Pro Music Apps

The iOS family of devices have enjoyed no shortage of outstanding apps aimed at creating music through on-board sounds. I mean the collection of music workstations, standalone synths, and retro beatbox apps are truly amazing. Since a big part of the electronic music world has traditionally involved MIDI as a means of communicating, it was only a matter of time before hardware solutions arrived that enable iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touchs to be talk to MIDI enabled devices.

IK Multimedia has certainly been at the forefront of music and hardware products for iOS musicians, with products such as their iRig guitar interface and iRig Mic, and although they weren’t first to market with a MIDI solution, they’ve recently joined the likes of Line6, iConnect, and Yamaha, and released their own dedicated product, predictably called – iRig MIDI.

This small, light-weight box, features a standard 30-pin connector on one end that plugs into a supported iOS device, and then it has three ports on the other end labelled MIDI IN, THU, and OUT. Because of the small size of the product, these are not the standard 5-pin DIN ports used for MIDI, but instead are RTS (ring/tip/sleeve) sockets. Included with the iRig interface are 2 special cables that plug into these ports and have the 5-pin male plugs on the other end.

Other features on the iRig MIDI interface, include indicator lights that let you know when MIDI IN/OUT information is being passed through the device, plus the interface also features a handy Micro USB port, which is designed to charge/power the iOS device while in use, as the interface will drain some of the power while it’s connected and being used.

Now, naturally since standard MIDI offers two way communication, the iRig MIDI interface can be use in a variety of situations, including being able to use any type of MIDI controller, from synth keyboards to electronic drum kits, and even a piece of MIDI software running on a computer, to be able to control a virtual instrument within an iOS app, provided it supports Standard Core MIDI.  Simply connect the external device to the MIDI IN on the iRig MIDI interface and it will be able to talk to a music app, such as IK Multimedia’s SampleTank for iOS.

The other option, by utilising the MIDI OUT, on the interface allows you to send MIDI information from an app, to an external MIDI device, like a synth, sound module, or sampler which would enable the app to ‘play’ the other devices, effectively acting as a MIDI sequencer. There aren’t a great deal of options as far as apps go, but Genome MIDI Sequencer is certainly one worth looking into. IK Multimedia has also released a basic FREE app called iRig MIDI Recorder, which you can grab the details about here.

In use, there really isn’t a great deal to say about the iRig MIDI interface, other than that it just works as advertised. You simply connect it up, load up a supported app with Standard Core MIDI, and it just works. Most importantly, there is  no noticeable delay between playing external devices and hearing the sound played back within the app. I haven’t experienced a huge drain on my iPad’s battery while using the iRig MIDI for an hour at a time, and am yet to try it on an iPhone/iPod Touch, though I assume the result will be similar.

For more details on IK Multimedia’s superior sounding SampleTank for iOS, click here.

For more details on IK Multimedia’s iRig MIDI interface, click here.

Here’s a video trailer

iLift is an app designed to help musicians learn from recordings. Whether you’re learning a fiddle tune, lifting changes for a gig, or playing along with classical performances, this app will help you develop your listening ability. iLift’s interface is simple and intuitive so you don’t have to read a manual and you can spend more time learning.

FEATURES

— Slow down to 50% of original speed and speed up to 150% without losing pitch
— Rewind and Fast Forward like a taperecorder
— Raise and lower key by up to 12 semitones
— Adjust fine tuning for out of tune recordings or instruments
— Loop sections or entire song and save loops
— See waveform of song
— iOS4: Import songs from iPod library or iTunes Drag and Drop
— Import songs from computer via Wi-Fi
— iOS4.2: Stream songs via AirPlay
— View tag and edit tag information within the app
— Add a note to songs
— Support for MP3, Unprotected AAC, AIFF, and WAV files

Grab iLift for iPad now –

SSSSYNTH is Monophonic Virtual Analog Synthesizer.
Since the basic analog synthesizer’s parameters are implemented, this app is perfectly suitable for beginners!
You can easily create impressive phrases from 35 types of keyboard even if you cannot play the piano.

[Specifications]
- OSC x 2
- MODURATION
RING MODURATION
OSC SYNC
- GLIDE
- FILTER x 1
- EG x 2(AMP,FILTER)
- LFO x 2
- FX
DELAY
OVER DRIVE
- KEYBOARD(SCALE) x 35

iSynth is a virtual monophonic analog-synthesizer for your iPad. iSynth is designed and optimized for live performances.

Features At A Glance:

✔ Dual Oscillator:
- Generating square, triangle, saw tooth and reverse saw tooth waves.
- Octave selector
- Lag processor
- Cross-Fader
- Oscillator fine-tuning
- Oscillator synchronization

✔ LFO Filter:
- Supporting square, triangle, saw tooth and reverse saw tooth waves.
- Filter, vibrato and tremolo modulation

✔ ADSR Volume Envelope Generator:
- Control attack, decay, sustain and release

✔ ADSR Filter Envelope Generator:
- Control attack, decay, sustain and release

✔ Low Pass Filter:
- Frequency cutoff from 10 kHz

✔ Arpeggio Modul:
- Up to five notes
- Select between up, down, up/down and random playing

✔ Keyboard:
- Switch between 4 octaves

✔ Patches:
- Shiped with default patches
- Save unlimited user defined patches
- Share your patches with others via iTunes filesharing

✔ AirPlay:
- Stream directly from iSynth to any AirPlay compatible device

Grab iSynth – Synthesizer for the iPad now –

As we reported earlier this year, Positive Grid’s JamUp Lite came as a welcome addition to the growing collection of virtual guitar amp apps. While this FREE version has continued to have updated features added throughout the year, Positive Grid recently launched a PRO version featuring a bunch more amps and stomp boxes for even more creative performances. There are now 6 hybrid amp models with 6 matched convolution speaker emulation, along with 14 studio-grade stomp boxes, racks ,and processors.

Mix and matching these, in numerous combinations, offers an almost unlimited range of guitar sounds for every style of music. The interface is easy to use, with each amp and stomp box featuring familiar ‘lifelike’ looking dials and controls for adjusting the sound. The interface also features a configurable signal path that allows you to slide the stomp boxes and amp around in the order you want the sound processed. It’s intuitive, and instant as you hear the changes to the sound as soon as you move something. On top of that, there is a ‘preset’, or performance mode where you have quick access to 4 banks of saved configurations, making it easy to change to a completely different sound with one button press.

If that was the only feature in JamUp Pro, I’d still say you were getting you money’s worth, but there’s a couple of other really handy modes for guitarists.

‘Jam mode’ is a simple to use music player, that can access songs in your iTunes and let you play along to them on your guitar. But the great feature of this player is it allows you to adjust the speed and the tuning of the song. This is ideal for slowing songs down to learn difficult riffs and solos, and also learning songs that are in different keys. You can also set loop points on sections of the songs you need to go over and over.

Then we come to the ‘sampler mode’, which is effectively a phrase sampler for creating a groove by overdubbing musical performances on top of each other to build a full arrangement. Like other products, both software and hardware varieties, you can choose how many bars you want the groove to loop, and recordings can be saved for later to load up or export. There’s a metronome and auto quantization to help keep performances nice and tight. If you’re into jamming and improvising on your own, this is a really great tool for getting down creative ideas.

The final feature of note, which I know is included with most guitar apps, is a chromatic tuner. Most people probably say, once you’ve seen one guitar tuner app you’ve seen them all, but this one is really is slick, and makes it easy to see when your tuning is spot on. One feature that could improve this is options for different tunings.

Unlike the financial model most of the other premium guitar apps follow, the $20 upfront cost for JamUp Pro is all you pay for all the features, where as other apps offer a cheaper upfront cost, and then in-app purchases to ‘unlock’ the various features and extra sounds. There is a FREE version of JamUp (called ‘lite’) that offers all of the features of the Pro version, only with less amps and stomp boxes. This at least allows you to enjoy the other modes, and then decide if the sounds are to your liking, before spending up on the Pro version.

Grab JamUp Pro now –

Making Music Easy!

This is a Music Sequencer.

Includes 48 instruments with a high variety of sound pitches (14) 672 Tones.

Easy Accessible interface

Color coded notes and quick note linking!

Save and Import sounds tracks

NO song track length limits

Instruments Family:

Piano
Various
Percussion
Synths
Winds
Chiptune
Strings

Grab iMusicComposer now –

Just thought I’d post some quick thoughts on Misa Digital’s Kitara which I’ve been playing with for a few weeks now.

For those that haven’t heard, it’s the latest electronic instrument to bring the action of playing a guitar into the synth world, well sort of anyway. It features 6 rows of buttons on a two octave neck, where the strings would normally go, and it has a touch screen in the area where you normally strum. There’s an onboard synth with a few dozen sounds, along with comprehensive sound and effects parameter editing so you can create and save your own patches.  It also features MIDI out, so you can use it as a MIDI controller with just about anything.

This past weekend, just for a bit of fun in the name of experimentation, I’ve had it hooked up to my iPad via the iRig MIDI interface, and tried out a few synth apps, plus SampleTank and GarageBand. And I have to say, it works incredibly well, especially having the flexibility to edit the X/Y parameters of the touchscreen to change different aspects of the sound simply by moving your finger around the touch screen.

I’m not going to say this is the ideal instrument for either a guitarist or a keyboardist, as it’s almost like relearning to play an instrument from scratch, although guitarists do have the advantage of knowing already where to place fingers to get certain chords. The twist for them however is having to break old habits, like ‘strumming’. I’ve let a few professional guitarists try it out while I’ve had it on load for review, and they all automatically go to strum the touchscreen, which is ideally not how it is meant to be played most of the time. There is a mode where it can have virtual strings for stumming, but the rest of the time it’s just meant to be ‘tapped’ with fingers. This is where I think keyboardists might have the slight edge in picking it up faster. The bottom line is, you’re going to need to dedicate a few months at least, before it becomes second nature to play.

Anyway, as I said, that’s just a quick take on my initial thoughts on how the Kitara has been going, and how well it works with iOS apps. I hope to prepare a more detailed review of the iRig MIDi interface and the Kitara in the near future.

If you, or any one you know has picked one of these up, I’d love to know your thoughts, so post something below.

Try out this neat scratch pad app for vocalists and lyricists keen to put down quick musical ideas, for FREE.

Turn your iPad & iPhone into a portable songwriting studio!

SongSynth FREE offers an easy-to-use way of creating and storing song ideas. Use its unique interface to experiment with chords, and its host of other features to help you write and record song ideas, whenever the mood hits!

FEATURES
***********

- a unique way to play hundreds of chords
- write down lyrics and chords – use SongSynth as a song notebook!
- create and store as many song ideas as you like
- record demos of your ideas using the built-in recorder
- sing or play directly into your device
- record on top of a recording using the ‘overdub’ function
- 3 sound sets: synth, acoustic guitar, piano
- a simple drum machine to play along with
- email yourself (or others) both your lyrics and your demo as an mp3
- Soundcloud, Dropbox and Social Media integration

SongSynth has been designed so no previous keyboard skills are required to play a huge variety of chords. These chords, coupled with a great lyric and vocal line, are the building blocks of many thousands of amazing pop songs.

UPGRADE for no more adverts, overdubbing and extra chords and sounds.

Now you can record 6 vocal stacks over professional HipHop tracks, email and upload your recordings to your Facebook wall & YouTube, All with HipHop Studio 2.

HipHop Studio Pro is the most feature rich app of its kind. Purchase HipHop Studio Pro to enjoy a full studio on your device.

- XME Inc. has created BeatPad, Z-Drums and dozens of other great apps that have been featured by Apple & iTunes all over the world. We are proud to bring you another music app that you’ll love and we love to use ourselves.

HipHop Studio Pro Features:
* Beautiful Design and Rich Functionality
* Mastered Instrumentals Produced by Industry Musicians, Producers and Engineers
* iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch compatible
* Built-In TapTempo/Metronome
* 6 Channels of Vocal Stacks
* Low Latency Recording
* Save Lyrics to each song
* Export your Songs to your Facebook wall.
* Export your Songs to your YouTube Channel
* Email your creations to friends
* Pan each of your 6 vocal stacks left or right
* Your Mixes will maintain volume and panning settings when compressed
* High Quality Mp3 conversion
* 20 Built-In Instrumentals

- iOS5 Changes Everything! HipHop Studio Pro runs up to 2X faster on iOS5 than on iOS4 (Even on Older Devices!) We are glad to bring you HipHop Studio Pro. Optimized for iOS5!

Got Skills? Prove it and upload to YouTube Today!!!

Grab Hip-Hop Studio Pro now –

Following the release of the original iPhone/Touch version back in March, IK Multimedia has rejigged the UI and added a few nice tweaks for the iPad version of it’s dedicated vocal processing and recording app, VocaLive. Read on for the official details -

THE FIRST PROFESSIONAL VOCAL LIVE PERFORMING AND RECORDING PROCESSOR FOR THE iPAD!

VocaLive provides singers and vocalists with a suite of 12 real-time professional vocal effects along with a capable recorder for studio-quality sound in a portable package. The effects can be combined into a chain of 4 processors and saved as presets. A collection of up to 50 presets is included to get you up and running immediately.

VocaLive for iPad includes 5 Vocal Effects – Pitch Fix (for tuning correction or stylized quantization FX), Choir (a 3-part harmonizer), Morph (a formant shifter to change the tonal quality of the voice from subtle deepening to radical gender bending) and Double (by registering) – along with 7 Studio Effects – De-Esser, Reverb, Delay, Parametric EQ, Compressor, Chorus, Phazer and Envelope Filter – that together create the perfect vocal processing solution.

VocaLive for iPad gives you the ability to record vocals or other instruments (single or multitrack) with effects and master section, sing along with your favorite iTunes song library (with a Voice Cancel feature for practicing over songs with existing vocals) and warm up your voice with the included Vocal Tools. VocaLive is an incredible professional vocal effects workstation that you can take with you anywhere.

For the best quality, use VocaLive on stage with IK’s iRig Mic. You can also have fun with it or record quick ideas using the built-in iPad mic, or you can use VocaLive with earbuds that have a built-in mic.

With its 12 professional effects, Recorder and Vocal Tools, VocaLive for iPad is the most powerful vocal processing tool available so far on the iPad!

VocaLive for iPad features:

• Real time vocal processor + recording app
• 4-processor vocal effects chain
• 12 professional studio quality vocal effects
• Single track recorder expandable to a full 8-track recording studio with master effects section, available for purchase in the in-app Shop
• Import and play songs to be used as backing tracks directly from your music library or computer
• Voice Cancel feature lets you create sing-along backing tracks by removing the vocal track from existing recordings
• 50 presets included with 4 Favorites for fast recall
• Includes metronome and vocal warm-up tools
• Low-latency for real time vocal processing

Also note, there is also a FREE LE version also available!

For more information:  www.ikmultimedia.com/vocaliveipad

Grab VocaLive for iPad now –