SYNKD Features
SYNKD is a powerful metronome sequencer full of tools to enhance your practice routine. Below you'll find a collection of key features that will help you get the most out of SYNKD.
Chain Customization
SYNKD makes it easy to customize rhythm chains or sequences within the app whether you created them, received them from a friend or teacher, or they’re part of a rhythm pack that you downloaded. The full range of tools are available for use. If you choose to customize and save a rhythm chain from within a pack of pre-made sequences, SYNKD will create a new chain rather than overwriting the chain within the pack. The customized chain will be saved outside of the pack.
Accents & Rests
To add an accent or change a note into a rest, tap on the beat that contains that note, tap the “EDIT” button and enter the “Note Editing” page. From here, tapping on a note once will add an accent. Tapping a second time will convert the note into a rest. Tapping a third time will restore the rest to an unaccented note.
Time Signatures
SYNKD contains a multitude of time signatures from 1/4 to 21/16. The default time signature when creating a new chain is 4/4. To add a new measure, press the + button on the lower right corner of the screen. The “Add Bar” menu will open with the full range of time signatures available. Scroll through the menu and tap the desired time signature to add a bar in that particular meter.
Drag & Drop
Drag & drop editing makes it easy to customize rhythm chains. From the main view, simply tap and drag a measure from either the top navigation bar or the notation section to reorganize the chain. To reorganize beats within a measure, tap the measure once followed by the “EDIT” button to pull up the “Bar Editing” page. Beats may be reorganized in the same manner as measures, simply by tapping and dragging the beat to the desired place within the measure.
Bar Isolation
Individual or consecutive measures within a multi-measure rhythm chain may be looped by tapping them in the top navigation bar. The selected measure will be illuminated in light blue. This can be quite helpful when practicing a section of an exercise or a particular section of a rhythmic excerpt. To deselect the measure(s), tap again. Measures may also be selected or deselected during playback.
Reference Beat
In order to provide additional sonic guidance when practicing with SYNKD, the Reference Beat function provides a three-tone metronome to help differentiate beats regardless of the time signature. An alternative pattern is available within the Bar Editing page for measures in 5/4, 7/4, 9/4, 11/4, 9/8, 13/8, and 21/16 to divide measure differently by selecting “Alt Ref Beat”. The Reference Beat function operates independently of the written rhythms and will be audible even when utilizing the “Ghost Bar” feature.
Ghost Bar
Individual or multiple measures may be silenced via the “Ghost Bar” feature. To silence a measure, simply double tap it from the main rhythm chain view. The bar will be visible but at a lower opacity, signifying that it is a ghost bar. The bar will be silent during playback unless the Reference Beat function is engaged, in which case the written rhythm will be silent but the three-tone metronome will play through the measure. The measure may be restored but double tapping again. Multiple measures need not be consecutive for the Ghost Bar feature to be engaged.
Tempo Control
Tempo for a rhythm chain may be set via a variety of ways. Start by tapping the tempo, which defaults to 120BPM (beats per minute) for new chains. This will open the BPM page. From here, you may set the tempo by scrolling through the consecutive numbers on the left side from 30 to 350BPM . Alternatively, you may tap the “Keypad” icon at the bottom of the screen and type in the desired tempo. Lastly, and this also makes for a great exercise to test the integrity of your internal clock, you may tap the desired tempo on the large number readout on the right side of the BPM page. SYNKD will determine the space between the two most recent taps and display the tempo in beats per minute. Tap the “Back” button in the top left corner to return to the rhythm chain with the newly selected tempo.
Note: When saving a custom rhythm chain the current tempo setting will be saved as well.
