First Oympia Noise Co brought us Patterning, and we loved it, now they bring us Patterning 2, the next generation of the circular drum machine. With the same intuitive interface that is both easy to use and deep with features for the experienced producer. Patterning 2 is a whole new app and not an update to the existing version. The new app is on pre-order right now for

Here’s what’s new in Patterning 2:

• Recording Beats & Automation
• Drum Kit Switching
• Randomize (Almost) Everything
• Next Generation Ratcheting
• Coarse Tune Quantization
• Quantized Pattern Launch
• Sample Folders
• Loop Rotate
• Pattern Tempo Changes
• Divide Mode Measure Length
• New Automation Layers
• Ableton Link Start/Stop
• MIDI Learn Recording
• MIDI Drum Triggering
• MIDI Only Tracks
• Custom MIDI CC Outputs
• MIDI Gate Length Automation
• Under the Hood Performance Improvements
• Workflow Enhancements
• And more…

Other Key Features:

• Download hundreds of free factory and user-created drum kits.
• Export directly to an Ableton Live Set or perfect audio loops.
• Deep integration with MIDI for controlling and being controlled by hardware gear.
• Sync with Ableton Live and other apps using Ableton Link.

SPECIFICATIONS :

iOS 10+, Recommended for iPad 3 and newer, Languages : English

PATTERNS

• Unique circular sequencer with independent settings for each loop in each pattern. Create poly-metric and poly-rhythmic beats like never before.
• Variable loop lengths from 1 to 64 steps.
• Step durations from a thirty-second note up to a whole note, with dotted notes and triplets along the way.
• NEW : Next generation ratcheting with unique “ratchet decay” setting for creating textural rolls and fast subdivisions of the beat.
• NEW : Quantized pattern launching. Launch a pattern on the next down beat, nearest 32nd note, 16 measures in the future or anywhere in between.
• Get wild with loop modes : Forwards, Reverse, Urn (random without repeating), and two Pendulum modes.
• Auto-Rotate feature spins the loop after each rotation to create evolving rhythms.
• NEW : Change a loop’s starting point with the new loop rotate feature. Nudge loops slightly off the grid or rotate by subdivisions of a step.
• NEW : Updated Divide mode allows you to explore exotic polyrhythms like 7 against 11, 35 against 36, or even 3 against 4. New in version 2 is the ability to change the measure length of divide mode.
• NEW : Attach tempo changes to patterns to change up the pace. Slide gradually to the new tempo or jump immediately to it.
• 64 bits of sample velocity sensitivity. (That’s a lot of sensitivity!)
• Draw and erase tools.
• Special “Pen Echo” mode for quick entry of repeating patterns.

AUDIO & ABLETON LIVE EXPORT

• Easily export multitrack or stereo audio files from Patterning.
• Export directly to an Ableton Live Set with individual tracks for audio and MIDI. Includes a free copy of Ableton Live Lite! Get the download link from the Export window.

DRUM KITS & SAMPLES

• NEW : Dynamically swap drum kits, changing samples and settings when a Pattern changes.
• NEW : Download 100s of free factory and user generated drum kits with Cloud Kits. New kits are being added all the time!
• NEW : Organize samples into folders.
• NEW : Create your own kits and export them to share with other Patterning users via Cloud Kits.
• Easy import your own samples with Dropbox, Audioshare, Files, or iTunes File Sharing.

INSTRUMENTS

• NEW : Randomization of instrument parameters.
• NEW : Quantized Coarse Tuning for easy melodic compositions. Works with randomization for randomly generated melodies.
• Sample start and end times.
• Sample gain.
• Attack, hold, decay envelope for shaping the amplitude of your sounds.
• Coarse and fine tuning.
• 2 choke groups.
• Multimode filter with variable resonance and cutoff frequency.
• Delay and reverb sends.
• Panning
• Mute / Solo
• Track Volume
• Amazing visualizer!

AUTOMATION

• Automation layers for animating track parameters : coarse and fine tuning, effects sends, panning, filter frequency and resonance, probability, and envelope settings.
• NEW : Automate Parameter Randomization Amount.
• NEW : Ratchet Count and Ratchet Decay automation.
• NEW : Automate MIDI CCs & MIDI Gate Length.
• NEW : Automation Record toggles on when recording is enabled.
• NEW : Record automation using MIDI controllers.

NEW : RECORDING & MIDI INPUT

• NEW : Record Pads allow you for recording patterns.
• NEW : Overdub while recording to add parts one at a time.
• NEW : Assign a MIDI controller to pads to play Patterning with using an external controller or to record.
• NEW : Metronome
• NEW : Quickly clear patterns or loops.
• Use MIDI Learn to control Patterning with external MIDI devices. Customizable MIDI mapping to parameter ranges.

SONG MODE

• Fill the timeline with patterns to create songs.
• Seamlessly toggle timeline on and off during playback.
• Loop mode for endless pattern sequences.
• Double tap to jump to a block in the timeline.
• Time signature and snap settings for maximum flexibility.
• Multiple selection in timeline for quick duplication and editing.

FX

• Digital Delay with feedback filter.
• Tempo sync & free delay time modes.
• 3 band EQ.
• Unique distortion unit.
• Reverb.

MIDI

• Instrument MIDI settings allows maximum flexibility for ports, channels, and pitch.
• Coarse Tune > MIDI Note automation for melodic MIDI sequencing.
• Fine Tune > Pitch Bend automation for automating MIDI pitch bend.
• NEW : Create MIDI CC automation lanes.
• NEW : MIDI Note Length automation. Lengths longer than 100% are tied to successive notes to make longer MIDI notes.
• Rock solid MIDI clock sync receive and send.
• NEW : Audio/MIDI/Both setting to configure instrument output.
• NEW : MIDI Settings are now accessible on the main PATTERN screen.
• Import MIDI settings for quick MIDI mapping templates.

INTER-APP AUDIO

• Master or individual track outputs for processing in IAA host apps like AUM and Audiobus.
• Inter-App Audio clock sync and transport via the main IAA port.

ABLETON LINK

• Use Ableton Link to sync Patterning to other devices or apps wirelessly. It’s like magic!
• NEW : Link Start/Stop Support
• NEW : Link Quantum Setting for configuring start/stop timing.

Patterning is available for pre-order for $14.99 on the app store with an expected release date of 31 July.

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IceGear Instruments have brought us a range of excellent synths over the years, from their very first app Argon, right through to their latest series of iOS synths. Their latest creation is intriguing to say the least. Kronecker is described as a synthesizer that’s like a clockwork toy with a mechanism that is able to rhythmically trigger sounds like a rhythm machine each time you press a key on the keyboard.

In addition to synchronizing the trigger speed to the tempo, you can gradually increase the speed or slow it down after pressing the key. This makes it possible to produce synthesizer sounds similar to the sounds bounced by the bouncing ball. Which I’m sure is something we all have wanted to do at some point right?

The app has four emitters, which means that Kronecker emits particles of sound made from both FM tones and noise. At the emitter you can specify at what time the sound particles will be triggered. It is also possible to add changes such that the pitch of the particles gradually increases.

Particles of the sound emitted by the emitter can be processed with two resonators, and you can reproduce the sound of particles jumping over strings and pipes.

Kronecker works not only on the iPad but also on the iPhone. It also supports Audio Unit Extensions (AUv3), so you can plug in to AUv3 compatible host. For each screen size, different layouts are designed to be easy to use and intuitive. The app also supports Inter-App Audio, Audiobus and Ableton Link.

Kronecker costs $7.99 on the app store

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Mr Corvest has become a somewhat prolific developer in the iOS world since he first appeared. His latest creation is FAC Envolver.

The app is an envelope follower, this implies that it tracks the contour of the input signal and builds a corresponding envelope. Think of the envelope as the outline of the graphical representation of a rectified version of your input signal. By its very essence, it’s exactly what you get. But the process does not stop there and gives you the ability to modify the shape according to a set of provided parameters.

So it’s possible to define the rise and fall time as well as the depth of the envelope or also to invert it. Those parameters are the key to ensure the flexibility of the effect, and to meet the goal you are looking for.

The previous lines are more a general presentation of what an envelope follower does, but the particularity of FAC Envolver, which makes it an outstanding and versatile tool, is that it delivers the envelope via MIDI control change messages or commonly referred to as CC.

The key is to map the CC number parameter to the volume, cutoff, resonance control of your synthesizer or effect units. By doing so you will get instant additional hands to tweak your parameters automatically depending on what you are currently playing.

The internal signal path is built around two independant channels, having one envelope circuit detection per input signal. So the left input signal is wired to the envelope one, and the right input signal is wired to the envelope two.

FAC Envolver will breathe life into your sound, providing interesting natural modulation that will always be different by nature. Following the diagram below, the sound flows from the left to right or from the input to the output.

Input

• Gain (up to 15db) Use it carefully
• Audio output activated or mute
• Monoize input signal for detection
• [ON] Mono for each env
• [OFF] Left for first env and Right for second env

Output envelope 1 (L) and 2 (R)

• Mute – left buttons (|1/ or |2/) are toggleable (gray muted/yellow activated)
• Rise – defines the time the envelope takes to rise. Set to minimum to catch the transient.
• Fall – defines the time the envelope takes to fall. Set to maximum for more slew between peaks
• Depth – provides attenuation or amplification of the envelope
• Multi-waveform graph – envelope contour layered over input signal. Touch the graph to freeze the display temporarily.
• Invert – invert the envelope
• CC# – number of the control change messages where the envelope is sent (channel 1). Only one CC can be used at time per output.

FAC Envolver costs $6.99 on the app store now

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Bram Bos brings out yet another innovative AUv3 effect to put into your host. Perforator lets you add rhythm to simple sustained sounds, which is something that I’ve been hoping would arrive on the iOS scene for a while now.

The app is a rhythmic gating audio effect that will creatively snip, cut, gap and filter incoming audio to create rhythmic patterns out of your pads, strings, drones or any other audio stream you decide to feed through it.

By tuning the slice envelopes you can create anything from classic staccato “trance gate” sounds to emulations of sloppy pumping sidechain compression.

Two gating mechanisms can be dialled in: an AMP EG gate (the traditional way of gating) and a 12dB/Oct lowpass filter which will rapidly carve away high frequencies from your sound to effectively silence them.

• AUv3 Audio Effect, works in all AU compatible hosts
• automatically syncs with your project’s tempo
• edit Left an Right channel independently
• built-in preset manager with a ton of factory presets
• all AU Parameters exposed for host automation
• Universal: works on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch
• Bonus Feature: AU MIDI output*

Perforator requires iOS10 (iPad 4, iPhone 5S, iPod 6G and higher) and an AU compatible host app. Perforator has standalone functionality with basic IAA and Audiobus 3 support for demonstration purposes only. Using the AUv3 plugin is recommended.

* AU MIDI: both envelopes (L+R) can send their values out as MIDI CC messages to mimic ‘parameter lock’ messages in other plugins/apps. Note: this feature requires iOS11+ and a host compatible with AU MIDI from effects.

Perforator costs just $3.99 on the app store now

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You can’t have enough audio units right? Or at least it certainly seems that way these days. Now there’s a new AUv3, Stereo Modulator is an effect that converts mono sound into stereo sound, with an adjustable width and also optional stereo modulation.

The app works by using a bank of randomised stereo de-correlators that apply micro-delays into the sound and also introduce random differences between the spectrums of the left and the right audio channels. In its output we hear a natural sense of space that is not present in the original mono recording. It’s similar to the sound space one gets from using a stereo reverb plugin except that it is tight and clear, without any feeling of echo.

It can operate either as a static effect or it can be gently modulated by a low-frequency oscillator. The modulation is best compared to the sound you might get from using a Leslie speaker, except that there’s no impact to the pitch, so the output remains focused and tuning is not compromised, which is a big plus in my book.

This effect can be especially useful for mixing electric guitars together with vocals. Using Stereo Modulator on the guitars, we can push them out to the sides, creating a space in the centre for the vocal to cut through, without needing to reduce the volume of the guitars.

Stereo Modulator is available on the app store now and costs $4.99

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Tape seems to be popular again. It’s only been a short while since we saw Klevgränd brings us DAW Cassette, and now MSXII delivers Fly-Tape. The app is apparently a unique take on some of the aspects about tape that the developers love but also adds unique features that are enjoyable.

The Fly Tape app runs as an iOS AUv3 FX plugin, and is designed for use within host apps such as Garageband, Beatmaker 3, Cubasis, Audiobus.

A user can add FX to their incoming audio signals in many ways “on the Fly.” Sliders for textured nuances such as hiss & pitch will allow you to dial in tasteful settings that can become reminiscent of cassette tapes. These also can be automated via midi cc for additional modulation.

Fly Tape FX:
Fly Tape includes numerous touch based FX. These FX also release upon button release to enhance the performance experience. Additionally, some FX have more settings upon a quick, double-tap of the effect.

Play Button

• Will start audio (demo drum loop) in standalone mode
• Disabled while in plugin mode

Stop Button

• Will stop playing audio with a scrubbing, slow down effect
• Release will resume audio

Pause Button

• A simple audio mute. Useful for drops in performance
• Release will resume audio

Bypass Switch

• Bypass Fly-Tape audio effect unit as a whole

Noise Slider

• Gradual increase of “hiss” simulation from left to right

Pitch Slider

• Gradual detuning of audio from left (normal) to right (-.50 cents)

Half-Speed FX Button

• Plays audio at half-speed
• Normal playback resumes on release
• Half-Speed will stay in time with current host tempo

Saturate Button

• 2 saturation modes “Clean” & “Gritty” available
• Quick double tap will prompt small menu option
• Release will resume normal audio without effect

Lofi Button

• 3 lofi modes “70’s”, “80’s”, and “90’s” available
• Quick double tap will prompt small menu option
• Release will resume normal audio without effect

Loop Button

• Reverses and loops audio while pressed
• Release will resume normal audio without effect

Stutter Button

• 8 stutter quantize settings available
• Quick double tap will prompt small menu option
• Settings available are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/8T, 1/16, 1/16T, 1/32, 1/64
• Stutter is immediate upon press, release will resume audio without effect

Tips:
FX buttons can be chained in unique ways to deliver awesome results such as Lofi “70’s –> Saturate “Clean” –> Half-Speed.

All parameters of Fly Tape can be mapped in your favorite hosts. For example, you can map the Noise & Pitch sliders to faders or knobs on your favorite midi controller.

Fly Tape’s Midi CC values are listed below:
Bypass: 102
Pitch: 103
Noise: 104
Tape Stop: 106
Mute (Pause): 107
Half-Speed: 108
Saturate: 109
Lofi: 110
Loop: 111
Stutter: 112

Fly-Tape is available on the app store and costs $5.99

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Another plug in from Audio Damage makes the trip over to iOS. ADverb2 is an accurate model of a vintage digital plate reverb rack unit from the 80s, with a few modern tricks up its sleeve. From short, thick, rich reverbs ideal for drums on up to incredibly long heavily chorused, echoey spaces perfect for ambient music, ADverb2 is an excellent addition to your sonic toolkit.

ADverb2 works as a stand-alone effect, with Inter-App Audio, but we recommend its use as an AUv3 plugin in a host that supports the format like Beatmaker 3, AUM, Cubasis, GarageBand, etc.

• Simple-to-use reverb settings, with pre-delay, time, and size, plus an extensive filtering section to shape the reverb tail.
• Logical vintage-style user interface, vector-based for resizability and future-proofing.
• XML-based cross-platform preset manager, with copy and paste. (You can even move presets between the iOS version and the desktop version with Handoff.)
• Optimized reverb algorithm for low CPU load.

ADverb2 costs just $3.99 on the app store now

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I’ve talked about the excellent work that Intermorphic do (and indeed have always done) in the generative space, both here at CDM, and for more than a decade back over at PalmSounds. More than anyone else they’ve continued to push the boundaries of generative music and extend the possibilities of what you can do with it.

With the latest iteration of their flagship generative music suite, Intermorphic have added the ability to export video from Wotja, making it quick and easy to share stereo recordings of your creations to the world. The still image used in the video export reflects what is shown in your Display mode screen.

• New: Video export segment in Mixdown & Recordings screen where you can make video recordings of a mix (Open Mix > Mix Mode > Action button > Mixdown & Recordings > Video segment > bottom Record button) [Feature requires active ‘Unlocked’ subscription]
• New: Export an existing audio recording as a video where it uses imagery from the Display mode of the currently open mix (Open Mix > Mix Mode > Action button > Mixdown & Recordings > Audio segment > Tool icon > Create Video) [Feature requires active ‘Unlocked’ subscription]
• Fixed: issue where envelope editor wasn’t showing labels
• Other bug fixes

If you’ve missed what’s been happening with Wotja, here are some recent videos

Wotja five point five,
Export to video. Share,
What can you make? Try!

Made with #Wotja. https://t.co/PakpBpwzEa pic.twitter.com/20Ni3csvcU

— intermorphic (@intermorphic) May 5, 2018

Wotja is available on the app store for free with IAP subscriptions

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Volt synth is a pretty impressive synth app, and unique in that it features MPE (multidimensional polyphonic expression) support and works with the Roli Seaboard out of the box. In this latest update update Volt goes universal too.

Here’s all that’s new:

• VOLT is now Universal and supports all iPhones starting with the iPhone SE
• Keyboard: next to classic/piano and the mpe/seaboard style layout a a third, string based layout is now available
• Keyboard: added support for scales (string layout only)
• Keyboard: redesigned keys
• Keyboard: now supports velocity (mapped to y axis of a key)
• Keyboard: now supports pressure (on iPhones capable of 3D touch)
• Keyboard: now supports performance mode with larger keys (iPhone only)
• Keyboard: added revamped settings including seaboard style sensitivity sliders for glide, slide, pressure and velocity
• Keyboard: added support for multiple rows
• Keyboard: performance mode with larger keys is not available on iPad as well
• Keyboard: improved playability
• Keyboard: fixed an issue with the MPE keyboard where slide and glide were sent on wrong channels resulting in unexpected MPE behaviour
• Keyboard: fixed key labeling which was offset by one octave
• Keyboard: changed the way bending/glide is handled
• Keyboard: added touch overlays for increased playablility
• LINK: fixed an issue where manual BPM input would be ignored while LINK was active
• ARP: fixed sequencer mode (when latched, you can new enter as many notes as you like, repeats are possible as well)
• ARP: fixed an issue where disabling the arpeggiator would not clear it’s notes
• MIDI: Fixed poly aftertouch
• MIDI: added support for multiple inputs
• MIDI: when playing in unison mode, note priority now defaults to last-note
• MIDI: fixed an issue where MPE would not work properly in combination with note priority in mono/unison patches
• MIDI: added support for multiple input devices and channel
• DSP: Fixed an issue where LFO triangle output would be scaled up in tempo synced mode leading to unexpected behaviour in some cases
• DSP: App no longer crashes if the audio engine fails to start but displays an error message instead.
• DSP: fixed an issue where changing patches could cause audio glitches
• DSP: fixed an issue where FM patches could crash the app in some cases
• DSP: Improved aliasing in FM patches
• DSP: Improved CPU usage
• DSP: Optimized memory footprint
• Presets: Fixed Preset Export
• Presets: Preset Export is now also available in AU mode
• UI: Fixed an issue where some knobs would behave oddly when near their min or max values
• UI: controls such as knobs and sliders now become less sensitive when moving further away from a control while dragging
• UI: controls such as knobs and sliders now use the upper right display for real time readouts
• UI: tweaked 10.5 and 12.9 inch layout
• UI: Keyboard and synth controls now remain accessible while favourites selector is visible
• UI: Standalone version now hides the iOS status-bar and displays it’s own battery indicator instead

Volt synth is now on sale until the 16th of May and is down to $9.99. After the 16th it’ll go up to $19.99

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As they’ve just updated their Unique apps for iOS (iPhone and iPad) to remove both Inter-App Audio and Audiobus. They’ve decided to do this as, in their view, AUv3 is now the future for iOS, which is an interesting view. I’m not saying I disagree, but for some users it will certainly limit choice, and of course, not everyone is an audio units fan.

I’m guessing that they’ll follow along with the rest of their apps in due course, so we can expect the same treatment in Cyclop, Effectrix and WOW Filterbox.

They’re view of AUv3 is …

Thanks to AUv3 you now have a plugin interface that offers you the most features currently available.
No longer switch between apps or rely on work-around solutions with extra steps and messy MIDI problems.
Simply run Unique within your favourite iOS DAW just like you would on desktop.
Go wild running multiple instances, record parameter changes in real time and automatically save/restore Unique’s state within the host app.

But it’s not all bad news for Unique synth, in addition to adding audio units to both apps, they’ve also added iCloud drive for sharing of presets across multiple devices, which I know will please a lot of users.

Unique for iOS iPhone version

Unique for iOS iPad version

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MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) is now an official part of the MIDI standard. And Superbooth Berlin shows it’s catching on everywhere from granular synths to modular gear.

For decades now, it’s been easy enough to add expression to a single, monophonic line, via various additional controls. But humans have more than one finger. And with MIDI, there was until recently no standard way of adding additional expressiveness for multiple notes/fingers at the same time. All of that changed with the adoption of the MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) specification.

Here’s a nice video explanation from our friend, musician and developer Geert Bevin:

“Oh, fine,” naysayers were able to say, “but is that really for very many people?” And sure enough, there haven’t been so many instruments that knew what to do with the MPE data from a controller. So while you can pick up a controller like the ROLI Seaboard (or more boutique items from Roger Linn and Madrona Labs), and see support in major DAWs like Logic, Cubase, Reaper, GarageBand, and Bitwig Studio, mostly what you’d play would be specialized instruments made for them.

But that’s changing. It’s changing fast enough that you could spot the theme even at an analog-focused show like Superbooth.

Here’s a round-up of what was shown just at that show – and that isn’t even a complete list of the hardware and software support available now.

Thanks to Konstantin Hess from ROLI who helped me compile this list and provided some photos.

Polyend/Dreadbox Medusa. This all-in-one sequencer/synth is one I’ll write up separately. That grid has dedicated X/Y/Z movement on it, and it’s terrifically expressive. What’s great is, it uses MPE so you can record and play that data in supported hosts – or presumably use the same to sequence oteher MPE-compatible gear. And that also means:

Polyend SEQ. The Polish builder’s standalone sequencer also works with SEQ. As on the Medusa, you can play that live, or increment through, or step sequence control input.

Tasty Chips GR-1 Granular Synthesizer. Granular instruments have always posed a challenge when it comes to live performance, because they require manipulating multiple parameters at once. That of course makes them a natural for MPE – and sure enough, when Tasty Chips crowd-funded their GR-1 grain synth, they made MPE one of the selling points. Connect something like a Seaboard, and you have a granular instrument at your command. (An ultra-mobile, affordable Seaboard BLOCK was there for the demo in Berlin.)

The singular Gaz Williams recently gave this a go:

Audio Damage Quanta. The newest iOS app/desktop plug-in from Audio Damage isn’t ready to use yet, but an early build was already at Superbooth connected to both a Linnstrument and a ROLI Seaboard for control. Set an iPad with your controller, and you have a mobile grain instrument solution.

Expert Sleepers FH-1. The FH-1 is a unique MIDI-to-CV modular interface, with both onboard USB host capabilities and polyphonic support. But what would polyphonic input be if you couldn’t also add polyphonic expression? And sure enough, the FH-1 is adding support for that natively. I’m hopeful that Bastl Instruments will choose to do the same with their own 1983 MIDI module.

Polyend Poly module. Also from Polyend, the Poly is designed around polyphony – note the eight-row matrix of CV out jacks, which makes it a sophisticated gateway from MIDI and USB MIDI to voltage. But this digital-to-analog gateway also has native support for MPE, meaning the moment you connect an MPE-sending controller, you can patch that expression into whatever you like.

Endorphin.es Shuttle Control. Shuttle Control is both a (high res) 12-bit MIDI-to-CV converter and practically a little computer-in-a-module all its own. It’s got MPE support, and was showing off that capability at Superbooth.

Once you have that MIDI bridge to voltage, of course, MPE gives you additional powers over a modular rig, so this opens up a lot more than just the stuff mentioned here.

I even know some people switching from Ableton Live to Bitwig Studio just for the added convenience of native MPE support. (That’s a niche, for sure, but it’s real.) I guess the key here is, it takes just one instrument or one controller you love to get you hooked – and then sophisticated modular and software environments can connect to still more possibilities.

It’s not something you’re going to need for every bassline or use all the time, but for some instruments, it adds another dimension to sound and playability.

Got some MPE-supporting picks of your own, or your own creations? Do let us know.

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Strange Agency have been around the iOS world for a long time now, and in that time they’ve brought some truly unique and innovative apps to users. Some of my favourites have been Donut (which I still use on occasion), and CP1919. To be fair, The Strange Agency’s output has been much more sporadic of late, which is fine, and understandable, but they’re still putting out new things, and now we have Soup Granular, a retro future app inspired by the oil can delays of the 60s and also by the strange agency’s previous granular explorations, Curtis and Spunk.

Soup brings you a virtual magnetic fluid that you can record onto, slosh around, and play back from. You can use it as a unique delay effect or more like a granular synthesizer, concocting your own wholly novel sounds.

Here’s what The Strange Agency have to say about Soup:

Quantum Sound

Soup breaks up recordings into individual sound quanta with which you can interact as if they made up an audio fluid. They can be played linearly or randomly, forward, backward, or even sideways. They can, moreover, be stirred together, giving a whole new meaning to mixing sound.

Sounds Touching

Not only is this an extremely visual audio experience, it’s terrifically tactile as well. With support for multi-touch, Soup lets you get in there and mangle the fluid in a way that’s simply not possible with knobs and faders.

Audio Palette

Soup will let you literally paint with sound. You can record external sounds through the microphone or import WAV files, slathering sound over the virtual fluid. Then your fingers can become play heads, reading back the sounds from any position, or multiple positions at once.

Already people have been asking about AB3, IAA, AuV3 etc. Which are questions worth asking. However, Strange Agency don’t have plans to add these capabilities, and the main reason is that Soup was conceived as a standalone app and, between the fluid simulation and the granular synth, it uses just about 100% of the CPU on most iPads. Which is fair enough. However, you can easily open WAV files from the Files app, Dropbox, etc., and you can share Soup recordings as well.

Soup Granular costs $9.99 on the app store now

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Roli’s NOISE app has been around for a while now and has consistently had updates to bring new functionality to make it better and better. Most notable for me was the inclusion of overdub, which made it so much more useful for me. This update includes some exciting new features to assist you taking your sounds further in NOISE.

• Performance effects – From Crunchy Delays to Wobbbling Filters, you can now add even more expressivity with the addition of two effects slots and a variety of presets. Assign a Lightpad to either slot or control on-screen
• AUv3 Updates – You can now play and record with your favourite NOISE Drum and Groove Kits in hosts such as Garageband with the addition of a new AUv3. Seaboard and Drum Grid visualisers have also been added to all plug-ins when used in full screen mode
• Updated Navigation – The navigation has been consolidated to a single tab bar and dual screen support has been added on iPad, allowing you to control instruments on the right and either clips, mixer or effects on the left
• Improved Performance – The app has been further optimised to improve performance on devices such as the iPhone 6 and iPad mini 4

Other improvements and fixes include:

• Fixed multiple bugs in the sign up process, including a more responsive scrolling and quicker loading of T&Cs
• UI Refresh of buttons and background
• Fixed issue where pitch correction was jumping around when in hide mode
• Fixed occasional stuck notes when stopping Learn Loops

We would love your feedback and are also here to help! If you have any questions, comments or problems, please check out support.roli.com. If you are enjoying your experience using NOISE we would really appreciate you rating it on the App store.

Roli’s NOISE is free on the app store with IAPs

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Auxy has been making it easier to make whole tracks since December 2015, and version 5.1 takes it another step forward. In this version AuxyCo have redesigned scene view and a number of improvements to simplify track making:

• The scene view can now be open while you arrange loops
• New play controls let you skip between scenes and toggle loop mode on/off without opening the scene view
• Loop and scene previews have been redesigned to make things easier to find
• Loops can now be labeled
• New color options added for instruments
• Each row of loops now fills the entire screen width
• Loops that are not active in any scene will get slightly dimmed and thereby easier to find if you want to delete unused loops in a project
• You can now solo an instrument while while you tweak the sound
• Sound tweaks can now be accessed in the loop editor
• Long-press a sample slot to copy and paste it
• Tap the tempo slider to change the tempo one BPM at a time
• The maximum tempo has been increase to 300 BPM
• Exported stems and MIDI files should now have proper names

Please note that the export options have been moved to the settings page.

Also note that they have replaced the original demo sounds with a smaller set of “free” sounds. The main reason is that they want to increase the quality of the sounds that new users get to test. We also want to make it clear that Auxy is a premium app and we are committed to building an awesome experience for paying users. Thank you all for supporting!

In addition, they’ve fixed a bunch of bugs just as you’d expect:

• Fixed a crash when opening project links
• Fixed various iCloud issues
• Fixed packs sometimes not unlocking right away after the subscription has been renewed
• Prevent project files from breaking in rare cases

Auxy is now free on the app store with a subscription

The post Auxy 5.1 brings a new redesign to make your work flow better appeared first on CDM Create Digital Music.

Sonic Logic has been around since 2012 and now launches version 3 which is a complete overhaul of the app’s with new features galore. Here’s what’s new:

1. Multiple MIDI destinations – Control multiple MIDI destinations from one component. Component can now map up to eight different destinations (Channel, CC, value or type). Create complex button, knob and slider mappings. Multiple MIDI destinations also work with timed transition buttons, so one tap of a button can trigger complex timed transitions to multiple destinations.
2. New top bar and workflow – The new top bar replaces the legacy one with a better workflow, the top bar has a built in MIDI out output indicator, showing exactly what MIDI values are transmitted out. The legacy components selection bar has been replaces with the new component creation screen.
3. Tab bar – The screen selection and controls have been replaces with an easy and more visible tab bar.
4. Connection center – All of the outgoing connection has been put into one managing screen, tapping on the connection panel anywhere in the app opens it and it’s a one stop shop for all types of connection.
5. MIDI Logger – the MIDI logger logs all outgoing MIDI traffic, you can easily monitor what data is transmitted in a session. The logger holds up to 10,000 records.
6. Component creation screen – The new component creation screen has easier controls for selecting component types, presets and edit controls.
7. Detailed edit screens – The detailed edit screens have been refactored for better control. The group edit screens now allows access only to relevant edit data from a complex group, making it easier to select what traits are changed in a group.
8. Better support for 10.5” and 12.9” devices – Almost all components have been redrawn to fit beautifully on 10.5” and 12.9” screens and are fully scaled for large devices. 12.9” devices can work with two sizes – normal or large, both are fully scaled.
9. Redesign simple edit screens – The simple edit screens now show better grouping and have a blurred background to preserve the work context. Almost all modal screens have been enhanced with a similar effect.
10. Fixes and tweaks – Bugs squashed and a lot of over perfectionist code has been written to enhance tiny bits of the overall experience.

Sonic Logic costs $9.99 on the app store

The post Sonic Logic 3 lands with a whole set of new features and a solid foundation to build on for the future appeared first on CDM Create Digital Music.