Piano Motifs

This app has been updated with new features on a regular cycle. I can’t think of another app that has such a track record of taking in user feedback and delivering new features. Most updates fix bugs… Piano Motifs provides more value overtime without asking for anything but demos of your work and the In App Tip jar to fund continued work. Always $4 (no sales) with $2 to add MIDI OUT and $4 to use multiple instances as an AUv3 MIDI app. Not sure if MIDI support is needed if you get the AUv3 IAP. Personally, I have tipped somewhere in the $20-30 range for various updates that just blew me away for their response to my requests and othe users at the Loopy Pro forum (was the AudioBus Forum). The developer is a regular poster there and always interacting with his customers… something few developers do because users can be difficult and not useful to sell more copies. This developer pleases his users and continues to (I hope) generate income to justify more features and fixes.

I purchased Piano Motifs shortly after release, and I’m very glad that I did. It is one of the best audio and/or midi semi-generative apps available on iOS. The developer is extremely responsive and has been constantly updating this app, adding newer, better features. I say semi because there are many parameters or rules you can set before it generates a motif, even add your own chord progressions. The midi out IAP is a must for someone like me. It’s easy to route up to 3 separate midi channels (Melody, accompaniment, & Chords) using virtual midi into a host like AUM and record all the midi. Almost every single motif you generate is worth saving. I like to create a few motifs in the same key and tempo then arrange them into parts, then record the midi, and expand upon it. 10 Stars!

This is quickly becoming my favorite musical sketching tool. It’s great for beginners trying to learn some music theory, and you can really get into some deep tinkering if you already have a handle on music theory. The app can feel a little clunky at first, but you can get pretty deep into fine tuning the melodies, bass, and chord progressions. I’m honestly blown away at the amount of inspiration I’ve found tinkering with this app. Buying the MIDI out upgrade is a must for me, but for a few bucks it’s totally worth it. I do wish there was a more straightforward AUv3 integration. Sure, I can route the midi through AUM (or directly into most synth apps, though I had trouble with SynthMaster2) but still, it’d be sweet if I could load it in a midi channel strip and run it in AUM. Exporting the midi and loading it into Atom Piano Roll or Helium works for me for now.