Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
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Best MIDI keys controller app?
I’ve always disliked playing the touch screen, but I’ve realized I can get some use out of an on screen keyboard. I’m not even aware of all the options or I’d do a poll, but saw the Woodtroller came out and wondered what’s the best MIDI keyboard? MPE isn’t necessary, but aftertouch/ vertical channel pressure is a must. I’m thinking Animoog might just be the way to go, but it would be nice to have a really lightweight option.
So what’s your go to for screen tapping?
Comments
Curiously enough, I gerally prefer using the apps own controls
I have used KB-1, ChordPolyPad, Midi Designer, and even Yamaha Synth & Dr Pad in the past though
edit: Pretty sure there's something i'm forgetting
And KB-1 from Numerical Audio / Kai Aras does have an animoog-style keyboard. Some users had issues with it in the past, but i'm not sure what they are of they are fixed now
Lately if i'm not using the app or host's own keys, I would go for LK or the Xequence AUs
For non-MPE, Xequence AU Keys all the way. For “mono” MPE instruments, Geoshred. For more general MPE use, probably velocity keyboard although neither of these apps save keyboard state properly which drives me up the wall as I often like to set a key and scale. For MPE, the new WoodTroller also has some nice features though I wish you didn’t have to use a rotary knob to select velocity - I would prefer if the first section of the keyboard had some kind of velocity touch responsitivity. Or at least if velocity was set with a huge big slider instead of a rotary knob. Beat pads is preset nice as a linnstrument style grid controller with some MPE functionality, and is very cheap, not AUv3 tho
If you end up trying Xequence AU | Keys as @Gavinski suggested, note that it is possible to map any controller to vertical motion as you're planning to do. It's just not super-obvious. You first have to add a controller (for example, AfterTouch), and then switch that controller into one of the "vertical key slide" modes selectable via the dropdown above the controller ribbon. Let me know if there's any questions 👍
In my opinion, Velocity Keyboard is amongst the most capable and straightforward apps.
It has MPE and you can control velocity (~4-5 levels reliably) by initial pressure (and optionally convert velocity to poly AT or channel pressure) and poly-AT, channel pressure and any CC with :
Thanks. I went with the Xequence keys and I’m happy. Does the trick.
Since the OP’s needs have been met I’d like input on good target apps for testing:
MPE
After Touch
Channel Pressure
CC=74 (Filter Frequency)
And some attention to the “Sustain” pedal if possible
When a good MPE target was requested Roli’s Noise rose to the surface and I have been using that as a target.
Roli added a on screen keyboard based on their “Seaboard” hardware but to protect their cash cow it does not
Output MIDI. It is a nice introduction to the world of Roli for MPE. They also have a free “Seaboard 5D” to test drive their
Virtual hardware and drool on their synth presets.
The new “Osmose” hardware shows promise for shaking up the hardware market with some new innovations in after touch and individual pitch bends without leaving the assigned key. I’m not sure how serious players like @LinearLineman will adjust to
New gestures but his unit should arrive before May, I think and we’ll find out. Another ABF member put down money for an Osmose so maybe he’ll get his unit first and share his findings.
Hardware owners of synths may be helpful to explain how they like to use After Touch and these other parameters.
McD, I generally use aftertouch for gain, and then there are any number of things I might assign cc74 to, though the classic is to use it to modulate filter cut off. I was playing around with woodtroller tonight tho and whatever way i set it and the target synths up, I wasn't able to get it so that when I hit the bottom of the aftertouch section I got silence, and when I slid up the y axis I was getting fine control over per note volume, which was the effect I wanted. Probably some error on my part. FRMS has a nice matrix making it easy to assign the parameters you're looking to explore btw.
I am still not clear on what the WoodTroller is. Is it similar to the Touché from Expressive E? Hopefully there will be a demo on YouTube soon.
I asked the same question a while back, and got some great opinions:
What is the most "playable" on-screen keyboard for iPad?
It's main feature is as an mpe controller. I posted the zipped manual in the woodtroller thread, it's short but will give you the idea. It's basically a fresh way of approaching how to make an mpe controller for a touch screen, with pros and cons compared to, say, velocity keyboard or any other mpe keyboard app