If you’re looking to create more electronic sounding beats, then this innovative modular groovebox from Beep Street might be just the ticket. Fugue Machine is compatible with iPad, iPhone, MIDI, AUv3 MIDI, Ableton Link, AudioBus, and Inter-App Audio. These can play at different speeds, directions, pitches and more, so you can easily create complex polyrhythms and dancing countermelodies that can be sent to other apps or out to hardware MIDI devices. Fugue Machine is the world’s first multi-playhead piano roll, allowing you to create a sequence and play it back using up to four playheads at once. We’re finding it hard to put down.” Alexandernaut – Fugue Machine: MIDI SequencerĪdd some classical composition techniques to your patterns with this unique sequencing app inspired by Bach’s canons and fugues, and Schoenberg’s twelve-tone serialism technique.
You can check out the LE Edition for free to see what all the fuss is about. The latest version even comes with Ableton Live 11 Lite. There’s also a Mixer page and various audio export options, including saving as an Ableton Live set. There are four channels, each with a 16 step sequencer, and you can record up to 16 patterns, then use the Queue page to build up arrangements. You can also instantly record and insert your own samples using iTunes, AudioCopy or the built-in microphone, so you can build new inspiring kits in seconds. TriqTraq puts instant jamming at your fingertips, with real-time sound shaping and recordable effects sliders, per channel track lengths and automation, and over 400 built-in sounds.
With complex studios full of gear and long lists of plug-ins, it can be easy to forget how to have fun writing music. Price iOS – $7.99 (includes Ableton Live 11 Lite), Free (LE Edition).If the 808 isn’t your favourite drum flavour, then there are also 909 and 606 versions available.
It comes as an AUv3 AudioUnit and is Audiobus and Inter-App Audio ready, plus it has Ableton Link so you can jam along with Ableton Live. You get the classic 16 step sequencer with 12 programmable rhythm patterns and four fill patterns, plus autofill feature, song mode page, swing, tap tempo and more. Elliot Garage has faithfully recreated the look and sound of Roland’s vintage TR-808 in an app for iOS and Android. If you’re looking for something a bit more retro, then this recreation of the most famous drum machine of all time should fit the bill. We said: “Whether you’re remixing your own work or collaborating using your hardware, samples and plug-ins, live improvisation has never been so easy or fun.” With the release of Endlesss Studio, you can also get this seamless workflow in your DAW. There’s also a bustling global community of jammers where you can invite friends to a live jam, or drop into a public jam and get creative. If you opt for the “Infinite” subscription, you also get regular new sound updates and a built-in live sampler so you can easily manipulate audio on the fly. It comes with a library of built-in synth and drum instruments alongside powerful performance effects, live input recording, and one of the most intuitive live loopers we’ve ever seen.
Price iOS – Free (£4.49 pm for “Infinite” subscription), Mac – £159 £79Įndlesss brings instant jamming with friends and strangers into the palm of your hand with a finely tuned set of tools for lightning-fast writing and audio manipulation.We said: “For a very affordable price, Patterning 2 provides a highly engaging, fun approach to rhythm building that will have you creating in no time.”
There’s a free version for iPhone, but you have to pay extra to save and export. There’s also a song mode, built-in effects, plenty of drum kits, Ableton Live export and the ability to control external hardware via MIDI. You can use independent loop settings and ratcheting, automating and randomising parameters to create intricate and complex beats. The slick interface with its unique circular sequencer wouldn’t look out of place on a spaceship HUD, but its intuitive UI makes it a joy to use. Patterning 2 is arguably the poster child for what a forward-thinking, modern drum machine app should look like.