A touchscreen instrument for creative music making on iPad and iPhone. Tap and swirl on concentric rings to play notes drawn from interesting scales and modes.
Play it standalone, or load it as an AUv3 plugin in AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro, and other Audio Unit hosts.
Originally released in 2014, PhaseRings is up-to-date for current iPhones and iPads.
Each ring on the screen represents a different pitch. Tap and swirl on a ring to make combinations of long and short notes — the angle and size of your touch shape the timbre.
PhaseRings ships with three built-in compositions and seven sound schemes spanning percussion (marimba, singing bowls, gongs) and synthesis (phase, strings). You can also build your own generative composition by picking three base notes and scales — the app generates a series of setups from the harmony you choose.
Audio is synthesised on the device from patches written in Pure Data and compiled into the app. Core MIDI lets PhaseRings talk to other apps and MIDI accessories, and an AUv3 plugin lets you play it inside hosts like AUM and GarageBand.
Percussive voices including marimba, singing bowls, gong, crotales, and pure synth tones from phase and string synthesis.
Hand-curated compositions to play immediately, plus a generative mode that builds setups from your chosen harmony.
Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian, plus pentatonic, blues, chromatic, and whole-tone scales.
Pick three base notes and three scales — PhaseRings generates a sequence of ring setups from the harmony you provide.
Load PhaseRings as an Audio Unit instrument inside AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro, and other hosts for recording, effects, or live mixing.
Send note and aftertouch data to MIDI accessories or other apps over Core MIDI.
From version 3.0, PhaseRings is also an Audio Unit (AUv3) instrument. Open your favourite host — AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, Cubasis, Loopy Pro, and others — and load PhaseRings like any other instrument plugin.
The plugin is included in the free App Store download — install the app and PhaseRings appears in your host's instrument list.
PhaseRings has been used in improvised and experimental performances around the world. Charles Martin performed with it in quartet improvisations and alongside other instruments on the Colour Music album.
Designed with networked ensemble play in mind, multiple devices running PhaseRings can share gestural and compositional information over OSC.
PhaseRings was originally developed as part of Charles Martin's research into group music making with networked devices. It was applied in research from 2014–2017 and featured in the publications listed here.
If you have a question, found a bug, or have a feature request, please get in touch — replies usually arrive within a few business days.
When reporting a problem, please include your device model, iOS version, and the PhaseRings version (shown in Settings > PhaseRings on your device).
How do I play a note?
Tap or swirl your finger on any of the concentric rings. Each ring is a different pitch from the current scale.
How do I change scales or sounds?
Tap the gear icon at the bottom of the screen to open Settings. You can pick a built-in composition, switch sound scheme, or build a generative composition from your own root notes and scales.
How do I send MIDI to another app or device?
MIDI out is always on — PhaseRings sends Core MIDI note and aftertouch data to any connected app or hardware. To play PhaseRings from another app or controller, MIDI in can be toggled in settings.
How do I record PhaseRings into another app?
Use the AUv3 plugin: load PhaseRings as an Audio Unit instrument in a host like AUM, GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, or Cubasis, and record or process it there.
What happened to Audiobus and Inter-App Audio?
Audiobus and Inter-App Audio are no longer supported from version 3.0 — IAA is deprecated on modern iOS, and the AUv3 plugin replaces both with a better experience: the instrument runs inside the host, so there's no app-switching and no background-audio juggling.
PhaseRings is a free download. Tap a ring, swirl a finger, see what comes out.