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CraigS63
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iPhone apps

Post by CraigS63 » Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:29 pm

Anyone else playing around with these (or maybe you're actually making music)?
I wish somebody would port an old version of a sequencer to it, or maybe something like Band in a Box. Wait and see, I guess.

Veej007
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Post by Veej007 » Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:18 pm

Larry blogged about one here

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mrclean
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I bought several iPhones apps...

Post by mrclean » Sat Oct 18, 2008 6:42 am

I have a few iPhone music apps - several are quite good and fun.

"Bloom" - the Eno app that Larry mentioned is very cool - very addictive and the user interface is great.

BtBx (Beatbox) is also great. See a video here:
BtBx Video Demo

I also have miniSynth

I've taken the headphone out and into my little mixer and recorded into Cubase just fine with these.
-- mrclean

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Post by joel hamilton » Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:01 pm

Not free, but totally cool:
http://www.macworld.com/article/136026/ ... phone.html

I have an original, but I can call people on this new one... ;)

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CraigS63
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Post by CraigS63 » Sun Oct 19, 2008 6:42 am

So far I only have a couple of apps that aren't free, but that will probably change (somehow the $1 or $2 prices seem higher when there is a ton of free ones out on the iTunes store?). I saw a couple of Theremins that look interesting.

free:
iTick - metronome (nice, also has the Italian names, I should learn these someday...)
Tuner440 - haven't used much, it wasn't picking up the notes from my uke the time I tried it. Has presets for bass, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, violin, and 'free' mode.
iMaracas - shaking the phone makes the maraca sound. Fun and free.
gaelanGong - it's a gong. Triggers the vibrate mode when it sounds.
Karajan beginner - ear training/theory. Intervals/chords/scales/pitch/tempo/key signatures. This is really good, I need the level below 'beginner'!
MoreCowbell - from the SNL skit.
RainStick - makes sound when phone is turned from end to end.
Rimshot - fun in business meetings when the 'funny guy' makes a joke. Latest version features rimshot/crickets/trombone wa-wa-wa-waaaaah.
TapTheBeat - calculates tempo/millisecond delay from the screen being tapped.

not free:
Drum Kit - graphic pic (an overhead view) of a drum kit
PocketGuitar - fun to strum, also can do ukulele, bass, effects. Custom tunings for each instrument. The accelerometer can be used for pitch bends. The multitouch doesn't understand barre chords too well.
Band - has a piano, bass, guitar, drums, drum loops, audience noise. I like this one, but the keyboard is a little too small. I guess the tradeoff is range vs. playability. The drum view is rectangular pads. There is a recording function as well (I haven't used yet).

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Post by crow » Sun Oct 19, 2008 8:07 am

my favorite so far is Beatmaker by Intua. it's a pretty dang feature-rich drum sequencing program, and you can load your own samples and export midi! if i were more of a midi-oriented guy, i could see using this a ton.

http://www.intua.net/

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CraigS63
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Post by CraigS63 » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:34 am

Anyone pulled the trigger on the 'Ocarina' yet? I see it's the number one paid app at the moment... I like to do a lot more research before spending 99 cents than I do for everything else I buy.

Update: got it, now I have another instrument I'm bad at. Whoohoo!
Last edited by CraigS63 on Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

sparky
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Post by sparky » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:52 am

my prob with the two music apps i've tried is that the response time of the screen is too laggy unless the quantizer is on. Like I have beatmaker, but it doesn't really seem usable unless you turn on snap-to-grid or whatever and then its way less useful.

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CraigS63
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Post by CraigS63 » Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:55 pm

I forgot to mention the 'Oblique Strategies' (free) app - does that count as music-oriented?

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pk
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Post by pk » Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:32 pm

I just got me an iPhone the other day, just now making a little time to see all the apps available. I'm blown away by how many there are!!!

Joel, maybe we can make this thread a sticky? I think there will an increasing number of iPhone users very shortly and there's so much music related stuff for it, could be an idea?

Have you guys found a good voice/noise recorded yet? I searched the app store and found many, but based on the user reviews, seems like they all fall short somewhere. Look like this one called "Voxie" is the best one so far.

And now the drums, which one is the best for fun beat-making? More importantly, which one will let you actually transfer what you did (either in midi or aiff) directly to the computer so you can actually use it in your DAW if you wanted to?

Bring on the suggestions!

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linus
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Post by linus » Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:07 pm

Jesus H Christ on a stick my iPhone makes a TON of electrical interference noise when it is ANYWHERE near my board or outboard gear.

REDICULOUS amounts of noise.

I've got "audio recorder". It's good for making little sketches when I have an idea and am not near my gear. It's enough so I remember what I wanted to do. I haven't tried sending myself the audio files. Maybe there is some way to import/use them in other software???

"Beat Maker" is cool although pretty confusing but it's probably just me. I've always found drummachines/sequencers confusing.

"Tap Stereo" is a little bit theremin-ish. Not particularly useful for doing anything other than making weird noises.

"Tap The Beat" is a useful free app for figuring out tempos.

"IR-909" yet another drum machine that I'm not very good at programming.

"Thereminator" and "Theremin" (I bought both, don't ask me why, I don't know) are both basicly noise makers. I think Theremiator has a better chance of getting repeatable sounds/pitches. It seems to be a better interface. "Theremin" on the other hand relies on tilting the iPhone and I just can't get it to play the same notes twice.

"iResist" isn't a music app but helps me figure out the values of resistors. It's free and definitely helpful when trying to do an electronics project. I'm finishing up a Fuzz Face clone and a Tonebender clone. I recently got my ass kicked trying to make a Neve 33609 clone and finally had to throw in the towel and ask for help. But they've been fun projects.

I'm definitely going to be on the look out for more stuff.
Check out my website for cool songs recorded and played by me with Steve Goulding of the Mekons on drums. Drums were recorded by our own Joel H at Studio G.
www.linusNYC.com

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Post by emilano » Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:20 am

pocket guitar is unbelievable. It has a picture of the first five frets of a guitar with strings and all and you basically hold and play it like a real guitar. AND IT WORKS. Though its a major bitch to play, you can do it. Break out the old iphone to play some ditties by the campfire wherever you are.

I've tried iTalk which gets pretty good quality recordings considering its coming through the iphone mic, and also has easy transfer of files over wifi direct to your computer. There's also an app that is a full 4 track recorder for $10 that a friend of mine got. forget what its called. amazing.

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Post by RefD » Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:54 am

?What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.? -- Seneca

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Post by emilano » Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:34 am

yep, thats it.

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Post by EvanMidds » Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:52 am

I've got the above mentioned 4 track. It's actually pretty cool for capturing ideas on the go and in just a few clicks is easy to set down in rehearsal to get some tunes down for a band. I used it to record a freeway to see how well it came out, not bad! I haven't really dug into the settings much so I haven't figured out how to adjust the input sensitivity so if the band is kicking then it'll overload pretty quick but if you are looking for a straightforward multitrack recorder for a phone then I'd recommend it.

I also picked up a little app called Soundcheck which is sine waves, pink noise and a couple other little sound check soundfiles.
All the Best,
Evan Middlesworth
Owner Pine Hollow Audio

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