Drum Session now comes to your iPhone, which, in my opinion is a very good thing indeed. I’d like to see a lot more of this especially with some of my favourite iOS iPad apps. I’m sure you know the ones I mean.
Anyway, rant over. Here’s what’s new:
zMors Modular is excellent and now in 1.8 it just gets so much better. I’m a big fan of iPad apps that go universal. Here’s what’s new:
If you’re looking for a new controller you might want to take a look at Parat+. I can’t say that I’ve tried it myself but it looks and says that it’s pretty impressive.
Here’s the app’s description:
Parat+ is an Open Sound Control (OSC) and MIDI controller app allowing intuitive and sophisticated control of networked sound and visual computer software and hardware devices. Parat+ has powerful gestural touch screen controls and multitouch gestures available in the most efficient and intuitive ways possible. Developed by practitioners for practitioners, Parat+ is a tool for the musician, artist and technician using technology to advance their art.
Much more than a virtual ‘fader box’, it allows you to record, remap and set controls instantly and intuitively. Swipe and multitouch gestures record, loop and remap the interval of each fader and responsivity curve. Rescale, enlarge, pause and interrupt to modify your controls in realtime. Control sound levels, effects parameters, synthesis, lights and more via OSC and MIDI simultaneously.
Parat+ combines powerful software and hardware parameter control with data automation and manipulation. It is fully compatible with OSC enabled software such as:
All other software and hardware including DMX for lighting rigs can be controlled via MIDI.
The fader-style controller modules at the core of Parat+ can control parameters and functions of any MIDI and/or OSC enabled software and hardware. Multiple OSC targets can be defined to optimise user flexibility.
The Faders offer unparalleled realtime control via the multitouch three point control feature which allows the user to remap the interval and responsivity curve of each fader in realtime.
The touch gesture features include:
Use absolute touch mode to have the Fader value jump to whichever finger position is applied and relative touch mode to avoid any sudden jumps due to changes in finger position, allowing for seamless transitions in volume etc..
Each Fader can also be remotely controlled and automated by the Gesture Recorder, internal LFO generators, audio analysis and sensors, external OSC sources and MIDI controllers.
Use Parat+ as a central control hub for any performance and production setup, and shape OSC data streams sent to Parat+ to control your software and hardware parameters. Incoming OSC data (e.g. data from sensors, analysis modules and generative algorithms) can be modified and modulated using the the scaling and modulation features of Parat+ Sources and Faders.
Gesture recording and playback allows looped and one-shot automations of unlimited length.
The simplicity and coherence of the tools enable any novice to venture into custom built controls, while the accustomed performance system developer will appreciate the time saved for complex setups.
The philosophy behind Parat+ is to extend and assist your practice without imposing an approach. The app has been designed with the knowledge that creative work requires tools that can grow with their users, allowing individual and intuitive creative application while maintaining flexibility and diversity. Artists who are familiar with programming will appreciate the intuitive approach to data handling and parameter mapping. Users who lack experience with sophisticated technology will find themselves empowered to embrace cutting-edge interactive technology in the most intuitive and approachable manner. By keeping technical concerns to a minimum, the user is free to make artistic and aesthetic choices guided by their own creativity, avoiding the constraints of conventional software and controllers.
Parat+ is on the app store and costs $16.99
Klevgränd are steadily building a very credible and impressive set of apps to their name, and Pads adds nicely to that.
Pads is basically a wavetable synthesizer with a noise/grain generator and a high cut filter. With a carefully developed ”wobbler” that detunes the waveforms and makes small inconsistencies to several internal parameters and a nice sounding chorus, this synthesizer is able to create some really interesting and non-statical pad sounds.
Noteworthy features:
Important: Pads in stand-alone mode does not support IAA, Audiobus or MIDI. You can try it out using the keyboard at the bottom, but that’s it. We recommend using Pads with AUv3 compatible hosts.
A full documentation is available at https://klevgrand.se/products/pads
Pads costs $4.99 on the app store now:
iVCS3 version 2.0 arrives with the massive list of new features, updates and fixes.
A new drum machine app arrives, Vatanator SX is a unique drum machine with advanced MIDI functionality. It features 140 built-in presets emulating every classic vintage hardware. It is aimed for simplicity and instant rhythm creation.
Vatanator SX features:
Vatanator SX costs $4.99 on the app store:
This is always a good thing in my book. When apps that started on the iPad take themselves universal it opens up a whole new range of users who want to make music. I’m a big fan of universal, so it’s great to see Different Drummer take this route.
Here’s what’s new in version 4.5:
