Woodman’s Immaculate Maple Syrup Studio (WIMSS) has released WoodTroller, a new flexible AUv3 MPE keyboard controller app for iOS and macOS.
In recent years, more and more MIDI controllers with MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), have come onto the market. The Linnstrument, the ROLI Seaboards, or more recently, the Osmose, which is actually also a Synthesizer.
MPE also works with touch interfaces. Slightly different, but the basic idea is the same. You can play instruments expressively by modulating several parameters at the same time per voice. WIMSS has published this week an app that brings a fully programmable MPE keyboard to your AUv3 apps.
WoodTroller
WoodTroller is an MPE multi-touch bar keyboard and MIDI macro controller AUv3 app. The MPE touch bar supports multiple notes (on iPad) with individual pitch shift (horizontal movement), pressure and CC74 (vertical movement). Number of notes visible, center note and pitch end values for MPE and non-MPE can be user set.
The app has 8 general rotary controls:
- Each can send 6 different CC messages to different channels.
- Each of the 6 command values can be mapped differently to the full rotary range.
- So 1 rotary can control several parameters on the same or on different instruments.
- Rotary names, colours, units, ranges can all be user set.
There are also 8 general purpose on-off or push buttons
- Each button can send up to 8 different MIDI commands (CC, PC, NoteOn, …) to different channels.
- This allows to quickly switch multiple MIDI instruments or devices to another program or to other settings.
- Each MIDI command’s data value can be auto-incremented/decremented.
- All button names, colours, types can be user set.
All settings can be stored in presets in iCloud which yield automatic preset syncing between several WoodTrollers on different devices.
First Impression
The app reminds me of Numerical Audio’s KB-1 keyboard app I’ve used in videos. I’m curious if this app will raise the level even higher.
WoodTroller runs as a standalone app and as an AUv3 app. It is available now for $11,99 from the Apple AppStore. It runs on iPad but also macOS as a single-touch device.
More information here: Woodman’s Immaculate Maple Syrup Studio (WIMSS) AppStore
How does this support pressure on iPad? Only a few models of iPhone came with 3D Touch, with iPhone 8 being the last.
The iPad doesn’t support 3D Touch or pressure. It’s implemented differently than regular MPE to make it possible. With sliding etc.
great name! Woodtoller!