Hohner MIDI SqueezeBox vs KeyStage

The Hohner MIDI SqueezeBox is a 31-button three-row diatonic Button Accordion CoreMIDI control surface for the iPad. The app doesn't produce any sound on it own, it is designed for playing hardware and software VST-style MIDI synthesizers via a CoreMIDI compatible interface connected to the dock connector or virtual MIDI instruments like Roland Sound Canvas for iOS, IK Multimedia SampleTank®, or Sonosaurus ThumbJam running on your iPad. Inspired by the iconic Hohner Corona II, the app uses the standard GCF (Sol) button layout popular for Tex-Mex, Norteño, Tejano, Conjunto, Vallenato, and similar styles of button accordion. Please visit the app website to see a demo video of playing SampleTank with the Hohner MIDI SqueezeBox. Touch the buttons with the fingers on your right hand to play. Buttons highlight when playing. Multiple buttons may be pressed at the same time to make chords. This style of accordion plays different notes depending on whether you are pushing or pulling on the bellows. Touch the anywhere in the bellows image at the top of the screen for PUSH notes, lift your finger for PULL notes. The PUSH/PULL indicator shows the current bellows direction. Also, the sides of the bellows light up tracking the bellows motion You may slide your fingers between the buttons. Touch the MIDI connector icon at the upper left corner to show the MIDI controls. Using the controls, you may set the overall instrument MIDI volume, MIDI modulation, MIDI channel (1-8), key attack velocity playing style (fixed or variable), velocity min/max, and transposition (+/- 12 semitones). Both fixed and variable velocity modes are provided to allow for expressive playback. In the variable velocity modes, the X or Y touch position within the bellows sets the velocity for the notes being played. The range for the velocity is set using the Min and Max Velocity sliders. For fixed velocity, the Max Velocity slider value is used. You may also set the Max Velocity to less than the Min Velocity to reverse the direction for velocity mapping in the bellows touch areas. The app is based on the standard GCF tuning. Other common tunings can be achieved by setting the transposition control. For example, for FBbEb (Fa) tuning, set a -2 semitone transposition. For EAD (Mi) tuning, set a -3 semitone transposition. Touch the '?' icon to show the base layout note names for each button (without transposition). Use the "Transmit MIDI Port" switch to choose between "Omni" sending MIDI data to all CoreMIDI apps (matches previous versions of the app) or "Virtual Port" sending to a named CoreMIDI virtual output port. When the "Virtual Port option is selected, the app will show up as an input option in apps that support virtual ports like Sonosaurus ThumbJam and MidiBridge. "Omni" mode is selected by default. All MIDI settings are saved when the app quits and restored the next time it is run. Touch the 'i' button at the middle top to send a MIDI "All Notes Off" message quiet any "stuck" notes if they occur. Settings for use with other MIDI synthesizer apps: Sonosaurus ThumbJam: - In "Preferences", under "Options", enabled "Background Audio". If using the "Virtual Port" transmit port option, enable the input port under Preferences / MIDI Control / MIDI Input Connections. IK Multimedia SampleTank: - In Settings (touch the gear icon), enable "Background Audio". IK Multimedia iRig MIDI Hardware MIDI Interface: - For simple direct connection, in MIDI SqueezeBox, set the "Transmit MIDI Port" option to "Omni" . - If using a MIDI filtering app like MidiBridge to modify the data stream, in MIDI SqueezeBox, set the "Transmit MIDI Port" option to "Virtual Port". Other CoreMIDI compatible synth apps will have similar settings. Touch the 'i' icon to show the instructions page. Be sure to visit the AppCordions.com website for MIDI setup and demo videos!

TRY THE FREE LITE VERSION: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/keystage-lite/id1437899019 KeyStage is a master controller, AUv3 host, and audio mixer app designed mainly for keyboard players. With KeyStage, you can simultaneously control any number of hardware and software instruments using any number of MIDI controllers in an organized way. Each project consists of sections (which corresponds to sections of a song). In each section you can change sounds and sound parameters of connected instruments, create complex splits and layers of your keyboard(s), change the functionalities of sliders/knobs/pedals of your MIDI controllers by creating advanced MIDI mappings, write your own scripts, view PDF and JPG files (e.g. sheet music) and lyrics, and much more. LIST OF FEATURES • Connect any number of MIDI controller to any number of MIDI instruments by creating tracks. • Load AUv3 instruments, effects, and MIDI Processors. • Assign any region of your keyboard(s) to any connected instrument. • Change velocity curve and velocity limits, and create velocity splits and layers. • Transpose notes and restrict notes to any key using pitch shifter. • Create mixer units to combine audio signals, turning KeyStage into an audio mixer. • With the player units, you can play wav, mp3, and m4a files, add marker points, automate actions (like play, stop, move to a marker etc.) using custom translators, or trigger certain events (like changing sections) when the player reaches a certain marker. • Input units allows you to use the microphone input, or the hardware inputs of a connected audio interface. • The Main Mixer view allows you to control volume levels and pans of all tracks, connect effect units, and connect units to mixer units. • Create instrument presets to easily change sounds of instruments by choosing patch names from patch lists. • KeyStage can also import Cubase Patch Scripts to automatically create instrument presets for your MIDI instruments. • KeyStage automatically detects new MIDI connections and recommends matching instrument presets from a database. • Simulate auto-sustain on any connected instrument. • KeyStage has a multi-track recorder, which lets you record any number of tracks simultaneously. • Change or filter any MIDI signal using custom translators. Use “Relative Control” switch to smoothly change the parameters of your instruments without any jumps. • Use XY control unit to send control change and pitch bend messages to any connected MIDI instrument. • Create setlists, quick access all the songs in a setlist from a setlist bar, move to previous/next songs from live console or using external MIDI. • Create virtual MIDI inputs/outputs for KeyStage. • Use virtual MIDI piano controller to play connected instruments. • View PDF and JPG files. Link any page or region of any file to any section. • Backup and restore your songs and global properties to Dropbox. • Map special actions (like changing octaves, switching sections, changing pages of a PDF file) to notes and controllers using custom translators. • You can write your own scripts in custom translators, which opens up endless possibilities. • Use MPE routing to control any MIDI instrument using MPE controllers like Seaboard. Use custom translators to change the functionalities of each MPE dimension. • KeyStage supports smooth transitions between sections. Pressed notes will continue to sound when you switch sections. You can access demo videos and video tutorials on my Youtube channel.