ARPJAM Studio vs Little Arp Monster

No sequences. No loops. A generative synth that plays on by your rules. And you can play right along. Key, scale, density, complexity — just set the rules, and five machines (arpeggios, bass, drums and a sampler) keep playing, with a different phrase every time. What you shape is not a song — it is a way of sounding. No AI picks the notes: your rules and probability do. Move a slider and the sound changes shape without ever stopping. Density, contour, filter, tape movement. It is built so that nothing you touch can break it. Then play right along with your own fingers. The on-screen key pad holds only the notes of the current scale, so nothing goes off-key. Play ARP A, ARP B, BASS or DRUMS, or connect a MIDI keyboard. What you play can be captured into the looper. ■ Five machines • ARP A / ARP B — two independent arpeggio engines. Ten arpeggio types, including Phrase (builds melodies) and Fingerpick (fingerstyle guitar) • BASS — a dedicated bass engine (STEP / COMPLEXITY / OMIT / PATTERN) • DRUMS — a drum machine built from probabilities (KICK / SNARE / HIHAT / NOISE) • SAMPLE — record one bar, slice it, rearrange it • Chord progressions (presets / automatic / 16 custom slots), ten time signatures, six LFOs ■ Slice (SAMPLE) • Record one bar from a mic or line input, with count-in and click • Record the app itself (ARP A / ARP B / drums), and overdub onto it • Load audio files — and the audio from a video file • Up to 64 slices, ordered by the same rules as the arps: direction, reverse, octave, probability, groove • STRETCH (on by default) — change tempo without changing pitch • Its own filter, envelope and delay / reverb sends ■ Play • On-screen key pad — always in scale; play ARP A, ARP B, BASS or DRUMS • PEDAL (sustain) and a one-bar looper that records how hard you played and transposes with the chords • MIDI keyboard input (ARP A / ARP B / BASS; damper pedal, pitch bend, standard control changes) • XY pad and performance FX that work only while held ■ Sound (11 voices) • Piano — three velocity layers, stereo, damper release • Electric piano — harmonics shift with how hard you strike • Nylon-string guitar — synthesised with a physical string model • Marimba, kalimba, handpan and chime — struck instruments, measured from the real ones and synthesised • Waveforms (sine / triangle / saw / square) plus an acid filter • Filter, ADSR, five drive types, tremolo — shaped per voice • Delay, reverb, Glitch, Granular • DRIFT / FLUTTER — tape movement on the synth voices and the live input alike • Concert pitch A=415–444 Hz ■ Connect • AUv3 plug-in — as an instrument, as an effect, and as a MIDI effect • Ableton Link, MIDI Clock, MIDI out (ARP A / ARP B / BASS / DRUMS), LFOs and XY as MIDI CC • External audio input (line / microphone) • Background playback — keeps playing when you switch to another app (iPhone / iPad) • WAV recording and export One-time purchase. No subscription.

WHAT IT IS Little Arp Monster is a MIDI arpeggiator that goes well beyond the usual. Build patterns from arpeggiated notes, full chords, rests, and even notes outside the chord, then let them evolve across a full arrangement. A finely tuned randomizer creates unique, musical patterns or alters your own, and a single Spice dial lets you decide whether you want classic, tasteful arps or wild ideas no traditional arp is able to generate. It's an arpeggiator for musicians who want to compose, not just repeat. WHAT IT DOES * Step grid: sequence scale degrees, full chords, and rests across 16 steps to build rhythmic patterns. Change the key and every note follows. * Scenes: each comes with its own settings and step grid. Use them for variations on one idea, or completely different motifs. * Arranger: set a progression that plays out over time - swap chord types, shift degrees, transpose the key, or switch scenes exactly when you choose. * Modulation lane: shape Velocity, Cutoff, Decay, or any CC. Locks to the same steps as your notes and follows when you switch scenes. * Randomize and Mutate: both always stay musical. Spice decides how adventurous it gets - from classic tasteful arps to patterns no arp could ever produce. * Built-in audition synth: hear your arp directly in the app without needing a connected instrument. REQUIREMENTS * iPad with iPadOS 15 or later, or iPhone with iOS 15 or later * An AUv3 host that supports MIDI processor plugins, e.g. AUM, Cubasis, or Drambo