Xequence 2 MIDI Workstation

Xequence 2 is a comprehensive, fast & stable MIDI sequencer, editor, arranger & controller for iPhone & iPad. It is the perfect companion both for hardware and for AUM & AB3 to create a modular, “DAW-like” music production environment on iOS.

App type: App

App store link:

Developer: Seven Systems Cross-Platform Media Limited

Developer AB Forum Handle: https://forum.audiob.us/profile/SevenSystems

From the app store description:

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Efficient User Interface for an amazing mobile editing workflow - Full support for scales and scale-based editing throughout the app (keyboard, pianoroll, etc.) - Over 70 scales in 10 categories included - Full Audiobus support - Ableton Link (tempo and phase only - use Audiobus for start/stop sync) - MIDI File Import & Export (notes, controllers, program changes, track names, etc.) - Best-in-class MIDI timing and clock output - MIDI In & Thru with rechannelization & rerouting to current track - MIDI Sync Master (Clock/Start/Stop/Continue/SPP) - other DAWs & sequencers can run in sync with Xequence, e.g. to use audio tracks, or external drum machines. Several modes for full compatibility

ARRANGER:

- Unlimited Parts - Xequence 2: Unlimited tracks - 64 Undo/Redo steps - Per-track non-destructive Swing & Delay +/- 200 ms - Multiple tracks per instrument - Parts can be independent or linked (editing the original modifies all copies) - Part-based looping - Program changes - Selection tools: Marquee/Rectangle, Same Track, Same Instrument, Linked Parts, Invert, etc. - Editing tools: Create Copy, Create Linked Copy, Unlink, Split, Join, Convert loops to parts, etc. - All edits can be performed across multiple tracks and parts - Global clipboard, even across projects - Position/Length Handles at screen edges for efficient editing

PIANOROLL EDITOR:

- 256 Undo/Redo steps - Fully scale-aware - Relative or absolute grid: Snap Events to nearest grid line, or move by grid increments - Live Auditioning of all note edits and mini keyboard on the left - Selection tools: Box, Same Note, Same Key, Same Beat Position, Invert, etc. - Editing tools: Copy, Legato, Quantize, Quantize Ends, Octave +/-, Flip H/V (mirror), Fill part with selection - Smart Draw mode: Touch to create, touch again to delete, drag up/down to transpose, drag left/right to change length - Global clipboard, even across projects - Note velocities can be edited just like controllers, see below:

CONTROLLER EDITOR:

- 256 Undo/Redo steps - Selection tools: Box, Same Beat Position, Invert - Selection modes: Add & Replace - Editing tools: Copy, Reduce, Quantize, Compress/Expand, Flip H/V (mirror), Ramp (various curves), Fill part with selection - Smart Draw mode - Note Velocities can be shown as controllers and edited with the same tools

KEYBOARD / CONTROLLER:

- Fully scale-aware, very playable single or dual keyboards - Glide support - Freely adjustable key width - Velocity emulation (via vertical position on key) - Drum maps and pads, highly customizable (In-App Purchase) - CCs (controllers) can be shown as touch ribbons next to the keyboard - All CCs can be controlled by sliding (ribbon), device rotation (up to three axes simultaneously), played like a button (sustain pedal, “trance gates”), or by touching the keys at different vertical positions. All highly configurable.

INSTRUMENTS:

- Unlimited Instruments (an Instrument is a MIDI destination & channel) - 3 definable CCs (Controllers) per Instrument (up to 12 via In-App Purchase) - Compatible with virtually ALL synths and hosts

VARIOUS:

- Audio & MIDI Metronome - Note chasing (notes play even when playback starts in the middle) - Robust controller (CC) handling with backchasing - Perfect song looping, no dropouts/jitter at loop points - Supports any time signature/BPM (fixed per song) - Generative music with PolyHymnia (In-App Purchase) - Files app support - Ruler (can be set to auto-hide to preserve screen space) - Bright or dark color scheme

The AudioDabbler has create a series of Xequence master class videos.

Discussion thread originating this section: AUM effecting Xequence timing? Solved

no timing challenges, Korg Gadget makes use of the MIDI timestamps generated by Xequence 2. Clock syncing is possible

no timing challenges, Clock syncing is possible

AUM (1.4) does not use the MIDI timestamps when received over CoreMIDI (AUM Destination virtual MIDI port). At small sample buffer sizes (512 bytes or lower) this may not be a problem. Should you use 1024 or higher sample buffer size, wrong timing might become noticeable

Best approach is to use Audiobus 3 / IAA

• In Audiobus 3 connect each Xequence 2 MIDI out port to an AUM MIDI receiver port (8 in total)
• In Xequence 2 use the Audiobus port in the instrument (Wavy icon, not MIDI connector icon)
• In AUM connect each audio unit to one single IAA ports. No need to filter MIDI channels in the AUM MIDI Control Destination screen, because each IAA port will receive only on MIDI channel 1

Sync option 1

• use Ableton Link in both AUM and Xequence 2
• adjust the Ableton Link offset and/or the Minimum latency in AUM to get perfect timings. Example on an iPad 6th gen/iOS 15 good results at 2048 bytes buffer size with
  • -64ms in Ableton Link offset
  • 16ms minimum latency.

Sync option 2

• use MIDI clock syncing between Xequence 2 and Audiobus
  • create an X2 instrument connected to the Audiobus 3 MIDI port, and activate the Send Sync option
  • make sure Audiobus 3 listen to MIDI clock on its Virtual MIDI port, in teh sync settings
• adjust the Ableton Link offset (not the Minimum latency) in AUM and the Audiobus clock input offset to get perfect timings. Example on an iPad 6th gen/iOS 15 good results at 2048 bytes buffer size with
  • Audiobus clock input offset at 16ms
  • in AUM: -16ms in Ableton Link offset.

Then you should be able to record MIDI in Xequence 2 and play it back, and sequencers/drum machines hosted in AUM remain sync'ed with Xequence 2 in both cases.

As from version 2.3, Xequence 2 allows import/export of the instruments configurations, retaining

• name and color
• sync settings
• drum map
• MIDI destination and channel
• MPE settings
• controller setup (mapped CCs)

This section gathers a non-exhaustive database of X2 instrument configurations.

Shared folder containing all the available instruments

in the Files app of your iPad/iPhone

1. unzip the downloaded instruments archive
2. copy all the extracted .xeqinst files to

On My iPad/Xequence 2/Instruments

Or

On My iPhone/Xequence 2/Instruments

Extracted from the default MIDI CC mapping file generously made available on the Korg Gadget 2 page, these are the Xequence 2 instrument configurations with all default CCs mapped to a controller for each Korg Gadget machine.

From Xequence 2.4.0, the Korg Gadget instrument configurations are included in standard.

Remarks

• all Pan parameters are mapped to a centered X2 controller
• the instrument color may or may not recall that of the Gadget's color

Introduction: Most Xequence instruments need a corresponding MIDI Mapping file to load in AUM or in the synth itself to map the AUv3 parameters to the same CC numbers as those configured in the Xequence instrument.

Shared folder containing all the available instruments

see below the table for additional explanations

Mapping types:

• AUM:The Xequence 2 instrument works and is provided with a dedicated AUM MIDI mapping file, which is editable in AUM.
• Internal static: The Xequence 2 instrument does not need any extra mapping file, the synth publishes its own MIDI mapping. The Xequence 2 instrument can be used without AUM (in other hosts or standalone), and cannot be changed in the synth.
• Internal editable: The Xequence 2 instrument works with a synth-specific mapping files. Both can be used without AUM (in other hosts or standalone), and the mapping can be manually edited in the synth.

• an X2 instrument file (.xeqinst) to copy in the Xequence 2 / Instruments folder
• if mapping type is AUM: an AUM MIDI Mapping file to copy to the right location in the AUM folder
• if mapping type is Internal editable: a synth-specific mapping file

1) Install the Xequence 2 instrument

see above

2) Copy the AUM MIDI Mapping files in the AUM MIDI Mappings folder

in the Files app of the iPad

1. unzip the instrument archive
2. copy the extracted .aum_midimap file to

On My iPad/AUM/MIDI Mappings/<audio unit folder>

or

On My iPhone/AUM/MIDI Mappings/<audio unit folder>

The audio unit folder name starts with the instrument name, followed by a long string of letters and numbers.

If the folder for your AUv3 does not exist yet, best is to

1. open AUM
2. load the AUv3 in an track
3. open the MIDI controls screen where you can define the mapping
4. tap the 3 vertical dots
5. save an empty mapping. The folder will then get created and you can copy the X2 MIDI Mapping into it.

3) Load the audio unit an assign its MIDI mapping in AUM

1. go to AUM
2. load the AUv3 in a track
3. open the MIDI controls screen where you can define the mapping
4. tap the 3 vertical dots
5. load the X2 MIDI Mapping

4) Configure the connections in AUM

1. make sure “AUM Destination” is set as source for the MIDI controls
2. tap again the 3 vertical dots
3. set the MIDI channel to the one you have assigned to this instrument

5) Create a instrument in Xequence 2

1. Open Xequence 2
2. Load the instrument template of this audio unit
3. Make sure this instrument has the same MIDI channel as the one set in AUM

Everything is ready to work, you should be able to modulate all the AUv3 parameters from Xequence 2.

For the Moog apps we use the built-in CC mapping system. Advantages: you can use the CC map also in other apps, and when you use it in AUM, you don't need to change the MIDI channel to the one you set for the Audio Unit (not to mention it was faster to make the mapping match that of the Xequence 2 instrument).

• In the Files app tap the mapping file to open (anm file for Animoog Z, mdm file for Model D).

• It will open the Animoog Z or the Model D app (depending on which one you opened)

and the mapping will be automatically loaded and ready to use.

To make it appear in the AUv3:

1) Go to the App settings → MIDI → Save/Load CC MIDI maps, and save the current MIDI mapping.

2) Open AUM

3) Load an instance of Animoog Z or Model D in an audio track

4) Go to the settings in the Auv3 window and load the CC MIDI map in this instance (it should be in the list)

• CC 74 and CC 71 are set respectively to the filter cut-off frequency, and filter resonance parameters, where possible and applicable
• CC 7 is never used not to conflict with the AUM CC automatically mapped to tracks. If an audio unit offers a master volume in its parameters list, another CC number is mapped.
• wherever available, Pan controllers are centered.
• the Controllers names in Xequence 2 can be slightly different from AUv3 parameters displayed in the AUM mapping screen
• There is no CC above 119 mapped to comply with the MIDI specs
• All the mapping files can of course be used without Xequence 2. If you edit them, you'll need to edit the Xequence 2 instrument accordingly to keep it functional.