
Show HN: Composer's Sketchpad, my “painterly” and Pencil-ready sequencer for iPad - archagon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypsLgTY8NXs
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archagon
In light of the iPad Pro release, I just thought I'd mention my new-ish music
app! In short, it's a musical notebook designed for jotting down quick song
ideas and working on your rough drafts — a kind of "living staff paper" that
you can use almost like a drawing app. You can extend your notes to any
duration and bend them to any pitch, allowing you to create twisted solos and
complex rhythms with ease. All the controls for editing and playback are right
there by your fingers, eliminating the "UI fatigue" that tends to set in with
most creative music software. There's a free Lite version[1] if you'd like to
try it out!

I've been doing a series of blog posts on its development, currently up to 3
and with many more to come:

1\. [http://beta-blog.archagon.net/2016/02/05/composers-
sketchpad...](http://beta-blog.archagon.net/2016/02/05/composers-sketchpad/)

2\. [http://beta-blog.archagon.net/2016/02/27/path-rendering-
in-c...](http://beta-blog.archagon.net/2016/02/27/path-rendering-in-composers-
sketchpad/)

3\. [http://beta-blog.archagon.net/2016/03/24/liberating-pitch-
an...](http://beta-blog.archagon.net/2016/03/24/liberating-pitch-and-taming-
midi-in-composers-sketchpad/)

Since release, I've added MIDI/JSON export and support for iOS's various
multitasking features. After a few maintenance updates, I plan to start
working on more interesting stuff like microtonal scale support and instancing
(as in canons and fugues). Eventually, the app will be open source.

[1]: [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/composers-sketchpad-
lite/id1...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/composers-sketchpad-
lite/id1067596813?mt=8)

