New iPad MIDI Controller, Koushion, ‘More Versatile Than Tenori-On’

Koushion iPad MIDI Controller

Kudzu Creative Group has released Koushion, a MIDI controller for the iPad, that they say is ‘more versatile than the Tenori On’.

Features:

  • 16-step sequencer with adjustable timing. Each step can be as large as a whole note and as small as 1/32 note.
  • 8 selectable scenes/banks that can be played individually, simultaneously, or in automatic succession.
  • Each scene is assignable to any MIDI channel so you can control up to 8 MIDI instruments at once.
  • Improvising or playing along with a band? Dial a key and the notes will change to match the new key!
  • Syncs to any MIDI clock source available to your computer.
  • Works with all major (and not-so-major) MIDI-capable production software on your Mac or PC.
  • Perfect for adding some spice to a live set when paired with Ableton Live.

Koushion is $9.99 in the App Store. Details & demo below. 

Based on this demo video, we’re not convinced that this is more versatile than the Yamaha Tenori On. Also – there’s no mention in the specs of support for hardware MIDI, which is a must have, at this point, for many iPad musicians.

If you’ve used Koushion, though, leave a comment with your thoughts.

9 thoughts on “New iPad MIDI Controller, Koushion, ‘More Versatile Than Tenori-On’”

  1. Setup instructinos are here: http://kudzucreativegroup.com/KoushionInstruction…

    Downloaded and installed pretty easily on OS X. Talks to Ableton with very minimal MIDI setup. Very, very cool.

    The only problem is it doesn't update as fast as its playing. So after a few measures the interface lags behind whats actually playing.. making it hard to see what is making what noise.

    That being said, its working well otherwise and is responsive to changes.

  2. "The only problem is it doesn't update as fast as its playing. So after a few measures the interface lags behind whats actually playing.. making it hard to see what is making what noise. "

    Sounds like a major problem. Haven't seen anything like this with other apps. Can you elaborate?

  4. Support tells me its a latency issue with the wifi network I'm using (I was at a hotel trying so lots of clients.. etc). Will try with a smaller group when @ home.

    Also no Velocity, etc.

  5. At the moment, velocity is not adjustable. However, we will definitely consider this for the next version, as well as CoreMIDI since there is popular demand for that. Thanks for all of your feedback. We will carefully consider it as we work on the next version.

  6. Just to clarify, the way that the app works is that it sends updates to your computer as you push buttons. The connector app on your computer is what actually responds to the MIDI clock and sends note events in time. This way, if a network hiccup occurs, the only thing that will jump is the beat indicator on the iPad. The notes will continue to stay in sync since they are not being triggered over the network so your groove doesn't get messed up. CoreMIDI support in the next version will obviously fix these display hiccups.

  7. i've now got Koushion playing/syncing with Logic9, i put in a pattern and it plays just fine however if i delete the pattern so the grid is completely empty Koushion still plays 'Ghost notes" no matter how many times i start/stop it , is this a early bug or do you think i've set it up wrong ?

    PS Great APP

  8. Cane, we are very sorry to hear that. We will definitely do some more testing to figure out what may be causing this. In any case, we recommend setting up an ad-hoc network and seeing if that works any better. It may be that the router is dropping packets. Most of our testing was done on ad-hoc networks using Mac and PCs with Ableton Live. Our testers were able to vary the BPM and everything worked great, even at 999 BPM over an ad-hoc network. Occasionally packets got dropped when using a router though. As you are aware, we are working on CoreMIDI support right now, which will solve all of these issues (at least for Mac users. Go Mac!). Thank you very much for your feedback.

  9. Hello all! Thank you very much for your feedback. We have just submitted an update to Apple that adds support for CoreMIDI and fixes many of the issues that you have been experiencing. We have had a multitude of other feature requests as well. Several have been incorporated into the pending update and more will be added soon.

    Thanks for your support, and we look forward to the feedback on version 2.0.

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