No MIDI for drums or arp
It’s a lovely, smooth interface, but there’s no way to sync its clock with anything else. The arp and drum machine are internal only. This is a bizarre decision that really hampers the app from becoming much more useful. So disappointing.
Still amazing
I still love this app even though it has been out for a long time.
It is one that I still find myself opening up and using after all these years. Perfect for nice ambient jams and deeper than you might think it is...
It is one that I still find myself opening up and using after all these years. Perfect for nice ambient jams and deeper than you might think it is...
Very nice but could be perfect.
As expected based on my use of this developer’s flagship app “Patterning 2”, the app is incredibly well thought out. It is super user friendly, logical, has excellent user interface, nice graphics, simple yet powerful functionality. However, few things are making it just a tiny bit short of being perfect:
***Poor drum sound selection and on top of it very limited control of each drum instrument’s sound.
***No MIDI out for the drum machine. The user manual incorrectly states “The drum machine and arpeggiator are also disabled in MIDI mode” implying that the drum machine does send MIDI notes but it’s not the case and, unlike arpeggiator, its audio is not disabled. Of course, the drum machine in the Chordion is rather basic, especially compared to something as complex as Patterning 2, but it would be fantastic if it could have its own MIDI out. The limited sound drums of the Chordion would no longer be an issue. It would be an awesome feature if the drum sequence made in Chordion could be sent to Patterning as some kind of set for further modification. Yes, it’s not that much work to do it manually anyway considering that the sequencer has just 16 steps and 6 tracks but still it would be great.
***Only 16 steps for drum sequencer. I really don’t want the app to get any heavier and over complicated - as it is now it is great for students and people experimenting, learning about harmony, chords progression and scales, but doubling the steps count in the sequencer would allow more interesting rhythms.
***Can’t save user chords as a layout to be used in “generate layout”. You can of course save the entire state of the Chordion but being able to save / load just the chords layout as a user preset would be very useful because then it could be transposed into other keys as a whole (like in case of factory layouts).
***On that last note, a simple global transposition slider would simplify many things
***The BMP stated in the sequencer is double of what is typically stated in sequencers when in 16 steps mode (including Patterning 2) so the highest equivalent tempo is only 150.
***I wish pressing the keys on the keyboard meant for programming the scales (the horizontally displayed keyboard) was playing the given notes. Much easier to program the scales this way!
***Poor drum sound selection and on top of it very limited control of each drum instrument’s sound.
***No MIDI out for the drum machine. The user manual incorrectly states “The drum machine and arpeggiator are also disabled in MIDI mode” implying that the drum machine does send MIDI notes but it’s not the case and, unlike arpeggiator, its audio is not disabled. Of course, the drum machine in the Chordion is rather basic, especially compared to something as complex as Patterning 2, but it would be fantastic if it could have its own MIDI out. The limited sound drums of the Chordion would no longer be an issue. It would be an awesome feature if the drum sequence made in Chordion could be sent to Patterning as some kind of set for further modification. Yes, it’s not that much work to do it manually anyway considering that the sequencer has just 16 steps and 6 tracks but still it would be great.
***Only 16 steps for drum sequencer. I really don’t want the app to get any heavier and over complicated - as it is now it is great for students and people experimenting, learning about harmony, chords progression and scales, but doubling the steps count in the sequencer would allow more interesting rhythms.
***Can’t save user chords as a layout to be used in “generate layout”. You can of course save the entire state of the Chordion but being able to save / load just the chords layout as a user preset would be very useful because then it could be transposed into other keys as a whole (like in case of factory layouts).
***On that last note, a simple global transposition slider would simplify many things
***The BMP stated in the sequencer is double of what is typically stated in sequencers when in 16 steps mode (including Patterning 2) so the highest equivalent tempo is only 150.
***I wish pressing the keys on the keyboard meant for programming the scales (the horizontally displayed keyboard) was playing the given notes. Much easier to program the scales this way!
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Super fun controller
This does a lot of what I wish the Q-Chord would do, I just wish the slider ran the long side of the screen, and had 3 octaves more range. Fun with organ and synth controls.
Awesome
Greatly exceeded my expectations! So much vibe and character.
2 Years last update
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My fave since day one 👍🏾
I’ve had this app since release and at first I just played around with it, but when I started to really experiment with my other music apps, I was totally amazed by how it would play my music apps versus me playing it directly. Another cool thing is that I can play Chordion through my DAW (Reason) and it sounds great! The Midi setup is rather simple on Mac.
I do agree with one review to have notes on the keys would be cool, otherwise I love this app and it’s not never leaving my device.
I do agree with one review to have notes on the keys would be cool, otherwise I love this app and it’s not never leaving my device.
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Needs note names
I really like this app and want to use it more frequently. There are a few simple labeling improvements that would make this app a lot more helpful. Please include the names of the notes on the keyboard for individual notes on the right. Also the chords need roman numerals for their degree.
Next generation of musical interface
I don't know many app makers as consistent and intuitive and innovative as Olympia. Chordion is yet again a true hit. It allows you to find a harmonic space and then explore that space melodically right alongside. We need more apps like this one out there, and at that really changes the way you interact with and think about music.
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Best "chord" app out there
I have tried a number of midi controller apps for non keyboard players and this is by far the best. The ability to save your own scenes, to configure the chord layout, the note choices within the chord is the best thought out design for all apps. I wish it had a little more control on velocity via an expression wheel but that's all
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