Patterning 3 is the third generation of Olympia Noise Co’s popular circular drum machine for iPad AUv3; free update 3.1 adds macOS with AUv3 support.
Olympia Noise Co. released Patterning 3, the latest version of the popular iOS drum machine and sequencer, in May last year. Highlights include AUv3 support, parametric swing, a fill patterns function, and more.
Almost for its first birthday, the developer of the drum machine app is giving away a major free update 3.1 with new features.
Patterning 3.1
This free update highlights that Patterning 3 now runs on macOS on native Apple Silicon systems without any additional purchase. Download the iPad app on macOS, which will appear in your DAW with AUv3 support. For example, Ableton Live or Logic Pro support AUv3.
The macOS AUv3 version includes support for multi-channel audio and MIDI output. Plus, you can automate the Patterning parameters like any other plugin in your DAW. This is a nice bonus for anyone who has purchased the app.
Another new feature is MIDI file export. You can now generate MIDI files from your programmed patterns and export them using drag-and-drop from the MIDI settings tab. There is also an Export Audio & MIDI menu to generate full patterns.
Yes, indeed, the new Patterning 3.1 also comes with drag-and-drop support for quick sample loading. Drag exported MIDI and audio files from Patterning directly to your DAW for additional editing. Other new features are:
- new project dialog: set your project name, tempo, and time signature before creating a new project.
- built-in tutorials
- drum kit template: make your favorite drum kit the default when creating new projects
- updated audio & MIDI export options.
- rename tracks
- UI enhancements: improved access to mute/solo in the sample editor…
- support for additional samples rates
- bug fixes
I was expecting macOS support in Patterning 3.0, but other features were prioritized then. It’s nice that the developer has added this in version 3.1 as a free update.
Olympia Noise Co Patterning 3.1 is a free update for existing users. The app is out now for $29,99 and runs as a standalone app and AUv3 plugin on iPads and macOS (native Apple Silicon only).
Article from May 24, 2024
I love the iOS operating system for music production and sound design tasks. Even more, since Apple introduced the AUv3 plugin format on its mobile devices. This was a game-changing moment. Apps with AUv3 could now be used in multiple instances, just like you are used to on a PC/Mac.
The number of apps with AUv3 is growing every day. Also, many developers updated their older apps to join the Audio Unit party. It’s a good day for fans of the all-time favorite drum machine, Patterning. Version 3 is out now, and this rebuild has AUv3 support and many new creative features.
Patterning 3
The third version of Patterning retain everything that made the app so popular among hardcore and casual iPad musicians. This includes the original, inspiring circular interface for quickly composing beats, easy-going parameter automation and randomization on the fly, and built-in effects to refine the tracks.
Of course, it also has the intuitive song mode, Ableton Live export functionality, and beloved extensive MIDI connectivity.
With version 3, the developers are taking the app to the next level. One of these new level-up features is the AUv3 plugin support, integrating it into iPad hosts like Logic Pro, AUM, Cubasis, and more.
Thus, you can host and run multiple Patterning 3 instances in a single project. It also features support for both multi-channel audio output and MIDI, say the developers.
Parametric Swing, Fill Patterns, and Modulation
AUv3 is just part of the new expanded feature set. Patterning 3 also introduces a novel approach to musical timing called parametric swing. With this, you can create beats with a unique, dynamic feel—from slightly off-kilter to wildly erratic, drunken beats. It’s a fresh take on groove and timing, promises Olympia Noise Co.
Then, it will offer a new fill patterns functionality. With a simple button press, the user can switch to an alternative “fill” version of their pattern, perfect for adding dramatic flair or transitioning between sections of a song. A function that is familiar from hardware drum machines like Roland TR-8S and others.
Another exciting upgrade for Patterning is the expanded modulation engine. You can apply LFOs, randomizers, and velocity macros to most parameters, allowing you to craft complex, evolving beat patterns. That sounds like a lot of fun, especially if you want to go beyond the classic drum machine grooves.
Oh yeah, there is also a new FX track in Pattering 3. Here, the developers open another layer of complexity in which you can animate/modulate the FX parameters. Manipulate effects over time to add movement, texture, and depth to your beats.
The third version also comes with support for multiple timelines for more varied compositions and an improved file manager. Additional track saturation, ring modulation, and a master compressor give you more ways to sculpt your sounds and tracks. Besides this, you benefit from workflow improvements, an updated UI, and more.
First Impression
There isn’t a Patterning 3 video demo yet, but from what I read on the feature sheet it sounds like a massive upgrade. It’s a shame that there won’t be synthesis in Patterning 3 either. The basis remains samples. Hope that P3 also comes as a macOS version. That would be another reason to buy the app. It will be a very fun end of May, I’m sure.
Patterning 3 by Olympia Noise Co. is available now for $29,99 It will run as a standalone app and AUv3 plugin on iPads and Apple Vision Pro.
More information here: Olympia Noise Co / AppStore
No iOS support??? Very sad!
it’s an iOS app for iPad. Not for iPhone
Needs a vst3, I’d really like to use this to sequence everything.
(I’ve tried hooking up the ipad to do it wired/wirelessly but it isn’t really ideal.)
Bought it yesterday, works great!! But can’t install on my M2 pro Mac or I have to pay again…. ????
you can download it from the Mac App Store under the tab not insalled iPad/iPhone apps. It will probably tell you to buy it but if you press it, Apple recognise your initial purchase and it works.
BINGO! thank you 🙂
Hi SA. Basic dumb question here: I have a bunch of iPad synth apps like Animoog, AUM, Beatmaker etc. Do those open in MacOS like a VST and can be hosted in Ableton if I have a license? I do Ableton in WIndows an havent used a Mac in over 10 years and over the years I have heard mixed things from totally possible to depends to only cenrtain apps to yes it can run as an external instrument in Live with clock via just USB…
Thing is its so mixed that it has deterred me since the first M1. Maybe there is a website that specialize in this like Jakob Haq in YT that do iOS prod only? THanks
It depends on the app and on your system. You need an native Apple Silicon computer so systems with an M chip. To run as an AUv3 plugin in Ableton Live (macOS), the developer must activate this functionality. There are many synths that run such as the Moog Animoog Z, Model 15, and Model D. Also Drambo, Ice Gear Instruments… works fine, etc. AUM or Beatmaker doesn’t work as they are not plugins.
It is different for every app. Check for this the AppStore description. There is a section with compatibility. If macOS is listed there, you can use it as an AUv3 plugin on macOS. Alternatively, you can work with Inter Device Audio MIDI (IDAM) and route audio/MIDI over USB-C or lightning in your mac. In this case, the iPad becomes an audio interface but you must create an aggregate device to make it possib. Hope this helps.
I LOVE the concept of a circular step sequencer, on paper. The idea of seeing how a pattern loops from the end of the cycle back to the beginning is intuitive and matches more how we hear it.
Patterning does it better than any others I’ve seen.
Metronomics has a wheel mode where the sequence spins around and “present moment” is always at the top. There’s almost philosophical purity of having our sequence move from future to present to past. But in use, it’s dizzying; and not an especially useable approach.
I’m not sure where Patterning 3 stands as far as step rates (i.e., changing step rates in one track?), tempo control, etc. What I found most difficult to use from previous versions is when step rates where higher, the pie slices weren’t very nice to use. I recall wishing I could zoom and fly around the GUI, but I hate touch screens so much I’m not sure that would have helped.
This great app just keeps getting better! Sadly, it will not work with Cubase 14 on a Mac even though it works flawlessly with Cubasis 3 on an iPad. That’s because Cubase 14 doesn’t support AUv3 plugins. Hopefully Steinberg will correct this in their next release and ditch the problematic Groove Agent, that is a complete waste of time, IMO.