BS-16i now with CoreMIDI

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!

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

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

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(

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

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

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.