Author: Will Kuhn

Looks like a worthy upgrade if you’re a Cubase person.  The iPhone control looks especially nice.  Let me say it again – where the heck is the Logic update?  I think it’s the only major DAW that hasn’t seen any news this NAMM cycle.

Digital art/music people are no strangers to patching, but it seems as of late the patching industry has been converging on a few standards.

MAX/MSP/JITTER

This super-powerful and extensible package has long been seen as the ‘standard’ for audio patching, and has just recently gained footing in the mainstream markets.  The big con is price ($499)

PD

Coded and maintained by one of the original Max devs, PD remains the only real patching solution for Linux (also available on PC and Mac).  Does about everything that Max does *technically* but severely lacking in UI refinement and presentation.

SUPERCOLLIDER

A more low-level package than Max and PD directed mainly at plugin authors.  Obviously plugin export is superior in SC (until Max for Live is out at least)

QUARTZ COMPOSER

A video/graphics patcher for Macs that actually comes free with the system.  Apple bought this from a third party in 2003 and seems to be maintaining it but they could realistically take QC and make it a core audio powerhouse, easily besting the above patchers in terms of style and price.  Addon for Logic 9 anyone?

MOVING FORWARD

Max is gaining market share (and mindshare) mch more effectively than the others but PD remains strong due to its free (as in beer and speech) status.  I’d love to see PD get a better UI and export, and I’d love for Cycling 74 to make a Max Lite for hobbyists, etc.  QC could do well to expand its audio capabilities over the simple MIDI/Audio inputs in currently uses.  Max for Live proves though that there is consumer interest in patching and that’s a positive for the whole community.

1) ON THE KEYTAR RESURGENCE

Very strange indeed.  I thought these things were gimmicky in the ‘80s and now they’re coming back.  See here.

2) ABLETON + CYCLING ’74

Ableton did well to collaborate with C74, and I think this is going to sell like hotcakes.  It may very well upset some of the share Reason has been enjoying amongst the tweaker set, and will certainly draw in the patching crowd.  The fact that Max for Live is the *full* Max/MSP/Jitter suite (just made to run inside of Live) is enough to make any patching enthusiast salivate.

3) WHITHER LOGIC?

I was upset to see a total lack of news on Logic (my DAW of choice).  I know that Apple is scaling back it’s trade show presence but it’s nice to see some sort of goodies being introduced to counter the inevitable Ableton frenzy that has quickly become a NAMM tradition.  Makes you wonder if the Ableton announcement at NAMM will become the next Stevenote…

This little app could eventually turn the iPhone into a pocket Lemur.  Created by Masayuki Akamatsu, who is already on the App Store with some minor apps.  Here’s hoping this stuff makes the cut.

This sweet little app appeared on the App Store last night, and I’m totally blown away.  It’s called Beatmaker by Intua [App Store link] and it’s the first attempt at a full fledged music creation program for the iPhone.

As you might know, I don’t have an iPhone, but I do have an iPod touch.  This actually only means I have to use headphones for this program.  In its current state it doesn’t record via the built-in microphone on the iPhone, though that’s probably a planned feature for a future release.

The main screen is pretty straightforward, and allows you to save or export your work.  Beatmaker features a “file system” for organizing samples and projects.

The pad view is very fun to play with, and allows recording with automatic quantization. This feature is great for a mobile pre-production app like this.  It also makes using it as a performance gimmick all the easier.

The sequencer view is both yummy and well-designed for touch input.  Obviously it’s a bit toned down from Logic or Ableton, and only 16th note grids are available but the loop-based song creation is actually very effective for coming up with sketches and ideas.

The effects “rack” takes an obvious cue from Reason for its design, and features Reverb, EQ (lo, mid, hi only) and Bitcrusher (which I was surprised to see even though it’s a technologically lightweight plugin).

Beatmaker is available for $20 through the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch.  This price is a bit higher than other programs, but unlike most of the apps which are toys for your device, this one could actually be used for creative/performance purposes.  Definitely check it out!