GarageBand now works on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch!

I was very pleased today to find an update for the iOS GarageBand app that addresses several of the only complaints I had about the original app and also adds some great new features.

Perhaps the biggest news is the app is now universal and supports the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. I have absolutely loved being able to create music on my iPad with GarageBand and am looking forward to seeing how the interface translates to the smaller screen. My guess is that I’ll use the iPhone version for quick ideas and sketches and then move it over to the iPad to more serious work. Then, of course, recordings can finally be moved over to the Mac for serious polish work in the desktop version of GarageBand. Quite an amazing workflow that is now possible with all three versions.

The feature I’m probably most excited about is that they’ve added support for songs written with 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures. The original version allowed only for 4/4 timing, so that’s a huge improvement.

Other features include:

• You can create custom chords for Smart Instruments (wow… that’s actually pretty cool too.)
• Reset song key without transposing original recordings
• Transpose songs in semitones or full octaves
• Additional quantization options for recordings including straight, triplet and swing
• New audio export quality settings for AAC and AIFF (Uncompressed)
• Arpeggiator available in Smart Keyboard
• Adjustable velocity settings for Touch Instruments
• Numerous other enhancements, including automatic fade out and improved audio import options

 

Line 6 is releasing new hardware and software for iOS guitarists that promises to bring the venerable POD experience to your iPhone or iPad.

This should be interesting… Arguably the master of simulated amp and effect solutions, Line 6 has announced that they will soon release both a guitar to iPhone/iPad interface and a free app that promises to bring POD tones to iOS.

Mobile In is a digital input adaptor that claims to deliver pro-quality audio specs. Line 6 says it’s capable of up to 24-bit/48 kHz digital audio and its guitar input features 110 dB dynamic range. I haven’t played with one yet, but I do expect the quality of the sound will be quite good. Part of the reason is that, similar to the GuitarJack from Sonoma Wire Works, the Mobile In plugs into the 30-pin dock connector on the iPad or iPhone and not the headphone jack. In addition to the 1/4″ guitar jack, the Mobile In also sports a 1/8″ line in so you can feed other audio sources in as well. In addition to their app, Mobile In will also work to get your guitar signal into Apple’s own Garage Band app and, presumably, other simulation apps as well. Don’t quote me on that last part though because the only one that Line 6 mentions specifically is Garage Band.

Mobile POD will feature 64 Line 6 models of “amps, stompbox effects, speaker cabinets and more.” My guess is that the “more” probably means microphone simulations. The promotional material indicates that it comes with a number of included models, so that probably means they’ll follow the same plan as other guitar apps and give you a few basic amps and effects free with the app and then have other options available as in-app purchases. Mobile POD also features the standard tuner function and the ability to play along with your music library. No mention yet of recording capabilities like other simulator apps such as AmpKit or Amplitube.

What’s really interesting is that Line 6 says that users will be able to tap into a library of more than 10,000 presets created by artists, Line 6 and other users. Hopefully they’ve engineered a way to sift through the chaff which is undoubtably present in that 10,000 if most of them are submitted by users, but still… that’ll be a really nice resource.

Line 6 hasn’t announced when the hardware or software will be available, but they are starting to promote it on their Website and in emails, so hopefully it will be soon.

 

The iRig MIDI allows musicians to connect their keyboard or other MIDI capable device to the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

Keyboardists and producers may now rejoice because there is a new option for connecting your MIDI-capable music device to your iPhone or iPod. IK Multimedia just introduced at Summer NAMM the latest in their pro-line audio interfaces for iOS, the iRig MIDI.

Guitarists with iPhones and iPads have had it easy for a while. Interfaces like the iRig and Ampkit LiNK have allowed us to plug our guitars in and play through simulated amps in apps like Amplitube. But other musicians such as keyboardists and producers used to using drum machines and other MIDI devices to make their music have had fewer options. There are lots apps that let you create other types of music, but most of them have required you to rely on screen-based input methods. While the interfaces are sometimes quite inventive and often work well, there’s usually no comparison to using a real keyboard when you want to add that perfect piano or B3 part to your composition.

The iRig MIDI is a compact standard Core MIDI interface for iOS that IK says will allow you to connect any MIDI-compatible device to the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. That would include keyboards, drum machines, drum pads, pedal boards and more. The interface works both ways too because you can also use the iOS device to control an external MIDI device such as sound modules, Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) or lighting systems.

IK’s MIDI interface comes with a free version of SampleTank for iOS, a virtual sound workstation, but iRig MIDI is also compatible with other MIDI-capable iOS apps such as GarageBand for the iPad.

At the suggested retail price of $69.99, iRig MIDI is priced similarly to other MIDI interfaces already available. IK’s dedication to iOS music creation makes this a welcome addition to the marketplace.

 

Apple's productivity apps for iOS now work on all three iOS devices.

Just a quick note to let you know that Apple has updated the iWork suite of apps – Pages, Keynote and Numbers – that were originally available only for the iPad. All three apps are now universal apps and will work on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch! There were a few other minor tweaks in the 1.4 versions of the apps as well, better organization of documents seems to be a big one, but the ability to work on your documents no matter which device you have is clearly the biggie.

I’m still waiting for the updates to download as I write this, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the interfaces for each app translate to the smaller screen. No matter what, the added accessibility will, I’m sure, be a welcome feature!

 

The Onswipe plugin for WordPress brings a cool magazine-like layout experience to WordPress Websites.

Reading this Website on an iPad just got a whole lot cooler thanks to a new WordPress plugin called Onswipe. You don’t have to do anything differently, but from now on when you pull up big-geek.com on an iPad you’ll be presented with a new very magazine-like layout that is optimized for a touch screen tablet. The front page is just like a magazine cover that you can swipe to reveal a grid of several of the most recent articles. Tap an article to read the full story, or swipe again to go to the next page.

If you happen to run your own WordPress site, you can download the Onswipe plugin for free either through your dashboard or by visiting www.onswipe.com.

If you experience any difficulty viewing this site on an iPad because of the new plugin, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to get it corrected.

 

VocaLive adds real-time vocal processing to the iPhone/iPad bag of music creation tricks.

When the iPad was first released, critics were quick to say that the device was great for the consumption of media but would never be a serious tool for the creation of new content. That’s changing quickly – especially when it comes to music. With more and more artists and hobbyists embracing the iPad and even the iPhone for the capture of everything from quick song sketches to full-blown productions that end up on albums.

There are a number of options for 4- and 8-track recorders and a number of guitar amp and effect modelers, most of which offer some type of recording ability. One element that has been missing, however, was the ability to add sophisticated effects to vocal performances. That’s changing now too with the introduction of VocaLive from IK Multimedia.

VocaLive works on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and offers vocalists a suite of 12 real-time studio quality vocal effects along with a capable recorder.

Here are the details:

Five Vocal Effects

• Pitch Fix for tuning correction or stylized quantization effects
• Choir, a three-part harmonizer
• Morph, a pitch and formant shifter that changes the tonal quality of the voice from subtle deepening to radical gender bending
• D-Esser and Double

Seven Studio Effects

• Reverb
• Delay
• Parametric EQ
• Compressor
• Chorus
• Phaser
• Envelope Filter

In addition to the real-time processing, VocaLive gives you the option to record either vocals of other instruments using the multi-track recorder. You can sing along with songs from your iTunes library and even use a Voice Cancel feature to remove existing vocals. And just like IK’s guitar app Amplitube, there are tools designed for vocalists including a metronome and vocal warm-up tools.

Audio can be recorded using either the iPhone or iPad built-in microphone or you can use a headphone mic. For higher quality sound, you might consider IK’s new iRIG MIC hardware. The condenser mic built specifically for iPhone was just released. I’ll be reviewing it here on big-geek.com soon.

VocaLive is available now in the App Store in two different versions. A free expandable version comes with the Reverb effect and you can unlock the Double effect free just for registering the app. Adding more effects costs $4.99 for each vocal effect and $2.99 for each studio effect.

The full version of VocaLive costs $19.99 and comes with everything except for the 4-track recorder, which may be added to either the full or free version for $4.99.

 

Apple releases GarageBand for iPad

Apple released GarageBand for the iPad a day earlier than their initial delivery date. It’s available now in the App Store for $4.99. I’m downloading it now, so I haven’t played with it yet, but I’m looking forward to testing it out.

 

GarageBand for the iPad will feature:

• Touch instruments – grand piano, organ, guitars, drums, etc.
• Keyboards use the accelerometer to allow for dynamics. Tap softly… play softly
• Plug in your own instrument (through an appropriate interface, I’m assuming…)
• Guitar amps and effects, just like its big brother
• 8-track recording!!!
• 250+ loops
• Ability to share compositions via email using AAC format

The app will be available March 11th for $4.99 in the app store. I haven’t heard any mention of compatibility yet, so I’m assuming that this app will work on the original iPad as well as the iPad 2. I can’t wait…

Find out more on Apple’s Website.

 

It's official! The iPad 2 will be available March 11th.

Steve Jobs made a surprise appearance at Apple’s event today to announce the iPad 2.

A few quick specs on the new version of the iPad:

• A dual core A5 processor chip, which should mean the new iPad is twice as fast as the current model
• Graphics performance is reportedly 9 times as fast as the original
• The new device will feature both front and rear facing cameras
• It has a gyroscope like the iPhone 4 to improve things like augmented reality functions
• iPad 2 is 33% thinner than the original iPad, measuring in at 8.8 mm
• Despite the new hardware additions and the thinner body, battery life is said to be the same as current iPads
• It will be available in two different colors – black and white
• 3G models will be available to work with both AT&T and Verizon
• HDMI mirrored output up to 1080p

The best part is that pricing on the iPad 2 will remain the same as the original prices. 16 GB Wi-Fi models  start at $499 and the range of models goes up to the 64 GB Wi-Fi+3G version that sells for $829.

The iPad 2 will be available on March 11th, supposedly in both white and black from day one. Anybody want to buy an original iPad?

 

Being a musician, one of the very first things that occurred to me after I bought my iPad was how handy it would be to be able to use my tablet to display sheet music or simple lead sheets while I was performing on stage or practicing at home. Sure enough, apps came along quickly that allowed me to do just that, but then I was faced with the decision of where to put the iPad so that I could see it and reach it, but where it wouldn’t be at risk of being knocked over. For a while I settled for just putting it on a music stand, but I was always concerned that my iPad was always just a bump away from being shattered in a million pieces on the floor.

IK Multimedia to the rescue!

Seeing an obvious need, IK Multimedia – themselves developers of pioneering iOS apps like Amplitube – took it upon themselves to develop an adapter that allows you to attach your iPad to virtually any microphone stand.

The iKlip is a relatively simple contraption. On one end it has a sleeve that clamps securely to either the upright or boom section of a microphone stand. On the other end is a spider-like arrangement that the iPad slides into easily. The shape is engineered very precisely, so once it’s in the iPad doesn’t move and there are only small little fingers wrapping around the front of the iPad. Absolutely nothing gets in the way of the screen.

In between, there is an elbow joint with a tightening knob that allows you to adjust the angle of your iPad. The iPad bracket is also attached in such a way that you can switch between landscape and portrait orientation. Unfortunately, doing so requires that you completely remove a screw before turning the bracket and reattaching it. Two of the main apps that I found myself using most often during testing were a lead sheet display app called OnSong and IK Multimedia’s own Amplitube Fender guitar amp and effect modeler. OnSong is best displayed in portrait orientation and Amplitube is strictly horizontal. It would have been really nice to be able to just flip the iKlip around so that I could switch back and forth between the two apps more easily. Hopefully, IK will take that into account if they design a new version of the iKlip.

That’s really my only gripe though. Beyond that, the iKlip’s thermoplastic construction seems very sturdy and I have no concerns about the adapter’s ability to hold my iPad on the mic stand. Before it arrived, I was actually a little concerned that hanging the iPad onto the side of a mic stand might end up feeling a little too precarious. To my relief, it turns out that putting the iKlip on the upright portion of a mic stand actually seems to add to the stand’s center of gravity. I actually think it would be pretty tough to knock it over short of someone really plowing over your stand.

One other thing I discovered while testing the iKlip over the past two weeks is that, while putting it on the upright of a boom mic technically works really well, I sometimes found it difficult to see around the microphone and boom section of the stand to see what was on the iPad’s screen. Unless the designers are able to come up with some type of arrangement that lets the iKlip hang off to the side of the stand without becoming to unwieldy, I found the best solution for me was to put the iPad onto the top of a second mic stand, minus a mic, and stand it right next to my main mic stand.

The iKlip retails for $39.95 and is available from IK Multimedia on their website – http://www.ikmultimedia.com/iklip/features/

To see the iKlip in action, check out my review on Youtube.