Introduction

chipPad is a multi-track sample and loop playback and performance application. It is made for the musician who creates loop-based music and is looking to experiment with on-the-fly arrangements or to glitch it up a notch. By adding your own pre-cut loops on up to 8 tracks you can perform using various "grid-based" controller techniques and develop new ones that are only capable on a multi-touch device. Sliding one or multiple fingers back and forth on various tracks or tapping rhythms like on a drum machine can yield some amazing results you can't hear elsewhere. chipPad comes with a few sample sessions to get you started. Simply select Help from the Gear menu to get started or load your own AIF or WAV audio files into the app using File Sharing via iTunes.

Relatively Quick Start

Even without any pre-configured loops you can learn the basics and explore chipPad right away. Simply click "Install sample sessions" below to make a few sample sessions and their associated audio files available. Once installed, select Open Session from the Gear menu and open the session named Sample Session Glitch. Other sessions are also available for you to explore later. Sample Session Glitch is configured as follows:

• Track 1: Drums (Mute Group 1)
• Track 2: Drums (Mute Group 1)
• Track 3: Main Rhodes
• Track 4: Glitchy Rhodes
• Track 5: Percussion (Mute Group 2)
• Track 6: Clicks (Mute Group 2)
• Track 7: Distorted Melody
• Track 8: Empty

Tap some tracks to get things going! Tap Edit at the top of the screen to get more control over individual track settings. Rotate your iPad 90 desgrees. chipPad keeps right on playing!

Track 1 is the master track. That is, all of the other tracks will be quantized to this track based on the number of steps. Track 1 is currently set to 4 steps. You can see the current location of the master clock by watching the white metronome line gliding along track 1. The first track you trigger will reset the master clock to the zero position and start the metronome line at the far left of track 1. Subsequently triggered tracks will be queued to play at the next quantization point of the master track. Since the master track is initially split into 4 steps, tracks will begin playing on any one of the 4 subdivisions. You can change the master track at any time during your performance by clicking the clock button in Edit mode (more on this below.) If you set the master track steps to 32, 64 or 128 (depending on the length of the track) you can then "glitch out" other tracks as you slide your finger(s) around the surface.

A word about master tracks and how tracks are synchronized in chipPad: Although you can use chipPad with non-looped tracks as well, it was designed to function as a loop player more than not. Given this, there needed to be a way to synchronize multiple loops. Instead of resorting to having the performer define a tempo along with a session, we took a different approach. For multi-track looping sessions it is assumed that your loops will all be chopped to a multiple of one another. That is, assuming the same tempo, if your drums are 4 bars your other tracks should be some positive or negative multiple of 4 bars (2 bars, 4 bars, 8 bars, 16 bars, etc.) This way, as long as a track is triggered on a quantization point (as described earlier) all your loops will always be in sync. Most modern DAWs and audio editors allow you to manage this quite easily. You can also create some crazy polyrythms by pitting a 5 bar loop against a 7 bar loop. You can even set the steps to match!

Edit Mode

Tapping the Edit button at the top of the screen puts you into Edit mode. This mode allows you to configure various track settings in a session as described below.


Audio
Using iTunes, you can add mono or stereo 44KHz 16bit AIF or WAV audio files to chipPad. Connect your iPad to iTunes and look at the "Apps" tab after selecting the device. Once synced you should be able to scroll down below the area where you re-arrange icons, etc. and see the ability to share files with chipPad. Simply add any supported audio files here and they will become immediately available (after syncing) in the chipPad audio menu. When you load a session, chipPad will look here for the audio files it uses. Changing audio files while playing a session will stop the track and load the new audio file. The new file can be played once loading has completed. Tapping a T button at the bottom of the screen will silence the associated track if it's playing or trigger it from the beginning if it is not. For more about using iTunes to share files with iPad applications please read this support document.


Steps
This popover allows you to quickly choose from a list of common subdivisions for a track. Scrolling down allows you to select any value from 1 thru 128. Yes, you can have tracks split into 57th notes if you want! Low common numbers (4 or 8) are good for a master track where you want to easily bring other loops in and out without too much thinking. Higher settings (64 or 128) are good for a master track where you want to get glitchy with other loops. Setting multiple tracks to high numbers and sliding your finger around the surface can lead to very interesting results as you jump between sample locations and produce almost grain-like sounds. Try setting a vocal track to a 128 step split and have fun! This setting takes effect immediately.

Something to keep in mind about steps - they serve two purposes. For any track they split the audio of the track up into discrete steps. Therefore, tapping the 5th step of an 8-step track will start it half way through. For master tracks the steps are also used as the master quantization clock.


Speed
Use this popover to set the speed to 1x, 2x or .5x. This setting takes effect immediately.


Mute Group
A track can be a member of 1 of 4 mute groups or none at all. Tracks in the same mute group share the ability to be heard. Triggering a track in a mute group while another track in the same mute group is playing will silence the previously playing track. Tapping a blue M button at the bottom of the screen will silence whichever track in the mute group is currently playing. Another way to say all of this is that only one track in a mute group can play at a time. This setting takes effect immediately. The Mute Group number will appear after the track number if the track display setting is enabled (ie: "1.3" shows that track 1 is in mute group 3)


Loop
Tapping this button will toggle if a track is currently set to loop. Tracks playing forward will loop at the end back to the beginning. Tracks playing in reverse will loop from the beginning back to the end. This setting takes effect immediately.


Reverse
Tapping this button will toggle if a track is currently set to play in reverse. If a track is set to reverse you should tap the *last* step to get it to play backwards in its entirety. This setting takes effect at the next quantization point.


Master Clock
Tapping this button sets the chosen track as the master track. You can change master tracks while performing. The most useful reason to do this might be that you want to have one master track set to 4 steps for easily bringing in subsequent tracks on time and have another track set to 64 for glitch effects. Switching between tracks allows you to quickly change performance "modes" as you play. You can also simply change the steps of the master track manually using the steps popover menu. Either way will work.

Mix Mode

Tapping the Mix button at the top of the screen puts you into Mix mode. This mode allows you to set the relative volume levels of each track in a session as well as mute or solo each track. The default colume value is 50%.


Mute
Tapping this button will toggle if a track is currently muted. Muted tracks still play but are not heard. Muted tracks appear in a light green color if playing forwards or a light blue color if playing in reverse. An 'M' will appear under the track number if the track display setting is enabled. Mute takes precendence over the solo setting. This setting takes effect immediately. Mute settings are stored with the session.


Solo
Tapping this button will toggle if a track is currently soloed. If one track is soloed then only soloed tracks will play. Soloed tracks appear in a dark green color if playing forwards or a dark blue color if playing in reverse. A 'S' will appear under the track number if the track display setting is enabled. Mute takes precendence over the solo setting so if a track is muted it will not play even if it is also soloed. This setting takes effect immediately. Solo settings are stored with the session.

Bit Mode

Tapping the Bits button at the top of the screen puts you into Bit mode. This mode allows you to turn individual steps in a track on (enabled) or off (disabled) manually and/or randomly. A bit is enabled when it is normal height. A bit is disabled when it is diminished in height. Bits that are enabled play as normal. Bits that are disabled are silent (muted) as the track progresses. Bit mode also includes a toggle called "flyover mode", described in more detail below. NOTE: When in Bit mode the surface does not trigger playback, it merely manipulates the bits - switch to any of the other modes to trigger playback. Also, bits can be manipulated in real-time - as tracks are playing - to allow you to constantly morph a track making it different each pass. Playing the Bit mode surface will toggle bits as your tracks play causing all sorts of interesting potential mayhem or subtle variations depending on your source material. It works in reverse too!


Enable Bits
Tapping this button will turn all bits on.


Disable Bits
Tapping this button will turn all bits off.


Randomize Bits
Tapping this button will turn all bits on or off at random.


Toggle Bits
Tapping this button will toggle all on bits off and all off bits on (taobo-a-aobo).


Flyover Mode
Tapping this button will enable or disable flyover mode. When enabled, playback "flys over" or "skips" disabled bits. So instead of hearing silence as a track progresses over a disabled bit, the track will instead jump to the next enabled bit. Using flyover mode you can create contiguous or discontiguous sub-loops anywhere in a track. For example, a sub-loop can consist of steps 1-4 (like a normal contiguous sub-loop) or steps 1, 7, 10-13 and 31-32 - very discontiguous. You can also change the bits on the fly so you can constantly be adding and removing sections to and from a sub-loop, etc.

Scenes

The S1...S4 buttons at the top of the screen allow you to easily store and recall up to 4 scenes per Session. A scene consists of the current value of many of the track settings including number of steps, speed, mute group, looping, reverse, master track, mute, solo, track volume, bit values and flyover mode. Tapping an unset scene (displayed in dark gray) captures the current state of the session and saves it to the scene. Tapping a set scene (displayed in blue) triggers that scene either immediately or quantized based on the global "Quantize Scene Changes" option settable via the Gear menu. Triggering a scene resets the master track location to zero and all tracks will begin in sync regardless of the aforementioned quantize option. Individual scenes can be cleared via the Gear menu. Scene settings are saved with a session. Scenes do NOT save the chosen audio file for a track.

Sessions

An entire configuration of tracks can be saved as a session. use the Gear Menu in the upper left corner of the screen to create a new session, open an existing session, save the current session or delete a previously saved session that you no longer want. Sessions reference audio files that are shared with chipPad from your computer using iTunes as described previously. When you save a session, if the session already has a name, the file name text field will be pre-populated. You can also change the name to save a copy of the session, leaving the original in tact. If you enter the name of a session that already exists, it will be replaced with whatever you are saving at the moment. When saving over or deleting an existing session, the audio files that the session references will not be affected. You must use iTunes to manage the audio files available to chipPad.

Top Controls

The controls at the top of the screen (from left to right) are:

• Gear Menu - displays a popover for managing sessions, accessing help and other options
• Mode Buttons - to change between Play, Edit, Mix and Bit modes
• Master Volume Slider - to manipulate the master volume of all tracks at once - default is 75% volume

Bottom Controls

The controls at the bottom of the screen (from left to right) are:

• Sync Button - synchronizes all tracks back to the beginning (or end in case of reverse tracks) - reacts on press DOWN
• Track Buttons - upon release toggles the play status of any track (blue when playing)
• Mute Group Buttons - upon release silences any tracks playing in a mute group (blue when playing)
• Stop Button - stops all tracks - reacts on press DOWN

Audio File Support

chipPad supports uncompressed 16-bit 44KHz stereo AIF and WAV files. Monophonic files in the same format should also work but you may find the need to set the speed to .5 to get them to play at the proper speed. chipPad will automatically set the speed to .5 when it can. If a mono AIF file does not work, try saving it as WAV file and vice-versa. iPad memory is limited so loading large files may diminish performance.

Options

The Options item in the Gear menu allow you to configure options global to the program. These settings are stored between uses of the program unless otherwise noted.

• Track Display - When enabled, displays track number, mute group number, mute/solo status and selected audio file name lightly over each track.

Performance Tips & Tricks

As you play with chipPad you will undoubtedly develop several techniques. Here are some tips and things to try.

• To turn quantization completely off, select a master track with no audio file assigned (select None from the Audio popover)
• Microfades - As you trigger and play tracks (especially when swiping fingers across the screen) you may notice clicks that are not musicially attractive in the session you are currently performing. Depending on the vertical position of your finger in each cell, a small microfade will be applied to the sound to help eliminate these clicks. Triggering a cell towards the top will maximize the microfade, towards the bottom will minimize - leaving the sound in its natural state. Move your finger up and down in a cell on a solo track to listen for the difference - it can be very subtle on cells with a slow attack.
• If you really want to jam on a track but are concerned you will accidentally trigger another track, set the other track to mute and/or arrange your tracks in such a way that there are empty tracks surrounding the track to be jammed.
• Play your tune and then slide your finger on a track back and forth, while still sliding press the Stop button, all the other tracks will stop but the track you are still playing will continue to play. This can be an interesting way to end a song.

Version History

1.3 - Enhancements

• A new feature, "Scenes" has been added. The S1...S4 buttons at the top of the screen allow you to easily store and recall up to 4 scenes per Session. A scene consists of the current value of many of the track settings including number of steps, speed, mute group, looping, reverse, master track, mute, solo, track volume, bit values and flyover mode. Tapping an unset scene (displayed in dark gray) captures the current state of the session and saves it to the scene. Tapping a set scene (displayed in blue) triggers that scene either immediately or quantized based on the global "Quantize Scene Changes" option settable via the Gear menu. Triggering a scene resets the master track location to zero and all tracks will begin in sync regardless of the aforementioned quantize option. Individual scenes can be cleared via the Gear menu. Scene settings are saved with a session. Scenes do NOT save the chosen audio file for a track.
• Added 0.25x to the speed choices to make some nice crunchy, slow, ambience. This will click and clack on purpose depending on the source material.
• Various tweaks and optimizations throughout the codebase.

1.2 - Enhancements

• A new feature, "Bit mode" has been added. This mode allows you to turn individual steps in a track on or off manually and/or randomly to create contiguous or discontiguous sub-loops and other interesting intra-track effects. See the documentation for complete details on this new, exciting mode.
• Various tweaks and optimizations throughout the codebase.

1.1 - Enhancements

• Sync and Stop buttons now work on a touch DOWN as opposed to touch UP.
• Tracks no longer silence when a track that is currently playing is retriggered.
• Microfades are applied to audio to avoid clicks when musically appropriate. The more you play towards the top of a cell, the more the microfade will be applied. Play towards the bottom of a cell to apply less microfade.
• Track number and file name are now displayed on tracks (this is an optional setting in Gear menu, it is on by default)
• Solo and Mute controls are now available per track (on the Mix page) which are also saved with the session. Muted tracks that are playing appear lighter green. Solo tracks that are playing appear brighter green. Both buttons activate immediately upon touch UP.
• Saves the most recent session as a session named (wait for it) "Most Recent Session" so if you ever accidentally quit the app or click a link in the help that exits the app you won't lose your work. Note, any session named "Most Recent Session" will be replaced each time the app quits with the (wait for it again) most recent session. You are still resposible for saving your work with the proper session name - this is merely a backup plan to save you from an "Oh No!" moment.
• Fixed a bug that could cause the app to crash if you changed audio files on a track that was currently playing.
• Various tweaks and optimizations throughout the codebase.

1.0 - Initial Release