The professional version of Arpeggionome, Arpeggionome Pro puts all the details in your hands. You can change the key, step distance, octave style, tempo, and numerous other musical and technical settings. The ability to save and playback patterns can help with consistency, and the integrated iTunes file sharing makes backing up and transferring files painless. The Pro version is $14.99 and Arpeggionome is $4.99. Compare the features list to see which is right for you.
You can read more about this new release here: http://www.idesignsound.com/alexandernaut-releases-arpeggionome-pro-a-new-midi-controller-for-the-ipad/
iPad
Analog Synthesizer For iPhone And iPad – Arctic Keys
Here is another cool music making app for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch – Arctic Keys Virtual Analog Synthesizer. This is an instrument that emulates hardware synthesizers, which create sounds via oscillators. This one has two LFOs (low frequency oscillators) and the same kinds of controls you would expect from an analog synthesizer to create your own sounds by endless tweaking, including arpeggiator, 16×4 step sequencer, pitch and mod wheels.
You can save your performances as 16-bit 44.1KHz wav files or as MIDI files. And as with most iOS music apps, you then share it via one of several methods.
The app costs $4.99 in the Apple app store. For a complete description of the specs and features, see the article here: http://www.idesignsound.com/arctic-keys-virtual-analog-synthesizer-ipad/
MIDI Step Sequencer For iPad
There are so many cool music making and recording apps for the iPad that it’s hard to keep up with them all. Here is a recent one that is a 4-track MIDI sequencer called the Nord Beat CoreMIDI Step Sequencer. If you don’t know what sequencer does – well, it’s sort of like the drum machines of old (though the sounds a sequencer uses don’t have to be drums). There is a tempo and time signature you can assign to a box (in this case, an iPad app). Then there are buttons that correspond to up to 16 beats in one “sequence.” You can assign a sound – usually a drum hit – to each button to create a pattern over the sequence. Then you can build songs by stitching together a bunch of sequences.
Anyway, here is some info on the Nord Beat: http://en.audiofanzine.com/virtual-instrument-iphone-ipod-touch-ipad/clavia/nord-beat/news/a.play,n.14074.html
Two New Studio Quality iPad Microphones
Lately there have been a lot of audio devices for iOS – meaning for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. So far it has been difficult to get really great audio recording using an iOS microphone (like the IK Multimedia iRig Mic – see our review of that here –
Review of IK Multimedia’s iRig Microphone For iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) or iOS mic interface/preamp (such as the IK Multimedia iRig PRE). both of which attach to the iPad via the mic/headphone jack. But even though the quality of those is pretty good, the interface via the mic/headphone jack limits the audio quality.
Enter two notable microphones for iOS, the Blue Spark Digital, and the Apogee Electronics MiC. Both of these microphones use the Apple 30-pin connector as opposed to the mic/headphone jack, and both double as USB mics that you can use with both Mac and/or PC (the Blue works with both but the Apogee only mentions working with Mac). And of course, the names Blue and Apogee Electronics are well-respected manufacturers of excellent quality audio gear. I read an article yesterday that proclaimed the Blue Spark Digital to be the “first studio grade condenser mic available for iPad.” While it may have been first, it is no longer the “only” mic in that category with the availability of the Apogee MiC.
Blue Spark Digital
The Blue Spark Digital microphone is a USB/iOS version of Blue’s solid state Spark cardioid condenser mic, sharing all the top-notch components. It also has a headphone jack on the mic. In addition, it has a feature called the Focus control, a button that offers two sonic modes. Normal mode is for increased low frequency sensitivity, and Focus mode is for “even greater clarity and detail.” It’s perfect for recording vocals and acoustic instruments. It comes with a desk stand with integrated shock mount, a Y-cable with USB, iPad and headphone connectors, and Blue’s Cloud Production bundle for audio back-up and sharing on-line. $199.99
Apogee Electronics MiC
The Apogee MiC, is also designed primarily for vocals and acoustic instruments and, like the Blue, also has a cardioid pickup pattern. Also as with the Blue, the Apogee has a control knob for input level adjustment as well as a meter to monitor input signal levels. It comes with a tripod desk stand, an iOS connection cable and a Mac connection cable.
Both mics sound fantastic and as far as I know, the highest quality mics available for recording on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. And don’t forget that both can also be used with a computer via USB (though the Apogee can only be used with a Mac). $199.
What Is The Piano App In The iPad Mini Commercial?
Have you seen the commercial on TV for the new iPad Mini that shows a full-sized iPad with a piano app playing “Heart and Soul,” and next to it an iPad Mini playing the melody part for the song? If you’re like me you paid less attention to the fact of the iPad Mini than to wondering what app was being used to play the piano.
There are several good piano apps for the iPad. The one I had most recently downloaded was the iGrand Piano, which is very cool. It’s free for the basic piano, then you can pay for additional kinds of pianos as upgrades. But that isn’t the topic here is it? We want to know what piano they were playing on the commercial.
That one, it turns out, is one of the many instrument apps in the Apple GarageBand app, which costs just $4.99. The computer version of GarageBand, which is included in the iLife software package on OS X (for Macs only), is an amazingly powerful audio recording and production software program. It is easy to use, does multi-track recording, and comes with tons of great-sounding virtual instruments instruments built in that you can trigger via MIDI tracks. Getting back to the iPad version though – in order to get to the piano used in the commercial, just open the app, and click on the instruments button located in the top left corner of the screen next to the My Songs button. That will go to a screen with gigantic and obvious icons representing the instrument categories. Keyboard is the category you want. Just tat the giant keyboard icon and the piano from the commercial will open on the screen. You can also choose from among a bunch of different pianos and keyboards such as Grand Piano, Classical Grand, Electric Piano, Whirly, different organs, etc. Other instrument categories include guitars, strings, and drums. I had so much fun playing with these instrument son my iPad that my wife had to tell me to put the toy away so we could go to bed:).
So now you know what piano app was used in the Apple iPad Mini TV commercial. Don’t you feel smarter? Now go download it and have some fun. Just make sure it isn’t close to bed-time.