Sidecar MIDI Controller vs ULTIMIDI

There are hundreds of great iOS synth apps, but playing them with on-screen keyboards can be a challenge. Sidecar turns your ordinary QWERTY keyboard into a powerful MIDI controller.  The lower part of the keyboard is mapped piano-style, letting you play melodies with the physical keys -- much easier to keep your fingers in the right place, and to get the notes you want. The app is configurable; you can have ten different set-ups, and switch between them quickly with a tap on the "QWERTY" row. There are also ten configureable pads for each set-up, which you can trigger with the number keys. Each pad can play a specific note, a chord, generate a program change message, or send a control code. Because Sidecar operates in slide-over and side-by-side mode on the iPad, you can use your physical keyboard with any MIDI app, even if the other app is running in the background. On screen, you have access to each of the pads -- map the knobs and sliders of your synth apps to MIDI CC messages, and then use Sidecar to adjust these sliders as you play. Sidecar also provides a scale-configurable virtual keyboard. Pick the scale you want, and then you can't hit a wrong note. In addition to external keyboards, Sidecar also supports many game controllers. The app is now universal; while the iPhone doesn't support slide-over, you can still take advantage of the configuration options of the app. * Easy MIDI Configuration With ten separately configurable MIDI destinations you can quickly set up a set of assignments for each of the MIDI apps that you use. Have a set of chords for Animoog, choose different presets for ToneStack, or assign pads to different samples for DM1. Each MIDI destination has ten configurable pads, which can be assigned to chords, single notes, a program change message, or a controller change message. For notes and chords, the touch position controls note velocity. For controller change messages, the location of a touch on screen can be used to determine the controller value. * QWERTY Keyboard Support Toggle on support for the external keyboard, and you can switch between the ten MIDI destinations quickly (using the keys in the QWERTY row). Toggle on or off any of the ten pads by pressing the number keys. The two lowest rows of keys are mapped as a standard piano keyboard, providing a musical play surface with an ordinary text keyboard. Note that QWERTY keyboards only send "key press" information to your iPad -- to silence a sounding note, you simply tap the space bar. * AUv3 Support Add the plug-in to your favorite DAW or looper, and Sidecar will give you easy access to multiple synths. Many AUv3 hosts will also let you map the keyboard keys to the transport controls. * Game Controller Ready Sidecar also supports the iON iCade game controller, mapping the buttons of the iCade to the pads. Because the iCade was designed for games, it sends button press and release information, which makes it easy to toggle on and off the pads. * MIDI Relay If you have an external MIDI controller, you can have it send MIDI events to Sidecar -- and these will be relayed to any of the ten MIDI destinations you select. Use this to quickly switch from one synth to another. *Control Background Synths Because Sidecar sends MIDI messages, it can be used to control background synthesizers, sequencers, and effects apps. Sidecar is designed to work along side your other iOS music apps.

Design custom MIDI touch control surfaces with ease. Assign gesture bindings, physics behaviors, automation, visual design, and more on the fly. ----- Make your instrument feel like YOU. ULTIMIDI lets you build your perfect controller layout on a free-form canvas. Add faders, knobs, XY pads, buttons, joysticks, step sequencers, and MUCH more, then arrange and connect them together exactly how you want. Advanced Connectivity: - Connect to any MIDI-capable app, hardware synth, DAW, or Bluetooth MIDI enabled device. (Network connectivity features coming soon!) Automation Capabilities: - Hand draw your LFO curves or instantly adjust a step sequencer. ULTIMIDI prioritizes ZERO menus when in performance mode. Set up your automation targets ahead of time, and adjust them instantly with your own UI layout. Powerful control logic: - Need that fader to push to 75% only when button A and button B are pressed at the same time? No problem. - Chain actions, build logic gates, bind global gestures, and sync them all with with an internal or external MIDI clock. - Complex routing is made simple with zero coding knowledge required. Other Goodies: - Keep multiple controller layouts locally or save them to the cloud - Cross platform capabilities - Map anything with an external MIDI controller - Loop your control devices - Show photos / video on your canvas - Much more Designed for YOU, the creative musician who wants to connect all of their gear together for ease of use in performance or studio workflows without kneeling down to the manufacturer's idea of a "convenient" layout. ----- ULTIMIDI is a growing platform empowering musicians with simple to use MIDI tools that pack a punch under the hood. Music production can be a highly technical pursuit. For some of us that's part of the enjoyment of the activity, and for others, we just want to play. ULTIMIDI seeks to find a balance between complex routing / logic behaviors, and a no-code, open canvas interface that is fun and enjoyable to use. So whether you just want a few knobs with custom emoji cursors, or you want to create a full control surface brain to connect your entire studio together, ULTIMIDI does it all. Inject your soul and creative eye into your control surface, without abandoning technical complexity. ----- ULTIMIDI is in active development, we are actively adding in new features and control devices. Any future additions to the standard version or the currently available add-on packs will be automatically applied to purchases made today. Join the touch control movement!