Best Ipad sequencer option for composing with no attachments

jeebustrain · #1 03-17-2012, 10:34 AM

so I've been traveling a bit more with work lately and I had been using an app called Chordbot on my Android phone to pass the time away on the plane, helping me come up with nifty chord progressions and such. It works, but it's only so flexible.

So last night, I happened to be in my local Micro Center and realized that the new Ipad had just come out, so I picked one up. I immediately picked up a few apps I've been wondering about for a while (Samplewiz, Geo, Animoog) and a few others (Pocket Organ, Xenon, Alchemy).

I originally picked up Xenon because I saw that it had a pattern sequencer, but I haven't fully wrapped my head around it.

I'm not really looking for a full fledged sequencer with audio and such - I mainly want something that I can just sit and write a variety of styles of music while I'm sitting in an airport, airplane, or hotel lobby or something. This is my first iOS device, so I'm not really all that familiar with the variety of software in the App store, other than a couple things I remember from reading here and just searching around.

Any Ideas?

BTW - by no attachments, I mean no external hardware. I'd love to bring my Axiom 49 with me, but it just won't fit in my carry-on bag.

jeebustrain · #2 03-17-2012, 01:07 PM

On a side note, I'm gonna sue Apple. I've been hunched over this thing since 10pm last night and my lower back is killing me.

need. to. go. outside.

motorhead9999 · #3 03-19-2012, 02:40 AM

I'm not exactly sure if this would qualify for what you want or not, but you could take a look into this:

http://laurentcolson.com/steppolyarp.html

Also, have you tried garageband for the ipad? Its actually pretty good, and a great "sketch pad" i found for when you can't have an actual keyboard handy.

jeebustrain · #4 03-19-2012, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motorhead9999

I'm not exactly sure if this would qualify for what you want or not, but you could take a look into this:

http://laurentcolson.com/steppolyarp.html

Also, have you tried garageband for the ipad? Its actually pretty good, and a great "sketch pad" i found for when you can't have an actual keyboard handy.

Hmm - I can't tell from the description - in Garageband, can you sequence midi or is it audio only? Also, since I'm still just figuring this stuff out - can you use garage band to sequence and use something like Animoog as a plugin? If it does do midi - what is the interface? Piano Roll? I would assume something this low cost probably doesn't contain a notation editor.

motorhead9999 · #5 03-19-2012, 03:18 PM

I haven't use the first program I linked you to that much, so I couldn't exactly tell you.

As for garageband, with the internal built in instruments, I believe they're done piano roll style. I wasn't thinking that you were referring to using other ipad apps with it. I think GB works mostly well within itself, rather than external stuff.

Unfortunately, from what I've seen, standards are a bit of a mess across all the various ipad music apps. Some implement coremidi, others use their own way, so you end up with 1/4 of the apps working well with each other, half of them only working with themselves, or another program that the same developer did, with the remaining sort of being up in the air. I think it will be quite sometime before you'll be able to get real interactivity within the ipad itself between all programs.

I don't believe Animoog is coremidi compliant yet, so I don't think it plays well with others yet. I know that the more recent JR apps (geo synth and sample wiz) are better at interacting with other apps than most though.

In terms of midi, I think the most stable methods are still using an external USB device. Iconnectmidi seems to be the most stable at the moment, but the Alesis IOdock is also popular, although there were MAJOR problems with it once iOS 5 came out, and almost made the thing unusable (apple's fault mostly from what I understand).

jeebustrain · #6 03-19-2012, 04:06 PM

thanks - that's great information. Yeah, I'm referring more to Garageband than that first app you linked.

I went ahead and grabbed it and will play with it a bit tonight when I get home from work. I suppose for simple sequencing, the internal instruments should be more than adequate (although I say that not having heard any of them). Although the fact that it's an 805MB download would give me hope that some of the onboard instruments aren't THAT terrible - at least from a quick composing sketchbook perspective.

SoulFire · #7 03-19-2012, 05:48 PM

My friend uses Garageband to sequence and compose on his Macbook, and I've seen him sequencing with midi before on that. There is a piano roll editor, but I've also seen notation up there. I'm not sure if it can only output the midi into notation, or if you can edit the notation itself, but its worth a look anyway IMO.

motorhead9999 · #8 03-19-2012, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoulFire

My friend uses Garageband to sequence and compose on his Macbook, and I've seen him sequencing with midi before on that. There is a piano roll editor, but I've also seen notation up there. I'm not sure if it can only output the midi into notation, or if you can edit the notation itself, but its worth a look anyway IMO.

We're talking about the actual garageband app for the ipad, not the generic laptop/desktop version.

SoulFire · #9 03-20-2012, 04:24 AM

Yeah I know that. I was just saying that it has it on the Macbook version, so there's the possibility that it might also be on the iPad version.

jeebustrain · #10 03-20-2012, 06:05 PM

so I played with it a bit last night - there is a piano roll, but there is no notation (which is not a huge deal). it's kinda fun - although I wish I could play the guitar/bass with the keyboard - I'm a bit fretboard stupid.

I'd love to hear other options if anyone's heard of anything else.