AudioCipher V4: MIDI Vault

AudioCipher was founded in 2020. Our first three plugins focused on a novel text-to-MIDI technique for generating melodies and chord progressions. We’ve improved on that MIDi generator in V4 with four new features: A closed-voicing chord inversion algorithm, a join feature that merges repeating notes, more musical modes, and better triplet note handling.

However, we also wanted to build a MIDI file management system that empowered users to retain their ideas and develop them into the future. Otherwise your initial sketches can easily get buried in DAW project files and be difficult to retrieve.

However – We came to realize that sound design plays a crucial role in the spirit of a MIDI idea. So we built a “musical rolodex” for that bundles MIDI + Audio files together into “cards” and stores them in what we call the MIDI Vault.

The MIDI generator incluees a save function that spins up a new card, effectively integrating the two hemispheres of the app into one unified workflow.

MIDI Vault is the first app to bundle MIDI and Audio together in a “card” format with metadata: BPM, Key, mood, genre, instrument type, and a user rating system.

Users can filter on any of those properties to locate their ideas quickly.

Finally, when musicians have a burst of inspiration and record it as a MIDI track, they can tuck it away for safe keeping. Later when they have time, they can retrieve the MIDI file and drag it into the DAW, experimenting with different virtual instruments. As they find options they like, they can bounce those audio files and drag them back onto the same card.

Apply metadata to make it easier to search for that card in the future.

The plugin includes audio and MIDI playback. So next time you’re sitting at the DAW looking for a starting point, you can flip through your MIDI vault and listen to the plain MIDI file or hear it played back with whatever instruments you applied (piano, kalimba, synth, you name it).

These “cards” are saved globally to your device and are not bound to a single DAW. So you can access them anywhere and any time, without wasting time loading project files just to grab an idea.

Here’s our ideal workflow: The users begins in the MIDI generator, types in a word or phrase that inspires them, experiments with different key signatures and modes, tempos and rhythms, until they hear something they like. They hit the save button to generate a new card in the MIDI vault. They drag the MIDI file into their DAW, add a virtual instrument, bounce that audio file, and drag it into your card. Add some metadata and you’re home free.

Now you have a musical theme or motif inspired by that word, that you can access at any time!

Keep in mind, you don’t have to use the MIDI generator to create and manage cards in the MIDI vault. Our goal was to provide a simple tool that can help you with inspiration, file management, and song development.