- award
- top rated
"Thesys had a tight grip on the entire pack of MIDI setups: a very intuitive approach to powerful and powerful features that the internal sequencers of the relevant DAWs can not match".Mac Life. Your favourite source for Apple news, reviews, and how-to's
âThesys blows away bog-standard arpeggiators and when it comes to live work, it really shines".Computer Music. Computer Music is a monthly magazine published by Future plc in the UK. It covers the topic of creating digital music on a computer.
"With Thesys, interesting sequences can be generated in no time at all, which are continually evolving and in linear sequencers and DAWs need much more time and work and are less fun. It's worth it!"De:Bug Magazine. Electronic aspects of life. Magazine for music, media, culture & self-control.
The Art of Expression
Step Sequencers are an attractive concept. Machines making music. Who could better awake the genie in the machine than Thesys, the drawing board for step-based music creation? A refined Randomizer is ready, whatever the current situation, to mutate existing material or to bring a new approach on the table.
Generate Pitch
A huge inspiration for performance or production
The sequences can simply be painted, but with the random generator and the mutate-function, you can easily generate patterns on the fly. Or record the pitch straight from your MIDI keyboard. The internal synthesiser saves you lengthy wiring sessions so you can start straight away.
Start by setting the root note. When using the scales, no out-of-key note will slip through your fingers.
Below the pitch lane, you'll see the Velocity (volume) and Gate Sequencer (controlling each note's length). It's in these top three sections that you'll spend most of your time, programming riffs and arpeggios, then assigning them to patterns.
Performance and Modulation
Detailed Per-Step Control
The fourth step window is home to the Performance Sequencer, which is in fact 5 sequencers in one. Each row offers per-step control over Octave, Pitch Bend (with 20 pre-configured shapes), Chord (for polyphonic sequencing), Note Roll and sequence randomisation of a vast range of other cleverly implemented "humanising" elements to your patterns.
The final lane is the CC modulation section: each step accepts a value of 0 to 127, pumped out to a MIDI CC of your choosing. You can actually run several Modulation sequences simultaneously - up to eight - with all of them controlling different CCs.
Some Action in Real-Time
Some Useful Performance Features
Up to 16 full patterns can be created within a single project. They can be sequenced within the Pattern Sequencer (bottom right) or triggered via the Keyboard (set to "Pitch"), where the full length of the keyboard is used to transpose the current pattern. Switch to "Performance" and the keyboard is split into 3 zones: Pattern Select, Action Section and a Range for pitch transposing.
The âAction Sectionâ offers 8 effects that can influence the patterns in real-time. Choose from Looping, Half-Time, Re-Trigger or a Tempo Break.
Sequencing Magic
The Setting "Individual" Opens up all Sorts of Creative Possibilities
The lanes within a single pattern can be set to operate over different lengths. You could have pitches cycling over 16 steps, while velocity cycles over 15 steps and a modulation lane is used to sweep a synth filter over 29 steps.
The end results can yield some fascinating interactions between these different step-cycle lengths and almost endless evolution of the pattern. If you thought step sequencers were only capable of creating repetitive fixed patterns, think again!
There's More...
Internal Synth for Idea Sketching on the fly & MIDI Export
Yes, Thesys also comes with its own synthesiser, it is perfectly capable and very useful if you just want to develop a few quick ideas.
In its VST2 and AAX versions, Thesys is fully MIDI-out capable. As an Audio Unit, it can be plugged as a MIDI FX to trigger other AUs. In the 1.5.1 Update, we implemented MIDI Export. Just drag and drop from within Thesys to your host or simply save the file to your desktop. Quick and easy!
No other MIDI sequencer offers you the ease and power of Thesys. It is 100% MIDI compliant - the ultimate MIDI sequencing solution. Use Thesys on your iPad to control multiple apps or external hard- and software! Send melodies, controller data and program changes. Save patterns to a MIDI file.
Features
- Powerful 32-step MIDI Sequencer
- Pitch Recorder
- Choose and trigger Patterns per MIDI
- Pattern sequencer for longer passages
- Real-time Manipulation of the patterns per keyboard
- Internal Synth
- Vast Randomizer
- Independent Loop lengths for all 5 sequencers
- 18 sequencer lanes
- MIDI Out and Drag 'n' Drop
System Requirements
Mac
- macOS 10.12 or higher (Apple Silicon M1 supported) (64-bit only)
- VST2, VST3, AU, AAX &Â Standalone Application
Windows
- Windows 7 or higher (64-bit only)
- VST2, VST3, AAX &Â Standalone Application
Important note: This software is only available in 64-bit format for both Windows and macOS and will not function on 32-bit systems.
Any references to any brands on this site/page, including reference to brands and instruments, are provided for description purposes only. For example references to instrument brands are provided to describe the sound of the instrument and/or the instrument used in the sample. Plugin Boutique do not have (nor do they claim) any association with or endorsement by these brands. Any goodwill attached to those brands rest with the brand owner. Plugin Boutique or its Suppliers do not accept any liability in relation to the content of the product or the accuracy of the description. "RHODES" is a registered trademark of Joseph A Brandstetter.
Awards
Product Reviews
Sugar Bytes Thesys review at Music Radar
Many DAWs offer standard arpeggiators and chord generators to 'bring life' to your MIDI sequences, but often these plug-ins are lacking on the...