Reactable has announced Rotor, a new app that claims to transform the Apple iPad into a comprehensive electronic music performance suite, as well as the new Rotor Controllers. The new controllers, which can be purchased separately, brings the original Reactable tabletop concept to life by providing a tangible music experience that has captivated musicians such as Björk, Coldplay and Gui Boratto, for the first time into the iPad.
Reactable Rotor Features:
» Automatic real-time key detection of your loops and wavefiles, allows to play them either as masters, thus determining the tonality of the whole session, or as slaves, thus adapting them to this computed tonality.
» Up to 9 simultaneous voices using loops, samplers, synthesizers and line input, plus any combination of effects and controllers.
» Create patches on the fly combining up to 24 simultaneous modules. Modulate any parameter.
» Control everything using multi-touch gestures plus the optional ROTOR controllers (can be purchased separately).
» Ableton Link integration allows to play in perfect sync with Ableton Live running in your laptop, as well as with other Ableton Link compatible iOS apps running in other devices. Combine multiple ROTOR instances running on separate iPads.
» Change the tempo of your session without affecting its pitch.
» Additional Swing and Tap tempo control.
» The automatic real-time key detection of loops and sound files can also be applied to ROTOR’s synths, samplers, sequencers and virtual keyboards, insuring that no note will ever be out of key.
» Configure manually up to 6 additional tonalities or chords, that will also affect the tonal content of keyboards and sequencers.
» Record and save loops on-the-fly and integrate them into your performance, without interrupting the music and creative flow. Save them for exporting them to other applications.
» MIDI IN settings allows any object to receive external control from a different user-selectable MIDI port/channels.
» Use the iPad accelerometer for controlling any module parameter.
» Use ROTOR 100+ exclusive loops or import your own, in WAV or OGG format.
» Use ROTOR 100+ sampler presets or import your own in SF2 format.
» Contextual help and 100+ pages interactive manual with 30+ demos and tutorials.
Something New…
Although it includes elements of a soft synthesizer, sequencer and a digital audio workstation, Reactable claims it’s something new. Rotor incorporates dozens of modules, among instruments, audio effects, modulators and controllers, which can be linked all together using a flexible and unique routing system, for creating the most expressive and intricate patches. It is a multitouch/tangible instrument specially designed for live interaction and performance.
With the exclusive physical control objects especially conceived for the iPad, Rotor brings the unique tangible experience of the Reactable for the first time to the iPad. This means that while all standard multi-touch capabilities are preserved, the ability to control any parameter by moving and twisting our tangible pucks over the iPad’s surface, brings three additional degrees of freedom to each hand. Rotor can also be used without the controllers, which will be available sometime in November.
Rotor comes with automatic real-time key detection and time stretching algorithms that allow for samples, loops and sequences to stay not only in sync but also in harmony with each other. All wavefiles can be configured either as masters, thus determining at any instant the tonality of the whole session, or as slaves, thus adapting automatically to this computed tonality.
Rotor’s MIC/LINE IN module and arsenal of effects / modulators allows users to process voice, guitars, or any other instrument, in new ways. With Audiobus, Rotor can be used as an input/output device in combination with any other compatible music apps. Any Rotor module can also receive external MIDI control from any user-selectable MIDI port/channel. Moreover, its integration of Ableton Link allows Rotor to play in perfect sync with Ableton Live and other Ableton Link compatible iOS apps running inside of other devices.
Rotor includes dozens of multitouch control panels such as virtual keyboards, polyphonic and monophonic step-sequencers, envelope generators, or 2D panels, which empower to control in real-time, every detail or nuance of the performance. On the other hand, interconnecting less linear and less predictable modules, such as the accelerometer input, feedback, etc., opens a whole universe of complex generative and serendipitous creations. This, combined with Rotor’s live recording capabilities, which simplify the capturing of loops on-the-fly and always in sync, turns Rotor into the a loop creation machine.
Rotor also comes with 100+ high-quality loops and sessions created by music producers. Along with these loops, users can import their own ones and combine them with Rotor’s advanced synthesis and processing capabilities.
Reactable’s Rotor will be released this Thursday, the 13th of October with a special launch price $9.99 / €9.99.
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