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Best "normal" MIDI sequencer with MIDI Out for iOS?

Hello,

sorry if this has been asked before.

I'm basically looking for a "normal" MIDI sequencer app for iOS. I've seen Genome, but that's too "martian" for me. Something like the sequencer from Cubase on the PC, or Logic on the Mac., i.e.:

  • "Normal" piano roll. Not patterns etc.
  • "Normal" sequence (parts) view
  • Good timing and support for MIDI out etc.
  • Various quantization options, incl. swing
  • Good editing interface
  • Support for aliases (parts that are repeated at other places in the arrangement and only the "source" copy needs to be changed for all of the copies to change)

Bonus:

  • Midi effects (non-destructive realtime stuff like quantization, delay (move MIDI info back/forward in time), randomize, fixed / compress velocity, arpeggio, etc. etc.)

Any recommendations? Cubasis comes closest currently as it seems, but f.e. doesn't have aliases.

Cheers!

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Comments

  • Probably Auria Pro

  • Does Auria Pro have aliases.

  • @BiancaNeve said:
    Does Auria Pro have aliases.

    No it doesn't.

    As a pure MIDI sequencer I would probably opt for Cubasis, it's a little easier to set up and less resource-hungry. Auria Pro has more in the way of functions, such as the non-destructive quantize and the groove templates, but it's a bit of a big beast to use just for sequencing.

    What about Modstep? I don't own it, but maybe someone who does can chime in.

  • Modstep is the best pure midi sequencer (in my opinion) for arranging although it doesn't have aliases. Not sure if any app on iOS has all of that in one.

  • What about Aleph Looper?

  • @richardyot said:

    @BiancaNeve said:
    Does Auria Pro have aliases.

    No it doesn't.

    As a pure MIDI sequencer I would probably opt for Cubasis, it's a little easier to set up and less resource-hungry. Auria Pro has more in the way of functions, such as the non-destructive quantize and the groove templates, but it's a bit of a big beast to use just for sequencing.

    What about Modstep? I don't own it, but maybe someone who does can chime in.

    I use Modstep personally and love its workflow. Cubasis does look more user friendly but I've read (here I believe) that it's resolution for MIDI information is quite poor, while Auria pro is industry standard. Auria has lots of in depth MIDI quantisation and workflow options, so it's a case of ease vs depth I suppose.

  • I think Cubasis is as close as you're going to get for what you're looking for -- it doesn't have everything, but it's the most similar to Cubase (for obvious reasons) and things like Logic. It's the DAW I use when I'm doing something DAW-like on my iPad. Aleph is one of my apps, but it doesn't sound like what you're looking for (I like it, but it was consciously designed to not be like Logic in a number of ways).

  • I suppose it also depends what your intentions/hopes are. I can see that Cubasis may tick more of the boxes you allude to, but I rarely use it for creating stuff, while Infinite Looper sports fewer options, but I use it for creating stuff a lot.

  • Medley has paste linked which is the same as your aliases i think

  • Thanks for all the great replies!

    I've actually looked at various Modstep tutorials, however, what I'm really missing is a "HOW to actually make a SONG" (i.e., "the big picture") tutorial. Having worked with linear sequencers for 20 years now, I don't think I could get used to a radically different approach anymore :( Now if there were a free trial version...

    We'll see :)

  • The ones I thought I'd use a lot but didn't are MIDI Pattern Sequencer, and Pro Midi, and I think they deserved more.
    There's Yamaha's Mobile Music Sequencer, which is actually quite interesting, and I must pursue it a bit further one day.
    There's also MidiPatterns, but with having to buy the least functionality to make it be useful enough, I didn't fancy paying the extra to make it work. I also never got on with the B-Step Sequencer trial.

  • Modstep could theoretically act as a linear sequencer. Treat each scene as an (up to) 16 bar pattern and set then to repeat one time each. It'll play through the track in a linear way.

    I think the tempo/time signature track in Auria Pro is also a big advantage of that option. Modstep can also do tempo changes on its scenes (and can take the reigns of ableton link while it's at it) so it can also accomplish that task in its own way.

  • ProMidi was kinda the modstep of its day, I thought both had a lot of promise but somehow they never delivered for me.

  • edited December 2016

    @instinctive33
    Have a look at Beatmaker2, it does have alias, though calls it something else, fun stuff built in for midi tweaks. 10 bucks. Link if you can use it.

  • @Littlewoodg said:
    @instinctive33
    Have a look at Beatmaker2, it does have alias, though calls it something else, fun stuff built in for midi tweaks. 10 bucks. Link if you can use it.

    Plus 1 on that

  • I've always had difficulty learning sequencers as there's comparatively not a lot of transferable knowledge involved in doing so. Each sequencer is mostly quite different from any other. Synths on the other hand are mostly similar and the differences amount to a smaller portion of it all. Consequently the only sequencers I've ever learned enough to be not even proficient but merely useful with have been the ones I've paid significant money for (and therefore had to make the investment show something). A lot of the iPad ones are so cheap I won't learn them because something else soon comes along that seems easier (but never is).

  • @supadom said:

    @Littlewoodg said:
    @instinctive33
    Have a look at Beatmaker2, it does have alias, though calls it something else, fun stuff built in for midi tweaks. 10 bucks. Link if you can use it.

    Plus 1 on that

    Agreed. Only real problem with BM2 as a MIDI sequencer is that it can only address one hardware port at a time. Cubasis allows you to set the port and channel per track. If that doesn't matter, save $40 bucks and get BM2.

  • @syrupcore said:

    @supadom said:

    @Littlewoodg said:
    @instinctive33
    Have a look at Beatmaker2, it does have alias, though calls it something else, fun stuff built in for midi tweaks. 10 bucks. Link if you can use it.

    Plus 1 on that

    Agreed. Only real problem with BM2 as a MIDI sequencer is that it can only address one hardware port at a time. Cubasis allows you to set the port and channel per track. If that doesn't matter, save $40 bucks and get BM2.

    Ah sorry, I meant BM3 :P

  • @BiancaNeve said:
    ProMidi was kinda the modstep of its day, I thought both had a lot of promise but somehow they never delivered for me.

    I never heard of ProMIDI, it looks good from a first glance. What was it that stopped you from using it? Is the current version stable?

  • @Processaurus said:

    @BiancaNeve said:
    ProMidi was kinda the modstep of its day, I thought both had a lot of promise but somehow they never delivered for me.

    I never heard of ProMIDI, it looks good from a first glance. What was it that stopped you from using it? Is the current version stable?

    Grain of salt but I recall some stability issues with it and don't think it's been updated since then. Bottom line though, there's nothing it can do that modstep cannot. At least nothing that I recall. Simpler to get started with though.

  • gavgav
    edited December 2016

    Midisteps?

  • wimwim
    edited December 2016

    @instinctive33 , from what you listed, Auria pro seems to fulfill your requirements best. The only thing I see missing is Alias Functions. Cubasis is easier to learn and a little more iPad friendly, but lacks the deep quantization and non-destructive groove tools you mention. Modstep is great, but anything but Normal.

  • @wim said:
    @instinctive33 , from what you listed, Auria pro seems to fulfill your requirements best. The only thing I see missing is Alias Functions. Cubasis is easier to learn and a little more iPad friendly, but lacks the deep quantization and non-destructive groove tools you mention. Modstep is great, but anything but Normal.

    As ever, it seems, I agree with Wim here. Still think BM2 is worth a look if you don't need multi-port hardware outputs. It's got a very nice piano roll editor (lifted from Nanostudio) and probably the best sample pad instrument going. But mostly because it's $40 cheaper, is universal and apparently has LINK support now.

  • edited December 2016

    @syrupcore said:

    @wim said:
    @instinctive33 , from what you listed, Auria pro seems to fulfill your requirements best. The only thing I see missing is Alias Functions. Cubasis is easier to learn and a little more iPad friendly, but lacks the deep quantization and non-destructive groove tools you mention. Modstep is great, but anything but Normal.

    As ever, it seems, I agree with Wim here. Still think BM2 is worth a look if you don't need multi-port hardware outputs. It's got a very nice piano roll editor (lifted from Nanostudio) and probably the best sample pad instrument going. But mostly because it's $40 cheaper, is universal and apparently has LINK support now.

    Another nicety that BM2 has for midi games, along with drawable curves for various note params, is 2 onboard LFOs (from the sampler panels) to assign to cc params...something Cubasis and Auria Pro lack.

  • @Littlewoodg said:

    @syrupcore said:

    @wim said:
    @instinctive33 , from what you listed, Auria pro seems to fulfill your requirements best. The only thing I see missing is Alias Functions. Cubasis is easier to learn and a little more iPad friendly, but lacks the deep quantization and non-destructive groove tools you mention. Modstep is great, but anything but Normal.

    As ever, it seems, I agree with Wim here. Still think BM2 is worth a look if you don't need multi-port hardware outputs. It's got a very nice piano roll editor (lifted from Nanostudio) and probably the best sample pad instrument going. But mostly because it's $40 cheaper, is universal and apparently has LINK support now.

    Another nicety that BM2 has for midi games, along with drawable curves for various note params, is 2 onboard LFOs (from the sampler panels) to assign to cc params...something Cubasis and Auria Pro lack.

    Woa. what? You can make those LFOs output CCs?

  • Yesyes, Midi-Learn and multichannel, too, also.

  • @syrupcore said:

    @Littlewoodg said:

    @syrupcore said:

    @wim said:
    @instinctive33 , from what you listed, Auria pro seems to fulfill your requirements best. The only thing I see missing is Alias Functions. Cubasis is easier to learn and a little more iPad friendly, but lacks the deep quantization and non-destructive groove tools you mention. Modstep is great, but anything but Normal.

    As ever, it seems, I agree with Wim here. Still think BM2 is worth a look if you don't need multi-port hardware outputs. It's got a very nice piano roll editor (lifted from Nanostudio) and probably the best sample pad instrument going. But mostly because it's $40 cheaper, is universal and apparently has LINK support now.

    Another nicety that BM2 has for midi games, along with drawable curves for various note params, is 2 onboard LFOs (from the sampler panels) to assign to cc params...something Cubasis and Auria Pro lack.

    Woa. what? You can make those LFOs output CCs?

    Not exactly (I had some difficulty explaining what I meant in that post, sorry man)
    You can use the onboard LFOs (in the sampler keyboard settings) to wiggle the "knobs" in BM2 you've assigned to your outboard synths cc...

  • edited December 2016

    Wait, but you you can automate and play real-time with any of those knobs.
    And you can let take over another midi source for input. Yes?

  • edited December 2016

    @ccs2 said:
    Wait, but you you can automate and play real-time with any of those knobs.
    And you can let take over another midi source for input. Yes?

    Yes, the lfo thing is just another way to vary the cc action, along with real time wiggling and drawable curves in the note editor...

  • told you so moment. wellwell. midilfo's once again, then ;)

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