Olympia Noise Company has released a major update to Ondes, its Ondes Martenot inspired musical instrument app for iPad.
The update adds swarm oscillators to its synth engine, new modulation parameters, microtonal tuning and and a new MIDI mode.
Here’s a video demo of Ondes being used as a duophonic continuous controller for a modular synthesizer:
Here’s what’s new in Ondes 1.1:
- SWARM OSCILLATORS – Two extra oscillators to thicken your sound. Detune them and tell them lag behind to create a swarm effect.
- HOLD BUTTON – Press the ‘hold’ button to sustain notes indefinitely. Play melodies over top or move the sustained notes around.
- MIDI Mode – You can now control other synths and electronic instruments with Ondes using MIDI.
- NEW MODULATION PARAMETERS
- The Y Axis can now control more parameters:
- Assign the Y Axis to control wavetable LFO rate & depth.
- Assign the Y Axis to control filter LFO rate & depth.
- Adjust the Y Axis to control volume from -100% to 100%
- INTER APP AUDIO TRANSPORT – Using Ondes as an instrument in Garageband or other DAW just got easier! You can you control the play, record, and rewind buttons from right inside Ondes.
- KEYBOARD RANGE – Choose between small (1.5 octave) and large (2.5 octave) range for the keyboard.
- SNAPPING – New “Scale” and “Chromatic” snapping modes.
- SCALES – Choose from a bunch of pre-loaded scales or create your own. Save and reuse custom scale types.
- TUNING SYSTEMS = Put all that microtonal space to good use with alternate tuning systems. Choose from experimental and traditional tuning systems such as Just Intonation, Pythagorean, and Highland Bagpipe tuning. Create your own tunings or import & export .scala files. (Some limitations apply)
- TUNING REFERENCE – Ever feel like A440 isn’t right for you? How about A415? That’s more like it.
Note: There are some unique challenges to using MIDI with continuous pitch instruments and also with polyphonic pitch bend. Here’s a video demo:
See the Olympia site for details on how to use Ondes as a MIDI controller.
Ondes is available in the App Store for US $7.99.
Cool use of the tech – but how about a more musical demo or performance?
Don’t expect a musical demo. His “ear” thought the pitch bend interval was an octave!
hmm. actually that’s an octave.
You know – you are right and I was wrong. I apologize. I could not hear the low fundamental note on my little iPad speaker. It sounded like a fifth. On my real speakers it is perfectly clear I am an idiot.
This looks great. Kind of reminda me of the Linnstrument. Any other apps sending MIDI data like this?
Congrats on the very much needed mobile site, at least it’s usable now! Ok, it’s pretty and clearer too 🙂 Now all Synthtopia would need is a desktop site makeover and a way to edit comments.