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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
I personally adore Velocity KB, by the same dev who brought us the ifretless apps.
Actually we can save settings of scale layouts, key layouts, and everything else in a present state with Velocity KB inside of AUM.
(with Velocity open in AUM just select the orange File icon on the upper left and press + ).
Great for Geoshred layouts and GeoShred style performance (set tuning system to 4ths), visualization of scales per layout,
different forms of "shred legato" (e.g. MIDI format using either single channel mono legato for automatic return after a trill to any note, MPE4 for automatic return to a note on a single string with chord capabilities, MPE 3 optimal for chords).
One of the best controllers on IOS for me!!
The app KB-1 is pretty nifty in AUM. You can configure different keyboard types (classic keyboards, chord, scale only keys, string, uniform, and also drum pads and x/y, set multiple rows of keyboards, set octaves per row, row spacing, root note. It has MPE or regular MIDI, configurable bend range, settings for glide, slide, velocity (higher/lower along the y-axis when activated), has different performance controllers including strum, XY, wheels, very nice. It also has chord memory and an arpeggiator -what's not to love? The only thing missing for me are the GeoShred type grid configurations with different legato styles which I can get with Velocity KB.
ChordJam is a great MIDI controller -here are some notes I made on it from a video before purchasing: play any chords in a given scale using one finger; MANY chord types, scales. You can specify the number of notes per chord for Jazz friendly minimalist voicings. Mixolydian Maj7add13 has up to 5 voices, playing only one note. Record into any sequencer just as you are playing it. Velocity in timing section has a range selector to specify velocity. Randomize button, NICE selectable gentler touch. Timing of each note in the chord can also be randomized. SYNC timing of each note to BPM.
**
Xequencer AU** -where have I been? Missed these and will download tonight. Too long not visiting Audiobus forum I guess! Great dev (have the original Xequencer) -excited to try.
Just trying WoodTroller -honestly (bleh) I'm having a very hard time bonding with it or getting it to do what it seems to me it should be able to do, but I only just purchased it and have yet to master it, so in honesty it's a little unfair of me to say much yet. May be it's just me with insufficient coffee.
Messing around with the brand new Beat Pads which will give you Ableton style configurations with all notes on the grid playable per scale. Still a bit of a work in progress? Dev is very responsive and active. No AUM though.
For ease of use out of the gate I would put KB-1 first, -traditional keyboard players will love it- Velocity KB second because there is a lot to configure, BUT all those configurable parameters are also what I really LOVE and would not trade for anything on IOS. If you have GeoShred or one of the ifretless apps these can be used as great grid style controllers with any app having virtual midi.
Fugue Machine is worth a mention as a MIDI controller more like a sequencer, but doesn't fit easily into a category; can be coaxed into some areas of creativity so cool and as far as I know unique to Fugue Machine I hate not to mention it.
Some often overlooked older controllers **I really like include a few **without AUM (though you can nevertheless record music with them through AUM):
ChordMaps2 -especially fun to glide on the intervals box with the glide setting on -just updated with new custom chord features...
Thumbjam is quite powerful (deeper than first meets the eye) because of the many ways it can be configured.
D550 MIDI is fun and harmonically suggestive if you like dulcimer layouts.
ChordPolyPad -long time love
Really a bummer **BeatSurfing **(the first one) became abandonware. One of the best creatively configurable MIDI controllers to ever hit IOS -still have it on a really old ipad I never updated for many years, to my occasional still total delight. Wish they would consider a re-issue of the first version, notwithstanding PlayGround and BeatSurfing2 are presently available.
I have and use many other controllers too but the above are great for essentials/basics. Maybe someone will find something useful here they haven't played with...
This is really helpful @Gavinski, thanks. I had been about to ask the same question as @jamietopol
Good post!
Sure you can save presets in AUM for VK, but it shouldn’t be necessary. All AUv3 apps should ideally open up in any given session in the same state they were last left in in that particular setting. Geoshred also doesn’t do this for key/ scale layouts. In the case of Geoshred, I remember that this is something to do with Apple and is out of MoForte’s hands. In the case of VK, fixing this would need a complete app rewrite apparently.
Chordjam - great, great, great, but why on earth hide the velocity control in settings? It seems sometimes that iOS keyboard apps tend to be ones where - to my mind anyway - devs often make some pretty bizarre design choices that either limit their usefulness or cause user frustration.
For some reason, velocity keyboard has never been on my radar but it’s been mentioned multiple times in this thread now. I already have LK, Xequence, and Geoshred ( plus Thumbjam, chordjam, etc) but I might add this one to the list. Beat Pads has my interest as well.