Dynamic Tonality has released XronoMorph, a freeware multi-layered rhythmic loop generator (standalone application for PC and Mac) based on perfect balance and well-formedness mathematical principles.
XronoMorph is a rhythmic loop generator with a radically different control scheme. Instead of using a step sequencer (which is pretty much the default method of rhythmic sequencing in virtual instruments nowadays), Dynamic Tonality’s loop generator uses a set of eight polygons to trigger the events.
Each polygon can be assigned to up to three different destinations (these can be audio samples, external MIDI devices, or third party virtual instruments loaded as plugins inside XronoMorph). One really cool thing about this polygonal approach to sequencing is the fact that the polygons can be edited and rotated during playback, allowing the user to evolve the rhythmic loop over time in ways which wouldn’t be possible with a traditional step sequencer. Also, the application can store a rather large bank of saved rhythms for later use, which is great if you’re planning to use XronoMorph for sequencing during a live performance.
Although XronoMorph itself is capable of loading third party VST and AU plugins, the program can’t be used as a plugin in other software applications. This basically means that you won’t be able to load XronoMorph as a virtual instrument in your favorite digital audio workstation or plugin host, which is quite a shame. Still, the app can export generated loops as audio files, as well as MIDI sequences and Scala scale tuning files. If you don’t mind rendering the results to your hard drive before importing them into your DAW of choice, then you probably won’t have any issues with integrating XronoMorph into your music making or sound design workflow. It is also possible to send the MIDI output to external devices, which is a huge plus.
One slightly negative thing I have to point out is that launching the application takes quite a bit more time than normal. On my test machine, I had to wait for around 50 seconds for XronoMorph to launch. It’s not a major deal breaker or anything like that, but it certainly is a bit annoying.
It’s also worth noting that Dynamic Tonality has quite a few other interesting bits of software on offer on their website, which you should definitely check out if you have fun using XronoMorph. For example, The Viking is a really cool cross-platform additive synthesizer with some really interesting morphing features. Although the developer doesn’t provide their instruments as VST/AU plugins, their software is free to use and completely portable (no installers).
Download
XronoMorph is available for free download via Dynamic Tonality (87.1 MB download size, ZIP archive containing EXE launcher, no installation required, 64-bit standalone application for Windows & Mac OS).
Last Updated on April 29, 2016 by Tomislav Zlatic.
