midiSequencer – An Advanced Step Sequencer For iPad

analog-midi-sequencer

Developer Anthony Saunders has introduced midiSequencer – a 16 step sequencer for iPad. It offers with analog style sliders, Cycle for delaying changes, step or note duration timing and special effects (e.g. ratcheting ornamentation).

The design of midiSequencer was focused on being able to make changes for any of the 16 steps during play, for example it is possible to link all controls to move them as a group, or use increment/decrement buttons for small changes.

Features:

  • Flexible routing allows network sessions and MIDI devices to be sources of MIDI input to the sequencer. Additionally, the sequencer can be setup as a virtual source or destination to allow dedicated midi messaging externally to & from other apps.
  • With extremely high & low playback clock speeds (1 to 1020 BPM) it can accomplish special effects on your external MIDI equipment not available on most hardware sequencers. As a SLAVE, it can use incoming MIDI clock to sync your DAW or hardware synthesizer.
  • With the ability for each step to decide which step follows, the sequencer is capable of playing sub-sequences outside of the normal forward/reverse patterns.
  • Up to two MIDI controllers can be setup for the sequencer and each step can provide a value for the controller.
  • Recording MIDI data as steps is also possible and can record MIDI note, velocity, channel, and up to two controller values.
  • Snapshots allows the current settings (with or without the transport controls) to be stored in up to 20 locations. The can be loaded or saved even when the sequencer is playing. In Cycle mode, this loading will occur at the cycle reset, allowing for creative changes during play.
  • Random can setup a new set of controls for you to experiment with.
  • Notes a little plain? Add note ornamentations : mordents, appoggiatura, triplet or even a ratcheting style triple or quad repeat.

Note:

  • iOS 6 or greater only, so iPad 1 not currently supported.
  • This app makes no sound (although it can send/receive midi to coreMidi apps you have installed on your iPad).
  • To communicate with external midi equipment you will need a suitable iPad midi interface unless you use the Midi Network sessions over wifi.

No video demo is currently available via the developer’s site.

midiSequencer is available in the App Store for US $5.99.

If you’ve used midiSequencer, let us know what you think of it!

6 thoughts on “midiSequencer – An Advanced Step Sequencer For iPad

  1. Only a single midi channel??? I’d rather use Little Midi Machine app… At least it has two channels. I would really like one app with at least 8 channels, to sinc more devices in chain

  2. This looks interesting especially the ratcheting function, but I’d like to know how tight the MIDI timing is while slaved to your daw. Currently I am getting a lot of timing latency and slop with both Phadra and Little MIDI Machine, while synced to Logic via an Alesis IO Dock with an iPad 4. I don’t know how much of this is responsible for the IOS or the application itself or perhaps the Alesis dock in my case. I know that Phadra is way worse than Little MIDI machine. You can easily check this for yourself by recording a 16th note pattern in to your daw and then looking at where the midi notes fall and see how accurate they are to the timeline.

    1. Yeah, Phaedra has been wonky from day one, generally speaking. It’s not surprising to hear of the timing troubles, and I’m sure the I/O Dock isn’t helping! That thing has had it’s own troubles from the start. 🙂

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