WELCOME TO SYNKD
This is a simple tutorial to help you get started with some of the key features of SYNKD for iOS.
When first opening SYNKD, you will land on we call the "home screen". From here you can either go to the main menu (click "My Chains"), resume the last exercise (click "Resume"), or visit the store where you will find a wide variety of pre-programmed Rhythm Packs to save you time and get you practicing immediately.
For the purposes of this tutorial, we're going to focus on creating a brand new Rhythm Chain, or rhythmic sequence.
Creating A New Rhythm Chain
In “My Chains” click on “Create New”. You will see a default bar of quarter notes in 4/4 time. To alter the rhythm, simply tap on the beat that you wish to edit. You then have the ability to substitute any subdivision up to 32nd notes for the quarter note.
Adding Accents And/Or Rests
If you’d like to alter the chain even more you can then edit the note group. Tap the bar that you wish to modify and tap "Edit". From the Bar Editing page, tap the beat that you wish to modify and tap "Edit". Tapping a note head once will add an accent. A second tap will replace the note with a rest. This allows you to create an endless variety of rhythms within a given bar.
Adding A New Bar/Different Time Signature
SYNKD allows you to combine multiple measures and multiple time signatures to create a wide range of rhythmic sequences. To create longer chains, or use a time signature other than 4/4, simply click on the “+” button to the right corner. From here you will have the ability to add any time signature from 1/4 up to 21/16. You may delete measures by tapping on the particular message once to highlight it and then click the "X" in the upper right corner of the measure.
Tempo Control
SYNKD offers a wide range of tempi (30- 350bpm) and provides threes ways to control the tempo. Click the tempo marking at the bottom of the screen and then;
Scroll through at single BPM increments with the wheel on the left
“Tap Tempo” via the tempo marking on the right
Enter a specific tempo via a keypad option on the bottom
Count In/Reference Beat
Sometimes when working on more complicated patterns, a ghost bar can be helpful to get you bearings. The “Count In” button will provide a single bar of quarter notes in 4/4 before the chain begins to play.
The “Reference Beat” is a tri-tonal metronome that splits the measure up into three sounds. The downbeat is the highest pitch, followed by medium and low tones. In 4/4, beat 1 is the highest, beats 2 and 4 are the lowest, and beat 3 is in the middle. This helps to never get lost in the bar. Thanks to Jojo Mayer for contributing the idea for this feature.
Bar Isolation
If you are working with a chain that contains multiple measures and you want to focus on only a few at a time, simply tap on the measures you wish to isolate via the Measure Map at the top of the chain. This will create a loop so you can work on a particular section out of context.
Naming & Saving a Rhythm Chain/Midi Export
You can name your chains by tapping on the "New Chain (unsaved)" text at the top. Alter the name and then tap "return" on the keyboard to enter the new name. To save a chain, simply tap on the furthest button to the left (an icon resembling a file folder with a down arrow). All saved chains end up in the “My Chains” collection.
If you’d like to make minor edits or a variation of a chain, click the middle button once you've saved your chain. This is the “Save As” function and creates a copy of the original in which you can edit without modifying the original.
If you’d like to use SYNKD as a composition tool, simply tap the button on the right. This is the “Midi Export” function. The chain will then be exported into an email message as a .Mid file. Once exported, you can open the chain in any music production or notation software. This is quite helpful when mapping a variety of time signatures.