Palm Sounds

Apple - WWDC 2013

Although it's almost 2 hours long there's some good stuff in there, especially if you didn't watch it live.

iTRIGGER Coming on JUNE 22 (press release)

‘iTRIGGER’ available June 22 on the App Store
The grid-based iPad MIDI controller for Ableton Live

POJ Studios enter the app world with iTRIGGER, a grid-based MIDI controller for iPad. It is designed specifically for use with Ableton Live but also works with other music software. iTRIGGER allows bi-directional communication to mix music, launch clips, change parameters like levels and panning, and provides feedback to the user through the multi-coloured grid display.

When the user first connects iTRIGGER to their computer either by WIFI or a compatible iPad midi accessory iTRIGGER becomes a standard x-y midi controller allowing the user to assign the buttons as they wish. Once iTRIGGER is correctly synced with Ableton Live all of the buttons are automatically assigned and lit up by the software in 4 separate modes, selectable within the app:

‘CLIPS’ mode: The 8×8 grid is assigned to an 8×8 area of clips from Live’s ‘Session View’ with the buttons lighting up to signify whether a clip is loaded, playing or empty. The user can navigate their way around Live’s ‘Session View’ using the directional buttons in the top corner of iTRIGGER and press the corresponding button to play clips or scenes using the scene play buttons at the end of each row.
MISC’ mode: A miscellaneous set of controls including track levels, panning, effect levels, enable/disable track, cue track and track record.
‘D.RACK’ mode: For playing instruments using the 4×4 drum rack layout.
‘X-Y’ mode: For custom assignment using an X-Y layout.

iTRIGGER supports AirPlay to stream video performances live to compatible devices via WiFi. The app’s background and button colours can be changed and the button images can be completely hidden against a black background for light shows.

iTRIGGER will be available in all regions from JUNE 22, 2013 exclusively on the iPad App Store. iTRIGGER will have a special week long launch price of $2.99 USD (priced accordingly in other regions) returning to the standard price of $7.99 USD on June 29.

Please visit www.pojstudios.com for more iTRIGGER information including videos and screenshots of the app.

iTRIGGER Coming on JUNE 22 for your iPAD

Thor Polysonic Synthesizer - Micro Tutorial

Thor is here

Thor for iPad from Propellerheads has arrived although it might take a little while to get into your country's app store. Here's all the detail:

Thor for iPad puts the mighty Thor synthesizer at your fingertips. Reason's legendary flagship synth delivers a thunderous sound, god-like sound sculpting capabilities and an innovative, lighting-fast keyboard designed for iPad. Thor is a synthesis playground, a flexible sonic workhorse, but above all, an expressive musical instrument for the iPad.

Thor highlights

Play Reason's Thor Polysonic Synthesizer on the iPad.
Load any of the 1000+ expertly crafted synth patches, or create your own from scratch.
Create your sounds using a palette of multiple oscillator and filter types.
Play Thor using an expressive touch interface keyboard with aftertouch and strumming.
Collapse the keyboard to a key and scale of your choice, just like in Figure.
Move your favourite patches from the iPad to your computer and use them with Thor in Reason

Thor sounds like no synthesizer you've ever heard before - and every single one of them. Where other synths use one specific form of synthesis and one single filter, the Thor polysonic synthesizer features six different oscillator types and four unique filters. What does this give you? Simply the most powerful synth ever created; an unstoppable monster of a sound generator that utilizes synthesizer technology from the last 40 years.

On the iPad, Thor comes with a specially designed interface that's optimized for touch control and the iPad screen. Cleverly designed panels expand and fold at the touch of a button to hide or reveal oscillators, filters, envelopes and more.

The app is divided into three main screens: Keyboard, Knobs and Routing.

Keyboard mode features:

Piano keyboard with transpose and range control
Modulation and pitch bend controls
Assist function lets you select key and scale to highlight chord notes or to collapse the keyboard to only show the chord notes of the selected scale.
Strum function lets you play arpeggios by holding a chord while strumming across the strum control.
Two assignable knobs and buttons acts like performance controls
Settings for polyphony and portamento

Knobs mode features:

Access to all of Thor's synthesis features
Three oscillator slots for Thor's six oscillator types: Analog, Wavetable, FM Pair, PhaseMod, Multi Osc and Noise
Three filter slots for for Thor's four filter types: Low Pass Ladder, State Variable, Comb and Formant
Three envelopes
Dual LFOs
Delay and Chorus
The Knobs screen is divided into panels that expand and collapse at the touch of a button
Miniature keyboard to audition your sounds as you are working on them

Routing features

Comprehensive but easy to use routing matrix lets you create complex modulation and signal flow setups
Step sequencer with 16-steps and six channels: Note, Velocity, Gate length, Step duration, Curve 1, Curve 2

General App features:

Patch compatible with Thor in Reason on your computer
Move patches to and from your iPad using iTunes or Dropbox
Sound bank with more than 1000 Thor patches from leading artists & sound designers (Kill the Noise, Richard Devine, Chris Petti and many more)
Gorgeous retina display interface
MIDI in - play Thor from an external MIDI source or from another app on the same iPad
Audiobus compatible - stream audio from Thor to another audio app on the same iPad
Audio in background option lets Thor keep playing in the background when working with other apps.