4Pockets Helium is a new lightweight AUv3 MIDI sequencer for iPad & Apple M1 that brings you back to classic, rock-solid sequencing.
Sequencers on iOS have many advantages: They do not cost much, often only 10 $ €, are often overloaded with features, and receive regular updates. Whether internally or externally, they can be used in a variety of ways. Thanks to the CCK adapter or USB-C hub + interface, iPad sequencers also communicate very well with the outside world. It a bit fiddly at the beginning but afterward it works, in my case.
4Pockets, known for its numerous iPad apps, has now released a new MIDI sequencer called Helium which only has the most essential functionality. Away from crazy note twisting algorithms, probability, or ratecheting to very basic MIDI sequencing.
4Pockets Helium
Helium is a new CPU-friendly, feature-rich MIDI sequencer for iOS with AUv3. According to the developer, it is lightweight and specially designed for the Kymatica AUM host/mixer app. It supports up to 16 tracks of unlimited length with the ability to direct output to 16 channels on up to 16 MIDI outputs ports. Then it has full editing of CC controllers via the controller lane.
No information so far if the app supports polyrhythmic sequences. This means whether you can use other time signatures for each sequence, but they are in sync with each other. One thing it can do for sure is importing and exporting MIDI data. It has the ability to import and maintain your libraries of MIDI clips using the built-in Media Bay.
You can quickly build a song by dragging and dropping your MIDI clips from the media bay onto your timeline. You can also save your own clips inside this management system to create your own personal MIDI clip libraries.
To make it easier, Helium ships with a library of over 7000 MIDI clips, consisting of every chord and chord progression you could ever need. Certain service providers advertise it heavily on YouTube and charge $39 for these. Here you get it for free as a bonus in one $10 app.
Remote Looping
Helium has a unique function called “remote looping” that allows you to break down the timeline into sections. You can define up to 12 loops which can be used to specify the locations of say the intro, verse, chorus, and outro within your song, then trigger these loops seamlessly in sync with the host tempo It is also possible to trigger these loops with MIDI notes once they are captured.
Plus you get many helpful functions such as independent vertical & horizontal zooming, mixer with mute/solo, and more.
This new sequencer app looks super solid. It is pretty classic and doesn’t go very deep into MIDI note manipulation. Other MIDI sequencers can score points here with ratcheting etc., this one can do other things better. Helium can be perfect for anyone who wants to create sequencers using MIDI files or someone who is looking for a classic, straightforward sequencer without feature shock.
4Pockets Helium is available now for $9.99 USD and runs on iPad and macOS 11.0 with M1.
More information here: 4Pockets
That was a very helpful write up, nice work. The clip launching functionality looks cool- what I really want so bad is a sequencer AUV3 that lets you shoot off groups of clips in AUM, Ableton style!
Atom 2 does this. Here’s some videos showing it in action:
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POZeR6WF0m0
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw7bdC9tp_Q
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzd7C-OUcOw
Those vids blew my mind and I bought Atom 2 along with LK…currently watching more vids to learn how to set it all up in AUM, but it really does finally seem like Ableton Session View on my iPhone, which is crazy cool I can’t believe it!
Same old, same old. Be good to see some actual innovation. This design has been done a thousand times already.