Musique non talent

My first video - Monotron loves iPhone

2011-10-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

Wow, that was stressful! Much respect to anyone who creates videos with externally recorded audio!

Anyway, my original title was going to be "Korgs and Moogs and autotune - oh my!"

So I had some crazy ideas of how to have fun with my Monotron and a few iOS apps and here is the result. It would be cool to see people take these ideas and show what happens if you add talent to the mix :o) Let me know if you post a video.

Enjoy! Video on Youtube

Rob

iKaossilator

2011-10-15T04:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Korg,

iKaossilator is a blast! Love it to bits and have lost hours of my life over the last day or so just jamming. Any chance of:

* Manually set tempo to 2 decimal places - I find the tap tempo a bit hit and miss
* Arpeggiator patterns like on the Kaossilator
* Real time global loop length or loop retrigger
* Audio rendering of loops then audio copy/paste with iCloud support

Thanks.

New toys

2011-08-13T09:48:00.001-07:00

My latest purchases. Modded the Kaossilator on day 1 to include the superb overlay from Pat here: http://www.miscshitbits.com/2010/08/hello-kitty-kaossilator-grid-mod/. To keep its touch sensitivity I used an extremely thin screen protector instead of a piece of clear acetate and it works a dream. Despite my worries about lining it up properly all is perfect, which is no mean feat given those little squares are less than 2mm across! With a stylus and scale set to chromatic I can play each note perfectly. Shame I can't actually play anything properly :o)

The Monotron came with me on holiday. Hooked up to Filtatron running on my iPhone I was in noise nirvana.

Happy birthday to meeeeee...

2011-06-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago it was my birthday and I received Rock Band 3 and the Squier Strat guitar/controller. One of the first things I did was to hook it up to my iPad via the CCK and a midi cable. Worked a treat! Tried it with Garageband, Nlog Pro and BS-16i. Latency is surprisingly low, and definitely playable without compensation. Bending strings has no effect, neither does tremolo, so your expression is limited to how hard you pluck the strings, and that can be a little quirky too. Fretboard tracking is just about spot on (once I'd set the guitar pickup and fretboard how I wanted them) and chords work just dandy. In essence the guitar works like a keyboard - the strings (from the "mute" bar forward) are simply there to make contact with the frets to tell the controller where your finger is. It is the part from the pickup to the mute bar that tells the controller which string is being plucked and how hard.

One interesting feature (a bit annoying really) is that plucking an open string never sends a midi off, so open string notes sound forever until you mute the string manually. Obviously with a synth patch that releases itself this is not a problem, but most of the patches I used were a pain and had too be muted by hand. Ironically most of the guitar sound patches I used suffered from this. You could probably do somethihng clever with Midi filtering on a PC I suppose.

Overall as a "bonus" feature I think it makes a reasonable midi guitar at a pretty decent price. In the game itself (Xbox 360) it is fantastic and will definitely raise my (currently poor) playing skills, especially picking (which I tend too avoid normally).

Windows 7 Slate/Table - one week of use

2011-03-13T04:05:00.000-07:00

Had a busy week but managed to get some time in using the Win 7 slate for music.

First, and foremost, I cannot stress how incredible it is to have full music software running on something so thin and portable with a touch interface. In one instant it shows just how far behind mobile "studio" software is. I've been running Ableton Live Lite 8 and Virtual DJ Pro and almost re-falling on love with them as they are available to use within seconds of pressing the power button on a quiet, slim device that is always to hand.

It's not all sweetness and light though. These apps were never designed for use on a touch screen and all too often I get frustrated by clicking on something that I didn't mean to, or wishing for a mouse. Coupled with my Keysonic 540RF wireless keyboard it all makes so much more sense. Obviously that reduces the portability so I tried my tiny bluetooth keyboard (not much bigger than an iPhone and weighs almost nothing) and was just as pleased when moving through Ableton's interface.

Performance isn't up to the level of a non-Atom powered laptop, and battery life isn't iPad-bothering at about 4 hours, but it is perfectly happy running two tracks in Virtual DJ with effects and some attempts at turntablism. I haven't hooked up a turntable yet to try it with virtual vinyl so I can't comment on performance there. In Ableton recording audio was solid and using a few virtual instruments and VSTs was also great. Again, the improvement over iOS virtual synths (Nlog aside!) is phenomenal.

What really brings the device alive though is hooking up my Behringer UMA25s. It's not a great keyboard in terms of key action (my Novation Remotes are miles better) but it has a good onboard audio interface with ASIO drivers and is amazingly portable. The performance of mic and guitar input is much better than the built-in soundcard on the slate. Of course it also works happily for both MIDI and sound duties without complaint, unlike my iPad with CCK that only works with MIDI unless I provide mains power as well.

So far then I love the portability much more than the touch aspects of it. Touch is great for web surfing etc but Win 7 is about as far removed from the touch friendliness of iOS as you can get.

iPad GarageBand with MIDI gear

2011-03-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

There's lots of opinions about GarageBand hitting the net so I'm not planning to rant about missing features or whatever. I just want to talk about my experiences of hooking up some MIDI gear to it.

I have tested my Behringer UMA25s keyboard over USB via the Camera Connection Kit and my Novation Remote 49 via a cheapo USB MIDI interface into the CCK. The Novation also has sustain and expression pedals plugged in.

First up, both were recognised perfectly and proceeded to play notes on GB's virtual synths and even the drumsets. Velocity sensitivity was transmitted properly (anyone else find the accelerometer "velocity" really hit and miss?). I really like many of the built-in patches, and playing them via a real keyboard is a joy.

As you'd expect, pitch wheel and mod wheel both worked just fine, their effect being dependent on the particular patch. Knobs and rotaries were more hit and miss. With a General MIDI setup loaded into each keyboard, the only rotaries that changed anything were the pan control and volume. I was hoping filters, chorus, reverb and ADSR would match the GM spec. Not sure if there is a MIDI mapping table anywhere on the web.

A less successful test was the arpeggiator. When switched on, incoming MIDI notes do not go to the arpeggiator. I like to use arpeggiators a lot (due to a lack of playing talent and a tendency to twiddle controls during playing) so this was a disappointment.

A big surprise, however, was the recognition of the expression pedal from the Novation (and the sustain pedal - less surprisingly) and seemingly the channel aftertouch, which had me squealing filters using the key pressure.

Overall, despite many criticisms from people, I am very happy with Garage Band for keyboard and MIDI. Oh, ok, it could use a piano roll :o)

Using a Windows 7 Slate/Tablet - woohooo!

2011-03-06T03:10:00.000-08:00

About a year ago I agonised over whether to get a Windows touch screen device or the iPad. In the end the iPad won, and I love it.

However, I have just been handed the allegedly "best Windows 7 tablet" to test for a while (thanks!) - it is the variously branded Pegatron-made tablet most notably branded as the ExoPC. I could write my own review of it as a tablet, but there's a great review here at Tech Radar instead.

In a nutshell it's got an 11.6" 1366x768 multi-touch capacitive screen, mini-HDMI, 2GB RAM, a 32GB SSD, Atom 450 procesor, SD card slot, a couple of USB ports (yayyyy), a combined 3.5mm headset jack (booooo)and something like 4 hours battery life. Amazingly it is only about 1mm thicker than my iPad but it feels much bigger. So in essence a remarkably thin touch screen netbook without keyboard and with HD res screen.

I've only just got it, so will add to this as I go along (e.g. photos), but I am very keen to push it as a mobile music device. I've installed Ableton Live 8.2.1 and Virtual DJ thus far, along with a bunch of VSTis and VST fx. I installed ASIO4ALL but there may be a Realtek HD Asio driver somewhere. I can report thus far that all seem to work just fine, albeit tiny!

Hardware wise I plugged in my Behringer UMA25S and that worked straight away for MIDI and audio duties with no noticeable latency playing VSTis in Ableton. I have also tried my USB guitar cable and that works fine, but there's noticeable latency. Need to spend some time on that. Will be testing Hercules DJ console, UC33e, Korg Nanopad and my incredible Saitek P8000 (that needs a blog post all of its own one day.)

So far my few hours with it have been enjoyable, with a few Windows 7 frustrations due to the tiny on screen buttons coupled with my big hands. I do have a stylus somewhere so may try that. Interestingly the touch screen, although capacitive, supports 256 levels of pressure! How, exactly, I don't know.

The acid test, after a few weeks with it, will be "would I spend my own money on one?"

DJ Player 3 submitted to Apple

2011-03-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

I know this is not a news blog but I have had a chance to try this out and it is very professional and about the best non-scratching DJ app I have tried. Here's the rather extensive list of updates:

Universal app with native iPad and iPhone interfaces.
New interface design, new minimal look.
New workflow, new navigation. No more "which side is which" and "where am i".
No importing necessary: directly uses your iPod library, with playlist support. Mass analyzing of iPod library tracks, sort by BPM too. USB or WiFi upload is still available.
Serato and Traktor metadata support (BPM and cue points).
Much-much lower latency, reduced CPU usage. Feels faster.
Double-deck output mode for hardware mixer.
4 gapless cue points, play like a sampler.
Reverse play (tap before or after the pitch fader head).
Auto beatgrid and waveform display.
Automatic Vinyl Vision creation in background.
Better sounding flanger and echo.
Navigate between the screens using a gesture (iPad only, slide your finger from outside of the screen towards the center).
Swap play/cue button position.
Sharp echo/reverb release on/off.
iPad only: master output fader, master VU meter before or after.
Network BPM sync: if there is only one deck loaded, the app broadcasts and receives the current BPM value over the local WiFi network or Bluetooth, so you can sync between different devices. Very useful in Classic Club mode, or when you switch DJs in the booth.

So there you go. Definitely worth a try!

All this, and iPad 2!

2011-03-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Just watched the Apple iPad 2 launch event. Nice to see it thinner and lighter and the addition of the cameras would be good for Skype assuming it works with Skype.

Garageband will be nice to see, and the boost in CPU is welcomed but other than that not much for musicians, especially no USB or SD.

Glad to see the screen res remained as devs are strugling with 3 resolutions as it is.

iOS 4.3 doesn't bring much for me. Just hope the USB power limit gets raised again for MIdI devices etc.

HDMI sounds fine and all that, but my current iPad boasted VGA output with the purchased cable. I have tried 4 monitors, 1 TV and a projector and not a single one works with my iPad.

Most impressive is the cute screen cover thing. Wonder how, exactly, the hinge attaches with magnets?

So generally a nice incremental update and not so much that I feel like selling a body part to upgrade. Of course if my bank balance ever supports it then it will be hard to resist!

BS-16i now with CoreMIDI

2011-02-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

I've tweeted about this, but I want to get some detail in.

I got BS-16i when it first came out with hardly any fanfare. Almost no-one mentioned it. But here was an iOS synth that uses soundfonts in SF2 format. I nearly wept! Also added along the way was the ability to load and play MIDI files. Fan-flipping-tastic!

So you load up a soundfont, choose a MIDI channel (e.g. 1-9 for instruments, 10 for drums etc.) and play away.

Now the new version supports Core MIDI on the iPad and I am blown away. I loaded up a 32mb GM soundfont and plugged my Novation Remote25 in and set it to the GM template.

I wasn't sure what to expect but literally EVERYTHING worked as it should from the keyboard:

Patch select
Pitch and Mod wheels
All mapped GM CC controls, including
Portamento on/off and time knob
Mono/poly switch
Filter cutoff and resonance
Chorus
Reverb
ADSR
Midi channel select

I didn't have to set up anything. It was just like someone had slapped a sound module into my keyboard. The only thing I couldn't use was the MMC controls (Play/Pause etc. ) so that would be cool to see.

Now there are a couple of bugs - the occasional note doesn't sound but the MIDI got through (the on-screen key moves) but it is rare - but for the price if you want a way of using your soundfont collection without your PC then this is it. There are loads of amazing free soundfonts out there, it's not just GM :o)

It is so good I am tempted to buy a Line 6 midi mobilizer so I can use it on my iPhone too!

I wonder how much it would be pushing it to allow display/edit/record of midi tracks? The sound engine is there and the MIDI playback is there...

Anyway, I reckon everyone should buy it and give this developer the credit they deserve for their mobile efforts. http://appshopper.com/music/bs-16i

Two quid iPhone tripod!

2011-02-09T05:11:00.001-08:00

I decided to make a tripod for my iPhone for stop frame videos, time lapse, hands free etc.

Ingredients:

1 X basic extending camera tripod from Poundland (everything costs a pound)

1 X iPhone 3GS hard case from Poundland

1 X nut (I found it in a box)

Small amount of glue (I used epoxy)

Simply glue the nut onto the back of the hard case and screw onto the Tripod when needed! Works fantastically and actually looks pretty nifty. Works in both portrait and landscape and tilts to most angles (using the adjustable legs if needed).

Also functions as a handy deskstand :o)

My ideal DJ app

2011-01-30T09:02:00.001-08:00

I have a vision of a "perfect" DJ app for iOS. Funny thing is, I think all of the features currently exist in various apps, but not altogether in one. What do you think?

* iPod library access (a must have - and many do!)

* Realistic turntable simulation (see Flare Scratch and Tap.DJ)

* Dual stereo audio out (Red Bull BPM has this through streaming to a second device)

* Useful multi-FX and filters with XY pad control (Looptastic has this)

* Access to DLNA/UPnP devices for tracks over WiFi (Plugplayer has this)

* Multiple cue/loop points saved with the song (Tap.DJ again)

* Adjustable crossfader curves (Red Bull BPM)

* EQ plus kills (Red Bull BPM)

* BPM control - syncing etc. (Quite a few, but Red Bull BPM stands out)

* Mix recording (DJay, Tap.DJ)

* Pitch bend (Djay, Red Bull BPM)

I know there's loads of other apps out there, and I know some of those mentioned do other things, but those are the features and apps that immediately came to mind.

As with Guitar FX apps, I am holding out for something near to my "ideal" before splashing out in a bigger way (cash is tight!). I've got Flare, Tap.DJ, Looptastic and Sonosaurus Rex as well as the free version of Red Bull BPM. I haven't tried DJay (no lite version to try) and haven't yet made the jump to the full Red Bull BPM Pro. At the moment Tap.DJ is sucking up most of my time.

2011 wish list

2010-12-12T05:02:00.001-08:00

It has been a great year for mobile music, especially since the arrival of the iPad. So this isn't in anyway me being greedy or whining, just some stuff I'd like to see in the New Year.

Hardware:

An iDevice with a USB port!
Or CCK support for the iPhone

iOS:

Support for more than 1 stereo input/output, or a "standard" for streaming audio to another iDevice whilst simultaneously playing a different stream locally. Some DJ apps have this already.
A central "sandbox" file system. It is driving me crazy having all these awesome apps but the only way to access common audio is to copy and paste it using (the excellent BTW) Audio Copy/Paste, filling my device with endless copies of the same audio! Make it so I have to confirm any changes or deletion to avoid rogue apps deleting my swag, but for the love of Steve, please let apps use the same data files!

Guitar:

An FX/recording app with a built-in web browser so I can get my favourite TAB websites open at the same time as recording and playing my guitar.
Amplitube and iShred to recognise my USB audio devices.
MIDI support for knob control, pedals etc.

MIDI/Audio:

Better iPad compatibility with MIDI devices that currently "use too much power" despite being powered by batteries or mains.
CoreMIDI support for (deep breath) TouchOSC (ignore the irony - I just don't have time for PD mapping!), Pianist Pro, Pocket Organ, Pro Keys, BS-16i, Ellatron, iVoxel, iGOG, iMS-20, Xenon, Beatmaker, NanoStudio, DXi Piano.
More app support for midi file in/out.
Option for background audio in all apps. ThumJam does this brilliantly for backing loops.s

App specific:

VoiceBand - MIDI out. I've been hugely impressed by the speed and accuracy of VoiceBand's pitch and volume detection, now I'd like to use that with my own sounds. Plugging a guitar into it has to be experienced to be believed!
BS-16i - a sequencer with MIDI support and ACP. I was amazed to hear BS-16i in action with some of my soundfonts and MIDI tracks. To be able to edit and create these would be fab.
DXi piano - DX/TX patch support. It looks like it almost has something like this with the SYSEX-like patch export and import. Must be close, surely?

Apps I'd love:

FM7/FM8 from Native Instruments. I would pay quite a bit for that if it was a proper port.
If my wish for a file system came true, then a fully featured sample editor to trim and tweak my samples and loops would be cool.
More Korg legacy stuff! iMS-20 is fantastic.
A magic bean that lets iOS run VST plug-ins :o)

Switching off my Loox :o(

2010-12-12T04:22:00.000-08:00

My beloved Loox 720 sits on my bedside table. It has to be plugged in at all times because in those pre-WinMo 5 days if the device ran out of batteries it lost everything and reset itself. As the battery only lasts about 3 hours that is a bit critical.

But what a great device. Even now the specs look good: twice the screen resolution of my iPhone 3GS, more RAM than my 3GS and as much storage as I could stuff in via BOTH SD and CF cards. USB host port. It found a home in my car as an amazing GPS unit too. All that from 5 years ago.

It took me through some great music making times: Griff, Pocket Stompbox and MeTeoR to name but a few.

Then it was superceded (but not yet turned off) by my WinMo 5 phone, the Glofiish x500. Lower screen res, sure, but it had a phone and built in GPS. My favourite apps had a new home. Then along came the iPod touch. Within a few months even the Glofiish found itself on rare use for Griff and Stompbox sessions. So I turned it off (knowing it won't lose all its stuff).

So now the Loox just sits there, LED glowing but screen covered in a thin layer of dust. It still works brilliantly. Still has an amazing screen. But it simply doesn't get used. It just takes space and power.

Today I'm going to pull the plug...

Initial experiments with iOS4.2 and MIDI/Audio

2010-11-22T14:51:00.001-08:00

Getting late but a few people have asked for an update.

First, compatibility with the Novation Remote (25 and 49 tested) and the Behringer UMA25S plugged into my iPad via CCK:

* Behringer: Powered from batteries the iPad recognises and uses the MIDI input from the keyboard perfectly but doesn't enable audio from the UMA25S (says it uses too much power). Powered from PSU the iPad recognises and uses BOTH the MIDI and audio in/out. Fantastic!

* Novation: The iPad always fails to enable the MIDI, complaining about power usage, regardless of whether I use batteries, PSU, USB or any combination. Same goes for both my Remote 25 and 49. Gutted as the keyboards on these are both excellent.

So concentrating on the UMA25S then, I did some app testing.

* MIDI in was perfect on the apps that supported MIDI. Hope for lots of updates soon!

* These guitar apps worked fantastically (such a great sound quality and low noise compared to my iRig): Stompbox (the best IMHO), Ampkit, RiotFX, Amps & Cabs, EffectorLite.

* These guitar apps failed to recognise there was USB audio in: AmpliTube, iShred Live.

* These apps used the USB audio-in perfectly: Filtatron, Improvox

* These apps required me to plug headphones into the iPad but did recognise the USB audio in: Voiceband (which takes on a whole new meaning when used with a guitar and a low noise input!)

That's it for now. Will update as and when I get around to it.

Finally, iOS4.2 is out

2010-11-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

Man that was a long wait.

Time to head off home and join the hoards of people updating to iOS 4.2

I already know the camera connection kit is a bit picky about which midi devices and sound devices it works with and seems to cry about a lack of power at every possible turn. Perhaps the final release will be more forgiving?

I assume the iPhone isn't getting CCK compatibility but I'll know for sure in a few hours.

Tickling the plastics

2010-11-15T12:32:00.000-08:00

Still waiting for iOS4.2 and rumoured deadlines come and go with all the build-up and let down that comes with it. However a recent ebay session of loft clearing gave me the funds to get a 25 key keyboard as mentioned in my previous post. After intense deliberation and a few failed bids I narrowed my choice right down. I was intent on getting a battery controlled solution, not just for iPad fun but also with an eye on Rock Band 3 with its Pro mode supporting MIDI keyboards. I also decided expression pedal input was a requirement for what I do.

With the Novation X-station running just outside my budget I was looking at the Novation Remote 25, Remote 25SL and the Behringer UMA25S. I had some concerns over the rather fancy nature of the 25SL as it looks heavily dependent on computer-side software for configuration. I already know about the Remote 25 because I have (and love) a Remote 49 as my main keyboard - loads of controls, great keyboard and full MIDI in/out/thru.

The Behringer is an interesting little option - light, easy on batteries and has a built-in USB audio interface. Reviews say its keyboard is quirky, due to half-height action, but are generally

favourable. It only has 8 knobs too, versus a whole host of controls on the Remote 25 & 25SL. An additional fun element, especially with Rock Band 3 in mind, is the guitar lugs and included strap, bringing it rather close to the official RB3 "keytar" controller.

Anyway, I ended up buying BOTH the UMA25S and the Remote 25 and am expecting them to arrive this week. I don't intend to keep both, as that's a bit over my budget, so I shall try them both for a short while before deciding which one to keep. I don't know how useful the Behringer's audio interface will be with the iPad but it would (I think) allow me to mix the iPad's audio with the audio from my iPhone using its line in and direct monitoring. It may offer me a more satisfactory way to get my guitar into the iPad too, as I have to say I haven't been hugely impressed with the iRig hardware thus far - too much noise and feedback despite taking the suggested precautions.

Once I've had a good play I will post my thoughts.

iOS 4.2 and USB Midi

2010-11-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Finally after months of waiting iOS 4.2 for iPad is due to arrive sometime this month. Speculation went nuts after some news stories mistook Apple's suggestion that the DST alarm problem (which affected me too) would go away after November 7th to be a launch date for 4.2 rather than just being the date that the US changes its clocks!

Ever since hearing that Core MIDI would be in iOS 4.2 I've been waiting to see whether or not that would mean MIDI over USB via the Camera Connection Kit. I have a few MIDI controllers and some USB MIDI controllers too, so MIDI is a big part of what I like to mess around with. Hooking these up to the iPad would be fantastic.

Whilst NDAs seem to block anyone from saying anything, MooCow music put out a video on YouTube that got me all excited. Not only does it show MIDI happily going over USB but that video is an X Station 25. Why is that important? Well the X Station is not class-compliant, and also it has a built in USB audio interface. So that bodes well for compatibility of other devices. I would be keen to know from MooCow if the iPad in the video had its audio in/out taken over by the X Station.

So now (for me) the hunt is on for a 25 key controller keyboard. Mine are all 49 key and not portable in any way. It'll have to be compatible with the iPad and ideally battery powered, to avoid having to use a USB splitter cable and some form of external power source such as the Duracell PPS2.

There's a fair few to choose from, but nothing yet stands out as "perfect" to me, and of course compatibility cannot be guaranteed. I'd welcome any comments from anyone who has tried and succeeded with any of these mentioned (or any other 25 key controllers). So far I'm looking at:

Novation Xiosynth
M-audio Axiom
Novation SL25 MK1
M-audio oxygen
Akai MPK25
Alesis Photon X25
Novation Nocturn 25
Novation x-station
Novation SL25 Compact
Novation SL25 Mk 2

Of these, the only battery powered ones are the Novation Xiosynth, X Station, SL 25 MK1 and the Alesis Photon X25. Any other suggestions?

Looking forward to some awesome times over Xmas. The list of fantastic iOS music apps just keeps on growing, and MIDI support will be mind blowing.

StompBox is on the way.

2010-09-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

I can't wait! StompBox on PPC was awesome and this just looks fantastic - the closest thing to a full guitar rig I have yet seen on iOS.

While my guitar gently bleeps

2010-07-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

What a great time for mobile guitarists! Barely a week goes by without another iOS app for axe ministers and right now the fight for FX king is well and truly on. Although only just now overtaking the benchmark set a few years ago by Pocket PC based Pocket Stompbox, iOS apps have rapidly gone from simple delay and distortion to fully fledged stomp box, amp and cab simulators. I've tried just about all of them and at the moment my top two are Riot FX and the recently released Amplitube iRig. IRig is considerably pricier, but worth the money IMHO. IK Multimedia have just released the iPad version, which is a separate app also priced at $20, which is a little disappointing for those who have already forked out the same for the iPhone version. A universal app would be much more welcomed I'm sure, but you can run the iPhone version on the iPad in Zoom-o-vision of course. As iRig comes with what I think is a great fun Wah Wah simulator I'll be trying to think of a way to latch my iPhone onto me whilst playing - maybe one of those sports armband case things on my foot :)

Recently a "dream come true" arrived in the shape of iShred Live, a live input version of THE BEST guitar sim on any device. I've wanted this from the moment the original iShred came out. Unfortunately the competition is so fierce that iShred Live is not yet a front-runner in the live FX stakes. I hope it will become one.

Still to come is Ampkit, with accompanying hardware to rival IK's hardware/software combo. Interestingly the Ampkit hardware is battery powered which the makers claim will provide less crosstalk and feedback. As I'm not flush enough to buy both I'll be looking for reviews keenly to see which is best for my meagre buck (or should I say pound?!)

Mentions should also go out to the various other apps that have graced my iDevices in the search for FX heaven - stompvox, effectorlite, amps&cabs and GuitarFx deluxe.

Links and pics to come.

iPaid

2010-06-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

Shiny new iPad is busy syncing as I write. So much for willpower...

iWay robbery!

2010-05-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

The UK price of a $499 iPad? $633 at current exchange rate. Thanks Steve, love you too.

Born again: the FULL Rebirth on you iPhone

2010-05-01T00:25:00.000-07:00

Not a typo. You read that correctly. Go now! http://appshopper.com/music/rebirth

I wanna be slated

2010-04-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

The iPad is out (in the US anyway), and will be here in the UK next month. No word on pricing yet, which is a tad worrying. My guesstimate is over £400 for the base model.

I still have gear lust for it. It looks lovely and, taken as a "giant iPod Touch", it seems to run very slick indeed. I have to say few of the apps have really astounded me yet. Perhaps the most impressive native app in my mind is Korg's iElectribe. Most of my fave synths have yet to be updated, but I'm sure they would be much more usable with larger on-screen "keys".

But apart from the unknown price, and the delays, some cracks are starting to appear. Weak wifi is a concern for me (my access is borderline at best) and I recently heard over at PalmSounds that the dock connector doesn't support audio-in, which buggers up my beloved stereo recording Macally iVoice Pro 3.

This has made me sit up and consider my usage requirements. In all honesty, my music making is better served by my PC, with its multiple soundcards (one internal, one USB) and professional level audio software (Cubase VST and VirtualDJ). The reason I do more with my iPhone is simple: it is there, on my desk or in my pocket, and is "instant on". My PC is a hulking beast that takes about a week to finish booting up.

Going full circle this points me back towards portable Windows based devices. I lusted after the Viliv S5 before getting my iPhone, and then kept a watchful eye over the myriad tablet/slate devices that were rushed to announcement a short while before everyone knew Apple was likely to announce a slate/tablet. Most of these run either Android or a Linux variant, but the HP slate has really caught my eye. It's a PC. It runs PC software. It's compatible with PC peripherals. It's portable and multi-touch. It's expandable. It runs Flash on websites (Hobnox?). It's allegedly going to be competitively priced with the iPad. I work with Windows all day and like it. I could run the Windows-only work apps I need on the HP slate. The only kick in the plums is the screen resolution - 1024x600 is also what puts me of most netbooks. It does have HDMI output though.

Hmm, am I breaking up with the iPad before we even go on our first date?

iPhone OS 4.0

2010-04-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Lots announced. My personal take:

* Folders. Finally!

* Multitasking. A little bit of a fudge by the looks of it, but highly welcome. Probably as good as it was going to get.

* Background audio. Cool!

* Bluetooth keyboard. Ooooh. Potentially thus Bluetooth gamepad?

Definitely did not see explicit reference to shared files between apps though. Why? What is so bad about having sound files that can be used by a bunch of different apps?

iPad, will uPad?

2010-01-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

Had to laugh at the Apple press launch yesterday - quite literally the iPad is a giant iPod Touch. They could have even named it the iPod XL or something. Many were hoping for a touch-screen laptop minus the keyboard, like the Windows based tablets on show, which would be nice for business users and those wanting to integrate with their work. I can't say I'm overly surprised at what it turned out to be, and I doubt it will be that sucessful in its first version.

However, I really really really want one! Sure there's no GPS on the base model, no front mounted camera that would allow for awesome Skype video calls and no standard USB ports for adding storage, cameras, game controllers, midi devices etc. If there's one thing we have learned from Apple in recent years, it's "expect to be underwhelmed and the device to be underspecced compared to what others have been doing for years."

So why do I want one? Web browsing at a higher resolution would be great. My iPhone is already my main browser these days, so a bigger version has to be cool. No flash though (d'oh!). Being able to use my many apps without re-buying them would be great too, although I'm not that convinced about pixel-doubling meaning games will simply "just work" (not least of which due to the placement of on-screen controls that were designed for a 3" device not a 10" one). Video will also be amazing - BBC iPlayer, YouTube HD etc. Bring it on!

Mainly I look forward to music apps. Full width virtual keys, more stuff on screen, more multiple touches (is that one true, about the 10 finger multi-touch?). That's going to be awesome.

It's far from perfect, far from business-like, far from a Windows tablet killer, looks like it'll slip off your lap and smash into a thousand tiny pieces and far from pocketable. I love it :o)

Soldering non talent...

2009-12-20T07:52:00.001-08:00

I bought myself one of these iSpin mixers for 15 quid:

At first glance, and watching the videos you'd be right in thinking, "gimicky, silly scratch sound, very limited with only 4 proper effects."

At first glance I thought, "cool, a cheap way to charge my two iDevices (also has 3.5mm line in), a way to cross-fade between the two of them (both running some DJ software) and possibly hackable."

So it arrived, I briefly plugged it in and tried it out. The fader works, the microphone is a nice to have (sits in the fx path if you want) and the headphones can be either master out or cue, which is great. Yes, the "scratch" effect is awful. The other 4 effects though are rather good (reverb, flange, hi-pass filter, lo-pass filter in two switchable "banks" each with two fx). After a few minutes I got out my screwdriver.

First to go were the little "wheel" things, now replaced with some knobs I had lying around. Sadly the central "scratch spinner" is a rotary encoder, so that'll be replaced with a rotary pot soon.

Ok, onto the meaty bit. The fx chip is called the FV-1 by Spin Semiconductor. It turns out it is a much more capable chip than it seems from the built in two patches of fx. You see, it has 8 internal fx patches (with 2-3 fx on each patch) and an external sound bank, where the iSpin's own fx are housed. After a trip to Spin's website I found that you can switch between the internal bank and the external bank if you solder in a switch. You can also choose any of the 8 patches if you solder in 3 more switches (or an 8-position rotary switch, which I thought would be easier).

So some dremmeling and soldering later I've got the 8-position switch mounted into the case (top right corner, next to the right side iPod) and re-hacked the prog1/prog2 switch to select internal/external banks instead. The 8-position switch isn't quite working yet - it can select the first two patches, but nothing else...

A couple of observations thus far:

Soldering onto the legs of a chip is a nightmare!
My soldering iron is rubbish.
My soldering skills are non-existent.
I don't think my circuit skills are up to scratch! I thought I could hook "ground" up to the 8-way switch instead of 3.3v but something seems to be creating a short-circuit I think. I don't really know what I'm doing :o)

Next steps are to re-do the switch (a big job) and then somehow replace the rotary encoder with a linear potentiometer. Why, you might ask? Because the FV-1 allows analog control over 3 different parameters for each sound patch. Hence the 3 dials on the front of the device. They are not jog-dials, they control the fx!

Hopefully I won't fry anything, then I'll end up with a whole bunch of new fx, essentially becoming an extremely cheap fx unit that mixes and charges my two iDevices or any of my other devices with 3.5mm outputs.

B Good :o)

2009-12-19T00:06:00.000-08:00

Spot the E.T. reference there? Anyway, back in May one of my wishes was to have a Hammond B3 app for my iDevice. C3B3 videos emerged a few months back and my appetite was well and truly whetted.

Well now it's launched, and it is absolutely brilliant! Of course, it looks the part but more importantly it sounds fantastic too.

Everything you'd expect is there:

Configurable scrollable split keyboards
Overdrive
Reverb
Key click
Fantastic presets
Rotary speaker

As soon as you fire it up, you'll be hammering in those classic pieces from rock gods gone by. You just can't help it.

Seriously, I am very, very impressed indeed.

One thing sure to raise a few moans is the use of in-app purchase, which is popping up everywhere these days. On the one hand I hate the idea of constantly coughing up for something I've already bought, but on the other hand this is a B3, for less than 2 quid! Having to pay 59p to be able to save my own presets is a bit cheeky though, but 59p per new sound bank seems fair enough if I knew what they sounded like first. Afterall, the developer has spent the time making those presets so why not get paid for it?

I'd love to have recording built-in (many apps do this very well now) along with using these recordings elsewhere (ioLibrary?). Not only for productivity reasons, but because, well, my talent runs dry very quickly so playing two parts at once is something of a challenge for me. Also my fingers have never felt so over-sized before. This inspires you to want to play big chords, but without configurable key-widths (that I can see anyway) my efforts need to be toned down somewhat!

I can see me spending literally hours with this, jamming along (pathetically) to Deep Purple (apologies to Jon Lord in advance) and all manner of stuff.

What a great way to start a Saturday morning!

Check out their videos here to hear/see for yourself.

iTunes link

Hey Mr DJ put two records on...

2009-11-22T05:10:00.001-08:00

Finally the DJ apps that have been held back by Apple are starting to flood in. And what a varied bunch they are!

The one that's been out for a while, and is truly a magnificent turntable simulation is Flare. I've had this since launch and I absolutely adore it. I'd love pitch control, uploading my own background loops and an FX engine, but as it currently stands nothing comes close for those used to spinning the wheels of steel. Even works beautifully with time-code recordings for desktop apps like Virtual DJ. But there's something else I'd like to see added (see later on...)

The most publicly held back DJ app was Touch DJ by Amidio, creator of the uber-synth, Noise.io. As my coffers are stretched at the moment, courtesy of buying an iPhone 3GS, I'm not quite ready to try this out at $19.99 but that's not to say the price is too high - it really looks like a premium product and $19.99 doesn't buy you much else in the world of the desktop DJ! It uses an interesting visual-mixing technique, where you see the key beats on each waveform and line-them up before hitting the x-fader. A nice idea for getting around the obvious problem of the iPhone only having a single stereo output. But there's something else I'd like to see added (see later on...)

The interestingly named Sonorasaurus also arrived this week, with a gorgeous looking interface. I haven't seen much in the way of video demos of this (only one on youtube that I could see) and I'm not sure if it allows looping like Touch DJ appears to. It is, however, half the price of Touch DJ. But there's something else I'd like to see added (see later on...)

Also allowed out to play are abcDJ ($3.99) and "and Scratch" both by Sanken System. I think "and Scratch" is a single-deck version of abcDJ, with a price ($1.99) to match. Both apps look similar to Flare, but with extra functionality. Unfortunately the demo videos on Youtube have quite poor audio quality so it is hard to say how they truly compare. But there's something else I'd like to see added (see later on...)

Finally, from what I've seen, is DJ Player Blue Edition at the top end of premium at $24.99 for what appears to be a single-deck application. I imagine that price may be revisited fairly swiftly in light of the competition. It appears to have a Kaoss pad inspired FX section, which is nice. But there's something else I'd like to see added...

Ok, so what is it I'd like to see added to all of these? Is it the ability to use tracks straight from your iPod library instead of having to upload an additional copy of the track per app? Well, that would be nice, but I think that's an Apple restriction so you can't ask the developers to do something beyond Apple's limits! No, what I'd really like to see is this:

Use local wifi to sync and stream a "deck" on two iDevices (e.g. iPod and iPhone) and crossfade between them! So one device could output the crossfader mix (i.e. what the audience hears) and the other device could output a headphone mix for the DJ's use. How awesome would that be? No more worries about single audio output, "visual mixing", guessing the mix etc. I'm sure a few people now have a couple of iDevices thanks to upgrades etc, plus second-hand 1G iPod Touches are now really cheap.

Anyway, it's something I'd like to see :o) Any devs wanting to give it a try let me know!

I've got the power

2009-10-18T02:05:00.000-07:00

Just watched Synth Britannia on the BBC, all about the rise of synth music in the UK from the 70s onwards. Some awesome stuff on there, including a few snippets and interviews from Kraftwerk. After watching Vince Clark talk about the DM performance on Top of the Pops and how they lugged their synths on the train to get to the TOTP studio I realised just how much synth and recording power now resides in my coat pocket when I wander around.

I need to spend more time playing and less time looking for new apps I reckon!

Is Apple losing its edge?

2009-09-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

First the iPhone 3GS was a major disappointment, with very little in the way of exciting updates from the 3G. I was poised to buy the 3GS if the camera was any good, but it turned out not to be. For that reason I stuck with my 1G iPod Touch and bought a fantastic Sony camera that does HD video. I felt that maybe the next generation of iPod Touch would be basically the iPhone 3GS minus the phone part, i.e added compass, GPS, camera and microphone. Like many others I patiently awaited the launch event.

What did we get? A faster processor and some more storage. And that's it. So underwhelming that Apple's share price seems to have taken a hit, and I have yet to see a good word written about this "new" model.

Insult to injury? Apple once again brags about the vast number of games on the App store (over 20,000) but fails to mention that you can't even install 200 of them and have them visible on your device. Ths is despite the new 3.1 operating system. What we can do is move the icons around in iTunes instead. R-i-i-i-g-g-h-h-h-h-t....

Someone please innovate in this space, because Apple has forgotten how to.

Trouble in (app) store

2009-08-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

In addition to the limited number of categories in the Appstore making it very bothersome to find the music apps you are looking for amongst a thousand "official band" and radio station apps, the biggest thorn in the side seems to be pricing. Not just as in, "that app is too expensive," but also in terms of the volatility of app pricing. I've sometimes benefitted quite nicely from waiting a bit until an app dropped in price (Rectools 08 for example) but also been stung heavily by jumping in straight away.

Anyway, whilst perusing my favourite app-list website I came across this beauty. I mean, when do you jump in and buy this thing?

Ports I'm awaiting

2009-08-10T05:23:00.000-07:00

Porting an app always sounds like such a simple idea, after all you've got the assets already right? Ok, sure you may have to change the resolution of some images, or change the sound format and quality of a few samples, and obviously there may be extra features of one platform, such as accelerometer and touch screen, or no buttons, and of course a finger-touch device needs a different interface to a stylus-touch device to a mouse-driven device to a keyboard-driven device, and it goes without saying that the RAM and storage will be different, and who would expect binary compatability with an entirely different OS and CPU, and .... oh, maybe it's not such a simple job. But anyway, those trivial things aside, I'd love to see the following make an appearance on the iPhone:

CellDS
GlitchDS
Griff
Pocket Stompbox
MeTeoR
DS10 (heh heh)
ProteinDS

Anyone know if any of these are pending?

iPod with OS 3.0 - mixed emotions!

2009-07-04T02:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of things to report on since upgrading my iPod Touch to OS 3.0

Firstly I can now have a whole 11 pages of icons. Whoopie do :o( Still got to have loads of my apps uninstalled or hidden from view.

Secondly quite a few of my music apps have issues and updates are not yet out (or even announced in some cases). Noise.io makes no noise.io. Wivi Band glitches horribly. MixDex doesn't work. A few other apps have pops and crackles.

Thirdly, and this is a Good Thing (TM), my external microphone (Macally iVoice Pro 3) now has proper volume control when it is in use. Prior to OS 3.0 if the mic was plugged in, the volume control of the iPod (when you double-click the home button) had no effect and the volume was fixed (and too low). Now it works as it should so apps like Wivi Band, Ocarina, Vocoder SV5 etc all have a decent volume that I can control. Yayyyyyy!

R.I.P MJ

2009-06-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

Very sad news.

Music for Knee Play - aka my "pocket" studio

2009-06-17T04:19:00.000-07:00

Whilst I'd need rather large pockets to carry everything, here is what my "sitting in bed studio" currently looks like. I'm rather pleased with the board I created to put everything on, as I was getting fed up with balancing things on my knee and noticing they gradually disappeared or rotated to unusable angles!! It's a piece of what I think Americans call "foam core" with some black microfibre glued on using spray mount. I then chopped up some neoprene strips and stuck velcro to the back of them so they can be positioned anywhere on the board to keep the devices in place. It's very comfortable and seems to do a great job.

Here's what's in the picture:

1: Belkin Rockstar. This acts as a passive mixer, allowing for multiple inputs and duplicate outputs. I used to use my hand-made passive mixer, but this is so much more impressive in terms of results, if not aesthetics. The duplicate outputs are useful for apps like MeTeoR that don't allow monitoring of input when recording - I can attach earphones too.

2. Apple iPod Touch. Weapon of choice for "playing" instruments. I've got this thing loaded to the brim (well, as much as Apple's stupid UI will allow) with virtual instruments, sequencers and midi/OSC controllers. I've spent a fortune on them and just can't seem to resist buying more! Highlights have to include iShred, Bebot, Nlog, Vocoder SV-5, Digidrummer, Noise.io, Beatmaker and Cowbell Plus. Not shown is the Macally iVoicePro 3 microphone/speaker/stereo line in.

3. Nintendo DS Lite. So much "homebrew" for this it makes your eyes water. I absolutely love GlitchDS, CellDS, ProteinDS and soon Korg DS-10 will grace its cartridge slot once I find it at a sensible price.

4. Boss Micro BR. Most recent addition, used for analog audio recording and occasional rhythm duties. Adds stunning effects to the audio (live and recorded) and the microphone is pretty decent for vocals. I have an external mic I can plug in but I haven't really bothered yet. Also gets a lot of work acting as my guitar effects box. Cool feature is the ability to plug it in to the Loox (see below) via USB and its recordings become available for copying into MeTeoR.

5. Fujitsu Siemens Pocket Loox 720. Getting on a bit now, but a lovely VGA Pocket PC. Sadly doesn't run WM5/6 so some newer apps are unavailable to it and battery drain would mean a loss of data. However it does have USB host and, as you can see, gets connected to the Micro BR for digital transfers of recordings! Musically it is exclusively used to run the fabulous MeTeoR these days for multi-tracking, although it also runs VNC for controlling my server and occasional full-screen web browsing using VNC. Oh, also does a brilliant job of playing game emulators courtesy of the fast processor and ability to plug in a USB game pad!

6. ETEN Glofiish X500. My current "phone" that also happens to be running Griff (awesome, despite its age and lack of updates!), Pocket StompBox and a few other older bits of Pocket PC sound software (e.g. Clanger!). Used to be my main pocket device for web/email/PDA stuff until the iPod Touch took over. Have a bunch of trackers on there, but I've never fully regained my interest in trackers since the Amiga days when that was pretty much all we had. Some of the newer apps are interesting but the interface feels so clunky and unresponsive now compared to the iPod, and pricing seems unrealistic. I suspect in a couple of years, now turn-by-turn GPS is available, I will replace both with a version of the iPhone. It hurts to type that.

iPhone 3GS

2009-06-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yay: Faster CPU
Yay: Better battery life
Yay: External hardware through the dock port (midi and USB devices please!)
Yay: TomTom
Yay: Autofocus camera
Erm: Compass!
Erm: Voice control (hello last century)
D'oh: Only 3mp still images
D'oh: Only VGA video
D'oh: No camera flash
D'oh: No removable storage

Bit of a mixed bag. Still a seriously tempting device, but not quite the no-brainer I was hoping for. Will wait to see examples of photos and videos before taking the leap away from my WM phone.

UPDATE: Decided to keep my WM phone and iPod Touch and get a 12 mpix stills camera that does HD video and is tiny, shiny and wonderful - the Sony DSC-T900.

FM

2009-05-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

I have this list in my head of music apps I always like to try to have (or wish for). One day I'll turn it into a written list, but generally it includes things like a drum sequencer, Hammond organ, analog synth, vocoder, effects unit, GM sounds, guitar fx, piano, step sequencer etc. What I'm pining for is a virtual Yamaha TX81z. I used to have one and I loved it, but I sold it as I didn't have space for it and I was going fully digital anyway. So I've been looking for a replacement for it on the iPhone.

One day I encountered the quirky OuiLead, a Japanese synth that has some fantastic sounds, but sadly no patch editing. Definitely worth grabbing, especially as it is free and regularly updated.

Some odd sound toys appeared that let you play with a single FM sound, varying the frequencies etc for some unusual effects, but they weren't really what I was looking for.

The makers of the fabulous Digidrummer have created Destiny, an FM synth, but it looks a tad basic for me.

Then came Pianofly, a truly brilliant little 3-op FM synth with extensive editing and a great user interface. I'm getting closer to my TX81z replacement.

Finally this morning I came across Innocencer, which I wasn't sure what to make of - it looks a bit like OuiLead and was free, so I thought I'd give it a go. It turns out it's a 4-op FM synth with control over the algorithms. The closest yet to my TX81z dream! I haven't tried out its

innovative midi file playback yet, but it does a great job as a polyphonic FM synth. Clearly this is a developer with the potential to make what I seek. And I'd pay a good price for a proper emulator that could load up my gazillions of SYSEX formatted TX81z (and other Yamaha FM synth) patches.

So far so happy.

The iSYN on the cake!

2009-05-28T05:11:00.000-07:00

Terrible pun, but great app just got better. iSYN is a fantastic app, and very close to matching Korg DS-10 on the Nintendo DS. Anyway the latest version features an arpeggiator that makes live play even better. Has a few options such as up/down/number of octaves and a useful "hold" mode. Set it running and hit the XY pad for some awesome results.

I had a great session with it yesterday and wished there was a simple way to export a loop from each unit (2 synths and 1 drum) that could then be imported into Looptastic or Beatmaker. Please please PLEASE Apple let us have a shared area for media files that apps can access!

In search of the perfect App keyboard

2009-05-04T02:51:00.000-07:00

Mobile music is cool, but you've got to be able to get what's in your head into your device. Whilst there are loads of "funky" new paradigms courtesy of the iPhone's touch screen and accelerometer, in the main we're looking at piano keys or guitar strings. For this post I'm looking at piano keys.

When the iPhone was announced I was excited at the prospect of multi-touch for one reason - chords! Although I love my Glofiish's pinpoint stylus accuracy, and my DS's ability to detect touch pressure, neither of them allowed me to play chords on a virtual keyboard.

There have been many different approaches to the virtual keyboard on the iPhone, so I'm going to go through some of the good practice and pitfalls I have encountered along the way, in search of the best possible solution (that no-one has as-yet implemented).

1. Noise.IO uses a split row design, giving good width keys and access to two octaves. Key length obviously suffers here, but that's unavoidable. Changing octaves requires a trip to a separate screen, which isn't ideal but it does work. There's also a very handy modulation slider area to the side, along with a volume slider. Horizontal slides along the keyboard trigger the next note (I think that is technically called a Glissando). Initial vertical key position affects (I think) "key pressure" and can be modified afterwards with a vertical slide. Overall an excellent solution. In addition Noise.IO

makes good use of the accelerometer for configurable modulation of just about every parameter when you move the device around.

2. Nlog Synth has a single row of keys with configurable key width, giving from 13 to 22 keys on screen (not sure why they stopped short of two full octaves). Configuration is a key (ho ho) requirement I think - everyone plays in a different way, and I personally have broad fingers. Nlog could easily fit in a second row of keys though, for a performance mode, giving access to 44 keys. To get around the octave issue, Nlog allows you to smoothly slide the keyboard left/right as you play it. Very impressive, but means you cannot slide up and down the keys, as the keyboard moves with you. So close to

perfection! Nlog also has vertical key position mapped to key pressure, and allows a vertical key slide to control a configurable modulation. This is incredibly expressive. It is "sort of" polyphonic when modulating, but triggering a new key seems to reset the modulation for the held key.

3. Vocoder SV5 takes an interesting approach to the octave issue. In normal play, a horiontal

slide triggers the next note. If you hold down the octave button though, the horizontal slides scroll the keyboard. Very useful. Also well worth a note is the sprung pitch wheel. I love it! There are other UI innovations I've writen about in a previous post, such as "sticky" rotary controllers. No controllable modulation is a minus, but there is a full-screen dual row keyboard option, which has some useful spare space for, for example, a future mod wheel.

4. iSyn offers a highly playable full-screen

two-octave keyboard with switchable Legato and multiple scales. Changing octaves is via octave up/down buttons, which I'm not a big fan of. Vertical key modulation works brilliantly although it's tied to the same modulation as the Y axis of the XY pad - I'd like to see an independent option. Interestingly, sliding up and down the keyboard doesn't retrigger the next note, it slides the pitch smoothly even across the width of a single key, which is great for leads and "finger wobble" pitch modulation, and reminds me a lot of Bebot. It would be good to have this optional like it is in Bebot (when set to "Snap" mode). The current note display is a nice touch. By default the keyboard has "virtual wide" black keys. This means you cannot trigger a white key from the black key area (scale dependent), which I personally like. Wavesynth also has this, but it is optional.

5. Speaking of Wavesynth then, it also features a lovely big sprung pitch bend wheel and a whole heap of configurable options (along with the black key mentioned above): pitch bend range, single or double layer keyboard, "shake to modulate" (which I find a little gimmicky), configurable portamento and switchable mono mode. The only missing option here is configurable retrigger/don't retrigger envelope (Legato). A great little synth but a bit overlooked (presumably because it is touted as a general midi rompler).

6. Megasynth. Keyboard is very basic, and lacks a lot of the features mentioned in this article, but it is worth noting the slidable octave display that lets you see and choose your keyboard range.

7. Pianofly. A new App, and a great sound engine, but what I really want to mention here is the keyboard. Switchable to full screen is nothing new, but I absolutely love the novel approach to the octave issue. Playing the keyboard is similar to Nlog - silky smooth scrolling left/right - but you can "hold" the keyboard still with another finger (either on a key or on the black scroll area at the bottom) and now your other fingers are free to slide up and down the notes. Genius.

8. Grand Pro. An honourable mention to this app for offering optional 1, 2 and 4 octaves on screen at once! Also has optional note names on each key, which is a useful feature.

Ok, there's loads of apps I've not mentioned, and I may have made a few mistakes for which I

apologise but hope you can correct me.

So what would make the perfect keyboard for me then? Hmm let's see:

Configurable key width
Configurable split/single key row
Pianofly's scroll lock
Optional note names (Grand Pro and makes a brief appearance on Wavesynth)
Initial vertical position configurable to a parameter (would generally choose pressure, but options are nice)
Vertical slide configurable to a parameter (Nlog)
On screen pitch wheel with configurable range (Wavesynth and Vocoder SV5)
On screen mod area (Noise.IO)
Optional "virtual wide" black keys (Wavesynth and iSyn)
Optional smooth slide portamento (I don't know what to call this as it doesn't exist on a real keyboard, but on a fretless bass or trombone! - iSyn and Bebot). It is different to normal keyboard portamento as it is controlled by the player, not a predefined time.
Configurable Legato (iSyn)
Configurable scales (iSyn and Bebot!)
Optional mono/poly (Wavesynth)
Configurable portamento (Wavesynth)

Maybe I'll mock-up a few screenshots of a keyboard and settings screens?

Time to start a new fund.

2009-05-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

For ages now I've been following the netbook trend. I've stood, credit card at the ready, drooling over Asus 8.9" EEEPC netbooks. I stopped just short of buying because I had a nagging feeling I was looking at old tech. Then all the glowing reviews of the Samsung NC10 had me cruising the local electronics shops trying to convince myself that 10" was better, even though it was getting to be almost as big as a laptop. So I decided to wait. Was a higher resolution screen on the way? Faster processor? Cheaper price?

Now a whole raft of new UMPCs seem to be appearing that fit into my original Netbook budget (ish) but with loads of extra features such as 3G, GPS and touchscreens, and a form factor that almost compares to the early palmtops. All this whilst running XP with up to 1Gb RAM, 60Gb hard disk and 1024x600 resolution. So basically a netbook in less than half the space. Or more to the point, all my favourite PC music apps IN MY POCKET. Being PCs, they also support normal USB devices, like (presumably) midi keyboards, my Korg Nanopad, DJ controller, multi-output external soundcards etc. Can you see why I'm excited?

I don't know if the typical Atom processor is up to the job of, say, Virtual DJ or Ableton, but this truly looks revolutionary for mobile music.

Throw-in bluetooth and wifi and all sorts of possiblilities spring to mind such as OSC control from my DS or iPod Touch.

A lack of cash is a slight snag, as is choosing which puppy to go for. The Viliv S5 is definitely a front runner, and the Umid M1 is almost too cute for words (although it needs a lot of external bits for USB etc.)

No doubt by the time they are available in the UK, and my fund has come close to affording them, something else will be on the horizon, but I think I've found the "class" of device I'm looking for.

Anyone got experience of using a UMPC for music?

Leave me breathless!

2009-03-29T03:08:00.000-07:00

For many years I've looked longingly at breath controllers, such as the WX range from Yamaha, and dreamed of owning one. I don't truly know why, because I can't play any instruments with any degree of competence, but just the very idea of getting "more of me" into a sound is quite exciting to me. When Yamaha released a software version of their VL physical modelling (Sondius XG or something - SYXG100 rings a bell) the idea became even more appealing. I wondered how I could somehow fudge together something with a microphone and volume analysis to control the midi breath parameter.

Then along came the Nintendo DS, with a built-in mic. Some apps appeared (e.g. toys in Warioware) that used the strength of your blowing to increase the volume of a sound or similar. Thoughts of virtual harmonicas and flutes filled my head, but as yet remain less than fulfilled.

Next up was the iPod Touch/iPhone. Now developers really became interested in using our breath for things other than breathing! Initial gimmicks (blow out the candle, steam up a window) gave way to basic sample-based instruments with volume controlled by blowing into the mic. Bugle, Trumpet and Ocarina spring to mind, the latter being phenomenally successful (and rightly so - it sounds fantastic and is fun to play).

Then earlier this week an app I had glossed over, due to its description not sounding appealing, leapt back onto my radar courtesy of a video of Jordan Rudess demonstrating it. The app, called Wivi Band uses some form of physical modelling to recreate wind instruments with an amazing sense of realism for a device as simple as the iPhone. The microphone uses your breath to modulate the sound, but I'm not 100% sure what it is doing. It certainly modifies the volume, and may modify other parameters (attack?) but the result is pretty cool as you'll hear from Jordan's demo video. So two boxes (physical modelling, breath control) ticked meant a quick trip to the app store for me, and a few hours of very chilled out flute and clarinet playing!

Hopefully other devs will add breath control to their apps, in addition to using the mic to, you know, record or capture sounds! Breath control into Noise.io could be quite spectacular.

Apple's iPhone OS 3.0

2009-03-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Palm Sounds is keeping track of what's being announced by Apple for their new iPhone OS in relation to mobile music. So far it looks like my dream of being actually able to use all of the apps I have installed will remain a dream - no announcements about folders yet...

Vocoder SV-5

2009-03-17T02:08:00.000-07:00

I'm am extremely excited about this. Over at the App Store you can now pick up Vocoder SV-5 for the iPhone and iPod. I did, and it's great. Really, really, great. Even better, it works just fine with my external microphone on a 1st gen iPod Touch. Yipee!!!

I am a robot.

It's also a fabulous-sounding virtual analog synth with some genuinely innovative interface ideas. Examples are the virtual knobs, which normally cause usability problems for touch-screen apps as you can't see what you are doing. Also if a knob is near the edge of the screen you can't rotate it accurately. In SV-5, however, you can "toggle" a knob to make it "hold" and then any movement on the interface just affects that knob's values. Very clever and very useful. Not perfect (you can only move 1 knob at a time), but then what is? Also the pitch bend wheel is fairly unique, along with a keyboard that can be scrolled sideways if you hold down a button - this latter option allows for sliding your finger across the keys when playing, but still quickly getting up or down a few octaves. Lastly, a quick stab of a (rather hidden) logo takes you into a full screen double keyboard. All very well thought out. Definitely a "keeper".

I'm so happy with all the music apps coming out for my iPod. We really are spoilt for choice, or flat broke if we can't resist buying everything that looks good! Wonder who will be first with a modular synth, complete with virtual patch cables? A Yamaha FM synth emulator (TX81z please!). Virtual VL1? A Minimoog? A fully featured stompbox unit (think iShred with external input)?

What is needed, however, is a central storage location for these apps to write to and read from, so patches, samples, recordings etc. can by synced with other devices and shared between apps.

Anyway, I'm off to play!

App limit - grrr.

2009-03-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

So my iPod touch is my current favourite music toy. I've got dozens of music and sound related apps on it, as well as a whole load of other apps (serious, work, toys, games, networking, communication etc.) In fact, in total I regularly use about 180 apps, which has been trimmed down from many more.

Now many of you will know that on the iPod and iPhone you cannot normally organise your apps into folders, just a maximum of 129 (I think) 3rd party apps spread over 9 pages with 16 icons on each page. Talk about unfriendly! Other apps are still there, you just can't launch them until you delete another one.

Bring on Categories. This is an app you an only install if you jailbreak your device. Once installed you can put apps into folders and in fact I managed to get down to just one screen on my iPod, with 6 folders full of nicely organised apps. Categories and SBSettings were the two main reasons I kept my iPod jailbroken.

So now I've updated to OS 2.2.1 and decided not to jailbreak it, as I don't like going through the steps and somehow being made to feel like a criminal by Apple for daring to want to organise my apps. This means I've got to do without over 50 of my apps, just because Apple made an absolute pig's ear of app icon organisation. I'm sure Apple advocates regularly mocked Bill Gates for the "640k" limit of early DOS...

Microphone/line-in/speaker thing for iPod arrived!

2009-03-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

So my Macally iVoicePro arrived, enabling my 1st gen iPod Touch to join in the microphone enabled apps fun. So far pretty good:

Speaker is useful, although volume control seems a bit hit and miss (some apps simply don't change the volume despite using the slider!)

Mic quality seems very good, but haven't tried line-in yet (it's stereo, which is a bonus) or using it with an external mic (as-in external to the iVoicePro)

When they are installed, microphone-aware apps work perfectly

However:

Plugging in headphones doesn't always seem to mute the speakers, which can lead to some almighty feedback. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, like plugging in the headphones too soon?

Most appstore apps refuse to install because they assume the iPod Touch 1st gen can't possibly have a microphone. Grr. (Aside: some apps that don't even use iPhone/2nd gen features refuse to install, presumably due to laziness/error on the programmer's part). Anyway, buying them through iTunes and then modifying the PLIST soon sorts that out and the installation proceeds as normal. Apple should really sort this out and just whack a disclaimer on there ("If you don't have a microphone, don't even try to install this").

So, bring on some iPxxx versions of Pocket Stompbox and MeTeoR! Actually, if Frontier Designs are reading this, how about making iShred accept audio in to its awesome effects? Now there's an idea...

List of mini projects

2009-02-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

This is probably more about reminding me, but in the coming weeks I'll be posting about some fairly simple (well if I can do it...) hardware/software projects I've completed recently:

Passive 3 input stereo mixer that was oh so nearly free
Split input cable for PDA to allow line in (mono) and stereo out (works with Loox 720 and Glofiish X500 using 4-pole 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter). I needed this for the awesome Pocket StompBox software I bought as well as being useful for the fabulous 12 track pocket DAW MeTeoR.
Using Saitek P8000 with Virtual DJ.
Multi-touch input device for the PC using a cardboard box, some paper and a webcam (infintely better than it sounds and dead simple if you follow the instructions on the website I found!)

Now all I need is some time. Who came up with the crazy idea of working for a living?

Excited. Microphone and line-in for my iPOD Touch

2009-02-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

Apparently it is easier to get sound into my 1st gen iPOD Touch than I realised. I came across this forum on the iPod touch fans website. So now I've got to get my hands on one of these microphones from Macally. It isn't exactly beautiful, but it will hopefully open up my iPOD Touch to more music apps from the Appstore such as multi-track recorders and sound effects programs like RJDJ.

Look at me Ma, I'm blogging!

2009-02-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, not something I've ever really done before, but let's start my blog! The general theme will be about making music (whatever that means) using technology and gadgets. I'm a gadget freak. I love music. I also lack talent. But hey, that doesn't stop 90% of the bands in the pop charts :o)

So for now I'll be writing about my new sound creating toys, many of which are mobile applications running on one of the following:

iPOD touch
WM6 mobile phone PDA thing
Fujitsu Siemens Loox720 PDA
Nintendo DS Lite
Boss Micro BR

I also like to hack together controllers for my PC based musical efforts. Too many to list right now but I'll get there.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a message!