You know how much I love you... No? For a week I am talking in the videos.. And it's just awful for me! I hate my voice, my French accent... Just horrible! And to show you how much I love this App, I did much more stronger.... I sang in this video... For the first time of my life! I am a musician who can play guitar... (I am not a guitar player...) On stage, I use a Keith McMillen 12 step Pedalboard. It's cool but... It can play chords but Inhave one octave only. Sure, I can switch to another octave but to do this, I have to tap 1 time to enter the set up mode, another time to switch to the next or previous octave and one more time to exit the setup mode... It means that I never switch an octave while I am playing a song... I can also set a Chord type, (but not a Chord progression) and to do this, I have to connect it to a computer... So, I am always using the default chord setting... And to finish, I had to spend hours to learn how to play a song with my foot, and sometimes both... But now it's an old story! Dream Foot is a a benediction... I am addicted to it! (The song I am singing in the video with some little changes.... Dancing Barefoot from Patti Smith) Dream Foot can be controlled with MIDI notes or CC. First good point! It comes with 2 modes. First a Jam mode: 24 Pads divided into 3 windows. To setup your chord,... 10 second... (Watch the video demo and check out the tutorial below) The Song mode... Awesome... Nothing has been forgotten! You create your song. Then a part (Stanza) with unlimited chords. You can copy a Chord (useful if you have created custom ones) and paste it before or after this chord or another one. You can also copy and paste a part. 16 parts are available. On the bottom 16 slots for 16 Songs. Top, easy, simple! The MIDI control available: For the Jam mode. Play a Pad and hold chords For the Song mode: Select a specific part, previous or next part, play next chord and next or previous song. 2 Taps max to play a desired Chord! Also, you can play one single note.. And you have this Play Next button... Do you understand what it means? Instead of assign chords to a Part, you assign all thre notes included in a melody you like to play. Then with one Tap on your Pedalboard you will be able to play a sophisticated melody at 200 bpm! (Dream Foot is also multitouch.... Jam mode....) To conclude: Dream Foot is awesome! So well think! So easy to use! So fast to setup! It can receive MIDI from multiple input and send it to,multiple output too! Dream Foot gives you 4 hands! A Must Have! A Killer App!
Review by Ed
0 Comments
I am very old now... I remember when I was so young, so beautiful, with a lot of muscles everywhere... Dozen of girls and boys around me... I remember this day when Audiobus was released in the App Store... A big revolution! All around the world, million of musicians in the streets, sound engineers, Producers, Videos editor... It was crazy... For the first time we were able to connect Apps together with internal audio busses. Today, this first version of Audiobus no more exist. Today, we have Audiobus 3! Unlimited internal Audio Busses. An Audio Mixer, A MIDI Router, a Ableton Link remote, an Audio Units host, and a App State Recorder! Each time you connect 2 Apps together (Audio or MIDI), an audio bus is created. An Audio Bus it's a stereo channel with a rack for the inputs and the inserts and 1 slot for an output (by default, the master output of your iDevices). In each rack you can add as much Apps as you like and that your iDevice can support. You can mix in a same rack Audiobus and Audio Units Apps. You can also send the output in another App. A new bus will be created... As much as like and that your iDevice can support... The MIDI routing page works the same way... It's so easy to set your MIDI set up that even my 6 months old son can do it. (Not that I am not totally sure to have a son...) The Mixer allows you to Mute, Solo, Pan and set the volume of all the Busses that you have created. Now 2 things that are not details... The remote transport that you can find in all the Apps loaded into Audiobus... It's just awesome! I remember when I was so young, so beautiful, with a lot of muscles everywhere... Thousand of girls and boys around me, I sent a Tweet to Audiobus asking them if it was possible to add an escamotable MIDI keyboard to this remote... I still think that it could be a good idea... And the State Saver is just... So coooooooool! When you have finish to work with all your Apps, you don't need to save the state for all of them... Simply save your Audiobus session. This is so awesome that for my live, even if I don't need Audiobus for a track I am performing, I use it just to recall all my Apps state! To conclude: Generally when I do a review, I do not like to talk about another App. it's a bit like giving an Oscar for the best movie, you're talking about another movie. But this time I will make a " Une entorse à la règle " in french, "sprain to the rule" in English because in many websites, I can read: Audiobus vs AUM. for my part, there is no vs between these two apps. There is rather a big ♥ ️ Audiobus is my Nieve and AUM my SSL As I am a very lucky guy, I can connect them together. A Killer App!, a Must Have!
Review by Ed Audio ShareIn the French App Store description lot of reviews talk about a problem with Audio Share... no output signal.. ??? As always with Audio Share and all recording Apps , you have to enable the monitoring option. To make my videos, sometimes I have to use a MIDI files player. I have a lot of them, but because it is the first App I am reviewing in this category, I have decided to start with my favourite one. So, all my apologies for making one more time the review of a Killer and a Must Have App. All my apologies to kill the baby in the egg. Tuer le bébé dans l’œuf in French means: no more suspense… A little bit violent, but at the same time a baby doesn’t come from an egg… Euh, sorry… back to Sweet MIDI Player and why it’s my favourite MIDI files player. First because I can always open a MIDi file with it. Always! Sometimes I only have to add the .mid extension to a file. Secondly because this App is very simple to use. Simple but very powerful! Do you know bs-16i from bismark? (I used it for the video demo, because Sweet MIDI Player isn’t Audiobus or IAA compatible…but despite this you can export a Midi file to audio…). So do you know this App from bismark? Why I am talking about this? Because the synthesizer engine is licensed from bismark.jp! The 16 channel mixer is really cool also. A Pan, a Reverb & a Chorus send (MIDI), a Mute, a Solo and a big Volume fader. You can set the Tempo and transpose a Midi file by semitones. You can create your playlists and set a lot of options in the Setting pages. Play modes, Bar or time display, external screen display, background colour. A lot lot of cool things… check out the tutorial below. Also, Sweet MIDI Player displays the Lyrics. (lyrics synchronized with the music). You can use it for Karaoke! More, it can also Auto “detect” the Chords playing and show them in the Lyrics page. Here also a lot of options… To conclude, I love this App… it’s my MIDI Files Player.. You can try it. The App is Free. This free version is limited to play the first 3/4 of a MIDI file. A Killer App, a Must Have!
Review by Ed expression Pad is a little synthesizer with 2 Oscillators, a modulation module for the FM AMT, an ADSR, a mix and a Sub knobs for the 2 Oscillators, an LFO routes to a Filter module. You can save your presets. All this for Free! expressioPad it’s also a sound Expander, called sampler here. 18 presets are available. The sound quality is really cool! The Sampler is also Free! expressionPad comes also with an FX section. A Reverb, Delay, Distortion and a Fatness filter. This effects rack is also Free! expressionPad is also a Midi controller with a customisable UI. 3 keyboard layouts. Piano, Square and hexagon. You can set the number of rows and columns, the colour, the brightness, the Piano contour, the ripples, and the note’s label opacity. You can also set the row’s tuning (interval), the scale and the root note. Wait, I have to check something… This is Free also.. This App is totally Free without add! To conclude, a little synthesizer, a little sound Expander, a midi controller for Free! A very big thanks to the developer! A Killer App, a Must Have!
Review by Ed An App that I really love… An old one. 5 modules. A Midi Drum & Bass loop player. (33 loop styles). For the Drum module: a cut-off, a resonance, a bit shift (with A bits and rate parameters). For the Bass, an Octave selector, 4 waveforms types, a bitshift, a cut-off, a resonance and an ADSR. Also a switch to lock the Bass on the root note. A melodic keyboard (ribbon) named Strum located on the right side with an Octave selector, 4 waveforms types, a bitshift, a cut-off, a resonance and an ADSR, a Tremolo depth and speed, a pitch wheel stiffness and a switch to enable a touch pressure with a pressure gain. 16 scale types are available. (The scale key will follow the Chord you are playing). The Chord module comes with the same parameters excepted for the scale. You select a Major and minor Chord as well as the root note above the 9 big Chord's Knobs (Pads) available. A knob allows you to play 8 chords types. To finish an Arpeggiator with 4 waveforms types, a volume slider, cut-off, a resonance and an ADSR, a Bitshift, a Rhythm selection menu and a Arpeggiator type: Random, Up, Down, Up Down. This is all for the modules. A Mixer is also available (Volume only). You can save your setting (Palettes), record your performances and share them to Soundcloud. Four switches allows you to recall a Palette but there is a bug here. You can also change the colour of the UI but there is also a bug here. All the modules can send MIDI notes to another App. This turns polychord into a Chord Midi Controller Too! A Powerful one! For the sound, I love it. I really really love it so much that I used it a long time ago to create a soundtrack for a TV documentary…. I love this App! I really love it. I didn't make its review at this time, but if I had done it, sure that I would have rated it as a Killer App for Composers. For beginners also because of its ease to use. With the Midi out feature and the last update that made it an iOS 11 ready App, it becomes a Must Have too!.
Review by Ed Chordpolypad was and is still my favourite Chords player. First because of its ease to use, the ability to play any kind of chords (custom chords), even single notes, the Chords library, the X & Y axis, the 8 groups of 16 Pads or 2 groups of 64 Pads, the presets manager... As I said, it's my favourite Chords player Apps... Published on 13 Sep 2013 I'm sure that you all know StepPolyArp ... And I'm also sure that it's your favourite sequencer on the App Store... Right? ChordPolyPad - Midi Chords Player is the new release from Laurent Colson and this new App is simply awesome! A new reference in this category, the best in this category... As I always say, playing chords on an iPad is not easy, for this reason, we need an App to help us, that is what this App is for, but ChordPolyPad is more than this... So, I'll try to describe you the App... On the main screen, 16 Pads. Below, a Keyboard... Tap a Pad, Tap one or several keys on the keyboard to create a Chord,Tap again on the Pad to play your Chord. That's all... So simple! Now, you can play your chord (Strumming or not) with a sound from the built in library or with another App or Software in your Computer... That's not all, each Pad can send a Midi message to a different App... It means that you can control 16 machines with this App... No, in fact, it's not quite true... You can control 48 Machines! Why? Because you can assign to each Pad 2 CC on the X and Y axes... Awesome! For example, you can play chords with an App loaded in the input slot of the Audiobus and send CC to another App in the Effect slot... But there's more! ChordPolyPad also comes loaded with a chord library and different types of scales which can help you to create your chord progression... Check out this post and the video demo... A new 'bench mark', a Must Have Killer App!!! App Store description:
ChordPolyPad is a chords player for Midi instruments, sequencers like Logic, Cubase, Live and all other Midi sequencers, or even virtual instruments installed on the same iPad. The chords can be played live from pads. Although, ChordPolyPad is specially designed to operate in Midi, it has own internal sounds bank to use it independently. Rated "Killer Application" by App4iDevices. Features: • 8 groups of 16 pads or 2 groups of 64 pads by preset (128 pads) • Midi port and Midi channel assignable for each pad • Customizable X/Y controller for each pad • Velocity assignable for each chord note • Strumming setup by pad • Features copy and paste for pads and groups • Draggable chords directly from library • Searching for chords available in scales • Random chords for instant inspiration • Multitasking • Internal sound bank • Receiving Midi notes and control from external devices • Send Midi to a virtual port that can be used as Midi input by other Core Midi compatible applications managing multitasking on the same device • Presets manager • Presets shared with computer using iTunes 9.1 or later • Undo/Redo Supported Midi connections: • Midi over Bluetooth • Midi Wifi Network (RTP Midi) • Apple USB camera connection kit • Any Core Midi compatible interface Inter Applications connections: • Apple Inter-App Audio connection (Midi, audio, transport control) • Audiobus support (Midi, audio, transport control, state saving) Requirements: • An iPhone or an iPad with iOS 8 or later Documentation: http://laurentcolson.com/medias/ChordPolyPad/en/ChordPolyPad.pdf ChordUp is a Chord & Notes Player, a midi controller too. The App is very easy to use. On left side, a Pad allows you to choose a Chord and its type. You to lock a Pad on a desired Chord ‘s type. 9 types are available per chord. A hold pedal with a mute feature which allows you to set the release is also available. 2 arrows allows you to change the octave. On the right side, the playing surface. 3 different “surfaces” are available. The first: 9 Pads. 3 Pads on 3 horizontal lines. Each Pad plays one note. The second surface is called Strings. Strings for guitar. So, you can strum the Strings… The Last surface: The Expression Pad. 12 horizontal lines. Here you can use the x axis while you play. The built in library comes with 10 instruments. In summary, 3 different surfaces in one App, it's really cool. The UI allows you to play fast. I forgot one thing,.... You can set the size of the UI it's top too. My only regrets is that you can not play your own chords. A Super App!
Review by Ed Aftertouch is a Keyboard MIDI Controller. There are a lot, lot, lot of Midi Controllers in the App Store. A lot of them are great. I already reviewed a few of them and at this moment my rating was for all of them a Super or a Killer App. So it’s not so easy to decide which MIDI Controller to buy. Too bad for the suspense, but Aftertouch is a Killer App! More, a Must Have! Because of its built in Synthesizer and sound presets library ? No, only 2 sounds... Because of its Chords library? No, there is no chords’ library. So why it can be a Killer App? Because it is the only 3D MIDI Controller from the App Store? No, it is top, but not enough... Because, if somebody ask me for a Midi Keyboard controller App which can play notes and Chords, I will certainly answer Aftertouch! Yes, for chords also! ???? (A Columbo episode, this review!). Epilogue: Aftertouch is so easy to use. In half a second you can change your keyboard layout from 1 Key (Pad) to 324 keys (Pads). So you just have to set the keyboard depending of what you have to play, notes, chords or both. Lots of notes, or chords… Also, you can send 3 MIDI CCs (X, Y & Z) by moving your finger and a Pad. Play Glissando or not. You can also choose the interval between notes in the Columns & Rows, choose the scale and the corner position of the root’s note. So, it’s the perfect App to launch if the keyboard of another App is too small. You launch it, select a “simple" built in preset or one of yours and start to play your notes or chord's variations.! I keep it in my iPad! A Killer App! A Must Have! I forgot one thing... Do you know the Z axis? What is a 3D MIDI Controller? Check out the the tutorial... The end.
Review by Ed Navichord is a Chords Player, a midi Chord controller and a Chord Sequencer too. On the first page, 2 areas. One dedicated for the Chords and one for the melody: a classic keyboard. For the chords, it’s not really “classic”. It’s look like an accordion’s keyboard. Circle keys… Check out the tutorial below to understand how it works… watch the video demo to see how fast you can work with it and by the way it's very clever UI. Now, I would like to focus on one thing that I have never seen before… once a Chord has been assign to a Pad, you can choose its type (Major, minor, Aug, Dim, sus2,..). You can also choose the octave for each notes includes in this chord. This is really cool, but the awesome thing is that you can select a different MIDI channel for all of these notes! Hey, don’t smile! It’s not a gadget! Do you like Brass section? do you like Choirs?… For this reason only, I could say that Navichord is a Killer App and a Must Have. But there are also others reasons… Like the Chord sequencer so easy to use, the ability to switch from a minor chord to a Major chord just with a little swipe.. A lot of good reasons… Navichord is a Killer App, a Must Have also for Composers & Arrangers.
Review by Ed Chordy 2 is the Flagship of the Chords and MIDI Controller’s Apps from Studio Phiz. If I didn’t do the tutorial of all the Apps, sure I squeezed many things in Chordy 2. So the winners of the Sunday Contest take a look at the tutorial before using Chordy 2. For those who already have this App, did you know that you could choose to play or not the Bass Chord’s note? That you can choose a Bass note and play it for all the other chords? That there is a Parallel or Relative mode when you switch from a Major to a Minor scale? When using audiobus 3 you could split the chord and the melody output? I bet my sele and my boots that not. In fact Chordy 2 is really powerful... I started my review by telling you that Chordy 2 is a Chord’s App and a Midi controller too, it’s true, but it’s probably not for this reason that I will keep it in my iPad. No,… If I really love Chordy 2 it’s also because it’s a great App for Composers. Because of the “hidden” features that I described further above, because also of the Chord’s type selection pads on the right side of the screen and this melodic keyboard on the bottom which always follows the scale of the chosen chord. Chordy 2 is a Super Midi controller and Chord players, a Super Tools for understanding and learning Chords & Scales. A killer App for composer! Wait, I just received a phone call… OK, it was a reader. He was asking me why I wrote a Super App “only” for the Chord Player, Midi Controller and the learning tool as well. So, Let me answer to him… There are a lot of Apps in the App Store that allows you to play chords. There are many applications that allow you to play chords and we could divide them into 2 categories. Those that don’t allow you to choose the Chord's and those that allow you this. For the second category, usually you have to set your pads before to play. With Chordy 2, it's not necessary and it's all its strength. The opposite side of the coin is that it will be difficult for you to play a progression of Chords very quickly ... Why is it only a "Super" App to learn chords and scales ? Because Chordy 2 Is not made for this. It doesn't explain, It shows you, and allows you to always play in the scale.
Review by Ed |
AuthorEd Archives
December 2019
Because I can read everywhere a Policy...
|