When I started this series I said that they were in no particular order, and this has been true the whole way through the series. My last two apps of 2009 are RecTools08 and Beatmaker.
RecTools08 was an amazing app when it first appeared. Back then I don't think that anyone (well me at least) had imagined that an 8 track on the iPhone was really possible, but RecTools08 appeared and worked. For the rest of the year the app has been waiting for an update that still hasn't arrived. Promises of synths, effects and a drum machine haven't come to anything as yet which has been a disappointment to all. However, the latest update with audio pool facilities is good and I've found it very useful.
I hope that next year we might see the synth / effects / drum machine stuff that we've hoped for with RecTools08. For now, it is on sale too.
RecTools08 at the app store:
Beatmaker has been around for a while, and I did get asked about including apps from 2008 in my 2009 series with Noise IO Pro. My rationale is that the series is for apps that have been really useful, or broken new ground in 2009, or indeed that I've found most fun, and Beatmaker fits the bill.
In many ways it is like the grandaddy of iPhone music apps and it is an amazing app which covers a lot of ground. ioLibrary integration has been a massive bonus for Beatmaker and other apps that include it, and if Apple withdraws access it will be a big shame for everyone.
I still find myself using beatmaker as the point to combine things together. Make something in Hexatone, use it in Beatmaker etc, and for this reason alone it should be in my series.
I hope to see it continue to grow and break new ground in 2010, and soon in 2010 for that matter as we haven't had an update in quite a while now.
Beatmaker at the app store:
I hope you've enjoyed my 24 apps series and that maybe it has been useful in some ways. There's a link in the newsbox to see all of the posts together.
Once again, thanks for reading Palm Sounds, and have a great Christmas!
I really hope Intua's been working on an update to Beatmaker that will wow us all, because as it stands right now, you can get SunVox for much cheaper, and it does quite a bit more than Beatmaker. Not to mention SunVox runs on multiple platforms. I wish Intua would keep us up to date via their blog or Twitter.
ReplyDeleteI've seen whispers and hushed murmerings of a Beatmaker 2 on Intua's forums, but that's about it.
ReplyDeleteAnother $20 app would be a bummer, unless it was just absolutely fantastical. It'd have to add synths, a drum synth (in addition to the pads) and more effects, etc for me to drop another $20 on another music studio app.
I really wish sounds could play in loops continuously in Beatmaker, punch buttons when I want a sound to play in loop, and punch it again to stop.
ReplyDeleteI made an official request to them, I hope to see something like this in the future, and hope not to have to shell another 20$ to get it.
FYI - Intua mentioned that it will be $10 for existing beatmaker users. I don't know if that is still going to apply, but that's what they said on their forum.
ReplyDelete