Draw shapes. Play their sound.
A free instrument for iPhone and iPad. Tap resonant shapes, edit their outlines, tune them, build mallet rhythms and record stereo WAV files.
Tap a shape to strike it. Choose Draw to add or subtract material, and Move to arrange it. Hold a shape in Move mode to open its frequency and note controls. New shapes start at A3, 220 Hz.
Tap a numbered mallet and choose its position. Tap its marker or hold its number to edit the rhythm. Tap a square step to select it, hold to turn it on or off, and slide vertically to change its volume. Use the display below to adjust the selected step’s modal focus. CLEAR turns all 16 steps off, resets their volumes and timbres, and clears that mallet’s recorded motion. Choose a speed from 0.25×, ⅓×, 0.5×, 0.75×, 1×, 1.5× and 2×. At 1×, each step is a sixteenth note. Tap a mallet number on the main screen to start or stop it.
Turn on LFO and drag a mallet to record its movement. The motion loop follows that mallet’s rhythm length and speed. Recording begins at the current loop position and keeps the latest loop of movement. If you release early, the last position fills the remaining time. Tap clear lfo to erase all motion paths while keeping your rhythms.
Connect USB MIDI, an already paired Bluetooth MIDI source, or send from another app to the Arch Carrier destination. Show MIDI paths to drag their handles; Use + in MIDI settings to add a trace, then set its first/last note and channel. Traces stay fixed as shapes move. Keys choose strike positions and velocity controls strength. Hide the overlay at any time without stopping MIDI.
Enable background audio in the ellipsis audio menu when playing from another app. Empty space along a path is silent.
Your current instrument saves automatically. In Draw, tap an empty Saved slot to keep a complete instrument. Hold a used slot for replace and clear options.
Record captures the app's stereo output. Stop the take, then use the share icon. Takes also remain in the app's Recordings folder in Files. An audio interruption safely ends the current take.
If a shape cannot be solved, widen thin parts or undo the last edit. If there is no sound, check the device volume and audio route, and tap a shape away from its nodal lines. Silence all in the audio menu stops all ringing. Return to the app after an audio interruption.
Email archcarrier@strangeloop.nl with your device, iOS version and a short description of the problem.