Best Ways To Produce
Music On The iPhone
| Wired - Eliot Van
Buskirk |
From
NPR:
Beatmaker:
| "Beatmaker
turns the iPhone into a Digital Audio Workstation. In other words, it
lets you load audio clips into the iPhone and mix them together to make
your own music. It's got a drum machine and lots of samples pre-loaded.
You can loop effects. Watch
this video
to see it in action" |
Band:
| "This is a collection
of virtual instruments: a couple of drum kits, a keyboard, bass,
electric guitar. There's even an audience to give your music some
applause. Apps like this one and the others listed here are possible
because of the iPhone's incredibly elegant, touch-sensitive screen. Tap
the keys on the screen to play piano, or the drum pads to lay down a
beat. I've read that some people are recording entire songs using only
the iPhone" |
Pandora:
| "Billed as "a new kind of
radio," Pandora sends you a steady stream of music based on your own
tastes. Tell it you like the music of Sparklehorse and it'll play songs
by similar bands. Hit the "info" key and it'll even give you a short
explanation for why it picked a song. For example: "We're playing this
song because it features basic rock song structures, extensive vamping,
major key tonality, electric rhythm guitars and many other similarities
identified in the Music Genome Project." You can rate the song with a
thumbs up or down, which allows Pandora to better determine your
tastes" |
Guitar ToolKit:
| "This is a set
of essential tools for any guitarist. It's got a tuner (it uses the
iPhone's built-in mic to listen and tell you whether you're in tune), a
chord finder (scroll through more than 260 chord diagrams), a
metronome, and "tuning tones," a set of harmonic tones to tune your
guitar if you play by ear" |
Shazam:
|
"Ever hear a song
somewhere and wonder what it is? Hold your phone up to
the song in question: Shazam listens and tells you what it is. Once it
knows, Shazam lets you tag the song as a favorite, gives you a link to
buy it from iTunes, and, if available, provides links to YouTube videos
of the track" |
From Gizmodo:
Mujik:
| "An instrument-slash-synthesizer made of books, flies,
cardboard and
whimsy. It takes about five minutes to figure out what the hell is
going on with Mujik, but once you do, it's beautiful, and the musical
possibilities are tremendous"
|
From C/NET:
Last.fm
| "Plentiful community features and perhaps the
best-tailored music
recommendations; let's you add individual tracks to playlists for
calling up later; lets you tag tracks and purchase directly from
iTunes; no ads that we noticed." |
Slacker
| "Straightforward and
easy to use; saves user data to account; nice
interface with prominent album art; heart and ban buttons to tailor
playback to your liking; station listing page is graphically pleasing
with album thumbnails." |
imeem
| "Unlike other music
apps, imeem gives you "cloud" access to part of your
own library; includes useful sections that spotlight artists and
recommend music based on your tastes; offers a sharing feature; has a
nice interface that's easy to browse" |
iheart
radio
|
"Let's
you listen to
radio stations from most major metropolitan areas
across the U.S.; sound quality is generally better than standard FM
radio; less commercials than standard FM radio; includes a fun "Shake
It" feature that randomizes stations." |
ScaleWizard
| "Beautiful interface, tons of advanced parameters
(arpeggios, modal
scales, rare scales such as Semi Locrian b4). Landscape position offers
full-screen fretboard view. Info screen includes options for
left-handed orientation, alternate tunings, and automatic scale
playback."
|
From Technabob
|
Drummer
| "Developer MooTheCow
has created this homebrew drum machine application called “Drummer”
that runs on the iPhone or iPod Touch" | "Drummer can play up
to 15 unique audio samples (one on each finger
touch pad), and takes advantage of multi-touch capabilities, so you can
play up to five sounds at once. You can even let your MP3s play in the
background and provide your own accompaniment. There are pre-installed
Rock, Dance, Electro and two Jazz sound sets, but can be easily updated
with your own sound samples" |
iPhone
+ Piano = iano
| "iPhone developer Mister Aardvark has just released
iAno, a true multi-touch piano simulator for the iPhone"
The
simulator
offers
a
complete four-octave keyboard (you jump
around the keyboard using the arrows at the top of the screen), with
polyphonic sound allowing up to five keys to be played simultaneously.
its loaded with real piano samples, making it sound just like the real
deal.
Aardvark plans on
adding additional features such as a complete
88-key keyboard, switchable sample sets, recording and playback, as
well as support for loading .MID tracks and playing them
back." |
From Sonic Media |
Ocarina
| One
of Apple's All-time 20 apps | "Ocarina™ is the
first true musical instrument created for the iPhone.
Both experts and beginners will be amazed by this innovative player.
Ocarina is sensitive to your breath, touch and movements, making it
even more versatile than the original. Unlike other musical
applications, there are no pre-compiled riffs so musicians will find
unlimited opportunities for self-expression. Advanced options allow you
to choose between diatonic, minor and harmonic scales. Or channel your
favorite video game adventurer with Smule's Zeldarian mode"
|
From MoocowMusic
Pianist |
"is a virtual piano for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Use it as a
musical scratchpad when away from the studio, or as an instrument to
jam with your friends"
|
Band
|
"Band is a
collection of virtual instruments that allows anyone,
regardless of musical ability, to go beyond just listening to other
people's music on the iPhone or iPod Touch, and actually create music
themselves from scratch."
| "A number of instruments are provided (drums, piano, bass
guitar, blues
guitar, and crowd) that make full use of the multi-touch abilities of
the iPhone to allow you to play complex chords in real time. As well as
hearing the note, you will be able to see the screen react instantly to
your touch: piano keys really depress and bass guitar strings really
strum." |
From MacWorld
Ben
Boychuk
Public
Radio and Public Radio Tuner | "Public radio fans,
it turns out, have a couple of sound options for
listening to their favorite stations on their iPhones or iPods. We've
covered a few public
radio apps for the iPhone in the past; here
are two more for your consideration." |
From Intua.net
Beatmaker
| "The mobile music creation studio for the iPhone
and iPhone Touch" | "inspired by hardware
beatboxes, loop samplers and software sequencers,
it combines them to turn the iPod into a unique, inspirational software
instrument." |
Features
list
★ 16 sample-based
trigger pads, with multi-touch support (up to 5 pads at once)
★ Low latency playback and sample-accurate audio engine
★ Live pattern recording and arranging
★ Audio recording from microphone or headset (iPhone and iPod Touch 2nd
gen only)
★ Step sequencer with different resolutions for easy and precise
pattern creation
★ Change the volume, pan, groove and pitch of each steps to compose
rich melodies and beats
★ Multi track song sequencer: manage easily your patterns into complete
songs
★ Create unlimited number of patterns of different sizes (one to four
bar)
★ Export your songs to Audio file (WAV) and MIDI score and share them
with your friends
★ Original sound library provided with multiple genres: BreakBeat, Drum
& Bass, Dub, Electronica, Funk, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Rock and more to
come !
★ Featured artist/producer sound library: Richard Devine, Man Parrish,
Jacque Polynice, Rafiralfiro, ...
★ AIFF and WAVE audio file support (any sample rate, 8 to 24-bits
resolutions)
★ Network sharing capabilities via BeatPack, to upload and download
content
★ 2 effect channels with 4 effects on each with bypass control
★ Synchronized delays with feedback and wet-mix control
★ 3-band Equalizers (Lo, Mid, Hi)
★ "Bit-Crusher" for down-sampling and bits resolution reduction
★ Lowpass, Hi-pass and Bandpass filters
★ Transport toolbar for quick playback control, with BPM, signature and
metronome support
★ Handy selection mode to control multiple parameters on pads at once
★ Individual/multiple loading of samples
★ Automatic sample slicing over the pads (Chop)
★ Control volume, pan, semi-tone, octave, tuning, fade in/out and
sample start/end positions on each pad
★ Wave editor permits to manually selects your samples Start/End
position markers
★ Automatic change of sample pitch to match a particular sample
duration for each pad
★ Output channel selection (3 buses available: Main Out, FX 1, FX 2)
for each pad
★ Mute and Reverse samples during your performances
★ X/Y Cross Controller for live manipulation of combined effect and
sample parameters
★ Loading and saving of your kits & projects
★ File browser for file management (load, save, new files, directory
and delete) and BeatPack content management (upload, download)
★ Auto discovery of local BeatPack servers (via Bonjour)
★ Sample preview within the browser
★ Auto-saving of your current project
★ Import sounds created from Noise.io
From iLounge:
BluMediaLab’s
StreamItAll
Radio
| "Starts with an
extremely small collection of preset stations, but
includes both a larger database and a + icon that supposedly enables
you to add whatever .PLS format Internet radio stream you find on the
Internet"
|
Nullriver’s Tuner
Internet Radio | "is StreamItAllRadio
done somewhat better. Loaded with genre-sorted
stations that are all labeled with bitrates and descriptions, Tuner
presents stations with a simple line-based on-screen visualizer, volume
controls, and a pause button, letting you bookmark favorite stations
and providing simple track information where available"
|
VisuaMobile’s
allRadio
| "offers a compromise
of sorts between AOL Radio and Tuner. Here, you get
a large catalog of over 2,000 stations spread across 35 searchable
genres. There’s a nice, clean interface that starts you with a short
list of options, lets you see a longer but still manageable list of
featured picks, and then drops you into the massive but sorted
directory of genres if you need it" |
Stitcher
Radio (Free)
| "unique from
everything else in this collection in that it draws upon
podcast content as an alternate form of Internet radio programming,
‘stitching together’ different podcasts into genre-styled channels that
you can turn on and enjoy. Supported by on-screen banner advertising"
|
From: Art Of The
iPhone
Melodica | Easy Guitar | Nlog Synth Free | iRock Guitar Lite |
Mobile SynthKalimba Free | JungList Lite | Bebot - Robot Synth
| |
From:
Obsessable:
"No matter what
your level of musicianship, the Bloom
application from ambient music luminary Brian Eno and software designer
Peter Chilvers will have you creating on-the-fly compositions that
effortlessly Just Sound Good in no time. Based on a system dubbed "generative music"
coined by Eno, Bloom loops and evolves notes and patterns played on its
multicolored screen with your fingers. The result is usually
surprisingly pleasant sounding and soothing music that's simple to
create yet sounds complex and mysterious"
|
"We had a chance to check
out
ZoozBeat
at
CES
and were impressed with this gesture-based music studio. Like Bloom,
the app is simple enough that non-musicians can use it to make
loop-based soundscapes in several styles that manage to Just Sound
Good. ZoozBeat makes use of the accelerometer to make shaking and
tilting of the phone itself a viable input method, adding a unique
spatial dimension to music creation. You can sample your own voice,
save and load your creations, and use landscape mode to enter notes in
a lightweight arrangement tool as well." |
"RjDj is a kooky app. It
explores a type of music creation best described as interactive or
"reactive," in which the sound you hear is being influenced in realtime
by your environment and the sensory input you feed to the app. Instead
of "tracks" playing from beginning to end you enter "scenes" or
soundscapes that react to inputs coming from the microphone or the
accelerometer, making you as the "listener" an integral part of the
music you're hearing. As the developers put it, you may be in for some
"mind twisting hearing sensations" from RjDj which simply has to be
tried to be appreciated"
From:
Mashable:
95.8 Capital Radio – Hit music station
broadcasting out of London, England.
Ö3 iRadio – Austrian radio streamed directly
to your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Classical Philippines Radio – Plays an endless
stream of classical Philippines musical styles.
iBZH – Five radio stations serving all of the
Brittany territory and surrounding area.
Mx3.ch Mobile
– A Switzerland based application that has a streaming archive of over
30,000 songs and information on concerts and festivals in and around
Switzerland.
Radio 24 Mobile – Full-time terrestrial radio
station broadcasting from Switzerland.
RadyoD – Listen to Turkey’s best pop music.
RMC2 – Radio Monte Carlo is broadcast in Italy and
features portions in English and Italian.
Rock Antenne – Rock N’ Roll radio broadcasting
from Germany.
SlowTurk – SlowTurk is a Turkish radio station
specializing in slow and romantic love songs from yesterday and today.
ClickonRadio
– Want to know what that song was you just heard on the radio?
This
app will tell you what songs the station of your choice has played over
the past hour. Will also direct you to more on the Web about the
band, links to videos for them and more.
Midomi
– Got a song stuck in your head, but no clue what it is? Sing or
hum
the tune into your iPhone for at least 10 seconds, and Midomi will try
to give you the answer. Also has browsable selections and links to
musicians on iTunes and YouTubeYouTube .
ShazamShazam
– Shazam is directed mainly at the iPhone as it needs a microphone to
work. For those of you who can use it, you can say goodbye to the age
old problem of “What song was that?” You simply hold your iPhone
up to
any music source, tag the song as you see fit and you can learn more
about the music, share it with friends, buy the song and more.
106.3 Joe FM WVBB – Joe FM has no DJ interruptions
and a never ending stream of music from the 1980s and 1990s.
Finetune – Build your own streaming station, hear
the ones others have built, or even tune in to professionally managed
stations.
FlyCast
– FlyCast provides you with over 1,000 channels of listening with
unique features such as “StreamAhead,” which enables you to listen to
music even when you are offline. Also helps you catch up on talk radio
shows you come into late, skip songs on some channels, and more.
HardRadio – Based on HardRadio.com, this app
streams hard rock music 24 hours a day.
Kujo 99 – Mixes music from multiple decades and
genres into one continuously streaming music application.
Last.fmLast.fm
– The popular social networking/music discovery site is alive and
kicking with their application. All of your favorite features are
here, so get to listening and tagging.
OurStage Radio
– A music discovery service for independent artists that allows you to
vote acts you like up, improving their chances of more people listening
to them.
PandoraPandora
– Almost everyone loves Pandora on their computers, so it’s no big
surprise that people are taking to it on their iPhones and iPod Touches
also. Log into your account, play your stations, build new ones
and
keep exploring for even more new music.
Radio JavanRadio Javan – A streaming music app dedicated to
nothing but Persian music 24/7.
Radio Paradise – A streaming music tool where all
the music is actually chosen and mixed by two human beings.
89.7 WTMD Radio For Music People
– Towson University in Baltimore, MD streams their station to your
device, providing you with local bands, and underexposed national acts.
101 WRIF Radio – A radio station coming out of
Detroit, MI, WRIF offers up two separate streams.
CSF Radio – Classical South Florida is a public
radio station from Miami, FL broadcasting classical music all the time.
Hot 107.9 WJFX – Dedicated application for WJFX
hip hop radio station.
KUT 90.5 Music, News & NPR From Austin, Texas
– Provides three streaming channels of music, news and jazz from
central Texas.
Milwaukee’s 102.9 WHQG – Milwaukee’s rock station,
102.9 WHQG, comes to the iPhone and iPod Touch.
MPR Radio – A dedicated application for the well
known Minnesota Public Radio station from Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Philadelphia’s 93.3 WMMR Rocks – An app just for
WMMR, 93.3 FM, in Philadelphia, PA.
Radio 92.9 WBOS – Radio 929 comes out of Boston,
MA, specializing in alternative music.
The Coast 95.3/95.9 KOZT – Mendocino County, CA’s
locally owned, operated and staffed radio station.
The Rock 106.9 WCCC
– A 24/7 rock station that is not corporately owned and gives you
access to whomever is on the air at the time via their request line.
WBNJ Player – Broadcasting from Barnegat, NJ, WBNJ
plays music from various golden ages in musical history.
WRAT 95.9 – A local New Jersey station that plays
over 40 years of hard rock hits.
AOL Radio – Get your choice of 25 genres of music,
or select from over 150 CBS radio stations from around the United
States.
FStream
– Enter audio streams from various sources and make your own web radio
player made up of the stations that match your tastes better.
IHeart Radio
– Listen to popular radio stations such as Z100, KIIS, KFAn and
more.
When using this app on the iPhone, you can geo-locate yourself and
select just from radio stations local to where you are.
MDR Sputnik Web Radio – Live streaming channels or
predetermined playlists based on different themes.
Public Radio Tuner
– Over 150 of the national public radio stations in the United States
have added their audio streams to this application so you can listen to
stations from all over the country.
Radiolicious
– Allows you to play various styles of radio streams, play actual AM
and FM stations, local stations with a radius picker, and more.
The Album Is Dead,
Long Live The App
- Wired
"Opportunity for artists and
labels to distribute a new type of product, especially because the app
store concept is spreading to other mobile phone platforms. Each
showcases music videos, photos, news, photo-jumble games, concert
listings, and/or community features that let fans share photos with
each other. And all of them were made with iLike’s iPhone app
toolkit "
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‘Guitar
Hero’ For the iPhone
|
From
AOL:
AOL
Radio
1.2
| "AOL® Radio
powered by CBS Radio features over 200 stations spanning more than 25
genres of music plus 150+ CBS Radio stations from across the U.S.
Access hundreds of free music stations plus a variety of popular terrestrial
news/sports/talk stations, including those from New York, Los
Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and more |
From
PocketGlow:
Harmonica
| "Harmonica features
a genuinely-sampled 10-hole diatonic harmonica. Both
single notes and chords are playable, as are "blow" notes and "draw"
notes. Harmonica includes all 12 keys - it's like having 12 harmonicas
in your pocket!" |
From iPhone Application List.com
TonePad
|
"Back in the 1980s, I used to go to Tangerine
Dream concerts, watching,
mesmerised, as the three musicians/engineers manipulated their banks of
sequencers to produce repetitive but haunting tunes and rhythms. Back
then they needed a truck load of equipment - these days all you need is
an iPod Touch or iPhone and TonePad. Perhaps I'm exagerating a little,
but you get the idea of this fun little musical utility."
|
Music
Library
Quiz | "Do
you really know the music you listen to or do you absently listen to
it? Are you a fan who knows everything about his favourite
artists? With Music Library Quiz you will test yourself with the
songs of your iPod library" |
Musical
Healing | "No other senses, have the impact
of sound. What you hear can change
your life. The way you sleep, wake up and think. Change what you listen
to and notice a change in everything else. Relax with Music and sounds
from The iPhone Music Healing App" |
Guitar
Touch | "Ready to rock? GuitarTouch is the
easiest way to impress your friends
with professional, rocking, guitar licks! Just tap any of the buttons
to play a guitar note, acoustic chord, electric power chord, heavy
distortion power chord, or even some killer guitar riffs. There are no
stings to strum, no frets to hold down, and no music language to learn.
Simply tap the buttons to play some guitar. Your friends will never
know the difference" |
Sleep
Music
"Want to fall asleep
listening to a very relaxing music with your iPhone next to you?
Sleep
Music
comes
with
a selection of 4 special songs, prepared with
special sounds, that will help you relax and fall asleep quietly and
profoundly.
You can choose one
of these 4 musical themes - Relax Sound, Zen
Sensations, Budha Inspiration and Relax Music. Then just choose for how
long you want to listen to music (15, 30, 45 or 60
minutes)." |
Equalizer
|
"Equalize
your
music
by
setting gain or cut on up to seven frequency bands.
Upload
your
music
files
via wifi (via web browser, no separate
software needed!) to Equalizer and download equalized files for further
processing or inclusion in your library" |
Dopple Pad |
Best Ways To Produce
Music On An iPhone
Wired
From
Pocket To Stage, Music In The Key Of iPhone
NY Times -
Miduel Helft
"Ge Wang,
came out
and asked them to turn off their cellphones. The
seven other musicians, dressed in black, filed in and took their
positions in a circle. The audience disobeyed instructions,
pulling out their own iPhones and iPods to record the performance."
Create
Audio Messages From Song Samples
"Created in 2003 by Eric Bunger,
Let Them Sing It For You is a simple but fun Web application that lets
you enter a text message, then translates the words into audio. The
catch: it uses popular song snippets for each word."
MPX4's
Interactive Music Format Coming To iPhone
Wired
- Elliot von Buskirk
|