Shiverware has released Musix Pro – an isomorphic controller and software synth for the iPad and iPhone.
Here’s what they have to say about the benefits of an using isomorphic controller:
Traditional musical instruments are difficult to learn because notes are arranged based on physical constraints. Musix Pro arranges notes based on their harmonic and musical relationships instead, allowing shapes and patterns to emerge that unlock the mathematical beauty of music.
Here are the details:
Features:
- Core/Virtual Midi, OSC
- 8 Built-in instruments (2 New)
- Hexagonal and Rectangular layouts
- Multiple built-in note arrangements
- Custom layout generation and saving
- Colourize different notes based on key, scale, and mode
- Label notes based on Solfege, or Note name
- Multiple note sizes
- Multiple color patterns
- Note Overlap (play 3-note chords with one finger)
- Retina Support
- Full iPhone Support
Music Pro is available now in the App Store.
What happened to the “inter-note expressivity”? Axed from the original Musix?
Anyway, excellent tutorial.
It’s nice that new ways of expressing music keep coming up, although I don’t think this one will ever prevail, because although traditional instruments have physical constraints, after a point you feel comfortable with them and can rely on touch and feel, which is a something you’ll never have on a tablet, since it’s a flat surface with no physical differences between the notes. With this I’m not saying that there won’t be people who can achieve something “99%” close to the relationship you would see with a physical instrument, but most won’t and no one will 100%.
I disagree. Axis 49 or Axis 64 are physical versions all with velocity sensitive input. And it is night and day difference for people who dont want the Old caveman keys to play on. To each their own.
For me personally… Piano key layout only has one purpose.. and thats to layout your samples and ranges in a linear fashion.. Its trying to explain what its like to be drunk to someone who has never had a sip. I can only speak about the physical controllers using the harmonic scale, Ipad app regardless of what it is… just not ever going to feel right. Ipad apps now.. are like the atari 2600 games of old. in 20 years Im sure something will be a game changer… like how from 2d to 3d changed games
From your answer, I think you do agree, since I was only talking about tablets.
This is the most polished rendition of the hexagonal thing yet. It is quite nice.
Inter-note expressivity will be added back in the coming months. Lets just say we wanted to do some awesome stuff … and MIDI failed us 🙂
Looks really cool, I’m going to try it out. Suggestion: I would love to see a layout that showed numeric intervals of the scale instead of note names.
I’m actually enjoying this a ton, but I’m wondering if it could be integrated into the Audiobus workflow even though it doesn’t pass audio. Right now, if I want to use Musix to trigger Animoog while recording into Loopy via Audiobus I have no way to access the record controls in Loopy while Musix is up on the screen. Is it possible to get Audiobus support for a midi controller?
This is an excellent idea. Even if the App itself is not doing nothing it could “register” itself as a controller or a simple watcher.
That tutorial had me wowed.
Started with my usual sneer: “Cute yea, but they haven’t thought about… Oh. so they got that too.”
Point is: This looks like the flat area note control interface done right.
Good job!
Now just gotta get me a flat surface where it’s available.
One suggestion: I like it when you can hit the exact note wherever my fat finger hits the key area, then bend it by moving away the finger from the original hit spot.
In MIDI, that might mean sending x/y offset as controller values. This could be used to control any synth params of course.