Over the past two years Ruismaker and developer, Bram Bos, forged a status as one of the top shops in the iOS music scene. Their new product, Rozeta Sequencer Suite, revolutionizes the use of MIDI on Apple’s mobile platform. Providing nine AU-compatible MIDI plugins, including sequencers and other cool utilities, it belongs in the library of any serious iOS musician.
Rozeta Sequencer Suite Features
- Collection of Nine AU MIDI Plugins
- Works within a Host App, like Beatmaker 3, AUM, etc.
- Different Sequencer Types, LFO Generators, X-Y Pads, and more
- Suitable for controlling any MIDI-compatible iOS Synthesizer
- Nearly Everything is Automatable
- Small Footprints facilitate Multiple Plugin Instances
- Available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch
- MIDI AU Plugins require iOS 11
- Get it at the App Store for $9.99
We previously reviewed Ruismaker’s Troublemaker and Ripplemaker apps and the Rozeta suite is as essential as both. Once you establish a workflow in your favorite iOS host app, using these plugins is a breeze. It truly is a game-changer.
Rozeta and Beatmaker 3
Beatmaker 3 is my beatmaking tool of choice on the iPad, so once they added support for MIDI AU plugins, I immediately thought of Rozeta. Simply clicking on the app icon installs all the plugins, making them available in any compatible host app. No additional work is necessary.
Following one of Bram’s online tutorials, I created two banks in Beatmaker. One contained the Moog Model 15, thankfully now supporting the AU plugin format. I installed Rozeta Bassline and Rozeta XY in the other bank.
Rozeta XY in action (well, you can’t see my fingers). Screenshot by author.
If Bassline looks familiar to owners of Bram’s other apps, it’s the same sequencer as Troublemaker. He’s a user interface guru, so all Rozeta’s plugins are quite intuitive. After modifying a few MIDI channel and CC settings, I cranked out a bass line, tweaking the Model 15’s 904A filter in the old school way. It worked seamlessly.
I then swapped out the XY Pad plugin with Rozeta LFO; setting up three waveforms to control parameters on the Model 15. No problem. Light bulbs kept going off in my head. This truly revolutionizes the iOS music creation process.
Rozeta LFO in action. Screenshot by author.
Another pair of banks were used to run Zeeon with Rozeta Particles controlling it. Particles is a cool sequencer generating “clouds” of MIDI notes in a 2D space that trigger when bouncing off of a wall. You are able to tweak the MIDI note range and other parameters to control the types of melodies heard. In tandem with the Model 15 bass line, something out of a fantastical, futuristic version of the Krautrock legends Can played on my iPad.
Other Rozeta Plugins
The rest of Rozeta’s plugin collection includes both the useful and the unique. Rozeta X0X features the classic drum sequencer design of the venerable Roland TR-808. It includes drum maps compatible with many popular iOS drum apps.
Rozeta Rhythm is another drum sequencer, this time leveraging the cool Euclidean version from Ruismaker. Rozeta Cells offers polyphonic step recording functionality while also leveraging MIDI keyboard input. Different playback options and other cool features abound.
Rozeta Collider offers generative sequencing functionality with a wide array of features useful for experimental melody and rhythmic phrase generation. Finally, Rozeta Arpeggio gives any of the MIDI compatible synths in your iOS collection an arpeggiator. Nine essential MIDI plugins for around a buck each. Boom!
I can’t wait to finish tracking the new Church of Hed album so I can make Rozeta Sequencer Suite an essential part of my workflow when constructing beats on the iPad. Chances are very good you need Rozeta in your music app collection as well. We give it our highest recommendation.
Rozeta is the deal of the year IMHO. I’ve tried a lot of iOS sequencers and LFO controllers and Rozeta by far is the easiest to use and get in place. The only thing I think is missing is the ability to send one or more MIDI Program Change(s) to a hardware device/app.