What Makes an Action Cue

Action cues typically combine several orchestral elements:

• Brass stabs: Powerful chord hits on the accents
• String ostinatos: Driving rhythmic patterns underneath
• Percussion layers: Rhythmic reinforcement and impacts
• Low end: Basses and low brass for weight

With Filament, you can trigger all of these from a single performance.

Setup

Routing Configuration

Set up your routing matrix for different orchestral sections:

Rows 1-4:   Brass Section
            1 - High Brass (Trumpets)
            2 - Mid Brass (Horns)
            3 - Low Brass (Trombones)
            4 - Sub Brass (Tuba/Bass Trombone)

Rows 5-8:   Strings (with arpeggiator)
            5 - Violin ostinato
            6 - Viola ostinato
            7 - Cello ostinato
            8 - Bass pulse

Rows 9-12:  Percussion triggers
            9 - Taikos
            10 - Cymbals
            11 - Impacts
            12 - Sub drops

Arpeggiator Settings

For the string ostinatos, enable the arpeggiator on rows 5-8:

• Pattern: 16th notes for driving energy
• Sync: Lock to DAW tempo
• Velocity variation: Add accents for rhythmic interest

The Technique

Layer 1: String Ostinatos

Start by holding down your chord. With the arpeggiator enabled on the string outputs, you'll immediately hear the driving ostinato pattern.

• The arpeggiator creates the rhythm automatically
• Change chords to change the harmonic content
• The pattern keeps running as you move between chords

Layer 2: Brass Accents

With sustain pedal or a separate MIDI controller zone, trigger the brass section:

• Hit accented chords on the beats you want brass stabs
• The velocity controls the intensity
• Filament voices the brass appropriately for each chord

Layer 3: Building the Climax

As the cue builds:

• Add more notes to your chords for thicker voicing
• Play higher for more intensity
• Trigger percussion on the biggest hits

Variations

Breakdown Sections

For quieter sections in your action cue:

• Disable some output rows (mute the brass)
• Slow down the arpeggiator rate
• Play sparser voicings

Hybrid Elements

For modern trailer-style action:

• Route to synth basses alongside orchestral bass
• Add electronic percussion on separate rows
• Layer risers and impacts on trigger rows

The Result

With this setup, a single keyboard performance creates a full action cue with: driving string ostinatos, powerful brass stabs, layered percussion, and proper orchestral voicing — all in real-time.

This approach is especially useful for:

• Sketching action cues quickly
• Live-to-picture scoring
• Creating trailer music
• Game audio implementation