I’m the developer of MIDI Piano & Guitar Chords / FreeMIDIChords, a free and open-source music theory app for iPad.

I built it because I wanted a visual tool that could connect to a MIDI keyboard and immediately explain what I was playing, without requiring an account or subscription.

On iPad you can:

Connect a MIDI keyboard and visualize the notes on a piano, guitar and staff

Detect chords and intervals in real time

Generate chords, inversions and intervals and hear them played

Explore scales, fingering suggestions and the circle of fifths

Practise with a metronome

Use built-in audio or send playback to a connected MIDI device

The app is completely free: no ads, account, subscription, IAP or locked features.

To set expectations, it is currently a standalone app—not an AUv3 instrument, DAW or sequencer. I’d especially appreciate feedback from people who use MIDI controllers with their iPad:

Does the interface work well on your iPad size?

Is the MIDI workflow clear and responsive?

Would AUv3 support or virtual MIDI routing be useful?

What is missing from existing chord or theory apps on iPad?

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6760035776

Project and web version: https://freemidichords.com

Any honest feedback is welcome, including criticism. I’m actively improving the app.

Song: made in Logic Pro with midi and samples and then stems exported to AUM and played live on midi controller set up. Vocal samples are of my 4yo son.

Video: made in Final Cut Pro on iPad. All drawings by my son.

Please enjoy: Jinxessa

This was my first time using Ambiotica (highly recommended). Beautiful granular ambient machine! The other stuff I’ve used wasn’t new to me but I’m still amazed how versatile they are (more specifically: Eventide Blackhole, OtherDesertCities and Rymdigare).

Basic setup and an unedited screen rec. using ableton link audio, aum , korg gadget / mic audio reactive shaders. basic blind test here nothing great.

It's pretty great but I have only had it for like 20 minutes and would love comments or questions to help figure this out together. RIYL.....If you have used shaders before, video synths, audio/midi reactive visuals, raspberry pi visual projects, eyesy, zwobot, ebosuite, visual synths, staella, touch designer.

also it is Kymatica developer of AUM so probably worth the early bird pricing just for support of him

Hey !

I make Reverie, a soundscape generator that's been on Mac, Windows and Linux for a while. The thing people asked me for most was an iPad version, so I spent the last few months building it. It's out now on iPadOS.

What it does: you bring in a sound (a sample, a loop, a track, a field recording) and Reverie generates a long, evolving ambient piece out of it. Feed it the same ten seconds twice and you get two different results, each one drifting and shifting over several minutes. It's built to be an instrument you play with, not a single effect you run once.

The basic loop is quick. Drop a file in from Files, pick one of the sound styles, then shape it with four sliders: variation, brightness, stretch, duration. It leans ambient, but people have been feeding it drum loops and acoustic material too, and it does something good with percussion.

It's free to download. The free version comes with six styles and a set of presets, which is enough to get a real feel for it. One optional Pro unlock (a single purchase, no subscription ever) opens up the full library of 20+ styles, renders up to 30 minutes, a seed system if you want to reproduce a result exactly, and a build-your-own chain of 37 effects: spectral freeze, shimmer reverb, tape saturation, resonators, and so on.

Everything runs on device. No account, no connection, nothing leaves your iPad, and what you make is royalty-free.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6761535147

If you'd rather see it work before installing, The Sound Test Room recorded a full run-through at launch: https://youtu.be/74UvnSDZFec

Heads up: English isn't my first language, so I ran this through an LLM to translate it. Sorry if anything reads a little off.

Hello! I'll get right to the point: I would like to use my iPad as a live music mixer and sequencer with two external synths, a microphone and some soft synth plugins. I reeeally like koala sampler and have been trying to figure out a way to use it and it's great effects but have been struggling to get it to work (this might be a me issue though so if you have thoughts please let me know!) Also yes I'm aware that a sp404mk2 would probably be the best choice but I'm broke atm and sold mine a while ago.

My hardware:

- iPad air M2

- Steinberg UR44 audio interface

- anker USB hub (this might be one of my main issues)

- Novation bass station 2

- elektron model: cycles

So essentially I would like to sequence the bass station from the iPad, have the model cycles play from the iPads clock, play samples from the iPad and use some soft synths, and have all of the audio go through the iPad where I can add effects and send it back through the audio interface. I've been trying out loopy pro but it is a bit janky, is there something else I'm missing? Do I need a powered USB hub (all the external gear is powered) or a camera kit?? Please help!

Thank you in advance!

<3

Anyone messing with the new app from Audio Damage, Tessera? I cannot figure out how to eliminate the popping that I am heating from it. It sounds like the transients are just not properly enveloped. Someone else tell me it’s not just me. I will email support next

So I have been a huge fan of LSDJ and the whole lineage of trackers that came up around it like M8 and PicoTracker etc. and I've been tinkering with a different sort of take on the whole thing. It is familiar, but isn't meant to work on a micro controller right off the bat. Instead it is a low level zig (similar to C) library that can compile to any platform and I have been having a lot of fun using it on my phone. This was just for me to start but a couple of friends have really liked it too and I guess if anyone is interested I could share a link to an early version of it. Here is a little clip of me just messing around with it. Lots of stuff I am exploring is seeding musical ideas with either euclidean rhythmic sequencing or algorithmic tetrachord fitting.

EDIT: I've gotten a bit of interest in a feedback forum so I fired up a discord https://discord.gg/DYBFhURz4 and also I saw a couple other people just post the testflight link in their threads so here it is https://testflight.apple.com/join/eG23QFYE I've limited it to 100 testers for now just to keep feedback manageable. Mods please let me know if these links are against sub policy and I will just remove them, but for now here they are!

Hey everyone,

Have you ever made a piece that you consider a failure—but other people ended up loving it?

Or maybe you broke your own creative rules, and somehow the result turned out better than you expected.

That’s exactly where I am right now.

I actually love the sounds and the music I ended up making. But at the same time, I feel like I drifted away from my own sound-design philosophy.

I make all of my music by creating every sound from my own voice. My goal isn’t just to transform vocals—I’m always trying to preserve a sense of “living electronic sound.”

This time, I processed the sounds so much that I feel I lost some of that quality. I still followed my main rule (every sound comes from my voice), but somehow it no longer feels like the kind of sound I set out to create.

So now I have what might be my favorite failure.

Has anything like that ever happened to you? I’d love to hear the stories behind your own “successful failures.”

(If you’re curious, this is the track that inspired this post.)

Custom built patch using Holonist with a movesense sensor for some sequencing and a bunch of sliders and buttons for performance.

Hi there

I am wanting to get user opinions on what they believe is the best Sequencer for use within AUM or Drambo.

I have at the moment the Atom SQ mapped to drambo, its ok but not ideal and has no built in Sequencer.

I use the Synido tempo pad c16 with Koala, i used the mpd218 for a long time but the Tempo pad has more functions.

I use the Faderfox UC4 for most of my live mixing and it maps to AUM or Drambo very nicely. It also has many user banks so I can map it to many different things.

I use have just started using the oxi e16 with Loopy Pro and FX within Aum. I like that it can do snapshots as well as give you a lot of control.

I was using the faderfox for this stuff prior but had a nice Oxi e16 sized space in my flight case.

Probably overkill but it's a very good controller.

I am looking to replace the Atom SQ with something around a similar shape and size that acts as a sequencer as well as a standard midi controller i can custom map.

I use Drambo for its modular approach and triggering scenes but, the sampler is adequate so I dont mind mapping a controller to Drambos sequencer but I still want a standalone sequencer as well. I'm also looking at using a separate step Sequencer within Aum. I like AUMs routing system.

The sequencers/controllers i have in mind are the Beatstep pro, the korg SQ64, the Torso T1, the Yamaha seqtrack and APC 64.

I also looked at the Oxi 1 mk2 but its a bit too much.

The Beatstep Pro lacks polyphony, plus not sure about the layout.

The SQ64 I'm leaning towards but I don't know how it's going to function midi wise with Drambo.

The Torso T1 looks interesting but i can do polyrhythm sequencing using Poly 2 and mapping it.

The Seqtrack looks like a decent option, compact with a nice layout plus midi user banks. Id prob not use the built in sampler/audio out but its an option.

The APC64 is a bit too large plus touchtrips im not as keen on.

If anyone has any experience with these within a hybrid/ios type set up any feedback would be appreciated.

Hi guys! A while back I made a post asking for ideas on what kinds of audio unit plugins you’re missing on iPad/iPhone and this is the first one I made from your requests. It’s a harmonic tremolo!
Feel free to leave some feedback here if you have suggestions on what to improve.

I have a number of new features coming out that need testing. unrealBook is a PDF music sheet reader app. It's been on the market for over 15+ years and many people use it.

I get many requests for features, but testing is lacking. I need more people to test certain features that I have put in and enabled.

If you know anyone that needs to read charts on stage and control devices, please open a ticket on my site: https://diystompboxes.com/unrealbook/manual/submit-ticket/ and tell me you want to join the testing.

In return you get an app that I hope will make your life a lot better on stage and input into new features you might want.

Thanks!

My laptop broke and I won’t be able to fix it or repair it for a while so I need a good daw for recording vocals nd music production in general.
I already have fl mobile but I’m not a fan of the vocal mixing on there, especially the autotune.
Rn I’m looking at audio evolution mobile and Cubasis 3 but $70s lowkey a lot so I’m open to other options as well