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Tag: Stroke Machine

Korg Gadget, Stroke Machine, and Thor all get Important iOS Updates
In the past two weeks, three of the leading iOS music apps received vital updates that significantly enhance their functionality. If you want to learn more about Korg Gadget, Stroke Machine, and Thor, check out our previous articles here at TabMuse. Read on further to get the latest news about these updates.

Korg Gadget adds Landscape Mode, Ableton Live Support, Two New Gadgets

Two new gadgets highlight the recent update to Korg’s Gadget beatmaker app. Unfortunately, Abu Dhabi and Bilbao are only available through in-app purchase, and are priced a bit too high at $9.99 each. For an app — already including 15 gadgets — that normally costs $40, $4.99 makes much more sense as a price point for an individual gadget.

Korg Gadget is a natural in landscape mode, one of the nice changes in its latest update. Screenshot by Author.

The new gadgets are suitable for anyone using samples in their music. Abu Dhabi is a cool looking beat slicer, and Bilbao is sample player that follows the same mapping as Gadget’s London drum machine, making it easy to swap out one for the other in a project. Surprisingly, Bilbao has no capabilities to use a mic to record samples on the fly — an oversight by Korg. Both gadgets allow the importing of your own samples.

Support for landscape mode is a great addition. Considering my affinity for Korg’s iPolysix and iMS-20 apps, the original portrait-only orientation of Gadget never felt quite right. It’s easy to switch between the two using the accelerometer.

Other enhancements in this Gadget update include upgraded support for external MIDI controllers — something I can’t wait to check out once I get a new iPad. (The 30-pin connector in my iPad 2 only works for charging these days.) Korg also added integration with Ableton Live, making it easy to port projects from Gadget to Live. Native 64-bit audio support rounds out the new features.

Stroke Machine wears the iOS Drum Machine Mantle

Wolfram Franke has been burning the midnight oil and the result is version 2.0 of his incredibly deep iOS drum machine app, Stroke Machine. The ability to compose beats in any time signature known to beast is the big selling point of this update to me — not that I use them all. A pad screen allows you to play beats with a noticeable lack of latency sure to make Android owners extremely jealous.

Stroke Machine’s stability is also greatly improved; I regularly write beats with nary a glitch or crash. Still, this is a professional-level music app that gets the most out of the resource-constrained environment of the iPad, so iPad Air owners can expect to enjoy the best performance.

Audiobus 2.1 support allows the saving of kits and patterns within an AB patch. Fresh support for MIDI CC learn enhances the app’s use with external MIDI controllers. Additionally, each sound/voice can now use its own MIDI channel. Boom!

Thor also adds Audiobus 2.1 Support

The excellent iOS version of Thor, Propellerheads’ synth originally introduced as part of Reason, also received a fresh update recently. The most notable changes involve support for Inter App Audio and Audiobus 2.1. Now, like with Stroke Machine, Thor’s patch details can be stored as part of an Audiobus project. Other bug fixes and performance improvements come along for the ride.

So there you have it, three important updates sure to make music creation on an iPad more fun and rewarding. After watching a video of someone using Gadget’s Abu Dhabi beat slicer, I am inspired to check it out. When I do, expect a more detailed review here at TabMuse.

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September 8, 2014
Review: SeekBeats — a Fun “Performance” Drum Synth for the iPad
If you are looking for a quick and easy drum synth on the iOS platform, add SeekBeats to your docket. This is an app capable of both classic and homespun drum machine sounds, and its unique real-time performance capabilities allow for a host of beat tweaking possibilities.

SeekBeats for the iPad Features
- Eight Drum Voices with Traditional Synth Controls
- Graphical Envelopes can be Tweaked in Real Time
- Randomizer and Snapshot Features give Performances Life
- Step Sequencer with Odd Time Signature Capabilities
- Supports Audiobus, Inter App Audio, and MIDI Sync
- Universal App supports iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch
- Available at the App Store for $9.99
While it’s not Stroke Machine, SeekBeats doesn’t aspire to be. Its ease-of-use and real time tweakability give it a well-deserved home amongst many other iOS beatmaking apps. Electronic musicians need this app in their collection.

An iPad Drum Synth with a Simple User Interface

Upon starting SeekBeats, its stark, utilitarian interface stands out. Anyone familiar with software-based beat creation can easily show that “they’ve still got the love for the streets.” A button below the sequencer matrix allows for odd time signature beat creation.

SeekBeats’ sequencer screen reveals its utilitarian interface. Screenshot by Author.

Other slider controls manage the tempo, swing, master volume, and the chorus effect. A collection of buttons on the top left of the screen serves as a menu offering access to SeekBeats additional functionality.

Numeric buttons at the top right of the screen allow you to program the eight drum voices and their two oscillators. This easy to follow screen also provides overdrive and filter “circuitry” providing additional grit to the sounds.

The SeekBeats Sound screen allows for a host of programming options. Screenshot by Author.

The separate screen for envelope control is very blue, and worthy of particular attention. It is possible to modify the envelopes for the pitch, in addition to the main and noise amps. Simple double-taps add or delete points, which makes creating complex envelopes a breeze. Great stuff!

Randomizing your Performances

SeekBeats’ “Rand” screen offers you the chance to randomly tweak a collection of parameters in real time for all or any subset of your drum voices. This allows for a wild collection of sonic possibilities. The developer Rodrigo Yanez explains this feature nicely in a video shown below.

Using randomization combined with the ability to take and restore snapshots while the beat plays helps to manage the insanity should the sonic mayhem get too intense. Is that even possible? A separate “Perf” screen lets you access the Randomizer, switch patterns, manage Snapshots, and more all in one spot.

SeekBeats’ powerful envelope screen is blue, very blue. Screenshot by Author.

Another screen provides a sound library to manage the factory and user-created sounds. You also use this screen to assign sounds to one of the eight voice slots. Again, the simple interface makes things a breeze.

I wish SeekBeats provided a one-stop screen for mixing, the ability to arrange patterns into songs, and a delay effect; although the chorus partially works in the latter case. Other than those minor requests, there is no doubting the app’s quality for composing and tweaking electronica beats. SeekBeats is recommended for electronic beatmakers looking for a unique take on this creative process.

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August 22, 2014
Review: Stroke Machine Attacks the iPad Drum Machine Scene
When I reviewed Waldorf’s excellent Nave iPad synth app, I remarked that the company needs to release an iOS version of its very cool Attack drum machine plug-in. Stroke Machine, created by former Waldorf man, Wolfram Franke, is just that app. A very detailed and powerful beatmaker with a host of interesting features — including the ability to program your own sounds — Stroke Machine ranks with DM1 at the top of the iPad drum machine scene.

Stroke Machine for the iPad Features
- Drum Machine with Synth Programming Features
- Patterns with 12 Drum Voices and 12 Melodic Voices
- Sample Importing
- Each Voice with Two Oscillators, Ring Modulation, FM, and More
- White and Pink Noise Generator, Transient Generator
- LFO, Filter, 4 Bus Multi-effects
- Rich Library of Sounds, Kits, and Patterns
- Support for Inter App Audio, Audiobus, and WIST
- Available at the App Store for $19.99
Stroke Machine is a must for anyone looking to build their own drum machine patterns from the sound programming upwards. The well-written and detailed manual is another great feature — and necessary as this is a detailed app! A robust amount of functionality and fun fits on an iPad screen.

Breaking Down the Stroke Machine Architecture

Featuring an almost garish color scheme (optimized for rave viewing) that can be toned down in the options, Stroke Machine’s interface is very functional. All the necessary synth parameters fit on one screen, with a transport bar located at the bottom of the app. A vertical menu bar on the left of the app gives access to each voice (or part in the app’s nomenclature) in a pattern; they can be easily soloed or muted as necessary.

Stroke Machine features a robust synth engine, optimized for drum beat creation. Note: This is the subdued color scheme. Screenshot by Author.

All saved patterns, kits, and sounds are easily accessible from the app’s menu interface. Stroke Machine treats patterns and kits interchangeably. As the manual states: “a Pattern is a Kit is a Pattern.” Indeed.

An “Ableton Live” style is used for the synth knobs, switches, and sliders. Graphic displays in the app feature convenient handles to allow for easy touchscreen editing. The range of parameters in sound creation rival most iPad synth apps, let alone small iOS drum machine world.

Sound creation in Stroke Machine is a blast. Throwing in some FM and/or ring modulation is a breeze, and when combined with noise and variety of transients, it opens up a sonic world of percussion creativity — melodic sounds too. Filters, a drive stage, a decimator, EQ, a detailed LFO, two envelopes, and a modulation matrix — with most controls automatable — round out this rich, rich synthesizer engine. Sounds can be saved separately from a Pattern/Kit and used in other Kit/Patterns.

Wait, there are four effects busses. Each bus includes two dynamic effects, a modulation effect (chorus, flanger, etc.), and space effect (reverbs and delays). Each sound is separately assigned to one of the four busses.

Stroke Machine features a robust effects engine. Screenshot by Author.

Pattern writing takes place on a step sequencer screen with both beat and note entry; the latter being used for melodic sounds. A swing percentage and the tempo are modified on the transport menu.

Stroke Machine allows for some time signature tweaking, but not enough for me. You can do variations of 2, 3, or 4 notes per measure (including 9/8), but 5/4, 5/8, 7/8, 11/8 need to be added in a future update. Being able to enter actual time signatures as well would be more intuitive than the current method, which involves entering beats per bar and steps per beat separately with both limited to a range of 1 to 4.

Pattern creation in Stroke Machine is a breeze. Screenshot by Author.

Support for the iPad audio standards — Audiobus, Inter App Audio, WIST, etc. — finishes off this incredibly deep drum machine app.

Stroke Machine thrives on newer iPads

With such a detailed synth engine, Stroke Machine stretches the capabilities of my iPad 2. Setting the audio buffer size to 1024 samples definitely helps. The latest version of the app (1.03) greatly improved its stability, as it would freeze pretty regularly beforehand and still occasionally drops a sound during beat playback — the latter does lead to interesting pattern variations.

Wolfram Franke is very responsive, so expect things to get better with each successive release. Still, Stroke Machine is such a powerful app with great sonics; I may have to consider upgrading to a newer iPad sooner than expected. Feedback for the app from owners of the iPad Air is generally positive.

Anyone interested in beat creation needs to check out Stroke Machine. Sure, it runs better on newer iPads, but expect that to happen more and more in the future as music apps become more complicated and thus more CPU-thirsty. Apple just discontinued sales of the iPad 2 in favor of the iPad 4 anyway!
March 19, 2014