Neon is a new, powerful MIDI sequencer app for iOS and macOS with an impressive arsenal of generative tools to supercharge your sequences with depth.
The iPad is an extremely versatile music production tool. The Apple app store is packed with excellent synthesizers for little money. There are also high-quality effects, including from Eventide and FabFiliter. Also, DAWs are at a very high level with Logic Pro for iPad, Cubasis, or Auria Pro.
iOS can also transmit MIDI data from one app to another or external gear. Great with iOS sequencers. My favorites so far are the all-time classic Fugue Machine or Atom 2 for the more complex stuff. I need to extend this list with a new app. The developer Aaron Meyers has released a new inspiring MIDI sequencer packed with generative extras.
Neon
Neon is a new sequencer app that can classically sequence notes but just as well as turn them completely on their head. At the core, you notice that the app is not a classic sequencer with 8, 16, or 32 steps.
The main section of Neon consists of eight stages aka patterns, each with three controls: pitch (2 octaves), a pulse count, and a 4-option gate mode. The pulse function can be compared to the awesome function of the RYK M185 sequencer.
Modifiers
Then, great fun starts with the impressive modifier system built into the Neon, which turns your creation into complex sequences. A modifier is an independently running sequence that modifies an aspect of the main sequence. Like the main sequence, modifiers have up to 8 stages or steps.
The app has an impressive list of modifiers, including more classic and more experimental ones:
- octave, transpose, velocity, and MIDI CC
- pulse count, pulse pattern, gate mode, and gate length
- ratchet
- division: add or subtract to the sequences clock division
- order
Additionally, you can tweak how the modifies advances through their steps. There is an advance mode, giving you two additional drive options: note and rachet setting. In the latter, the modifiers will advance for all notes, including ratchets.
Besides this, you can work with a stage mask feature that lets you specify which stages the modifier will apply to. It also offers trigger conditions, so you can set the probability for each stage on which the modifier will have an effect or not.
In addition, Neon also hosts a meta sequencer, with which you can chain the stages together to create super-complex sequences. A wide selection of built-in scales are also onboard.
If you want to know more about all the details, I recommend the complete video guide from Jakob haQ attaQ. He has a brilliant video on it.
First Impression
Many iOS sequencers follow a classic scheme: note sequencing and a few extra features like ratcheting or probability. Neon goes much further here, which I really like. The modifiers are what makes the app so special. I like that you can quickly turn a simple into a very complex, evolving sequence.
For fans of iOS sequencers, this app is hard to miss. At 5,99€, you can give it a try and I think you won’t regret it.
Neon MIDI sequencer is available now for 5,99€. It runs on Apple Vision Pro, iPads, and macOS (Apple Silicon only) in standalone and as an AUv3 MIDI plugin.
More information here: AppStore
I got this for my iPad last week, it’s so much fun.
this sequencer is totally nuts! it has also midi out!