The Sound Design Workshop column in the November issue of EM (entitled “A Step in Time“) describes how to build a step sequencer in a MIDI Effect Rack in Ableton Live 7. The MIDI Effect Racks are included in a downloadable Web Clip from the article. We’ve had some inquiries from readers concerning how to use those racks, so here’s a quick rundown.

1. Insert the step sequencer in an empty MIDI track. Any of the step sequencers in the Web Clip will do, they all work the same way.

2. Insert a virtual-instrument plug-in after the step sequencer by dragging it from the Live’s browser to the area labeled “Drop MIDI Effects, Audio Effects, Instruments or Samples Here.”

3. Record enable the track or set its Monitor mode to In.

MIDI notes between C2 and G2 (sequenced or played) will trigger steps in the 8-step sequencers. (Notes between Ab2 and Eb3 will trigger the second 8 steps in the 16-step sequencers.)

An alternative strategy is to insert the virtual-instrument plug-in on a different MIDI track and route the MIDI from the step sequencer track to the instrument track. If you choose that method, make sure that you’re not also sending incoming MIDI directly to the instrument.

Of late there have been a couple of cool developments in the area of audio recorders for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. First, Sonoma Wire Works and Retronyms collaborated to release Four Track. At $9.99, it’s actually a tad expensive for an iPhone app, but it’s the first multitrack recorder for this platform. It uses the built-in mic, but you can substitute a compatible third-party mic (such as the Shure Music Phone Adapter) for better quality. The recorder allows you to stack up to four mono tracks (16-bit, 44.1 kHz) and pan them, and the track length is limited only by your internal memory. Other features include clip lights and individual faders for each track, and file sending via Wi-Fi sync.

BIAS, makers of Peak and other software, recently released the iPro Recorder, a mono digital-audio recorder app that costs just 99 cents. It can record up to 13 hours of uncompressed WAV files for every GB on your device. It records at 16-bit resolution at either 44.1 kHz, 22 kHz, or 11 kHz sampling rates. One feature that I really like is that the visual interface flips around when you turn the iPhone (or iPod Touch) 180 degrees, which allows you to face the built-in mic away from you towards a source, and still see the controls right-side up. Also cool is a jog/shuttle control for manipulating playback. When you finish your recordings, you can export the file using the email button, which sends the recipient a message with a link to download the recording from BIAS’s own server. You can also send your file via Wi-Fi sync.

Both recorders are compatible with the iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch 2nd Gen.