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polybeat by Corne Driesprong

https://apps.apple.com/app/id1542598929

Description:

polybeat is an advanced and extremely flexible drum and percussion sequencer able to generate complex polyrhythmic and polymetric rhythmic patterns.

nb: polybeat does not make sound by itself, you will need to load it in an AUv3-compatible host (such as AUM, Garageband, Audiobus, ApeMatrix, Nanostudio 2, etc.) or connect it to an external synthesizer, computer or any other sound generating device.

features:

  • independently configurable sequence length per drum voice (ranging from 1 to 32 steps)
  • independently configurable step length per drum voice (ranging from double whole notes to 64th notes, including tuplets and dotted notes)
  • every sequencer step can be modulated by the following attributes:

    • accent on/off
    • ratchet (note repeats)
    • skip (note every n loops)
    • chance
    • timing offset
  • sample-accurate sequencing engine

  • slick and responsive native UI
  • indidividual drum voices can be muted or solo'ed
  • sequences can be instantly transformed by the following actions:

    • shift left/right
    • rotate
    • randomize
    • mirror
    • reverse
    • double
    • bisect
  • full AUv3 preset- and state-saving

  • ability to copy paste patterns between instances of the plugin
  • mapping presets for popular AUv3 drum apps and hardware drum machines
  • includes musical scale presets for polybeat to be used as a melodic sequencer
  • responds to MIDI input for switching and selecting patterns, as well as performing pattern transformations

Details:
Universal: Yes
Minimum OS version: 13.0
Rated: 0 based on 0 votes

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Comments

  • Woah, this is by the guy who made Cykle. This sounds fantastic. Would like to see a video, preferably driving FAC drumkit.

  • Yeah this sounds awesome! I usually use a piano roll to sequence drums like atom2 or LK, but this has loads of great drum specific features by the looks of it.

    I wonder if you can record midi into it as well

  • edited September 2021

    @gregsmith said:
    Yeah this sounds awesome! I usually use a piano roll to sequence drums like atom2 or LK, but this has loads of great drum specific features by the looks of it.

    I wonder if you can record midi into it as well

    responds to MIDI input for switching and selecting patterns, as well as performing pattern transformations

    So it maybe doesn't sound like you can play the drums from hardware pads into the sequencer, but maybe?

  • Looks like a winner!

  • I normally like to reflect on things before purchasing, but I love Cykle and this looks differnt enough from Octachron that it seems a definate candidate for an impulse purchase. In fact I can see myself using Polybeat in tandem with Octachron - Polybeat for triggering and Octachron for CC modulations.

  • @Stuntman_mike said:
    Looks like a winner!

    And it sounds like? First one to post a demo wins a free Web Browser cookie.

  • @McD said:

    @Stuntman_mike said:
    Looks like a winner!

    And it sounds like? First one to post a demo wins a free Web Browser cookie.

    It’s a percussion step sequencer only, and doesn’t produce sounds itself.

  • includes musical scale presets for polybeat to be used as a melodic sequencer

    Mine ❤️

  • The closest thing I have to this in my app list that is not a full-blown MIDI sequencer is SPA or maybe DigiKeys at a push so I think I've sold it to myself.

    A good selection of features in there including sample-accuracy (worth pointing out for this type of app!) and melodic sequencer options.

  • @jonmoore said:
    I normally like to reflect on things before purchasing, but I love Cykle and this looks differnt enough from Octachron that it seems a definate candidate for an impulse purchase. In fact I can see myself using Polybeat in tandem with Octachron - Polybeat for triggering and Octachron for CC modulations.

    Now you getting me into the “impulse zone”…

  • @jonmoore said:

    @McD said:

    @Stuntman_mike said:
    Looks like a winner!

    And it sounds like? First one to post a demo wins a free Web Browser cookie.

    It’s a percussion step sequencer only, and doesn’t produce sounds itself.

    Thanks Jon... I'll re-phrase:

    And it's useful for triggering drum (or synth) patterns... for example...

    Since it takes multiple apps to demo, I'll forward 2 cookies. I have hundreds in my browser to share
    but I'll probably provides links to sites that feed you the cookies for free.

  • …had to buy it

  • Eagerly standing by the telegraph, awaiting news from the early scouts....

  • Can anybody work out how to assign MIDI notes to trigger the patterns? The manual link isn’t working as it appears the web page for the app is yet to go live.

    It’s got a really comprehensive set of MIDI mapping for both hardware and ios apps.

    And the UX is pitch perfect, that’s the bit that I appreciate most so far.

  • Ok, first real negative. It only allows old school two levels of velocity - mid volume or accent. Really don’t see the point of that on an iOS percussion step sequencer. Sure it fits great with Volca’s, Rolands, etc, etc, but most iOS percussion synths can react to more than two velocity levels.

  • edited September 2021

    @jonmoore said:
    Can anybody work out how to assign MIDI notes to trigger the patterns? The manual link isn’t working as it appears the web page for the app is yet to go live.

    It’s got a really comprehensive set of MIDI mapping for both hardware and ios apps.

    And the UX is pitch perfect, that’s the bit that I appreciate most so far.

    I see what you mean…

  • Yes
    Sounds great
    Just need to see it in action before I purchase
    Someone bring on a video please
    Checked YouTube but alas no cigar

  • This is from the manual for Cykle. Maybe it will give you a clue?

    channel view

    at the bottom of the main view, you see that channel view, here you can add and remove channels. the maximum number of channels is 8. note that the AUv3 version has single-channel instances, since you can open as many instances as you want.

    swipe up on the channel view to reveal the channel configuration panel. here you can enable/disable the selected channel and select its MIDI destination and output channel.

    MIDI input mode
    here you can also select the MIDI input note. cykle reacts to MIDI notes sent to its MIDI input by adjusting the pitches in the pattern to those of the played MIDI notes. can can choose between two input modes: 1) arp mode arpeggiates over the played notes, whereas chord mode plays the notes simultaneously, as a chord.

    long press on a channel cell to reveal a tooltip where you can delete or duplicate channels.

  • @jonmoore I can't see anything obvious in the interface to configure the triggers.

    I don't know if functionally it offers me anything I don't have in SPA but the interface is much more focussed on the job in hand.

    Initial thoughts:
    UI is pleasing to work with, no nonsense.
    Decent selection of MIDI mapping presets, plus the ability to define your own (v.cool)
    Good to know that it has sample accuracy

    Some things that would be nice to have which might actually be there but I can't get to the manual yet:
    Undo!
    Tie notes across steps
    Have the ability to flip the order of the scale presets so that they pitch upwards rather than downwards. DigiKeys does this as well and my brain gets confused by it. No biggie as I can define my own preset.
    Ability to set the default number of steps or be able to resize multiple lanes at the same time like you can with SPA.
    I found that I needed to use the + option on a lane to size it past a certain point as dragging it becomes less effective. Once one lane is at full length though it is easy to resize the others.

  • Polybeat manual link is broken from app:

  • edited September 2021

    @Stuntman_mike said:

    @jonmoore said:
    Can anybody work out how to assign MIDI notes to trigger the patterns? The manual link isn’t working as it appears the web page for the app is yet to go live.

    It’s got a really comprehensive set of MIDI mapping for both hardware and ios apps.

    And the UX is pitch perfect, that’s the bit that I appreciate most so far.

    Maybe CCs?

    It’s more simple than that. The developer has reservered ‘C -2’ to ‘B -2’ for triggering patterns so at the moment it appears that you are limited up to the minimum note number allocated to triggering sounds. I also noted in my hunt and peck session that there are pre-configured note numbers for shifting pattern length, radomising etc, etc. Much like Cykle, the developer has created the default MIDI mapping for perfomance as well as production.

  • @MisplacedDevelopment said:
    @jonmoore I can't see anything obvious in the interface to configure the triggers.

    I don't know if functionally it offers me anything I don't have in SPA but the interface is much more focussed on the job in hand.

    Initial thoughts:
    UI is pleasing to work with, no nonsense.
    Decent selection of MIDI mapping presets, plus the ability to define your own (v.cool)
    Good to know that it has sample accuracy

    Some things that would be nice to have which might actually be there but I can't get to the manual yet:
    Undo!
    Tie notes across steps
    Have the ability to flip the order of the scale presets so that they pitch upwards rather than downwards. DigiKeys does this as well and my brain gets confused by it. No biggie as I can define my own preset.
    Ability to set the default number of steps or be able to resize multiple lanes at the same time like you can with SPA.
    I found that I needed to use the + option on a lane to size it past a certain point as dragging it becomes less effective. Once one lane is at full length though it is easy to resize the others.

    Agree with everything you say here.

    Apologies, what’s SPA?

  • @jonmoore said:
    Ok, first real negative. It only allows old school two levels of velocity - mid volume or accent. Really don’t see the point of that on an iOS percussion step sequencer. Sure it fits great with Volca’s, Rolands, etc, etc, but most iOS percussion synths can react to more than two velocity levels.

    Good point, that is a strange choice for a drum sequencer.

    SPA = StepPolyArp

    Very small bug is that the accent setting is reset when you deselect and reselect a step. The other properties are preserved if you do this.

  • WTF??!? Instabuy!

  • Still... no demo's... it's been 45 minutes already... does this tempt anyone?

    https://forum.audiob.us/uploads/editor/7u/hekbwg7t3tz8.png

  • @jonmoore said:

    @Stuntman_mike said:

    @jonmoore said:
    Can anybody work out how to assign MIDI notes to trigger the patterns? The manual link isn’t working as it appears the web page for the app is yet to go live.

    It’s got a really comprehensive set of MIDI mapping for both hardware and ios apps.

    And the UX is pitch perfect, that’s the bit that I appreciate most so far.

    Maybe CCs?

    It’s more simple than that. The developer has reservered ‘C -2’ to ‘B -2’ for triggering patterns so at the moment it appears that you are limited up to the minimum note number allocated to triggering sounds. I also noted in my hunt and peck session that there are pre-configured note numbers for shifting pattern length, radomising etc, etc. Much like Cykle, the developer has created the default MIDI mapping for perfomance as well as production.

    Ahhh gotcha, yeah triggering via MIDI CCs is kind of a pain in the neck to setup. I use my Launchpad Pro, but I have to build a template in Components with each pad assigned to CC or at least some. I wish HTML MIDI worked on mobile Safari so us Novation users could create templates on our iPads.

  • @MisplacedDevelopment said:

    SPA = StepPolyArp

    Ah I see. I used to rely on StepPolyArp for years but it kind of lost it’s place in my conciousness. Must revisit it. The main thing that used to bug me with SPA was the UX. It’s super, super powerful, but not always the quickest way to get things done. But what you say is true, SPA can do most things Polybeat can do (and a whole lot more besides), however the stripped back UX in Polybeat is really where it shines.

  • @McD said:
    Still... no demo's... it's been 45 minutes already... does this tempt anyone?

    https://forum.audiob.us/uploads/editor/7u/hekbwg7t3tz8.png

  • I'll wait for the manual before I decide...

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