Numerology is a MIDI sequencer from a small company known as Five12. It is a modular sequencing environment designed for performing musicians. It works by giving the user an organized workspace within which they can quickly create and connect together a variety of highly functional sequencing and MIDI event generating modules. As a fully modular environment, the user can construct sequencing instruments that fit their own unique and twisted requirements. The sequencers follow a model similar to that used by analog sequencers: the user creates sequences of control values that can be routed to other modules to control generation of notes or MIDI CC and Pitch Bend messages.

Most current digital sequencers are based on a design that is very similar to a tape recorder. They have three distinct modes: record, edit, play— with little or no integration between these modes, and the edit mode invariably has more in common with a word processor than a musical instrument. These programs can be very powerful, but also cumbersome to use, especially in a live or improvisational context.

There are some programs that offer some analog-style sequencing features, but only with either very limited features, or as low-level modules in software toolkits that take hours to fashion into something useable.

The Numerology approach is to offer fully featured modules that provide the immediacy and fun factor that analog sequencing provides, in an environment where the musician can take full advantage of their possibilities. Numerology provides a selection of carefully designed features, such as groups, presets, and navigation and mixing functions that combine to offer a sequencing environment with the flexibility and interactivity of a fully modular system.

Along with some big new features like GrooveClock, MIDI Input and the ultra-flexible Matrix Sequencer, there are many little goodies hiding here and there, including sequencer triggering, arpeggio modes for the matrix sequencer, and new MIDI control options for groups.

New in this version

• Fixed an Audio prefs issue that caused a crash under Rosetta.
• Fixed a preset save bug that would cause the preset save dialog to appear twice.
• Fixed a bug in saving pan info.
• Fixed a bug that kept Numerology from launching in Panther.
• Fixed a bug where pan was not saved/restored with a file.
• Added a hidden pref to disable transmission of MIDI song pos ptr, which should be needed only in rare circumstances.
• The MidiSwitch & SignalSwitch modules should now work correctly.
• Handling of CC control over the ctl seq module has been tweaked to ensure that incoming values are quantized when appropriate, and so that the UI does not display a value different from what the sequencer outputs.
• Fixed a bug that could cause a crash when deleting a group.
• This build seems to work fine in both 10.3.9/Quicktime 7 and 10.4.1.
• Most of the UI controls in this version have been revised to avoid various drawing errors that occurred with earlier versions.
• When setting factory presets for AUs, Numerology now sends both preset number and name. Some recent AU's crash if you don't also send the name (which according to the AU spec, should be optional for factory presets).
• "mouseMoved" events are now turned on for AU edit windows, this allows mouse-overs and menus to work more smoothly. In particular this was an issue w/ NI plugins.
• Plugsound free now seems to work correctly. Hopefully this will translate to other plugins based on the UVI engine.