Arch Carrier Instrument Lab

Draw a shape. Tap it. Hear it ring.

Arch Carrier turns drawn shapes into a playable physical modelling instrument. A ring, a plate and a tuning fork each have their own resonances. Change the outline, cut a hole or move your strike, and explore how the sound changes.

PLAY AND SHAPE
• Strike up to three resonant bodies by touch.
• Add and subtract material without degrading untouched contours.
• Watch sand trace nodal patterns, and tilt your device to move it.
• Start from five seeds or save your own instruments.

TUNE AND SEQUENCE
• New shapes start at A3, 220 Hz.
• Tune by frequency, semitone or octave, with note names and cents.
• Audition a tuning or hear the natural model.
• Place four mallets and set strength and modal focus for each step.
• Choose seven mallet speeds, from 0.25× to 2×.
• Record looping mallet motion, synchronized to each rhythm.

MIDI PATHS
• Add editable traces with independent MIDI note ranges and channels.
• Each key selects a strike position; velocity sets its strength.
• Play from a connected MIDI keyboard while Arch Carrier is in the foreground.
• Show the paths when you need them, then hide the overlay while MIDI keeps playing.

KEEP YOUR INSTRUMENT
• Save shapes, tuning, rhythms, motion, tempo, damping, tone and MIDI mappings together.
• Resume your last instrument without automatic playback.
• Record stereo 24-bit WAV files and export them to Files or other apps.

Free. No account, advertising or in-app purchases. Designed for iPhone and iPad.