generation; it is not a stored reference value that gets pasted over every branch.

Click TEST IDEA to enable testing. CreakBox takes you to PERFORM and keeps the selected idea active across pages. You can hear the idea in your arrangement, choose its four patterns, adjust its sound and edit its notes. These creative edits belong to the selected IDEA branch.

Testing uses the internal pattern audition, so an external audio source or MIDI-input setup is not the route being auditioned. Keep the DAW loop running in HOST sync. Listen with the kick first, then bring in the rest of the track. Try the bass quietly as well as loudly: a useful line should still make musical sense without dominating everything around it.

What the Perform controls contribute

WAVEFORM chooses the oscillator shape; FILTER chooses FLT1–FLT4; SUB OSC selects the sub-oscillator mode. TUNING changes oscillator tuning. CUTOFF sets the filter opening, RESONANCE emphasizes its resonant response, ENV sets filter-envelope modulation, DECAY sets its decay, and ACCENT controls accent strength. ATTACK sets the separate filter-modulation opening time for Attack-marked pattern notes; it is not a volume fade. DISTORTION controls distortion amount and LEVEL sets the bass level.

TAPE ECHO has an on/off button, a timing SYNC selector, TIME, FEEDBACK, HP, DUCK, WOW, FLUTTER, SPREAD and DRY/WET. Use TIME and SYNC for rhythmic placement, FEEDBACK for repeats, HP to thin the delayed low end, DUCK to make space around the dry signal, WOW/FLUTTER for modulation, SPREAD for width and DRY/WET for echo level.

REVERB has on/off, DECAY, SIZE, PRE-DL, LO-CUT and DRY/WET. DECAY shapes the tank's decay behaviour; SIZE changes its space and density; PRE-DL separates the tail from the note; LO-CUT removes low frequencies from the reverb path. The artwork's short decay label appears as DELAY in these screenshots; this control is reverb Decay, while PRE-DL is Pre-delay. The audible tail also depends on Size and diffusion, so it need not end at the displayed Decay time.

TAPE has on/off, HYST. and DRIVE for tape character. The DISTORTION section has on/off, the DIST1–DIST4 type buttons and FILTER for distortion tone. MAIN provides WORN for bounded component-wear character, SUBOSC for sub level and HP for the output bass trim. The eight QUICK knobs address their current assignments, which depend on your configuration and filter bank; the screenshot captions are examples. Quick editing and Circuit Bend require an active licence.

Tooltip toggles the interface help. KILL sends a one-shot panic command to silence sounding voices and effect tails; it does not change the patterns, parameter settings or DAW transport. On eligible live sound knobs, holding Ctrl before a drag can throw the knob into momentum on release; click the moving knob to take control again. Generation knobs on IDEA have no momentum. For deliberate audition comparisons, a settled sound is often easier to judge.

To compare against your original setup, return to IDEA, switch TEST IDEA off, switch Lock Mode off, and open PERFORM. To hear the candidate again, return to IDEA and select its entry. Turning Lock Mode off to make this comparison preserves the configured locks; turn it on again before the next protected development.

The IDEA page has 15 knobs and 4 selectors. They set generation preferences saved with the project. Recalling a tree branch restores its music and sound; these preferences remain your current direction for the next action. Locks take priority while Lock Mode is active.

How to adjust the controls

Drag a knob vertically: up increases, down decreases. Hold Shift for finer movement. The mouse wheel also adjusts knobs. Right-click a continuous knob for numeric entry; on IDEA these entries use 0–100% knob position, even when the normal readout shows notes, semitones or a register note. For example, 50% RANGE displays 9 ST. Press Enter to finish an entry. Double-click the knob to return to its current reset target.

Click ROOT, SCALE, SLIDE DIRECTION or FILTER MODEL to open its choice menu. Watch the readouts as you work: note VARIATION displays a note count, RANGE displays semitones, REGISTER displays a note name, and the other knobs display percentages. IDEA's generator knobs do not have the momentum behaviour of eligible live sound knobs.

DEVELOP AMOUNT is the large SUBTLE–STRONG knob below DEVELOP. It controls the distance from the selected idea for the next development. Zero means no development. Higher values allow more pitch and articulation movement; the sound also depends on SOUND VARIATION. Density targets, explicit 0% slides and locks are separate constraints, so a small development amount does not mean every aspect changes by exactly that percentage.

For NEW IDEA, the knob affects the pattern-only P1→P2→P3→P4 development chain rather than the initial P1 or sound. It also sets the amount used by the R current-pattern development shortcut on Perform and Pattern when Lock Mode is off.

Each style has two buttons. SET writes that profile's targets into the generation controls. NUDGE moves numeric settings 25% of the remaining distance towards its targets; note counts and semitone ranges move in whole steps. Repeat NUDGE to move closer, or nudge towards another profile to combine directions.

Both actions set FILTER MODEL to ANY. SET sets SLIDE DIRECTION to ANY; NUDGE preserves your existing slide-direction choice. Both keep ROOT, SCALE, REGISTER, DEVELOP AMOUNT and locks. They change generation settings without rewriting the playing patterns, sound or tree. Their brief illumination is click feedback, not a persistent “current preset” indicator. Click NEW IDEA or DEVELOP to hear the new direction.

“Keep my rhythm. Give it new notes.”

Capture the groove with FROM SYNTH. Enable Lock Mode and lock the Gate lane in P1, then do the same in any other slots whose rhythms must stay fixed. Leave pitch unlocked. Set the song's root and scale, keep RANGE fairly narrow and use a restrained DEVELOP AMOUNT. Develop, compare the child with its parent, and lock the pitches that begin to feel like a hook.

“The line works. Find a sound for it.”

Select the idea, enable Lock Mode and switch on the PATTERN Global Lock. Choose FILTER MODEL: CURRENT to explore within the current filter, or an explicit FLT model for a deliberate change. Raise BRIGHT or BITE a little, set a useful SOUND VARIATION and develop. Keep an ear on level as the tone changes. When the voice lands, lock SOUND and explore SPACE separately.

“Make a version for the next section.”

Mark the current idea as a favourite. Develop a child with a little more accent grouping or slide density, keeping the defining notes locked. TEST the result over the section it is intended for. Reduce tails if they obscure the transition. Compare all four patterns and keep the variation that adds energy without breaking the part's identity.

“Turn my eight-step loop into a sixteen-step phrase.”

A short loop can be a strong opening for a longer bassline. Bring it into IDEA, extend the auditioned pattern, and let DEVELOP help shape the continuation. Use a low amount for a gentle variation, or lock the original eight steps when their stored notes and articulation must stay fixed. Methods A and B below are alternatives: choose either approach after the initial setup. To compare both, select the same lengthened parent again before trying the other method.

1. Capture the eight-step starting point. In the normal runtime, select the eight-step pattern you want to extend. Save the project or use PTN SAVE if you want a separate copy of the original bank. Open IDEA and click FROM SYNTH. The captured runtime pattern becomes P1 unchanged. If you are already auditioning another idea, first return to the outside scene with TEST and Lock Mode off before starting this import.
2. Test and lengthen P1. Click TEST IDEA, then open PATTERN and select P1. Use the length + button, or click the length readout, to change the loop from 8 to 16. The edit belongs to the selected idea. Listen to steps 9–16: lengthening reveals their previously stored values rather than generating a continuation by itself. You can edit those steps into a useful starting shape before developing.
3. Choose a musical direction. Return to IDEA with TEST still on. Set ROOT, SCALE, REGISTER and RANGE to suit the phrase; FROM SYNTH did not automatically retarget these generation preferences. Set NOTE DENSITY for the number of note starts you want across the full sixteen steps, and choose suitable slide and accent targets.
4. Method A — develop gently. Set a low, non-zero DEVELOP AMOUNT, for example 10–20%, and click DEVELOP. Audition the child against its parent and try another development if needed. A low amount restrains pitch and articulation movement, but it does not guarantee that steps 1–8 remain unchanged; note-density targets can also change unlocked gates. Use Method B when the beginning must be preserved precisely.
5. Method B — protect the first half. Before developing, enable Lock Mode, open PATTERN and select P1. Click the whole-step lock dot beside each step number from 1 through 8 until all eight step-group dots are red. This locks pitch, gate, accent, slide and Attack for those steps. Keep 9–16 unlocked, and leave the global PATTERN lock off so the continuation can change. If you also want the tone and effects held fixed, enable SOUND, ECHO/VERB and DIST/TAPE as appropriate.
6. Develop the unlocked continuation. Return to IDEA, keep Lock Mode on, choose a non-zero DEVELOP AMOUNT and click DEVELOP. The child retains P1's protected first eight step values while the unlocked second half can develop. Raise the amount if you want a more adventurous continuation, or compare several children from the same parent. Extending the loop changes the transition after step 8: it now leads to step 9 rather than directly back to step 1.
7. Check the family and keep the result. DEVELOP also builds related P2–P4 patterns from P1. P1's local locks do not automatically lock those other slots: set their corresponding first-eight-step locks too if their own beginnings must remain fixed. TEST the full sixteen-step phrase in the track, mark the successful branch as a favourite, then choose USE IDEA → YES to apply its four-pattern bank and sound. Save the DAW project.

Start with P1 for this workflow. FROM SYNTH puts the captured source there, and DEVELOP builds the later pattern slots from the finalized P1. If the second half stays silent, check its gates, NOTE DENSITY and any local or global locks before increasing the amount.

These are starting methods, not recipes the generator follows automatically. The useful moment is often a small detail you recognise, lock and build around.