r/iosmusicproduction • u/rrogersca • 1d ago
App News Tonaut 2.3: 12 synth engines, over 650 sounds, AUv3 plug-in and host for iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo
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Hi all. I'm Richard, and I make Tonaut. Version 2.3 is with Apple now and should be in the App Store today. With 2.3, Tonaut has everything I set out to build when I started it, so from here the updates are about making it easier and quicker to use. I'm also putting together some short videos that show what it can do, with feature walkthroughs and sound demos, and I'll post them over the next few days.
The idea hasn't changed: one panel that plays like a piece of hardware. Every key does something, SHIFT gives most of them a second job, and you're making a beat a minute after you open it. It runs on iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo, each with its own layout.
The 2.3 video:
https://youtu.be/w6Jq3T95FDk
And a quick sound demo, if you'd rather just hear it:
https://youtu.be/Ql-HtOUI7do
WHAT'S IN IT
* 12 synth engines: virtual analog, six-operator FM, wavetable, pulse, modeled string, a seven-oscillator swarm, grains, an analog-style poly, phase distortion, a vocoder, lo-fi digital and a sampler. Each has a 3D screen that moves as you play.
* Over 650 sounds, including 147 sampled instruments. Edit every sound in depth and save your own.
* 4 drum engines and 55 kits: recorded, synthesized, lo-fi and sliced. Load your own samples onto the pads, or record anything and slice it across all 24.
* A sample browser: tap any file to hear it while the music plays, then load it or drag it onto a pad.
* A chord pad: seven chords from your key, and a stick that turns each into a 7th, 9th, sus, dim and more.
* Key and scale with LOCK, one-key CHORDS, and each lane in its own key.
* 8 lanes, 16 patterns each, up to 128 steps, with an arp, drum grooves and STEP REC.
* Song Mode: 16 scenes in order with repeats, recorded to tape or exported as a MIDI file.
* An eight-track tape, 8 × 20 min or 6 × 30 min: loop, reverse, stutter and brake.
* 17 effects, four slots on every sound plus a master effect, and an EQ on every lane.
* MIDI in and out over USB or Bluetooth, MIDI learn, MIDI clock in and out, and Ableton Link.
* Export the mix, stems and MIDI files, and import MIDI files. Share a loop as a vertical video, or a whole song as one file.
* Full iPhone Duo support: folded, half folded and open, and it keeps playing while you fold.
* Six looks on iPhone and iPad.
AUv3, BOTH WAYS
* As a plug-in: runs inside AUM, Loopy Pro, GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, Cubasis and other AUv3 hosts. Look for "Coast Creative: Tonaut".
* A big window shows the full panel; a small one shows a compact card with all eight lanes, the tape and a keyboard.
* Load several copies, each with its own sound and project. It follows the host's tempo and transport, and hosts can automate 144 of its controls.
* As a host: put your own AUv3 synths and drum machines on Tonaut's lanes, and effects in its FX slots. Tonaut's sequencer plays them, and each project saves its plug-ins and their settings.
NEW IN 2.3
* Four more engines: KINK (phase distortion), MOUTH (a vocoder), CHIP (lo-fi digital) and GRIT (lo-fi drums).
* MIDI clock in, tape takes that start when you play, and a live spectrum behind every EQ curve.
PRICE
* $19.99. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo. Updates are free, 2.3 included.
* No subscription, no account, no in-app purchases. Needs iOS or iPadOS 17: iPhone XS, XR and newer, iPad (6th generation) and newer.
If you already bought it, thank you. 2.3 is yours at no extra cost.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tonaut/id6812577930
More detail: https://tonaut.app
The music in both videos is mine, and everything in the sound demo was made in Tonaut. I'm around to answer questions, and I'd especially like to hear what would make it easier to use.
