BeatMaker Made My Day (BeatMaker iPhone App)

Member Name: brunocrosier

Product:	BeatMaker iPhone App
Date:	31/07/08 (600 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Innovative and easy to use

Disadvantages: No Reverb FX and no MIDI export

Since the introduction of Apple's new firmware update for iPhone and iPod Touch, there has been an outburst of new games and applications that have been made available through the App Store located both on the device and on iTunes. Beatmaker is one of the priciest yet most technologically advanced pieces of software one can find on the App Store, which is why I have decided to review it before other leading Apps such as Super Monkey Ball and Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D.

---What is Beatmaker?---
Put simply, Beatmaker is a portable sequencing device that enables musicians on the move to write, record and save their beats with custom sound banks wherever and whenever.

I find that when I'm on the train or bus and have some time on my own, I start to write music more easily, and ideas keep popping in to my head. Beatmaker enhances this experience by allowing you to actually hear what the drums sound like - instead of you 'playing it by ear' so to speak. Further to this, the customisability of the pads allows you to easily create your own drum kits to suit your own genre.

---Interface Overview---

The first page you will see when you open Beatmaker is the Home screen. Here, there are four main icons at the top of the page, where you can read the introduction, look at RSS feeds, save kits and load custom kits from your PC or Mac.
To the left of the screen are four other icons that quickly allow you to load preset or custom kits, save a project, save a kit, or export the project.

The next screen is the pads screen. This is where you can choose and edit your pad sounds, ready to record them to the sequencer or even just to play around. There are 16 pads to the right of the screen which are between 1-2cm each. To the left of the screen are options to edit the pads, including volume and pitch, as well as routing to several effects. There is also a graphical edit feature that lets you cut the sample wherever you want.

The main screen you want to be looking at if you're planning to write a whole song is the Sequencer. Here, you can make patterns either by recording them live or by writing them in directly. The Sequencer is laid out much like a simplified version of Cubase, with the tracks on the left and the time/bars at the top. I was impressed to see that there were features such as velocity control and groove control for each pattern. At the bottom of the screen, one can adjust the tempo, as well as looping a selected part of the track.

The final, and possibly most impressive screen on the App is the FX screen. There are two routable FX channels with easy to control Delay, EQ and Bitcrusher effects. This is a vast improvement on the previous version of Beatmaker - where the knobs on the FX screen were very hard to control.

---Problems---

Firstly, by no means is Beatmaker the new Cubase or Logic Pro. It is still a very simple idea that has a lot of potential - so don't expect to write #1 hits from your iPod just yet! Also, because of the nature of the iPod Touch and iPhone, it is impossible to record your own instruments in to the tracks. Further to this, I was slightly disappointed with the lack of the Reverb effect in the FX section.

Another problem was that one can not export files as midi - which could be useful for easily writing foundations for songs from the iPhone, then to be perfected on a computer.

---Verdict---

BeatMaker is a very powerful and easy to use application, and a brilliant addition to any musician's iPod. Bearing in mind that it costs £11.99, I wouldn't be too put off by the price - it's hardly going to burn a hole in your pocket! Alternatively, you could try illegally downloading it after jailbreaking your device - but to be honest I recommend you buy it legally in order to support the manufacturers of this brilliant App.

Summary: Not something I couldn't live without - but definitely worth your dosh!

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