Arpeggiators aren't separate pieces of software/plugins, they are inbuilt feature of most synths. In the days of mono (i.e. one note at a time) analogues they were used to create the impression of polyphony, but as with that Missy Elliot track, they can also be used to create digital-esque runs.
I don't know exactly what instrument would have been used, but chances are it was a plugin softsynth. For the basic sound, I can hear two oscillators, a minor third apart. What ever the patch is it's got some bell-like harmonics. The arppegiator itself has sixteen steps. There are also deliberately 16 notes being played, each a semitone next door to each other. I could tell all this just by listening - it'd take some practice to be able to just hear all these approximate settings.
For now, I'll just have a go trying to help you just recreate the sound. First off, you'll need a synth loaded in your sequencer which has an arpeggiator. A good freeware one I use a lot is
Minimogue, which emulates the Minimoog, but pretty much any synth will do.
1. Make a new MIDI track. Set it's output to be the synth plugin's input. Go into the matrix/key editor for the track and make 16 notes next door to each other (i.e. chromatic). If you were to play this now it would sound like a massive clash as every close note battles with the next. Remember, with the arpeggiator on, we'll only be hearing one note at a time. It should look like the screenshot below. Close the matrix edit.
2. Go to your synth. You need to find a sound similar to the
Lose Control one. Make sure the synth is in Mono mode. On Minimogue, the nearest patch I can find is 'Soft Mini sweep'. Turn off the Chorus and turn the Delay level down completely. To get the harmony effect, turn the Oscillator 2 Frequency up to about 1 o'clock (about 3 semitones sharp). Turn the Oscillator 3 Range to 2 or 4 foot, and switch it on.
3. Now the important section: the Arpeggiator. Turn it on; turn the Mode to 'Up'; Speed to 1/16 (semiquavers with relation to your song's tempo). If you're not hearing anything, set the song playing and you should hear the arp. runs. Changing the song tempo will change the speed in Minimogue because the tempo is mapped.
For me, Minimogue now looks as above. Hope this has helped you get a similar kind of sound. The arp movement is chromatic but it would be sensible to have the highest note the keynote of your song otherwise other notes might seem out of context. In any case there is likely to be at least
some harmony clashes with other parts. If you don't understand any of the terms, have a read of the manuals or other threads here.
Percy
