# Fugue Machine Rubato — Time-bending MIDI sequencer > Time-bending MIDI sequencer with nonlinear time engine and parameter automation. (iPhone/iPad app by Alexandernaut.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fugue-machine-rubato/id6670253122 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Alexandernaut](https://appshunter.io/developer/508173422) - Category: Music, Utilities - Price: $29.99 (on sale, was $39.99) - Rating: 4.80/5 from 67 App Store ratings · 63 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.6 · 17 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2025-05-20 - Data updated: 2026-09-07 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fugue-machine-rubato/id6670253122/reviews.md ## What is Fugue Machine Rubato? Bend time. Automate notes. A single grid as a multi-dimensional musical canvas — for iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Fugue Machine Rubato dives deeper into the multi-playhead piano roll concept of Fugue Machine Classic by adding time-bending playheads, parameter automation, and much more. At the heart of the sequencer is a nonlinear time engine that lets playheads move with a natural — or surreal — feel. Unlike conventional sequencers, where time advances at a constant rate, time in this engine can expressively accelerate, decelerate, freeze, and change direction. Playheads are now free to swing, strum, bounce, move elastically, and more. Built upon the time engine is a robust parameter automation system with time-bending automation playheads and envelopes sculpted with points, curves, and shapes. Nearly everything can be automated — even the notes. Eight years in the making, Fugue Machine Rubato is rock-solid and absolutely packed with features. HIGHLIGHTS • Bend time with curves, rates, and offsets • Automate notes and nearly everything else • Sculpt envelopes with curves and shapes • Position playheads anywhere on the grid • Play up to eight playheads at once • Apply note echoes per-playhead • Arpeggiate notes from multiple playheads • Blend notes from multiple playheads • Offset, stack, spread, and invert pitches • Clamp, compress, and expand velocities • Program drums via per-note Drum Trigs • Route notes to up to eight MIDI outputs • Organize patterns in nestable folders • Launch patterns quantized to the beat • Revert state via auto-saved Snapshots • Learn contextually via popovers • Explore ~150 built-in patterns • Control via touch, keyboard, and cursor • Resize Mac window at native resolution COMPATIBILITY Fugue Machine Rubato supports iPad, iPhone, Mac (Intel & Apple Silicon), Ableton Link, MIDI, and AUv3* MIDI. With the included AUv3 MIDI plugin, you can run multiple instances of Fugue Machine Rubato within AUv3 host apps — like AUM, Logic Pro for iPad, Loopy Pro, and Cubasis. UNIVERSAL APP — ONE-TIME PURCHASE Pay once and use on iPad, iPhone, and Mac. LEARN MORE — TRY A FREE DEMO To learn more or try a free demo via TestFlight, visit fuguemachinerubato.com. ## Key features - Time-bending playheads - Parameter automation - Nonlinear time engine - Sculpt envelopes with curves - Up to eight playheads - Per-playhead note echoes - Multiple MIDI outputs ## What do users think of Fugue Machine Rubato? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Powerful and flexible - 🚀 Stable and reliable - 👍 Inspiring and creative - 👍 Intuitive and easy to use - 👍 Lots of presets to get started - 👍 Works great on iPad and iPhone **Cons** - 🐛 Lacks a parameter randomizer feature - 🐛 Doesn't work with Logic Pro (only standalone) **Commonly reported bugs** - Doesn't work with Logic Pro - Compatibility issues with older macOS versions **Most requested features** - Add a parameter randomizer feature - Improve documentation and provide a complete manual ## Recent user reviews (10 of 63) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fugue-machine-rubato/id6670253122/reviews.md ### 4/5 — revised / Very good program / 4 stars due to difficult to see but if he clears this up - 10 stars *2026-08-28* Just received a response from the developer (thank you!) and to bring my crashing issue up to date: i was running multiple instances (3) of FMR and using 3 instances of the Pianoteq demo. My machine is an iPad M1 with 16gb RAM so it shouldn’t crash on what I consider to be a light load. Although I’m using iOS Logic Pro, that can have its own issues with processing, I believe the problem was with Pianoteq. It seems that the protection on the demo versions somehow are demanding a lot of processing power as when I finally purchased the product the crashing (and distortion) was gone. I don’t know how far I can push it but running as many as 5 instances of each app causes no issues. Not mentioned earlier the problem was cos occurring in AUM. I’m not giving this 5 stars because the color of the app still makes it difficult for this senior to see the settings and values. **Developer response:** I'm not getting any crash reports. My first thoughts are that it may be an issue with Logic or the device running low on RAM. Feel free to email me at fuguemachinerubato@alexandernaut.com and I can try to help figure out what's going on. More color options and documentation will be worked on in the near future. ### 4/5 — etwas entäuschend *2026-08-02* Die Oberfläche ist kontrastarm und unübersichtlich. Gerade im Vergleich zur „alten“ Fugue Machine. ### 5/5 — Karamba 🧑‍🚀 🛸 *2026-07-06* Was für ein komplexer und aufregend-intuitiv bedienbarer Monster-Sequenzer. 🧌 Mit seinen vielen einstellbaren Verläufen, welche nochmal mit Automationen beeinflusst werden können, fliegt man durch Galaxiencluster benachbarter Universen. Und dann noch für Mac verfügbar - ein Träumchen. Etwas klein im unteren Menübereich, trotz 13er IPad - hier würde ich mir ein Fenster zum nach oben verschieben oder nen Zoom wünschen. Danke für diese wunderbare Neuauflage❕ ### 2/5 — Needs more scale options, note bending,and better documentation *2026-06-24* The lack of scale/modes/tuning is frustrating. Please PLEASE add more scales …. There should be at least 30 scales and tunings to choose from In many ways it’s a great tool that offers solutions to help create complex rhythmic phrasing / sequencing. ¿ Is there a way to bend notes ? ¿ Why is there NOT an easy / simple way to BEND notes? Bending notes is very VERY important for expression. Please implement that or explain how to glissando/bend pitches The manual does not offer much information. You can only have maximum 128 steps to a sequence !!! Increasing that would be appreciated. **Developer response:** Thanks for the message, will be getting back to rubato soon 🌀 ### 2/5 — interesting but unpolished *2026-06-14* I’ve been using fugue machine rubato pretty regularly on both iPad and macOS. The basic premise is interesting but there’s some major UX hurdles encountered pretty quickly. There’s many nested menus hidden under multiple modifier buttons. Trying to save a pattern or protect has like 40 ways to easily lose all your work and one multi step process to save it. Ableton Link does not function with Ableton Live, pressing stop just resets the pattern. **Developer response:** If you're referring to the menus within the popovers, those menus are contextual for specific parameters — essentially right click menus. The main parameters are all on the main interface. Every change you make to the sequencer is automatically written to disk and accessible in the Snapshots menu. The most recent 100 changes are stored, persisted between pattern changes, app terminations, etc.. This was designed to allow you to quickly change patterns without "Are you Sure?" menus, without worrying about losing your work if you intended to save. Ableton Link does work on my end, I just tested it again to verify. Please feel free to email fuguemachinerubato@alexandernaut.com if you'd like help troubleshooting. ### 1/5 — interesting but poor usability *2026-06-14* Seems like an interesting and promising app but the documentation is still very basic for such a complex app and the UI is quite bad (small text, low contrast, three-finger-tap on small button, how?). Contacted support over a month ago but no reaction. I hope for a future update to significantly improve overall usability. Until then, there fortunately are others apps making music with is actually fun. **Developer response:** Apologies for missing your email, it seems to have slipped through the cracks on my end. I've been focused on some other projects recently, but will be getting back to Rubato soon. The manual, text, and contrast will be addressed. Re: 3-finger-tap on a small button, if you're referring to the shift buttons, you can tap down on the shift button and pan your finger anywhere on the screen and it will remained pressed. So you can put one finger down at a time and pan it out of the way for the next finger. This was designed to have parity between the iOS and Mac versions and to have modifiers on a touchscreen without having 4 separate modifier buttons. I find it hilarious that it actually works well, but for the record, 2/3-finger shift operations can mostly be achieved in other ways on a touchscreen ### 1/5 — Amazing but.. *2026-06-12* I want to give this 5 stars, but I can’t do anything with this cool sequence I just did on my phone, there’s no way to render it to audio or midi or inter app audio or load this as an audio unit or anything which makes it worthless.. add any one of those and I’ll change this to a 5 star, but for a 20 something dollar app I expect at least one of those options **Developer response:** It runs very well as an AUv3 MIDI plugin, just gotta make sure the AUv3 host supports MIDI plugins and if so, how to add them. IAA is deprecated, so I didn’t support it. And bouncing to MIDI is planned for a future update. Feel free to email me at alexander@alexandernaut.com if you have any questions ### 5/5 — Impressive *2026-03-25* Had this app, upon ChatGPT recommending the classic one, just a couple of days ago. I didn’t know this monster of a MIDI app existed. 2 days in, with zero knowledge, and I’m already having a blast! **Developer response:** 🙏 ### 3/5 — Innovative Sequencer *2026-03-08* I’m pretty satisfied with this unique sequencer. It’s one of a kind and will be one of the few sequencers I’ll use out of the 10 I already have. It’s feature packed and the layout is well designed. Alex added lots of his own presets to get things moving but for the price I REALLY wish this app had the ability to import midi files, as I literally have thousands of them. Also, I agree with the other reviewer who is asking for a randomization feature. I’ll give this app 5 stars if these two requests are implemented. ### 3/5 — Needs more scale options, note bending,and better documentation *2026-02-24* In many ways it’s a great tool that offers solutions to help create complex rhythmic phrasing / sequencing. ¿ Is there a way to bend notes ? ¿ Why is there NOT an easy / simple way to BEND notes? Bending notes is very VERY important for expression. Please implement that or explain how to glissando/bend pitches The manual does not offer much information. You can only have maximum 128 steps to a sequence !!! Increasing that would be appreciated. The lack of scale/modes/tuning is frustrating. Please PLEASE add more scales …. There should be at least 30 scales and tunings to choose from ## Frequently asked questions about Fugue Machine Rubato ### What does Fugue Machine Rubato do? Fugue Machine Rubato is a powerful MIDI sequencer that allows users to create and manipulate musical sequences with a unique time-bending engine. It offers a multi-dimensional musical canvas where playheads can move nonlinearly, accelerating, decelerating, freezing, and changing direction. ### What are the key features of Fugue Machine Rubato? Key features include a nonlinear time engine for expressive playhead movement, robust parameter automation for notes and nearly everything else, the ability to sculpt envelopes with curves and shapes, and support for up to eight playheads simultaneously. It also offers per-playhead note echoes, arpeggiation, and extensive MIDI routing options. ### How much does Fugue Machine Rubato cost? Fugue Machine Rubato is a universal app with a one-time purchase. This single purchase allows you to use the app on your iPad, iPhone, and Mac. ### What devices is Fugue Machine Rubato compatible with? The app is compatible with iPad, iPhone, and Mac (both Intel and Apple Silicon processors). It also supports Ableton Link and MIDI, and can be used as an AUv3 MIDI plugin within compatible host applications like AUM, Logic Pro for iPad, Loopy Pro, and Cubasis. ### Can I try Fugue Machine Rubato before buying? Yes, you can try a free demo of Fugue Machine Rubato via TestFlight. To access the demo and learn more, you can visit the official website at fuguemachinerubato.com. ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 1.1.0 — 2025-06-29 - AUv3 support for Mac. - added AUv3 settings to customize behavior when the host is cycling around a loop. ### 1.0.2 — 2025-06-04 - fixed an issue on Mac where, after presenting the Ableton Link popover, the application may have stopped accepting clicks until the window was removed from focus. ### 1.0.1 — 2025-05-28 - if the app is closed while the sequencer is playing, any active MIDI notes are now turned off ### 1.0.0 — 2025-05-20 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Fugue Machine Rubato | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Fauve : flawed reconstructor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fauve-flawed-reconstructor/id6749634822) | 4.7 (18) | $7.99 | Music | | [Skulptur](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skulptur/id6741394300) | 5.0 (8) | $12.99 | Music | | [Outgrowth - Sample Instrument](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outgrowth-sample-instrument/id6755965753) | 4.7 (18) | $19.99 | Music | | [Low Poly Synth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/low-poly-synth/id6756301040) | 4.8 (18) | $0.99 | Music | | [Transit 2 - Baby Audio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/transit-2-baby-audio/id6753751150) | 4.9 (14) | $29.99 | Music | | [Battalion - Drum Machine](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/battalion-drum-machine/id6743767101) | 4.6 (33) | $39.99 | Music | ## More apps by Alexandernaut - [Arpeggionome Pro \| matrix arpeggiator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arpeggionome-pro-matrix-arpeggiator/id582627943) - [Arpeggionome for iPhone \| matrix arpeggiator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arpeggionome-for-iphone-matrix-arpeggiator/id628246058) - [Fugue Machine : MIDI Sequencer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fugue-machine-midi-sequencer/id1014191410) - [Link to MIDI](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/link-to-midi/id1066216595) All apps by Alexandernaut: https://appshunter.io/developer/508173422 ## Related topics [fugue machine rubato](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/fugue-machine-rubato) · [fugue machine](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/fugue-machine) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-07.*