Musical synth designers Wide Blue Sound have introduced Skypad, a new controller app for its Orbit and Eclipse software synthesizers.
Skypad is a remote and creative automation tool that runs on any iOS or Android tablet with Liine’s Lemur (MIDI/OSC controller) app installed. It adds hands-on control of every parameter in Orbit and Eclipse, and also adds many new features to the software synthesizer synths.
Firstly, Skypad’s Generator builds upon the synths’ Intelligent Randomize feature to create new patches based on musical and emotional keywords.
The Multiball page can control any parameters in the entire synth with a physics-based interface. Skypad users can move objects around the screen with multi-touch, then record the result in their DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).
The Spatial Mixer is an intuitive 3D space mixer. Here users can place each of the synth’s four sound sources in virtual space with their fingers or enable the Earth Gravity mode by moving the tablet itself. Indeed, this creative tool uses a hand-crafted combination of panning, filters, reverb, and delay to create a sense of distance and depth.
SKYPAD’s FX XY macro pads combine Orbit and Eclipse’s essential effects parameters together. Users can quickly shape sounds using simple gestures, generating dramatic sweeping motions between different distortions, spaces, and more.
Wide Blue Sound has also released the Apex and Aeterna expansion packs for Orbit and Eclipse, respectively.
Pricing and Availability
Skypad comes included with every purchase of Orbit and Eclipse — priced at US $199.00 and $149.00, respectively, and available directly from Wide Blue Sound.
I encourage you to look into Wide Blue Sound if you are more than casually into iPads as instruments. The designs take a couple of steps ahead of traditional approaches. That aspect is there, but there is also a fine layer of quirky flexibility that takes it above the world of Oberheim emulators and generative apps. Its like a secret musical weapon from left field. Part of that is due to composer & WBS partner Jeff Rona, whose TV and movie creds go on for miles. Check out his history and be impressed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Rona