Klevgrand has released Motion Controller, a free companion app for their desktop drum sampler OneShot 2 that turns your iPhone into a surprisingly convincing physical percussion instrument. The app taps the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer to capture shaking and hitting gestures in real time, translating them into MIDI signals that feed directly into OneShot 2’s motion engine on Mac. The result is a sampler performance that reacts to how you physically move — harder shakes produce different dynamics, and the calibration controls let you dial in how loose or tight that response feels. It’s a genuinely clever use of hardware that’s already in your pocket, and it shares some conceptual DNA with nueCtrl by Nue Devices, which similarly leverages iPhone motion sensing for expressive MIDI control.
Connection is handled via IDAM (corded) or Bluetooth MIDI, with the corded route offering the lowest latency for live performance and the wireless option keeping things clean for studio sessions. While Motion Controller is purpose-built to complement OneShot 2 on Mac, it sends standard MIDI data — meaning it will work with any MIDI-compatible instrument or host that can receive it. Route it into AUM on iPad, for example, and you can drive any synth or sampler with gesture-based MIDI. The physical control feels intuitive and engaging for most users, though very subtle movements can occasionally fall below the sensor’s reliable threshold — dedicated hardware sensors will always edge it out for ultra-fine control, but that’s not really the point here.
OneShot 2 itself is currently desktop-only (Mac), but from Klevgrand’s history of porting popular plugins like Grand Finale to iOS, it should be coming to iPad soon, unlocking even more potential for this controller.
Motion Controller is optimised for iPhone’s handheld form factor, where holding and shaking the device feels natural in a way that holding an iPad doesn’t. That said, it is iPad-compatible for anyone who prefers it. Klevgrand has a track record of building thoughtful, well-executed tools — Parrot is a good example — and Motion Controller carries that same focused, fit-for-purpose character. As a free utility that adds a genuinely physical layer to digital drum sampling, it earns its place in any live performance or studio toolkit. Pair it with Logic Pro for iPad via Bluetooth MIDI and you have a compelling motion-driven percussion setup with no additional hardware required.
Key features:
- Uses iPhone accelerometer to generate MIDI signals from shaking and hitting gestures
- Simulates natural percussion instruments — shakers, hand percussion, and more
- Stable low-latency MIDI connection via IDAM (corded) or Bluetooth MIDI
- Looseness/Tightness calibration for fine-tuning gesture sensitivity
- Pre-configured presets for OneShot 2 on Mac for instant setup
- Works with any MIDI-compatible instrument or host — not limited to OneShot 2
App price: Free.
No in-app purchases.
