Pro Music Apps

Steph O’Hara has crafted the highly original and fun to play synthmate for iPad. The unique coloured bars make it less about playing it like a traditional keyboard and more about freely experimenting with sounds and noises. The bars are intentially long as the Y axis can be assigned a control over the various settings. There are around a dozen presets that demonstrate the ‘synth’s’ capabilities, but after only an hour of playing with this, I’d already stored twice as many of my own great sounding presets in addition to those. I’m looking forward to spending a few more hours to see what this app is capable of.  Read on for the main features -

synthmate : a musical synthesizer with a simple and elegant interface, programable controls including scales, wave type, lfo and yaxis control with a low-latency audio engine.

Features :

• real-time control, low latency
• multi-touch interface, change anything while playing
• 5 note polyphony
• 1 oscilator unit per touch : control pitch, volume
• 1 lfo unit per touch : control speed, amount
• 1 delay unit : control time, feedback
• Y axis assignable control
• edit scales, range, portamento and micro-tune
• load/save all settings

Drop by the home of synthmate – http://www.synthmate.com

Grab synthmate now –

We’ve found Audio Kit to be an indispensable tool ever since it arrived for iPhone back in June this year. And its Sydney-based developer,  Sinusoid Pty Ltd, has certainly been busy with updates, and another is due in the coming weeks, to v.1.4 .

In a nutshell, Audio Kit is a set of audio measuring and testing software tools, that replace the dedicate hardware typically required to get the same results.

The app includes a real time Spectrum Analyser which can display frequencies in either logarithmic or linear scale. The second tool is an adjustable Oscilloscope for displaying waveforms, which utilises the pinch-to-zoom feature. The third tool is an SPL Meter for measuring the maximum and minimum pressure levels of a sound source, using an A-weighting. And the final tool, a Signal Generator can produce variable frequency sine waves, white noise and pink noise.

The latest update of Audio Kit, v1.3.1, introduced the following new features in September -

- Spectrum now has selectable FFT sizes of 8192, 4096 and 2048, giving much better resolution of frequencies.
- Signal Generator now includes white noise and pink noise signal types, in addition to the existing sine wave signal.

So we’re looking forward to seeing what’s in store in the upcoming new update.

For more info head to Sinusoid Pty Ltd – http://store.sinusoid.com/software/iphone-apps/audio-kit.html

Grab Audio Kit now –

This one is technically a ‘game’, but you could also use it for some interesting musical ‘accidents’ while just playing around.

A Unique Action Puzzle Game
Halcyon is named for the mythological bird of ancient Greece, said to charm the winds and seas into a calm during the Winter Solstice.

Gameplay is one part spacial action puzzler and one part interactive stringed instrument combined in an experience designed specifically for the iPad.
Colored currents travel inexorably toward each other. Strum the strings to match the currents, creating both phonic and visual harmony.

Take on the role of the Halcyon, conducting nature, untangling currents, and bringing calm to the wind, sea, land, and stars.

A Generative Musical Instrument
Halcyon features a complete generative soundtrack that becomes an instrument when you play the game. Since its designed to accompany you while you play, you’ll create tranquil sonic landscapes as you travel along.

Tons of Gameplay
: 36 Levels through Four Environments

: Two Endless Modes that dynamically adjust difficulty based on how you are doing

: A Twelve Song Generative Soundtrack

: OpenFeint + Game Center

For more details and video demo – http://www.halcyongame.com/

V-Control Pro provides a fully-featured, multi-touch control surface for Pro Tools on a Mac and soon for Windows. V-Control Pro uses WiFi to control transport, editing, and mixing functions with Pro Tools 9, HD, or LE. V-Control Pro provides advanced control of sends, automation, groups, auditioning, plug-ins, scrub/shuttle, I/O assignment, and other controls within an easy-to-use interface.

Features:

Large, touch-sensitive moving faders
Solo, mute, record, and pan controls
Flip mode send editing
Scrub / shuttle control
Automation mode controls and display
Automation and group suspend buttons
Automation and group status display
Automation write enable controls
Plug-in editing
Input monitoring switch
Big counter display
Save and Undo buttons
Pre-roll / Post-roll buttons
I/O assignment
Zoom presets
Window display controls
Keypad popover provides access to many Pro Tools features

Check the developer’s site for details on the standard and pro versions of this app – http://www.neyrinck.com/

Grab V-Control Pro now –

This app will be of great use to anyone that cares for measuring and monitoring audio frequencies. It’s kind of niche, but it will be indespensible, in the right hands.

This app is the program which measures the frequency response of the audio system.
It oscillate a low frequency signal from the headphone terminal of iPhone, and it receives the response from microphone.
Then, it records a level every oscillation frequency.
Also, it does the Oscilloscope display of the microphone input, and a frequency analysis by FFT.

It connects with the AUX input terminal of the audio system from the headphone output terminal of iPhone.
It adjusts volume beforehand in the volume of iPhone and the volume of the amplifier.
When beginning measurement, the signal which 1/3 octaves changed a frequency into between 20Hz – 20 kHz is output in 3 seconds by the output terminal of iPhone.
The signal which was received from microphone input by iPhone records the last 1 second of 3 seconds as the response level to the frequency.
It repeats this at each frequency and it displays the graph of the frequency response.

It creates this app in the purpose to use signal output from the headphone terminal for the measurement and the test by connecting it with the other equipment.
When using the speaker of iPhone to output the sound signal of the continuation wave continuously, be careful because there is possibility to cause trouble.
Also, when hearing with the headphone, be careful because there is possibility to cause hearing impairments.

This Japanese developer also does a range of other audio tool apps – http://www.tim.hi-ho.ne.jp/os-craft/

Grab FreqAnalyzer now –

If you’ve been recording since the early days of cassettes, (yes kids these used to be all we had!) then you’ll have no doubt drooled over a Portastudio, if you didn’t already own one.  Without so much as an official word, Tascam has launched an iPad version of the much loved 4 track cassette recorder. And that, we say thank you Tascam for the memories…

TASCAM’s Portastudio brings 30 years of easy-to-use home recording to your iPad. Based on the PORTA ONE recorder that revolutionized recording in 1984, the Portastudio app records up to four tracks with a vintage vibe.

Record one track at a time using the built-in mic or a headset microphone connection, monitoring on authentic VU meters. A cassette transport with position counter tracks your position while you mix with level, pan and EQ controls. When you’re ready to mix, the built-in mixdown function saves your song as a CD-quality WAV file. Your mix appears in iTunes when you’re finished, ready to share with friends and bandmates.

A generation of your favorite bands crafted their songs with Portastudios, now it’s your turn. Start capturing your songs with the company that invented home recording using Portastudio by TASCAM.

audio palette has been out since last year, but a free version has just launched.

Audio palette is an innovative instrument that allows you to remix looped tracks in a new way. In audio palette each sound is represented on the screen as a circle. The closer your touch is to the center of the circle, the louder the sound. Your performance is automatically recorded and looped back with perfect timing accuracy allowing you to create a new loop built from your touch stroke. Using the buttons along the bottom of the screen, you can switch instantly between the touch recordings, and create yet another layer of performance. The software also allows you to edit the positions and sizes of the circles on screen, so you can customize your layouts.

To see videos of audio palette in action, please go to www.audiopalette.net

This free version of audio palette allows access to two palettes as well as the ability to edit the palettes.

The full version of audio palette allows you to upload your own samples, and also includes custom samples provided by legendary rock music producer and ambient music pioneer Brian Eno, as well as palettes from Andrey Gladkov of TriHorn productions, and the inimitable Octafuzz.

You can buy the full version of audio palette here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audio-palette/id340767581?mt=8

TwistedWave have taken their Mac audio editor and down-sized it for use on iPad and iPhone. The app appears to have a nice clean interface and intuitive controls, and a full range of audio processing and editing features.  If anyone has used this, let us know what you think of it.

TwistedWave is a very easy to use audio editor and recorder.

A number of tools allow you to easily edit your audio:
- Copy and paste your audio.
- Undo/redo instantly.
- Amplify or normalize the audio to a given level.
- Add fades in or fades out.
- Apply different kinds of filters to adjust the level of the low or high frequencies.

Different file formats and exporting options are available to share your audio:
- WAV, AIFF, CAF and AAC audio.
- Import/export audio to iTunes (with iOS 3.2).
- Send your audio by mail.
- Upload to an FTP account.

Grab TwistedWave Audio Editor now –

Not sure what to make of this app. Fun? Serious? Useless? Could be a handy tool in your musical app armoury anyway.

iCanRecord lets you record your own sounds and assign them to a keyboard to play back at different pitches. Turn your iPad into a sampler and take you music to another level.

- Sample Sounds and assign them to keyboard
- Quickly change between sounds
- Create your own band by recording your voice and change the pitch creating a choir effect
- Layer guitar sounds over and over
- Record your friends and play them back at different pitches!

Grab iCanRecord now –

MooCowMusic, makers of the excellent Pianist and Pianist Pro, have been dabbling with Wireless MIDI functionality already, but it appears they’ve discovered a way to make it a whole lot easier to do which no longer involves the fiddly server setup currently required. Coming in the next update of Pianist Pro, v1.8, users will be able to use an iPad as a MIDI controller wirelessly simply using built-in Network MIDI drivers in a Mac.

This video shows just how easy it can be done.