Envau

Music by Gesture and Movement, available for iOS and macOS.

Overview

Envau turns locations and gestures into sound. Place notes or audio samples anywhere on a map, then activate them by moving through space or swiping across the screen. Use built-in synthesizers and effects, import your own samples, or send MIDI to external apps and hardware.

Music Creation

Transform your walks into musical performances or use Envau as an expressive gestural controller. Whether you're recording ambient soundscapes as you move through space, controlling external gear via MIDI, or composing generative patterns, Envau adapts to your creative process.

MIDI Controller

Connect Envau to compatible music apps and hardware. Control external synthesizers, drum machines, and DAWs via MIDI—all while using internal sounds and samples simultaneously. Expand your creative workflow by integrating Envau with your existing setup.

Spatial Meditations

Turn movement into meditation. Design soundscapes that breathe with your pace, shifting between harmonies as you drift through the world. Let sound guide your wandering, or let your wandering shape the sound—each journey becomes its own composition, unfolding in real time.

Support

Known Issues

MIDI connectivity: Envau should generally be launched after the apps you intend to control via MIDI. However, you can also try toggling presets to reset the engine.
GPS accuracy: Enable Hi-Res GPS in Studio > System for better location precision.
Background audio: Ensure Envau has background app refresh enabled for continuous playback while moving.
Stopped audio: Some apps will pause or stop audio in other apps, restart Envau, or toggle presets for an engine reset.

Troubleshooting

No sound

Verify that at least one active beacon covers your current playback location.
Check that location services are enabled for Envau in your device settings.
Make sure the app is not muted (check the mute button in the Map tab navigation bar).
Restart the app or toggle presets to trigger an engine reset.

MIDI not working

Launch your destination MIDI app first, then launch Envau.
Enable MIDI Out in Studio > MIDI settings.
Verify you're using the correct MIDI channel.

Battery draining quickly

Disable Hi-Res GPS if you don't need precise location tracking.
Close Envau when not in use, especially if using location-based mode.

Need Help?

For support inquiries, bug reports, or feature requests, please email:

mail@timsandgren.com

Getting Started

Follow these steps to create your first composition:

Enable location services: Make sure Envau has permission to access your location in your device settings. This allows the app to activate beacons as you move. Alternatively, you can use touch mode to activate beacons manually.
Add a beacon: Go to the Map tab and long-press anywhere on the map (or tap the pin button in the navigation bar).
Add notes or samples: Tap the beacon to open the editor. Tap on the piano roll to add notes, or swipe up to access settings where you can assign audio samples.
Adjust the beacon radius: Make sure the beacon's radius (the circle around it) covers either your current location (in GPS mode) or where you'll swipe (in touch mode). You can adjust the radius by swiping up in the beacon editor or by long-pressing and dragging with the beacon selected on the map.
Choose a note playback mode (optional): Switch to the Studio tab and select either Drone mode (continuous playback) or Sequence mode (rhythmic patterns). Note: playback modes only affect notes, not audio samples. However, both share the same filter and effects.
Activate playback: In GPS mode, move into the beacon's radius to trigger sounds. In touch mode, go to the Map tab and long-press and drag to move the playback position into the beacon's area.

Interface Guide

This guide provides an overview of Envau's interface and functionality, covering the Studio, Map, and Archive tabs and explaining how to use them.

Studio

The Studio tab contains all controls for synthesis, effects, and MIDI output. Note that audio samples are managed separately at the beacon level.

Playback

Control how your composition plays back and responds to movement.

Mode: Switch between Drone mode (continuous playback) and Sequence mode (rhythmic patterns).
Position Amplitude: Toggle between distance-based amplitude (fades with distance) or static amplitude. Available in Drone mode only.

Sequence Mode Settings:

Note Order: Choose how notes are triggered—up, down, modulo, or random.
Note Probability: Set the likelihood of each note playing.
Velocity Random: Add randomization to note velocity.
BPM: Control the playback tempo.

Envelope

Standard ADSR envelope for shaping note amplitude over time (Sequence mode only).

Filter

Lowpass filter with dedicated frequency LFO for modulation.

Effects

Phaser: Stereo phaser with modulation LFO
Chorus: Stereo chorus with modulation LFO
Delay: Stereo delay
Reverb: 8 delay line stereo FDN reverb

MIDI

Send your composition data to external apps and hardware.

MIDI Out: Enable to send note data to external apps or hardware. Note: Envau must be launched after the apps you want to control.
Channel: MIDI output channel (uses zero-indexing: channel 0 = MIDI channel 1, etc.).
Note Off: Enable to send note-off messages.

System

Global settings and preferences.

Fixed Main Level: Prevents the main volume level from changing when switching presets.
Show Experimental Features: Toggle visibility of experimental features.
Hi-Res GPS: Switch between standard and high-resolution GPS (higher battery usage).

Map

The Map tab is where you create and edit your compositions. Sound areas (beacons) can be created by long-pressing on the map or using the navbar button. Tap any beacon to select it and access the piano roll and editing options.

Adding Beacons

Create new beacons by tapping the pin button in the navigation bar, or by long-pressing directly on the map. Note: long-press creation is disabled when in touch mode.

Editing Beacons

Tap a beacon to select it and open the editor. From here you can:

Add/remove notes: Swipe and tap on the piano roll to toggle notes on or off.
Access additional settings: Swipe up on the editor sheet to reveal options for radius adjustment and audio sample assignment.
Adjust radius: Use the slider in the settings panel, or tap the map to close the editor. Then, long-press and drag on the map.
Delete beacon: Available in the settings panel.

Navigation Bar Options

Add Beacon (left): Create a new beacon at the center of the current map view.
Focus Position (center-left): Centers the map on your current location (disabled in touch mode).
Mode Toggle (center-right): Switch between GPS mode (activated by your location) and Touch mode (activated by swiping). Switching modes restarts sequence playback.
Mute/Unmute (right): Silence or enable audio output.