iPad Networked-MIDI Touch Controller: midipad for iPad, iPhone
* It uses network-MIDI: connect and play. With support for the Zeroconf standard (what Apple calls Bonjour), and MIDI over network communication, the midipad can appear as another network device on the Mac. (It sounds as though you still need software to translate the network MIDI data on Windows, though more on that thought in a separate story.)
* Pre-built layouts and controls: Buttons, trigger pads, sliders, ribbon controllers, rotary knobs, and pre-defined macro “blocks” like transport control combine to form studio, DJ, launching (as in Live), and effects layouts.
* Submixes/multiple setups It’s a little sketchy in the description, but it sounds as though you can also combine different layouts.
Music production on the iPad? Can music be recorded and produced on the Apple iPad? The answer is yes.
There are several really great DAW apps for iOS now. I originally published this in 2010 when there were very few DAWs to choose from and they weren’t very powerful. Well 8 years later and we have some killer apps. Poke around on my site or check out my Youtube for current information! https://www.youtube.com/user/ipadloops
SynthStation v3.0 is all about streamlined workflow. You’ll find a totally refreshed user interface that’s easy to navigate and instinctual to use. Optimized for the larger screen of your iPad, the new UI spreads out the controls, dramatically reduces the need to shuffle through menus, and lays out all the synth parameters on a single screen. The leading music production app just got more powerful.
(video is version 2)
Features
• Three virtual-analog synthesizers, each with three oscillators
• More than 50 drum kits, plus a built-in sequencer
• Create melodic and accompaniment parts using arpeggiator with preset patterns
• Core MIDI-compatible: works with any Core MIDI device as a synth module on your iOS device
• Real-time recording
• Unlimited creativity with effects and filters
• Compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
• Requires iOS 4.2 or later
Transform your iPhone into a music production studio. SynthStation transforms your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a portable music production studio for mobile music creation. SynthStation gives you three powerful synthesizers for creating and modifying sonic textures used for melodies, chords, and bass lines. Built around Akai Professional’s history in synthesis and drawing on the newest MINIAK synth, SynthStation sounds great and offers wide-ranging sonic flexibility with its virtual analog synthesis.
From the moment you start SynthStation, you’ll know your way around. It is jam-packed with tools to help you create music with the convenience of your touch screen and each section works the way you work. With SynthStation, you can create and save sequences and complete songs. The app contains three different three-oscillator synths and a range of drum kits you can sequence and mix right in the SynthStation. For creating melodic and accompaniment parts, the SynthStation contains an arpeggiator with preset patterns, built-in effects and filters, and an XY touch control interface for expressive control of key parameters.
PERFORM
Play with keys, XY and arpeggiator controls. This is perfect place to make magic happen because it gives you access to all the common controls you’ll need in a performance or creation setting.
SYNTH
Complete synthesis controls from oscillators to LFOs, envelopes, and more. You can control a wide range of filters to dial in exactly the sound you need. Choose from Sine, Triangle, Square or Sawtooth on your VCO and start creating your own signature sounds from scratch. Filter Cutoff and Resonance are just two taps away.
DRUMS
In addition to SynthStation’s three synthesizers, we’ve included drum kits and a visual representation of the most iconic beat making tool in the world – MPC pads. Just pick your kit and start tapping beats anywhere, anytime. Includes:
Drum Kit – select the drum kit and play it with onscreen pads.
Drum Edit – tune, mix, and customize your drums.
SEQUENCER
Keyboard grid – see your keyboard sequencing and edit notes easily.
Drum grid – build and modify drum tracks with a visible sequencer grid.
SONG/SEQUENCE
Select and save your Song/Sequence projects. You can recall your Songs and work on them later, and even export them for further editing in your desktop audio applications.
CONTROL
XY – two axes of control for hands-on, real-time control. Just like a joystick, the XY controller can snap back to the zero point.
Tempo – control tempo and even tap in the tempo you want.
(video is version 2)
MIXER
The Mixer in SynthStation includes touch-controlled faders for each of the three synthesizers and the drum section as well as FX send for each.
Mixer – mix all the levels of the parts and effects. Just like a hardware mixer, there are faders, mutes, and effect routing.
Effects – select and control FX type and parameters.
TouchOSC is a modular OSC and MIDI control surface for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad.
It supports sending and receiving Open Sound Control messages over a Wi-Fi network using the UDP protocol and supports both CoreMIDI and the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer interfaces for sending and receiving MIDI messages.
The application allows to remote control and receive feedback from software and hardware that implement the OSC or MIDI protocols such as Apple Logic Pro/Express, Renoise, Pure Data, Max/MSP/Jitter, Max for Live, OSCulator, VDMX, Resolume Avenue 3, Modul8, Plogue Bidule, Reaktor, Quartz Composer, Vixid VJX16-4, Supercollider, FAW Circle, vvvv, Derivative TouchDesigner, Isadora and many others.
The interface provides a number of different touch controls to send and receive messages:
Additionally the program can send Accelerometer data. The application comes with example default layouts and completely custom layouts can be constructed using the free TouchOSC Editor application.
Please go to http://hexler.net/touchosc for more information, video demonstrations and download the free layout editor application for OS X, Windows and Linux and the free TouchOSC Bridge utility to easily control any MIDI-capable application on your computer.
What’s New in Version 1.8.1
1.8.1
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– Added setting of control/child-control color with MIDI messages (new “c” var)
– Added touch y position velocity emulation option to Push-button controls
– Added MIDI message sending/receiving for Tab-pages
– Added custom OSC messages for Tab-pages
– Added “no rollover” option to Rotary controls to prevent jump from/to full/zero (default for all existing Rotary controls)
– Added LiveControl layouts
– Added additional control colors
– Changed resolution of Bonjour services to IP addresses instead of host-names
– Fixed Toggle-button received MIDI/OSC message value range behavior
– Fixed Multi-toggle MIDI Note message receive
– Fixed OSC size messages for Fader controls
– Fixed Rx/Tx indicator rendering
– Updated artwork (including support for the Retina iPad display)
1.8
===========================
– Added MIDI Bridge connection, download the free TouchOSC MIDI Bridge application for Windows and OS X from http://hexler.net
– Toggle button behavior problems fixed
– OSC Network connection and Bonjour advertising now enabled at application start-up
– New layout: Jog-On for NI Traktor by digitaldjtools.net
– New layouts: ViZPad and ViZPod for TouchViZ
1.7.4
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– Added Multi-Toggle “exclusive” mode, forcing only one toggle control to be active at all times
– Added Multi-XY control for sending up to 5 touch-points simultaneously
– Added loading and optional up-scaling of iPhone layouts on iPad
– Added different color display of disabled connections on settings screen
1.7.3
===========================
– New control: Multi-Push
– New control: Encoder
– Added setting of control position with OSC messages:
/control/position/x, /control/position/y
– Added setting of control z-order with OSC messages: /control/position/z
– Added setting of control width and height with OSC messages:
/control/size/w, /control/size/h
– Multi-Toggle controls now allow multiple touch input
– Corrected sending/receiving of MIDI Program Change messages via
CoreMIDI connections
– Corrected order of MIDI z-message sending for all controls
– Corrected rendering of Push controls to match editor preview
– Corrected rendering of LED controls to match editor preview
1.7.2
===========================
– Added “Double-tap pages” option to prevent accidental switching of pages
– Renamed “Double-tap lock” option to “Double-tap settings”
– Corrected handling of OSC color change messages for LED controls
– Corrected order of OSC z-message sending for Push and Toggle controls
– Fixed an issue where Multi-controls with custom OSC addresses would not receive messages
– Fixed an issue where Multi-controls would still react to input when invisible
– Fixed an issue with sending of z-messages for Multi-controls
– Fixed an issue where Label and LED controls would react to input after changing visibility
– Fixed a timeout issue when downloading large layouts from the editor
1.7.1
===========================
– Fix for custom OSC addresses
1.7
===========================
– CoreMIDI support (iOS 4.2 or greater)
– Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer support
– New control: Time display
– New control: Battery charge display
– Rotary controls now show initial position marker
– Raised MultiFader limit to 64
– Improved multi-tasking support
– Various bug-fixes
Like Tenori-On on your Smartphone! As good as any synth app yet for iphone, this is amazing synth power and fun usability in a small package you can take anywhere. Just don’t be surprised if you miss a few phone calls using your Windows Mobile machine to make music instead! (Hopefully they will make this for iphone / ipad after I get one of those! They could sell a million copies.)
iPad Loops is an iOS music production blog dedicated to exposing the best iPad apps musicians, producers, and Djs. This is not a database of every app. It is, however, one of useful recommendations from someone with many years in music production. I try to update it on a daily basis (ok sometimes every two days) and I do my best to post useful apps only. My name is Jason Donnelly (Dj Puzzle).
Some of the apps that contain my sounds are Synth One, EG Segments, Hammerhead, Retronyms AudioCopy, Audio Evolution Mobile, and iMPC Pro. My work is published by Roland, Antares, Magix, Soundtrack Loops, Sample Logic, Acoustica, Native Instruments, The Grammt Museum and many more. Subscribe to our RSS feed below to get updated when new apps are posted.
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