Hohner MIDI SqueezeBox vs WiDI

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!

WiDI is a control surface with an integrated step sequencer in which you create controls such as buttons, pads, knobs and faders to send MIDI events and play sequences. • CONTROL SURFACE AND SEQUENCER: A control is bound to a channel and a specific MIDI Control Change. You can either specify the CC number if you know it, or let the app learn it. Once placed on the surface, use this control to interact with your MIDI device. Alternatively, any CC event sent by your device will be shown live by the control(s) bound to this CC. Pads are special controls: they can either produce MIDI CC events, Notes or Program changes. If bound to a CC, the pad can act as an on/off switch (you specify the values for each state.) If bound to a note, each tap produces the specified MIDI note. This is especially useful to operate MIDI instruments without keyboards such as synthesizer modules or drum machines. A sequence can hold as many tracks as you wish, and send notes to different MIDI channels. Sequences can play in sync or running freely. You may also group sequences together to start or pause them at the same time. • MIDI: To interface WiDI with any MIDI instruments/devices connected to your Mac or PC, connect to a MIDI Network Session on your Mac or your PC. On a Mac, this is natively supported by macOS, and you do not need to install third party software (use Audio MIDI Setup.) On a PC running Windows, you might want to install rtpMIDI. As an alternative to MIDI Network Sessions, you may use the WiDI Desktop Application. It acts as a MIDI bridge between the network and your MIDI hardware. You can install the desktop application on as many computers as you want (it's free!). It's a very lightweight package that doesn't need to perform any installation procedure whatsoever. You may download the WiDI Desktop Application for macOS on the Mac App Store, or go to : https://www.hypertide.com/widi/ for both macOS and Windows archives. Additionally, any class-compliant MIDI interface natively supported by iOS can also be used directly by WiDI without the need of a network connection. • FEATURES: ○ Use any CoreMIDI-supported MIDI interface connected to your device ○ MIDI network session: use WiDI as an external control surface for any DAW such as Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase, ... ○ Multiple iPhone and iPad can connect to your computer, allowing different control surfaces simultaneously ○ Integrated step sequencer: create sequences, each one holding as many tracks as needed ○ Sequences can run freely or in sync and start simultaneously if grouped together in fire groups ○ Auto discover MIDI CC : you don't need to know each one to add controls, WiDI learns CC numbers sent by your devices ○ Automate CC : sweep ranges or use the step modulator to design patterns to modulate controls values, supporting various advanced options like step-by-step or smooth variations, bouncing, repeating, changing speed ○ Add as many pads as you want to generate MIDI Notes, Control Changes or Program Changes ○ Flexible control surface : set layout and grid size for both portrait and landscape orientations ○ Re-arranging controls is as simple as drag & drop ○ Fully customizable user interface : themes, colors, display of values and labels, aspect ratios, grid spacing, grid coloring, background, ... ○ Integrated File Manager to load and save your surfaces, which are also accessible in the iOS Files app and your computer's iTunes connection ○ Exchange surfaces between devices with the integrated QR code generator and scanner ○ Or use the share feature, so you may import them on any device. We'd love to hear from you! Should you be in need of support or eager to request a new feature, please contact us at support+widi@hypertide.com