Grid based instruments are not a new thing by any means, either in hardware or in iOS land. However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for improvement. So along comes GridInstrument, and app that lets you play your iOS device like a musical instrument, and as with many grid based apps, instead of a piano keyboard, notes are arranged on a grid. GridInstrument also lets you hook up your Launchpad device (using the Apple Camera Connection Kit) and play that as well!
So let’s take a look at the app’s description and features:
- Launchpad integration (the app can connect your Launchpad Mini in low-power mode without a hub or any other Launchpad with a powered hub)
- Change octaves
- Change keys
- Change from over 20 musical modes (“Major, Minor, Dorian, Mixolydian, etc.”)
- Choose between two grid layouts (“Diatonic 4th” or “Chromatic/4ths String Layout”)
- Core MIDI out so that you use GridInstrument to control your other instruments
- Audiobus 3 MIDI support
Also GridInstrument has just had a fairly big update with some nice new features and additional support. Here’s what’s new:
- New feature: When you’re tethered to a Launchpad, the scale button (top-right) lets you change key, musical mode, and layout right on your Launchpad, octave down.
- New feature: When you’re tethered to a Launchpad, there are now octave down and up buttons (top row, first two buttons)
- We now save grid settings so that when you restart the app you can pick up where you left off.
- Also, if a Launchpad is hooked up to your iOS device when you launch the app, tethering will happen automatically.
- iPhone X support
- Updated to Audiobus 3.0.3 (support for iPhone X)
- “Triggers adjacent cells” is now the default drag behavior
- The on-screen Grid Instrument settings menu button now has an icon and that icon is now always on the top-right.
- A bunch of under-the-hood improvements that will increase response time for tethered Launchpads
- Fixed a bug that was causing cells on the far right of the onscreen grid to stop lighting up after a Launchpad tethering session had taken place
It’s also worthing taking a look at some of the videos that are available for GridInstrument:
GridInstrument costs $2.99 on the app store now: