iPhone App Directory

Pianofly update from miniMusic


I was really pleased to see this update from miniMusic today as their site has been very quiet for a while now. According to the news page, Pianofly is now due in November. Here's what the Pianofly page says:
Unfortunately, we had a serious family medical emergency and had to essentially shut down development for all of September. We are now back to work and have found a solution to our design issues (more about that below) and are working toward a final version of the software. The first version might be released without recording capabilities (to be added in a later upgrade) since that is the area that still needs the most work. Unexpected problems could still arise, so we cannot yet give a final release date, although Apple's recent changes to the NDA and introduction of developer forums will help immensely with such problems. Although the iPhone offers a rich platform with exciting possibilities, development continues to take longer than we expect. Since we have thousands of paying customers waiting for the 1.3 upgrade for our non-music product, No.2, we will be pushing that out before the first Pianofly release.

If you look at a screenshot of our SoundPad application for Palm, the interface is basically divided into three parts: the piano keyboard (bottom), the oscillators (middle), and the envelopes (top). Our initial approach was to make these three separate screens in Pianofly, so when editing an envelope, for example, the envelope interface would zoom to fill the screen so that you could make accurate adjustments with your fingertip. A fingertip just doesn't offer the accuracy needed to interact with all three portions on screen at the same time. However, in testing we found that it was annoying to have to switch back and forth to test sounds with the piano keyboard. We can fit a good, usable keyboard in half the screen, so our new design has reduced the oscillator and envelope areas to also also be usable in half the iPhone screen, so the piano is always accessible while working on either part of a sound.

SoundPad also has a whole 2nd screen for editing the sound bank (choosing sounds, adding new sounds, etc.). For use in musical performances, we wanted this to also have access to the keyboard so you could quickly select a sound and play it immediately. This is now a third display that can accompany the piano keyboard in Pianofly. You can select a sound and play it, edit the oscillators while playing, or edit the envelope for each oscillator while playing.

Thanks to everyone for your interest in our iPhone products and your patience; we'll try to make it worth the wait! Alongside Pianofly we are also working on music notation software for iPhone and a version of BugBand, our sight reading game. We hope to release one of those in December.

We will post further updates here, but will probably hold off on screen shots until just before the actual product launch.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new miniMusic app, and the ones that are to follow.

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The amazing interface of Classics App


I don't normally post about other types of iPod apps, but this one I had to make an exception for. Classics app has one of the most amazing interfaces I've seen, especially for a mobile device.

The app is an eBook reader, but, unlike other eBook readers it animates the page turn and slots in a little bookmark when you return home.

It really is something else.



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Redfly at $200 last chance

Brighthand posts on the Redfly being available at $200 until 1st November. So you still have time if you want one!

More history from TrakAx

Another blog post from TrakAx, this time on the history of techno. The new version of TrakAx is on the way though.

Mobile Sound: MMW Catalogue now available


Mobile sound blog posts on the availability of the Mobile Music Workshop catalogue now being available for purchase online.

M-Audio: new Micro-track II firmware

M-Audio has posted new firmware for their Micro-track II recorder. Here's what their site says:
M-Audio is pleased to announce the availability of MicroTrack II firmware version 1.0.7. This full-release update offers enhanced accuracy of broadcast WAV marker placement and improved performance when using CompactFlash cards larger than 8GB. The update is available immediately for Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS X 10.3.9-10.5.5.

RJDJ works with the 2G Touch


Excellent news for 2nd generation Touch users. Now RJDJ work on their devices.

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Noise IO arrives at last


Noise.io - the iPhone Synthesizer from ToyoBunko on Vimeo.

Noise IO Pro arrives at the app store at long last. It'll be interesting to try this out. I'm hoping that it will be as good as I'm expecting. I think that the price is quite reasonable at £5.99.

I don't think that the title has appeared so far, the "Noise IO Pro" is a bit new.

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Been away ...

I've been away for a few days so I'm just catching up on news and the like.

SunVox 1.1: First look


SunVox 1.1 got released yesterday, and I had a little bit of time for a brief play this morning.

My initial thoughts are that this is a big improvement on version 1.0. There's lots of new synths to choose from. So far I've only tried out SpectraVoice, which is excellent.

I'll post more thoughts soon.

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iPhone DJ?


IPJ Lite has arrived at the App Store. The app looks quite interesting, but as a lite version priced at £2.99 I might wait a while to see what comes with full app.

The site is quite interesting though.

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Noise IO sent to Apple

So, now it is just the wait for Apple to release Noise IO to the store. Let's hope they don't bounce it.

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A first review of Noise IO


One of the lucky people who got a pre-release copy of Noise IO has posted a review which sounds very interesting. I just hope it comes out for the rest of us soon.

Will HotPaw create a language for the iPhone?

Some of you may know that HotPaw is a basic language for Palm OS. HotPaw have created an app for the iPhone. I think that's interesting, and my hope is that HotPaw will produce a language for the iPhone too.

SSEYO at Intermorphic

If you try to visit SSEYO you'll find this site at Intermorphic, which gives some very interesting background to what's coming with Mixtikl.

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SunVox 1.1


SunVox 1.1 has arrived, and there's loads of new features in there. In fact, the list looks amazing:

What is new:
* new module: Delay;
* new module: LFO;
* new module: FM synth;
* new module: Reverb;
* new module: Vocal Filter;
* added "anticlick" controller in the "kicker" synth;
* added "vibrato type" controller in the "flanger" synth;
* added "mix" controller in the "filter" synth (mix original signal with filtered);
* added new mode "cubic interpolation" for high quality sound in synths: SpectraVoice; (this mode not working on PDA);
* new feature: changing font size in the pattern editor;
* new feature: main menu -> edit -> interpolate velocity;
* new examples: city_dreams, forests, pong, window;
* new simple examples: delay, delay2, reverb, lfo, fm, voice;
* fixed major bugs on PalmOS devices with non-square screen;
* added sample-editor to the sampler module;
* ALSA support in Linux;
* redesigned some GUI elements;
* code optimization.

When I've had a chance of checking this out I'll post on it again.

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Noise.IO Synth: Factory Presets video



Noise IO has updated their site with this video on factory presets.

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Virtual Deck lite


Virtual Deck has released a lite version of their DJ app for iPhone OS.

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Griffin iTalk (app) for iPhone & 2G Touch


iTalk from Griffin is effectively the software version of their hardware for the iPod classic / 5G etc.

They also have a sync app for the Mac and a windows version coming 'soon'.
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Anyone tried this?


I found this today when looking into Java apps. I wondered if anyone has tried it on a palm under the old IBM micro environment.

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Noise.IO keyboard


More news from Noise IO Synth. The app (when it is finally released) will have a velocity sensitive keyboard (of sorts). Here's what Noise IO says:
We're happy to inform noise addicts that the release version of Noise.io will feature a velocity-responsive keyboard.
That's possible because of our unique technology: the higher you hit the keyboard note - the lower the velocity will be. So, you should aim lower for more volume.

Meanwhile left part of the screen is used as an assignable 3-dimensional modulation wheel (yes you can do multitouch there).

All this comes naturally and after a little training, expressive play is possible.

By the way, the betatesters have just got the pre-release final beta and soon will hopefully post their first impressions in the forum :-)

Java as a language for mobile music

Thanks to '_aa_' for this comment:
I beg to differ. Java is perfectly capable of handling all aspects of digital music production. Because it runs in a virtual machine, load times can be increased as the virtual machine is loaded, but actual application performance is no different than C or any other byte compiled language. If all the other applications for Android are written in Java, then the virtual machine will already be resident in memory and load times will be indistinguishable from any other language.

Long story short. Performance is not an issue for Java.

I would point to JSyn (http://www.softsynth.com/jsyn/) as an example of real-time audio synthesis in a purely Java based environment.

I'm certain processor specific modifications will be required, but it will not be an insurmountable challenge to modify JSyn, or develop a new real-time audio synthesis API for Android. All manner of other music applications already exist in Java form.

Google is right to embrace Java. Plus Android is built on linux, so there's no reason C code won't execute on it, just as there's no reason for there to not be a JavaVM for the iPhone, but Apple is blocking Sun from implementing it.

I don't know much about Java to be honest, but this does sound interesting. I shall have to look into it in more depth. In the past I've tried mobile processing, but haven't done anything with it for a while.

I know there's been a lot of talk about a Sun Microsystems JVM for iPhone, but that's gone quiet. Also, the IBM Micro environment for Palm OS is no longer available. As for Windows Mobile, I don't know about a JVM for that platform.

So, if we can access useful JVMs for a platform, then maybe Java could be a useful and simple language for mobile music.

Treo Pro review from the Gadgeteer


I've always like the Gadgeteer because you get really well thought through and balanced reviews, and this is no different.

Palm released the Treo Pro as a real step forward for smartphones, and I've been thinking about a Treo Pro to replace my 650. However, based on this review I need to really think again.

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Griff comments on Android and mobile music

Planet Griff doesn't think too much of Android's ability to cater for mobile music making. This is largely based around the fact that apps for Android are java based which is generally to slow to do anything too creative.

It is a shame really as Android is open source. Perhaps Google will do something with it in the long run. Who knows.

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CDM on MMR



CDM posts on MMR which is coming to iPhone OS soon.

The CDM post is concerned with the possibilities of applications like MMR. Worth a read.

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BIAS iProRecorder


BIAS iProRecorder is a voice recorder. Nothing out of the ordinary there for sure. However, what is interesting is that it is made by BIAS. BIAS make Peak and SoundSoap, quality desktop music apps.

BIAS as the 2nd mainstream desktop developer to venture into the iPhone OS. First we had iDrum from iZotope, and now BIAS are joining the party.

I wonder how many other mainstream music software houses are contemplating jumping into mobile music on the iPhone OS?

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TouchOSC 1.1.2


TouchOSC has had a bug fix update to version 1.1.2.

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SynthPond bugfix update


SynthPond has been updated. The update is mainly a bug fix, but an improvement to graphics and the ability to handle a lot more nodes on the screen simultaneously.

SynthPond at the iTunes App Store

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TUAW on Voice recorders for iPhone


TUAW has a useful comparison of voice recorders for the iPhone.

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Sonic Vox


Sonic Vox from Smule has an interesting sound to it. The app works with iPhone or a 2g Touch so I won't be able to try it out. However, from the sounds of it this is the beginnings of a little vocoder.

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4Pockets award for RTA Pro

4Pockets have won an award from SmartPhone and Pocket PC magazine for their RTA Pro application together with getting AudioBox into the finalists. Congratulations to 4Pockets, and I hope we might see not only some updates but also some new apps soon?

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Belated happy birthday!

Yesterday the iPod was 7 years old. Amazing to think that it is 7 years since this iconic device entered the public domain. It changed a lot of the way we approach music. Not only listening, but also starting to change making music too.

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My highly liquid VL-Tone MIDI kit arrived!

I got my Highly Liquid VL-Tone MIDI kit today.


I guess I need to get a VL-Tone now!



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Tim Cole is busy with Mixtikl

Tim Cole is using every spare moment getting Mixtikl ready of release in November.

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Cosmovox 1.4 arrives very quickly


Cosmovox has now been updated to version 1.4. In this version (following hot on the heals of 1.3) there are some new features:

- Added: Ration slider to tone window
- Added: Fine tuning option
- Added: Tuning window

Cosmovox at the iTunes App Store

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FMScreen update


FMScreen has been updated. The update includes:

- Improved zoom
- Improved grid display
- Ability to pick which frequencies are active

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Cosmovox 1.3 includes OSC support


Cosmovox has been updated to version 1.3. The new version has support for OSC. This makes Cosmovox the first iPhone OS app that both controls and creates sound, which makes it really quite unique.

Cosmovox at the iTunes App Store

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Chimera news

Chimera have a news update posted to their blog concerning MIDI, shipping, prices (going up) and kits for the BC-16 which will be available soon.

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Brighthand on DGOS

Brighthand picks on Dmitry Grinberg developing his own palm compatible OS called DGOS. Is seems that DGOS will feature:

- Multi-tasking
- Protected memory

But many other details are still unclear.

Access announces ALP 3


PalmInfocenter has a post on Access announcing ALP3. It is difficult to tell what if any impact something like ALP will end up having, especially as Palm are still supposed to be developing their NOVA OS.

Alleygate appears on the phaseArray site

phaseArray have now posted on their new Bhajis Plug called Alleygate. It says:
Here is a small snack of a plugin a mono gate.

Alleygate is a mono gate. It uses the left & right input channels - one is input signal, one is gate signal. When the gate signal drops below zero the input signal will be entirely muted. In this respect it is has two states: on or off.

Setup should be easy: pan one signal one way, the other another way. Send them both to the plugin. You can adjust which channel is the gate signal alongside dry/wet in the plugin parameters.


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SynthPond released


SynthPond has been released, a bit before schedule it would seem. I had a few minutes to play with it today and it is quite impressive really. I'll give it a bigger review in a few days.

SynthPond at the iTunes App Store

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Noise.IO contest

Noise IO have posted details of their contest winners, who will get a copy of the app ahead of the official release. Let's hope the official release is getting closer.

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Noise.IO manual now available


Now the Noise IO manual is available, so it can't be too far around the corner right?

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SynthPond


synthPond Demonstration from zach on Vimeo.

This looks like an interesting application, and reminds me a lot of SpinPad from miniMusic. I think that this could be quite interesting depending on how much control you can take over the sounds themselves.

SynthPond at the iTunes App Store

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miniPiano and FingerPiano

A couple of apps that I hadn't noticed at all called miniPiano and FingerPiano. The web sites supporting these are in Japanese so I can't tell you too much about them except show you the videos.





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Real Drums for iPhone


Real Drums claims to be the ultimate drumkit for your iphone! Which seems to be a very grand claim indeed. The video looks interesting, but of course I haven't tried it as yet.



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True chip till death

A new blog called true chip till death aims to be a news source for new software and hardware, and showcase the best of the best of chip music and visuals.

Sounds great, and well worth checking in with.

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VL-Tone with MIDI in!


This bent VL-Tone has turned up on eBay from Space-Cat. It is very impressive as it includes a MIDI in socket as well as other 'bends'.

However, at £74.95 it is a bit steep for me.



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Therematic for iPhone


Theremin type apps are obviously very popular on this platform. So here we have Therematic, a Theremin emulator. More on this when I've had a chance to play with it.

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ITM Matrix

ITM Matrix has been updated to version 1.2 with new graphics and configuration. More details at iTouch MIDI.

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Synthesizer 1.1 now for iTouch (2g)


Synthesizer has been updated and will now run on the iPod Touch second generation, which is good news.

My Solar powered theremin kit has arrived


My solar powered theremin kit arrived a couple of days ago. I'm looking forward to making it now.

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Noise.IO Synth to be released 'soon'


Here's a new news item on the Noise.IO site telling us that the app is 95% complete. Also the picture above is new too. Let's hope their right and that Noise IO comes out very soon.

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Theremin for iPhone


Theremin is another Theremin app for the iPhone. It looks quite fun though.

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SonicLife


SonicLife is a new controller app which uses OSC. Here is the description:
Description

The application runs a simple cellular automaton on a grid of cells. The cells can be interacted with by touch and triggers of three different colors can be placed on the grid. The automaton can be set to five different rule-sets, from classic Game of Life to simple horizontal or vertical stepping. Triggers are fired by "alive" cells and send their state as OSC messages to a configurable host on the same Wi-Fi network. Cells and triggers can be randomized by shaking the device.


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Interview with Christopher Penrose


Christopher Penrose is the man behind Cosmovox. Cosmovox is an iPhone app that uses the accelerometer to control pitch and volume.

This is an interesting interview and at the end Christopher briefly mentions that they his is considering another music application for the platform.

Cosmovox at the iTunes App Store

Jam video



A few days ago I posted on an odd product that allowed you to mix / jam with a bunch of instrucments that have been recorded live.

iLounge round up of iPhone music creating apps


iLounge has a good round up of music creation tools on the iPhone. Most are covered in this post, and some more that I didn't really look at.

Will mobile Flash work with this?



This is a great site, and is getting better all the time, but could you access it using a mobile browser?

A circuit bent halloween !


I had to post this excellent poster for what I'm sure will be an excellent event. I just wish there were more events like this in the UK and London to be exact.

Moo Cow Music Guitarist doing well

According to Moo Cow Music their Guitarist app is doing well in charts in the US and in the UK.

I do wonder what Moo Cow might come up with next as the stuff they've done to date seems to be doing well, but I'm not sure I can really imagine what their next app might be, if indeed they plan to put one out.

Haplome 1.1 available


Haplome 1.1 is now available at the app store.

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Noise.IO Synth at $9.99?

Thanks to Craig commenting in tat the Noise IO is likely to launch at $9.99. That doesn't sound like a bad pice at all to start off with. Let's hope they get it going very soon though.

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Mixtikl update on the intermorphic blog

The Intermorphic blog has a new post today about Mixtikl giving a good deal of background and information about how the app has been developed. Well worth a read if (like me) you're really looking forward to seeing this application.

Thomas Dolby is 50!


Ok, this is sort of off topic, but I'll explain why I'm posting it and hopefully it will make sense. I've been a fan of Thomas Dolby for a while. Yesterday he posted on his blog that he had turned 50 I couldn't believe it.

Last year I went to see him live at the ICA in London. It was an amazing gig, not only because it was a great live show, but also because it was the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and he celebrated in a typically unique way. The first half of the show was a film with live music and voice overs about public reaction to sputnik's launch. It was performed by Dolby and his friends the Radio Science Orchestra, which featured an amazing theremin player (see picture below).

So here's the first link to mobile music making. Lots of apps these days are theremin type apps or XY based controllers which we wouldn't have if it weren't for the theremin itself. Hearing it live was awesome.

The second link is that Dolby has been involved in a lot of mobile music technology. Reading about him on wikipedia he was involved in the RMF format and CEO of Beatnik that licensed ringtone technology to Nokia!

So, in many ways he's been around in mobile music for some time.

So, Mr Dolby, if you happen to read this then happy birthday. Why not make a track on your next release hand held only!



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