Beats & Keys (by XME)

StormJH1

https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1125768524?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo=4

Okay, new app - I'm actually only posting because I got confused and thought it was by the company that makes my XKey, which is CME, not XME. This actually looks like it could be a bit of a clunker. On the positive side, it's universal (though AB is iPad only for now?), cheap, and has lots of noises.

Actually, if they had just taken this U.I. and made a pure universal MIDI editor, I still think that would have been a useful tool. But I'm not seeing any MIDI references in the description. It looks like purely an instrument or groovebox. $2.99 U.S.

JohnnyGoodyear

Interesting that they tout this in their pitch:

• Advanced audio engine developed in partnership with Audiobus

johnfromberkeley

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Interesting that they tout this in their pitch:

• Advanced audio engine developed in partnership with Audiobus

I've downloaded lot of their other apps, and have never found them useful. Most notably beat pad, pocket studio, and rap studio. They are neat little toys, but not really music production tools

Nicebutfun

Looks rather android to me

hacked_to_pieces

I'll pass thanks.

JeffChasteen

@johnfromberkeley said:

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
Interesting that they tout this in their pitch:

• Advanced audio engine developed in partnership with Audiobus

I've downloaded lot of their other apps, and have never found them useful. Most notably beat pad, pocket studio, and rap studio. They are neat little toys, but not really music production tools

Beat Pad (if gotten for free) can be a decent source for premade loops to be used with other apps in other projects, but that's about it.

db909

I dunno seems like it could be useful, there's a full song sequencer and sampler which they seem to imply has loop points for sustained sounds. You can get the audio out, Audiobus coming shortly to iPhone. My only question is can you choose scales?

JohnnyGoodyear

They promise a lot is coming, but the choice of sounds (beyond drums) for now is, wait for it: Three (Pad Paradise, Epic Orchestra, Super Strings).

I consider I have sleepily taken one for the vast majority of the team here.

4 word review for most forum members: Not yet, if ever.

db909

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
They promise a lot is coming, but the choice of sounds (beyond drums) for now is, wait for it: Three (Pad Paradise, Epic Orchestra, Super Strings).

I consider I have sleepily taken one for the vast majority of the team here.

4 word review for most forum members: Not yet, if ever.

Thanks. Looks like this is a big hell no.

StormJH1

"Expandability: You will be receiving many free updates that will continue to transform this product into something even more amazing. The sky is the limit"

I guess the "sky" = AudioBus on iPhone and the number of available sounds exceeding 3.

db909

So no sample importing I take it? Ya know some of these simple fun casual apps could really benefit from the developer asking specific questions on this forum during development. There are plenty of us here who appreciate fun simple things with sensible limitations. Plus with how much we love to talk, free marketing.

baldguru

Thanks to the forum for saving me time and a little money on these apps. I'm actually looking to reduce the amazing accumulation of apps on my devices in hope of becoming more productive, and these apps would have potentially been a stumble on that road...

Proppa

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
4 word review for most forum members: Not yet, if ever.

Thank you for this JGY.

PS- Does anyone know what happened to Iceblink's Gemma app? My hopes were high.

JohnnyGoodyear

@Proppa said:

@JohnnyGoodyear said:
4 word review for most forum members: Not yet, if ever.

Thank you for this JGY.

PS- Does anyone know what happened to Iceblink's Gemma app? My hopes were high.

Denada. I agree with you a 100 percent as regards Gemma. I was v. excited about that app and could see in a few skips how it would be a real worker....

db909

I downloaded Gemma not long ago and yeah, promising, but it had all the markings of being abandoned. I think their plan was roughly the equivalent of what Skram is with IAP gadget type tools.

JohnnyGoodyear

@db909 said:
I downloaded Gemma not long ago and yeah, promising, but it had all the markings of being abandoned. I think their plan was roughly the equivalent of what Skram is with IAP gadget type tools.

Precisely. It was appealing to me because it was Skram-like but far more intuitive.....but......no further development dice it seems...pity.

db909

So back to beats and keys, I emailed the developer with a few questions. There is no scale lock for the keyboard, you CANNOT import your own samples to make instruments (though dude said that was a good idea), and currently each song is limited to one drum "rack" and one keyboard "rack" (will be unlimited racks in the future). So basically i dunno why I bothered other than to confirm there's nothing to see here. I have a theory that sometimes, developers who make music making apps for iOS have never actually attempted to make their own music on iOS, which would literally be the first thing I'd do if I intended to go down such a path, oh well. It's Friday.

JohnnyGoodyear

@db909 said:
So back to beats and keys, I emailed the developer with a few questions. There is no scale lock for the keyboard, you CANNOT import your own samples to make instruments (though dude said that was a good idea), and currently each song is limited to one drum "rack" and one keyboard "rack" (will be unlimited racks in the future). So basically i dunno why I bothered other than to confirm there's nothing to see here. I have a theory that sometimes, developers who make music making apps for iOS have never actually attempted to make their own music on iOS, which would literally be the first thing I'd do if I intended to go down such a path, oh well. It's Friday.

Yeah. Let's do this (I'm feeling collegial); I'll hide it away in the back of the further coal bunker and if there's an update that delivers I'll let you know....

JeffChasteen

@db909 said:
I downloaded Gemma not long ago and yeah, promising, but it had all the markings of being abandoned. I think their plan was roughly the equivalent of what Skram is with IAP gadget type tools.

I filed it in my "GOODJUNK" folder.
I would like to graduate it to one of my use folders.
Oh well, maybe one day...