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I'm selecting between Xequence, Xythesizer and TNR-e.
I don't want to overload myself in "generative" type midi apps (at least I'm using it for the midi and to generate) so trying to decide which one to get at this point. I know that they are different and kinda apples and oranges. Still want to know which one you would pick if you had to pick one.
Thanks!
Greg
Comments
I would go with Xequence. Don't know if it's because it is my current crush but it seems like I will be able to do much more with it, more ambitious compositions. Especially when paired with AUM which I have yet to do. It's the least simple initially though. So if you want an easy life then either of the others may suit your requirements. I'm pretty sure I own all three.
Thank you! I do fear complexity a little. But sometimes its worth the suffering!
Xequence is actually fairly simple to use but it took me a while to figure out what was what. Having a good night's in between sleep helped. Bear in mind that you will need one of the IAPs to get the generative functionality.
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True. Pay attention to the icons in the upper-left-hand corner. The midi icon vs the keyboard icon is not wholly intuitive. But it's what makes the app so flexible.
Also, it won't host any instruments; it would be helpful to own AUM to keep things tidy.
I love this place! thanks all!
The nice thing about Xequence is that it's also a very good sequencer. Which gives you a lot more flexibility.
Also look at the Brambos sequencing suite which does some interesting stuff in this area, and Quantum which isn't strictly generative, but which can still get you into some pretty interesting 'generative like' stuff. Think Berlin school and Steve Reich type things.
I hear Brambos stuff, Rozetta Suite I think its called, is great too. Almost forgot about that one. Doesn't it compare closely to Xequence?
No. Rozetta are AUv3 effects, not a sequencer.
No Rozetta Suite is pretty different. It's a collection of midi generators including step sequencers. It's very good.
Side question: is TNR-e worth digging into?
I got it years ago and kind of got a generic groove box vibe from it.
On the plus side its still being updated for compatibility.
If you want to just generate sequences automatically, Xequence has that. If you want sequences to evolve on their own, Xynthesizer does that. If you need both, Rozeta does that.
Xequence is the most like a traditional timeline sequencer of these 3. Rozeta and Xynthesizer make shorter sequences, up to 32 or 64 steps, depending on which one you are using.
Xynthesizer is setup to play or tweak live, using transposing, scales, having part of the sequence mutate while other sections don’t, rapidly change the sequence by drawing it live, etc. Or just let it mutate away while you attend to other apps.
Rozeta has the most variety of pattern generating tools. It is a whole suite of variety. But you need a host for it as well. If you don’t have one, I suggest the free Sequencism as a host for Rozeta.
Xequence has a new module called PolyHymnia. It has random generation of sequences, but no auto-evolve that I can find. The random generators are really good, and can be applied globally, or to just one of the four stages used to generate sequences. You can also control all aspects of the process manually as well. The interface allows you to select and mix up to 3 different waves to generate an aspect of the final patterns. There are 4 sections to control the final sequence: pitch, duration, distance (between notes, or rests), and velocity. These are the 4 aspects or stages of the final sequence I mentioned.
Depending on what you need and how much you want to spend, the suggestion would change.
Xynthesizer is the simplest, cheapest, and can evolve the sequence in cool ways. It is very easy to learn and use.
Xequence is the best long term buy. This app is already super awesome, and it I’ll be getting more awesome as time goes by. Simply amazing.
Rozeta is the most versatile and fun of the 3 for me. There is a lot of variety amongst the modules, and the modules can be used together in various configurations to get even crazier sequences going. If you go with this but are light on AppStore credits, use Sequencism to host it. If you want a great host you can use for almost any workflow, get AUM.
This is super helpful! I appreciate it a lot!
Ended up getting Rozeta with IAP and Xequencer just now. I'm a little scared.
Psa: tnr e is absolutely terrible compared to other options. The midi implementation is buggy and confusing, the menu system convoluted, and the built in sounds are atrocious. And it’s 20 bucks for all that as far as I know
Both excellent choices and very different beasts.
Is PolyHymnia inside Xequence somewhat like Oscilab and/or Different Drummer or a totally different thing?
There are different kinds of MIDI sequencers that serve different purposes.
Xequence is a multi-track piano roll type linear MIDI sequencer like you'd find as the central controller of a DAW. When hosting independent sound generating apps (like you'd do in AUM or Audiobus) it's all modular, so Xequence can function as the full featured sequencer and MIDI controller in that set up. It has no internal sound capability itself. It's for recording, composing and arranging music parts in a traditional way, with all the advantages you get by being able to edit MIDI. Polyhymnia is a brand new function I haven't tried yet. I don't really need Xequence for that.
Step sequencers are more like drum machines, but for pitched instruments. Rather than the fluid way you would record musical parts by playing them in real time, you enter notes (and controller events) within a more rigid timing framework that divides a basic beat up into equal steps---usually limited in total number like 16, 32, or 64. The idea comes from the original hardware sequencers from decades ago rather than from a multi-track recording studio. If the app offers the capability, you can string the patterns you make into more complex compositions and possibly apply interesting randomness to a step. Step sequencers can do a lot of cool things, are just what I want at times, but I'd never try to compose an entire piece with one. On iOS, I use Quantum and StepPolyArp to trigger "external" sound modules. I believe Xynthesizr falls in this category, but also is a synthesizer.
Generative music is a whole other thing, and is a feature that I believe can be part of any type of sequencer. As a relatively inexperienced dabbler at it, I find it's fun to play with, to see what happens, to try to push it in a direction, and to pick out useful bits and pieces for further development. I have many of the Bram Bos apps including the Rozeta suite, and I don't think you can do much better than that.
If you're into sequencing, you might want to cover all those bases with multiple apps.
Located inside Xequence as a IAP
Very much like Oscilab. Oscilab is more visual and allows more constraints, such as predefined rhythms and choosing specific notes to use as a custom scale (@SevenSystems — consider that last one a feature request!). The overlay that appears when editing the waveforms and shows how they combine is very helpful for trying to wrap your head around all this.
@aaronpc thanks for the pointer to Oscilab, hadn't investigated that one before... and yes, that's very similar to Polyhymnia. However as far as I can see, Oscilab doesn't let you apply mathematical functions to generate the rhythm as well, but I haven't looked too closely yet.
Oh, and... feature request (custom scales) has already been on the list
Great to hear!
Oscilab does a great job of making something very complicated easy to understand, but it relies on a limited set of predefined rhythms (among other things) which are far too restrictive and probably why I tired of it. That said, and while I've got you, I would love to have a mode in Polyhymnia that worked on pre-existing midi using the pitch tab envelopes (would turn off the other tabs, I guess). This way, if I had a passage where I really liked the timing, I could use Polyhymnia to adjust the pitches while keeping the feel— a roll-your-own groove quantize. Thx!
Thanks @aaronpc for the feedback! And for the ideas to improve on Xequence+Polyhymnia
I trust @SevenSystems will keep delivering some awesome work!
Gotta dive into this one!
cheers!
what au host do you all use on iphone?
@SevenSystems
Really enjoying the PolyHymnia IPA, I find it a bit unruly but when it clicks the results are quite interesting. Wonder if it could be adapted to percussion? Take the vertical pitch movement out have the notes spread out in interesting horizon steams could be quite magical.
@RJB yes, you can use Polyhymnia for percussion no problem... just make a drum map with the notes you want and then select the pitch range to encompass all drums... if you only want a single drum, either zoom in vertically close enough or make a map with just a single drum.
EDIT: It is currently actually not possible to select the entire range of drums in a map in "Sync to view" because you can't zoom out quite far enough... will address this in an update shortly! Till then, just add a "dummy" drum below the lowest note and above the highest note, please!