MIDI MACHINE vs Contour

MIDI MACHINE is a fast, playful performance tool built for generating MIDI melodies on the fly. At the heart of MIDI MACHINE are two creative states: SPARK and STRUCTURE. SPARK mode is all about discovery—rapidly generating fresh melodic ideas and happy accidents. 17 randomized melodic rows drawn from an vast internal library, everything is locked to your chosen key. Each melody is sliced into 10 playable parts, letting you remix and reshape ideas in real time without ever hitting a creative wall. STRUCTURE mode lets you compose and perform with intention and move seamlessly between key pairs to trigger chords. Additionally, genre-based chord-progression suggestions form a real progression from a selected genre, so you can play a coherent sequence. This mode is designed to serve users with and without knowledge of music theory. "Super inspiring tool for sketching melodies quickly, whether you’re in the studio or on the move with a minimal setup. You just start playing around and happy accidents happen."
— early user feedback Core Features * 17 MIDI melody rows per set, automatically harmonized to your chosen key * Each melody split into 10 playable tiles for real-time triggering of your favorite sounds * SPARK mode for instant idea generation and exploration * STRUCTURE mode for fixed chords mapped across key pairs, built in arpeggiator and chord group suggestions * Keep randomizing to generate endless new melodic combinations while keeping your settings * SAVE and recall full sets, including patterns, tempo, and performance modes (SPARK) * Note mode: trigger melodic sequences step-by-step * Chord mode: play full harmonies instantly * Loop ON / OFF: continuously cycle note sequences * Hold OFF: slide across tiles for fluid, continuous runs * Hold ON: trigger full sequences with a single tap * Repeat ON / OFF: retrigger tiles rhythmically (1/4 to 1/64) for pattern creation * Fixed velocity option for consistent dynamics * Edit individual tile MIDI sequences * Reverse entire rows * Octave shift up or down * Double or halve playback speed (Note mode) (STRUCTURE) * Group: Genre-based chord-progression suggestions. Highlights/labels tiles on the grid that form a real progression from the selected genre. * Arp: Turns a held chord into a rolling sequence of individual notes. • Style – 16 note-order patterns (Up, Down, Converge, Pinky Up, Random, etc.). • Rate – Speed of each note: 1/4 to 1/64, relative to BPM. • Groove – Straight (default) or Swing 8/16/32 for a more human rhythmic feel. * Hold OFF: slide across tiles for fluid, continuous runs * Hold ON: trigger full sequences with a single tap * Add automatic Bass Note to each chord * Repeat ON / OFF: retrigger tiles rhythmically (1/4 to 1/64) for pattern creation * Fixed velocity option for consistent dynamics Performance Controls * Global pitch shift in semitones for instant transposition of the entire set * Adjustable BPM with tap tempo and fine control * Flexible visible row count (5–17) for compact or expanded layouts * Scrollable row view with FIRST ROW selection MIDI MACHINE is built for musicians who want a different approach to creating ideas—fast, intuitive, and a little unpredictable. Whether you're sketching melodies or experimenting with generative patterns, it keeps everything playful, unique, and fun."

Contour is an instrument you play by walking. Four neural decoders sit at the corners of a square. Your finger somewhere in the middle is a blend of all four, and the square is drawn as a survey sheet. The contour lines are not decoration. They come from what those four decoders actually produce, laid out so that equal distances on screen are equal perceptual distances in sound. Cross a line and the sound has changed by a measured amount. THE SHEETS Eleven of them, each a different set of four corners, each chosen by measuring the whole library rather than by ear. They are grouped by what the measurement found: BRIGHT — HEHUAN, the brightest, where all four corners hold their own. CONTRAST — BEIYIDUAN, the widest corner spread at 8.2 times. BREATH — NENGGAO, the breathiest. DEPTH — MABO, the deepest at 53 dB. RANGE — YUSHAN, the widest at 66 semitones; JIAMING, the most focused at 17. They are named after Taiwan's high mountain traverses. PLAYING IT Touch the sheet to sound it. The ribbon underneath sets pitch, or send MIDI and play it from a keyboard. Press harder and the note opens up — the contact patch of your finger is the dynamic. Hold on empty ground to drop a mark you can come back to. The readout above the ribbon tells you where you are while you are there: brightness, noise, the grid reference, the frequency. IN A HOST Contour is also an AUv3 plug-in. It runs in AUM, GarageBand, Cubasis, Logic for iPad and anything else that hosts Audio Units, with the position automatable as two parameters and the sheet recallable with your session. The plug-in draws the same map the app does, laid out for the window a host gives it. WHAT IS FREE Three sheets — BEIYIDUAN, NENGGAO and YUSHAN — with the whole instrument: the map, the ribbon, MIDI, reverb, marks, and the plug-in. No time limit and no account. CONTOUR PRO A single purchase, once, unlocks: • All eleven sheets • Recording, straight to a file • The envelope panel — attack, decay, sustain, release • Composing sheets of your own from the library, 4,845 combinations of four corners, with the map baked for the pitches they share Requires iOS 16 or later. iPhone and iPad.