Iconica Sketch (app / in-app purchase)

Iconica Sketch offers you a complete orchestra with 34 different instruments in an exceptionally intuitive interface. It features 140 of the most important short and long articulations (including legatos), all recorded in one space at the legendary Funkhaus Berlin, with the musicians playing in the correct orchestral seating.
The original recordings from Iconica have been carefully selected and re-mastered to achieve a well-balanced, high-quality orchestral experience. At the same time, they are extremely lightweight in file size and CPU performance.

On iOS, Iconica Sketch is available on the Apple App Store as an app that includes an Audio Unit (AUv3) plug-in, compatible with any mobile audio app that supports Audio Unit hosting.

Note: If the Iconica Sketch app is installed on your iPad or iPhone, Cubasis automatically unlocks an optimized, built-in version of the plug-in. It offers increased performance by eliminating the need for bridging across the iOS Audio Unit interface. However, to use the built-in version, the content must be downloaded again via the Cubasis Shop.

On Android, Iconica Sketch is not a separate app, but available as an in-app purchase in the Cubasis Shop.

Window Overview

At the top, the instrument name can be tapped to open a list of the 34 instruments. Alternatively, you can use the arrow buttons to navigate to instruments. At the top right, you can find buttons for MIDI Panic (stops all notes) and the setup.

The dynamics display provides you with visual feedback on the currently playing dynamic, which can be controlled via the note velocity or the mod wheel (for sustain and legato articulations). The instrument icon is displayed below the dynamic.

In the center, a row of buttons allows you to select an articulation. The number of articulations depends on the instrument. Some instruments have no articulation. In the parameter section at the bottom of the panel, you can make adjustments for the selected articulation, as well as for the main volume.

Key Switches

Most instruments feature various articulations, which can be selected by either tapping the button or by pressing the corresponding key switch. Key switches are highlighted in gold on the Cubasis keyboard.

Articulations

The key switch of an articulation is displayed below the articulation button. Tapping it enables edit mode, which allows you to assign a key switch by pressing a key on the keyboard or by touching and dragging the key name below the button (“C0”, for example).

Note: Sustain and legato articulations ignore the note velocity and use the mod wheel (MIDI CC1) for volume control instead. This enables you to expressively play long notes that change dynamics over time. Note: While you can only assign an articulation button to a single key switch, you can assign a key switch to multiple articulation buttons, which allows you to stack articulations.

Stop Key

The Glockenspiel, Harp, Timpani, and Tubular Bells instruments feature a Stop Key, which is displayed in the row of key switches. Usually, these instruments resonate for a long time. Pressing the assigned Stop Key dampens playback for all sounding notes, allowing you to make them end more quickly without being too abrupt. If the Stop Key is not pressed, the sound of the instrument decays naturally. The corresponding key can be changed just like an articulation’s key, by tapping the key name below the button.

Percussion Map

In the Percussion Map instrument, a map showing the percussion instruments that are assigned to the keys is displayed instead of the key switches. Tapping the map enlarges it.

Parameters

The four knobs at the bottom show the parameters that allow you to adjust the selected articulation, as well as the main volume.

Level: Sets the volume of the articulation. By default, the articulations are pre-balanced.
Attack: Determines the duration of the attack of the selected articulation. The lower the values, the later the sample start, and the tighter the playing style – at the expense of the attack characteristics.
Note: In legato articulations, the Attack parameter influences the attack of the first note in a sequence; all connected notes remain unaffected. For percussion instruments, the attack can only be lengthened, not shortened.
Release: Controls the length of the release by affecting the release samples of the selected articulation.
Main: Sets the overall volume of the instrument.
This setting affects the entire instrument, not just the selected articulation.

Setup

Tapping the gears button in the top right corner opens the setup panel:

Tuning: Allows you to set the tuning in Hz. The default value of 440 Hz is in the center.
Voices: The maximum number of voices, ranging from 1 to 1024.
Larger values can have a negative impact on CPU performance.