RS vs Vagabond Synth

RS-1 turns your mobile device into a hardware-grade sequencer that feels like the real thing. Built for iPhone and iPad, it packs 6 tracks (8 on iPad), a tactile 16-step grid, and 8 joinable patterns you can chain into full arrangements. Drive any piece of hardware or software instrument with real-time MIDI 2.0 over Bluetooth, USB, or Wi-Fi, and lock everything to your rig with Ableton Link sync. Five unique tools let you edit, alter, and even scramble your patterns on the fly, building complex polyrhythms and melodies with just a few tweaks. The interface borrows its workflow straight from classic hardware sequencers: every control for every track sits right in front of you, so you stay locked into your musical ideas instead of menu diving. All of it slips right into your pocket. SEQUENCING The beat grid runs six horizontal tracks across sixteen vertical steps. Tap a cell to toggle its trigger gate. Each track has its own free-running playhead, so you can build polymeter by giving different tracks different effective lengths. Eight independent patterns share the same track routing - MIDI channels, mute/solo states, and output destinations carry across every pattern. Hold down the pattern buttons to chain them into a sequence, and use Copy/Paste to duplicate a pattern in a tap. FIVE CREATIVE TOOLS 1. Note Input Tool - Edit a track in focus view. Tap a track header to open five tabs, each assigning a per-step value: - Pitch: Set each step's pitch, quantised to a scale. Custom scales supported. - Velocity: Rescale overall velocity with a single slider. - Gate: Adjust note duration per step. - Ratchet: Set the number of repeats; a slider adjusts the repeat interval. - Chance: Probability-based step removal. 2. CC Tool - Edit a track's MIDI CC messages in focus view. Tap a track header to open five tabs: four CC slots plus a Program Change tab. Draw automation curves for filter sweeps and modulation, or send program changes manually for preset switching. 3. Combine Tool - Stitch adjacent steps into longer, legato notes. Drag across cells to select, then press Combine to join them. 4. Time Tool - Shape playback per track: Division (step length), Shift (rotate the pattern in time), Swing, and Loop length. 5. Order Tool - Choose from 19 play orders, ranging from straight patterns to algorithmic, generative ones. MIDI & CONNECTIVITY SETUP 1. Open the Config menu. For a wireless connection: - Bluetooth LE: Connect iOS to an external Bluetooth MIDI device. Tap "Scan" to discover nearby devices, then tap "Connect" to pair. Pairing happens once; the device reconnects automatically from then on. - Bluetooth Peripheral: Connect to macOS over Bluetooth. Turn on the switch, then open the Bluetooth page in macOS Audio MIDI Setup and click Connect. - Network MIDI: Connect to macOS over Wi-Fi. open macOS Audio MIDI Setup, create a network session, and connect to your device. - USB MIDI: Available when a USB-to-MIDI OUT cable is plugged into your device. Once connected, the device appears in the output selection. 2. Choose your MIDI output destination from the drop-down menu. NOTE: Wireless connections can introduce latency and jitter. For the most stable timing, USB is recommended. MIDI 2.0 output: per-track channel routing. Supports MIDI clock sync and MIDI transport sync. Ableton Link: Automatic beat synchronisation across devices and apps on the same network that support Link. Tempo changes follow instantly, and Start/Stop sync is available. PRESETS 16 preset slots capture everything - all patterns, tool states, MIDI routing, and settings. Slots are colour-coded for quick identification, and you can load or save in a single tap. PERMISSIONS - Bluetooth: Used to connect with Bluetooth MIDI devices. - Wireless Data: Used to connect to a macOS network Wi-Fi MIDI session. It does not access the internet. - Find Devices on Local Network: Used for Ableton Link.

Vagabond is an idiosyncratic wavetable synthesiser, running standalone or as an AUv3 instrument in compatible hosts such as GarageBand, AUM, Loopy Pro or Cubasis. It features 16 voice polyphony, 4 unison oscillators per voice plus a sub-oscillator, switchable filter, a bit of modulation and some effects. Also built in is a MIDI processor plugin, Twelve, a generative music toy that creates 12-bar blues sequences. Vagabond uses this for demo purposes, but you can load it in other hosts if you like. It's kind of a one trick pony, but one trick is better than none. As always, Vagabond is 100% free, no IAPs, no subs, no spyware, no nag screens. We don't want your money and we don't want your data.