Fugue Machine Rubato is the successor to Alexandernaut’s brilliant, playful multi-playhead sequencer app for iOS with time-bending functionalities.
In 2015, Alexander Random, aka Alexandernaut, released Fugue Machine for iOS. Even after 10 years, the app remains one of the most innovative and playful sequencers on the market. Unlike traditional hard- and software sequencers, it features multiple playheads that can be played simultaneously, making generating complex patterns from a simple note sequence easy.
Eight years in the making and ten after this big success, the journey continues with Fugue Machine Rubato. The concept remains the same, but Alexandernaut expands its multi-playhead sequencer with a never-before-seen level of complexity on an iOS app.
Fugue Machine Rubato
The second generation of the Fugue Machine still features a multi-playhead engine. Where the original had four playheads, Fugue Machine Rubato has eight playheads, allowing for even more sophisticated patterns from a simple sequence of notes.
You can also position the playheads anywhere on the grid. On top of that, you can now apply note echoes to every playhead, adding more complexity.
Going from 4 to 8 is a nice upgrade, but it’s not the highlight of the new version. Alexandernaut has become a time-bender. Classic sequencers follow a fixed time that follows a specific rate. This tradition can be forgotten here.
Fugue Machine Rubato uses an innovative, never-before-seen non-linear time-bending sequencer engine on iOS that lets play heads move with a natural or even surreal feel. Here, you can bend the time rate per step, which allows you to accelerate, decelerate, freeze, and change direction expressively. You could say the playheads are becoming organic.
Time Bending & Automation
Under the well-known playhead interface, there is now an automation editor with which you can bend time with envelopes with points, curves, rates, shapes, and offsets. Neat, you can automate notes and nearly all the parameters of the sequencer engine. Thanks to this, the playheads can now freely swing, strum, bounce, move elastically, and more.
Generate sequences that stall at one point and repeat several times, or increase the tempo in the sequencer at another point and then slow it down again a moment later. As if you were applying automated granular or looping on an active sequence.
Crazy possibilities to be expressive with a sequencer. I’ve never seen anything like it, not even in the beloved hardware sequencer. That’s not all. You can create arpeggiator patterns from the multiple playheads.
There are also inspiring on-the-fly function such as offset, stack, spread, and the option to invert pitches. Plus, you can fully customize the velocity values with clamp, compress and expand functions.
Fugue Machine Rubato doesn’t just whirl notes. You can now also program drums via per-note drum trigs and create crazy drum patterns. Like the original Fugue Machine Classic, you can route out MIDI data to other iOS apps or external hardware. The app has up to eight MIDI outputs, giving you tons of options.
If that is not enough, you can use the AUv3 version and use multiple instances to feed even more instruments with the inspiring note/drum trigger tornado. Other features are:
- organize patterns in nestable folders
- launch patterns quantized to the beat
- revert state via auto-saved snapshots
- learn contextually via popovers
- control via touch, keyboard, and cursor
Fugue Machine Rubato ships with over 150 built-in patterns to get it started. Big plus: the app is not just an AUv3 plugin for iOS but also for macOS (native Apple Silicon only). According to the developer, the version with resizable Mac window is coming soon and is included in the purchase.
First Impression
I hear from people occasionally that the iOS world is somewhat stagnant. Alexandernaut’s new app proves the opposite. Even though the same concepts are often released, the platform constantly grows with new tools.
There are brilliant moments here and there that demonstrate just how powerful the iPhone and iPad, the iOS platform, are. Alexernandernaut’s successor to its brilliant Fugue Machine MIDI sequencer is even more ingenious and unique.
The iPad is a MIDI sequencer, and anyone who says hardware is better should show me hardware that can do this on the same level of bending and modulation—pricey app, but a brilliant further development of it. There will be a bundle upgrade soon for existing Fugue Machine users.
Fugue Machine Rubato is available now for an introductory price of $59,99 instead of $79,99 USD. It runs as a standalone app and AUv3 MIDI plugin on iPad, iPhone, and macOS (native Apple Silicon – very soon).
The developer’s website offers a demo via TestFlight. A bundle purchase will soon offer an upgrade path for existing Fugue Machine customers.
More information here: Alexandernaut /App Store
“Awesome!”
Looks at price tag.
“$60??”
yeah, pricey. There will be an upgrade for Fugue Machine (v1) users via a bundle purchase. Let’s see how much this will be.
Bro no one is going to argue hardware vs software when it comes to sequencers, eurorack has had this level of madness for decades. The 0-CTRL from make noise can do this all day, you need to chill dude.
0-CTRL can bend the time etc on one playhead. Fugue Machine Rubato does it at 8 playheads, where you can bend the time and modulate everything on each playhead. Plus more. Chill dude 😉
Confidently incorrect.
Die bisherige Fugue Machine liebe und benutze ich sehr viel. Aber hier werde ich wohl passen müssen. 69,90€ sind mir dann für eine iOS App wirklich zu viel. Zumal die dauerhafte Verfügbarkeit nur durch Apple bestimmt wird. Wegen diesem App Store gibts auch keine Folgeupdates die vergünstigt angeboten werden für Besitzer der Vorversion etc…nee, nee, nee ohne mich…
Laut Entwickler wird es bald ein Upgrade gegeben über ein Bundle. Mal sehen was das Upgrade für Fugue Machine Leute kosten wird.
genau. im modularbereich ist sowas natürlich schon lange möglich und ich vermute, sugar bytes nest kann sowas auch. nur leider nicht unter ios. mit fugue machine kommts nun endlich doch ins ipad. super. preislich muss man halt den next sale abwarten. schon heftig. was mir am video beispiel aufgefallen ist, ist dass sich die noten nun verhalten wie ‘musiker’. jede note hat ihren eigenen part und kann ‘individuell’ agieren. das ist echt strange so zu sehen und visualisiert, dass es sich bei modulierbaren abspielroutinen um in völlig anderes konzept handelt, als beim klassischen sequencing. sehr interessant.
I need to be careful what I wish for. Though we can manipulate tempo in linear MIDI sequencing DAWs, I’ve always wanted to have access to either an irregular grid for sequencing (skew? slew?) or just those types of controls for quantizing– against whatever tempo is there. BreakTweaker was the one; but it’s abandonware and has a poor GUI. I still would like something like this in a linear sequencer, but maybe there’s a way I can warp my head around this (type-intended). The sticker price is a little intense; but the Mac OS will be rolled in, and possible an upgrade price via bundling– will have to look at this more.
Ich suche schon länger nach etwas ähnlichem, ob von K-Devices, Adam Aqueel, Harmony Bloom und wie sie alle heißen. Zum Glück habe ich noch keines gekauft, entweder die Bedienung ist seltsam oder das Ergebnis richtet sich zu sehr nach Zufall und Chaos. Für Filmmusik kann ich das kaum gebrauchen.
Wenn jemand Tips hat für mich, gerne berichten. 🙂
es gibt eine gratis Demo der App. Dafür musste du aber die Apple Testflight herunterladen und über die offizielle Website auf die Einladung gehen. Die Sessions sind limitiert auf 30 Minuten 🙂
I just bit the bullet and bought the $44 bundle, I’ve been having too much fun with the demo.