MPE compatible apps to grab for your mobile devices

By The Article Master on March 15th, 2022

Not having a dedicated controller doesn't necessarily mean you can't take advantage of MPE control. A multitouch mobile device may be all you need to get you up and running. Make sure to check out these mobile apps which include MPE control surfaces and compatible synths and instruments.

Imagine a new kind of musical instrument ...

An instrument where a performer can fluidly express multiple independent voices. An instrument that is both pitch fluid, and helps the performer precisely reach desired musical pitches in any temperament.

This is GeoShred, an award winning, fluidly expressive musical instrument that runs on multi-touch devices.

It has a performance surface with "almost magic" pitch rounding algorithms which is coupled with a model of the physics of strings, support for AUv3, MIDI In/Out, MPE and 3D Touch. It's a fusion of Jordan Rudess' performance concepts and a powerful, modeled guitar/effects based on the Physical Modeling research of Dr. Julius O. Smith III of Stanford/CCRMA. And, GeoShred's expressive control can be used with other synthesizers.

Tens of thousands of artists in 48 countries perform GeoShred with 30% of those users in India.

GeoShred is the Gold Medal Winner of the 2019 Denny Award, winner of a 2019 Guthman New Musical Instrument Award, and winner of the 2017 Electronic Musician Editor's Choice Award as "one of the most innovative, groundbreaking products to emerge in the past twelve months".

GeoShred Pro Version 4.0 Features Include:

• A fluidly expressive playing surface + a Physically modeled guitar.
• Au3 plugin support on devices running iOS 11.4 or greater.
• Intelligent pitch rounding.
• A diatonic keyboard where every key on the screen is in the scale.
• MIDI IN/OUT and MPE support.
• MIDI control using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, virtual MIDI and all digital interfaces.
• MIDI configuration presets.
• 3D touch on iPhones that support 3D touch.
• Customizable control surface can be mapped to physical MIDI Controls.
• Inter-App Audio and Audiobus support.
• Backing tracks from the iTunes library.
• Multiple Modeled effects.
• Modeled feedback and VCF effects.
• Echo, a unique looper and multi-tap echo.
• Finger vibrato, slide and fret scraping.
• Unique mono mode using intervals of multiple strings.
• Built in Arpeggiator.
• Alternative tunings.
• Support for world scales and temperaments including Indian Ragas, Arabic and Balinese scales.
• Easily share presets with friends.

Minimum Requirements: iPad2, iPhone 4s, iOS 9.3 or better. For AUv3 support iOS 11.4 or greater is required.

KB-1 is a expressive virtual MIDI keyboard designed for a multitude of scenarios.

With 5 distinct layouts, including classic Piano style keys and wheels, modern seaboard- and string-style layouts as well as scale & chord based layouts, KB-1 offers a wide range of play styles suitable for both, novice and experienced players.

In addition, KB-1 includes support for MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) which when paired with an MPE compatible instrument allows for multiple degrees of expression such as per note bends, vibrato and other tonal variations.

When used standalone, KB-1 can host up to 5 keyboards, each having dedicated settings and MIDI outputs making it easy to play multiple instruments simultaneously. With support for Inter-App MIDI as well as USB, Network and Bluetooth MIDI, destinations can be mixed and matched including hardware instruments, other apps or even plugins running on a desktop.

Since KB-1 is built as a AUv3 MIDI Extension, it integrates nicely with most AU hosts and DAWs providing access to MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), Chords, Scales and more where otherwise not available.

Features:

• 5 Keyboard Layouts (Piano, Seaboard style keys, strings, scale and chord)
• Multiple Rows per Keyboard.
• Multiple Octaves per Keyboard.
• 15+ Scales (for layouts that support scales).
• MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE).
• Standalone operation with multiple Keyboards and dedicated MIDI outputs per Keyboard.
• AUv3 MIDI Plugin.

WoodSynth is a synthesizer with 4 independent layers, each of which is in fact a synthesizer on its own. Each layer has 3 VCOs plus a samples based source, coming from a file or from recording the audio track. Layers can be used in parallel, assigned to a region of the keyboard or used in a sequential mode where the first note(s) on are played by layer 1 and the next note(s) by layer 2 and so on. This last mode allows to have a different sound per note played (and independent from a keyboard region).

WoodSynth has a polyphonic pitch-bending touch bar which also displays notes received from a keyboard. Each layer has its own filter and envelope with ADSR per voice, a pitch shifting envelope per VCO, a delay, a basic reverb, a modulator LFO per VCO, 2 general LFOs and a 16 steps sequencer. Key tracking can be applied on the ADSR attack and release, on the filter cutoff and on the VCO modulation.

The app can be used stand-alone (device audio input and output) or as a plugin in a DAW:

• IOS plugin type: AUv3 and stand-alone app.
• MacOS plugin type: AU, AAX, VST and stand-alone app.
• Has 4 independent synthesizers, each with up to 16 voices.
• Supports MPE.
• Has a polyphonic touch bar with polyphonic pitch bending.
• Velocity, channel pressure, (polyphonic) aftertouch, CC74 can be used to modulate several synth parameters.
• Samples can be recorded from the audio input/track or loaded from file
• 4-pole Moog Lowpass filter with resonance

Animoog, powered by Moog's Anisotropic Synth Engine (ASE), is a polyphonic synthesizer designed exclusively for the iPad. ASE allows you to move dynamically through an X/Y space of unique timbres to create a constantly evolving and expressive soundscape.

Animoog captures the vast sonic vocabulary of Moog synthesizers and applies it to the modern touch surface paradigm, enabling you to quickly sculpt fluid and dynamic sounds that live, breathe, and evolve as you play them. Whether you are new to synthesis or a professional, Animoog's user interface gives you the power to easily create a visually vibrant and sonically rich universe.

Animoog's diverse library of timbres is derived from analog waveforms captured from classic Moog oscillators, both vintage and modern, and run through a boutique's worth of high-end outboard and analog signal processors. These include modular synth panels, Moogerfooger pedals and more.

Key Features:

• Anisotropic Synth Engine (ASE) - A new Moog technology that allows the user to move dynamically through an X/Y space of unique timbres to create an expressive and constantly evolving soundscape.
• Timbre page – Assemble unique sounds in the X/Y space from timbres of a wide variety of vintage and modern Moog synthesizers and pedals. Note: this is NOT simple sample playback.
• Polyphonic Modulation - Simply slide your fingers to control multiple modulation parameters in Animoog right from the keys.
• Polyphonic Pitch Shifting - Easily manipulate the exact pitch of each note in a chord by rotating or sliding your fingers.
• Delay Module - A classic analog style ping pong delay.
• Thick Module - From bit crushing to unison voice detuning and drive, this module adds depth, edge and character to Animoog's already massive sound palette.
• Moog Filter - The classic four-pole Moog ladder filter with High Pass, Low Pass and Band Pass modes.
• Record Module - Record your performance and overdub new layers, or play along live. Transfer recordings between Animoog and any other apps which support AudioCopy/AudioPaste.
• Path Module - Direct ASE through Animoog's X/Y space to create new expressive and shifting sounds that will blow your mind.
• Orbit Module - Control the rate of orbit in the X/Y space around the path you created for subtle to insane voice manipulation.
• Flexible Modulation Matrix - Amp, Filter and Mod Envelopes, LFO with infinitely variable wave shapes and sync, and four super flexible and assignable modulation slots.
• MIDI in/out - Use your Little Phatty or any other MIDI controller to control Animoog.

VOLT is a polyphonic synthesizer with special focus on expression.

Designed to deliver classic synth sounds from the late 70s and early 80s, VOLT at it's heart is comprised of up to 8 virtual analog synth voices each including one continuously variable wave oscillator, detunable sub, noise source, SEM style filter, advanced LFO, distortion & 2 ADSR envelopes followed by a total of 3 master effect units.

Overview:

• Polyphonic Virtual Analog Synthesizer
• Expressive synth engine with MPE, poly-, channel aftertouch & 2D touch keyboard
• Built-in stereo effects
• 100+ fine tuned factory presets
• Standalone operation with support for USB audio interfaces, wired, network & bluetooth MIDI
• MIDI remote control & tempo sync
• Audio Unit v3 Extension
• Inter App Audio support
• Audiobus support
• Ableton Link.

Input/Expression:

• MPE MIDI hardware including but not limited to ROLI Seaboard Rise, Seaboard Block, Lightpad Block
• MPE MIDI software including but not limited to Geoshred, Geoshred Control
• Regular MIDI keyboards featuring channel or poly aftertouch, pitch- and mod wheels
• Onscreen 2D Touch Keyboard (supports slide and glide)
• Plain MIDI Input.

SynthMaster Player for iOS is the mobile player version of SynthMaster for iPad and iPhone devices. It is targeted towards users who prefer to use presets rather than designing their own sounds during music production.

Although it is a preset based player, users can edit the following parameters:

• 8 easy parameters assigned by the sound designer.
• 2 XY Pads assigned by the sound designer.
• Effect bypass states and send amounts.
• Layer bypass states and volumes.
• Master volume, polyphony.

The free app comes with 100 factory presets. When users complete registration by entering their names and email addresses they receive another 100 factory presets as a bonus. After completing registration, users can upgrade to the Pro version of the app by purchasing the "Factory Presets" bank via In-App-Purchase (IAP) for $4.99. With the Pro Upgrade all of the 800 factory presets are loaded and also the following features are unlocked:

• Users can save the changes they have made to the presets.
• Users can purchase additional preset banks via In-App-Purchase (IAP).
• Existing SynthMaster users can download their previously purchased SynthMaster preset banks inside the app, so that they don't have to purchase them again.
• Existing SynthMaster users can export their own presets (starting with SynthMaster v2.7) and import them into SynthMaster Player for iPad using iTunes.

The built-in 2 octave keyboard with pitch and modulation wheels lets users play notes without having to connect an external MIDI controller to their iPad. With its Scale functionality, it shows the users the notes on the scale, and with its Chord functionality the user can play a certain chord by pressing a single note. SynthMaster Player for iPad supports CoreMIDI and also virtual MIDI. It acts as a virtual MIDI destination for other DAW apps. MIDI input device, MIDI input channel, and receive MIDI beat clock settings can be adjusted from the MIDI Settings window. Synthmaster also supports MPE.