New App – PalmSounds

Amp Rack may (or may not) be what you’re looking for

I sort of wanted to title this post “These are not the FX apps you’re looking for”, but that probably isn’t very fair. However, I have to say that this isn’t something that I can see myself using as I’m quite happy with AUM or Audiobus. Having said that I can imagine that there would be other users out there who could find this helpful and integrate it into their own workflows. So I’ll leave it up to you to decide if it’s of use to you or not. Here’s the app’s description:

Like everyone, you have a number of amp and effect Apps. Amp Rack lets you line them up in one large display and switch between them with a single tap! Large buttons make it fast and easy! Spend less time tapping and more time playing!

WATCH THE VIDEO to see it in action with popular amp and effect apps!

In Amp Rack, you can:

instantly hear the difference between apps
select passthrough – no amp or effect, hear your instrument un-effected
set relative volume level for each App
mute the output with one tap, no matter which App is selected
open the amp or effect App and set parameters. Most effect apps have a single-tap return to Amp Rack
mute the input (which removes the red banner across the top of the device)
send Amp Rack’s output to Audiobus where further filtering and routing is possible

The display also shows your audio waveform live as you play so you can always see that audio is flowing!

Amp Rack works will all effect apps the support the Apple inter-app audio, including the Amplitude family, JamUp, AmpKit, and many many others!

NOTE: adding many apps can be very resource intensive and performance can suffer on older devices. Amp Rack includes an optional mode that limits resources, though with longer switching between amps – still a single tap though!

Amp Rack costs $1.99 on the app store now:

Pulse Code Inc release their latest app Pulse – Beat Making Music Studio / Audio Sequencer

Pulse Code Inc brings their latest app to the store after updating a few of their existing stock. With this app they want you to make beats wherever you are.

Here are the app details:

Make your next big beat wherever inspiration hits!

Pulse is a must have app for electronic music producers. Pulse refines the standard audio sequencer workflow into a fluid mobile experience. On the surface is a minimal interface, thoughtfully laid out to keep your creative inspiration flowing. Explore and find a complex audio engine capable of deep manipulation.

Not light on features, Pulse has everything you need in a modern mobile music app. Play the built-in keypad or connect a MIDI device. Step edit. Undo. Erase. Record parameter automation. Manually edit parameter automation. Change key and scale at any time.Top it off with master reverb and compression.

Take control of your sound. Then take it to the next level with Pulse.

Highlights:

Three ways to make your beat: Play notes – Draw notes – Use MIDI
Tweak sound parameters and record the changes
Manually edit everything to make it perfect
Export loops or bounce them back into your song
Create complex timing with the dynamic quantizer
Stay in tune with key and scales
Connect to other MIDI apps and devices
Share your music and collaborate

General Specifications:

32 bit Audio Engine
Full Stereo Signal Path (All FX and Channels)
Sound Channels: 16
Polyphony: Unlimited
Background Audio Support
MIDI: In / Out
Dynamic Key and Scale (31 Scales)
Quantizer Engine (60-240 ppm, 2-32 steps, and 50-75% swing)
Master Reverb
Undo

I/O Specifications:

Import sound files via AudioShare
Export audio song file via AudioShare
Export loops via AudioShare
Bounce loop back into Pulse
Record and transmit MIDI data
Import / Export audio files via email
Import / Export song files via email

Compatibility:

Audiobus 2
AudioShare
AUM
CoreMIDI
Inter-App Audio

Pulse is ON SALE NOW 50% OFF! $4.99 (normal price $9.99):

jgBassEffects is a multi-FX app just for all you bass players

From the maker of jgEffects and many more apps besides comes jgBassEffects, a multi FX app just for bass players. The app itself is free, but has a bunch of in app purchases to it which also appear to be free at the moment as well, but I’d check before you go buying anything it.

Here’s the app’s description:

Hi, Everyone in the bass players!
A multi-effects processor for electric bass guitar was born. Simply connect the electric base guitar to iPhone / iPad, you can enjoy unique sound effect like no other!

Compatible audio interfaces are Apogee JAM, iRig, iRigHD, TASCAM iXZ.
the app supports “Inter-App Audio” which works together with applications such as GarageBand.

“When it gets stuck with recording”, “When getting tired of the usual sound”, please try using fantastic jgBassEffects. It realizes low latency and real time output, and it corresponds to any electric bass guitar!

++ Effector Details ++

Up to three effectors can be used simultaneously.
We are planning to add a new effect.

+ Noize Gate +

Reduce noise.
Control: Sens, Press

+ B Fuzz +

Sweet tone but intense fuzz.
Control: Blend, Gain, Hunny, Color

+Bass Delay +

A standard delay is also available.
Control: Blend, Time, Feedback

+ Bass Reverb +

Simple reverb is also available.
Control: Strength

+ Ring Mix +

Overdrive, characterized by ring modulation.
Control: Blend, Gain, Tone

+ Auto Revolving Wah B +

Auto Rotation Filter Wah.
Control: Color, Speed, Q

+ Mod x Flanger +

Strong flanger by modulation.
Control: Blend, Depth, Range

+ Tremolrato B +

Tremolo + Vibrato + Panning effect.
Control: Time, Depth, Rate, Tremol

++ Compatible device ++

It is recommended to use newer models than iPhone 5s and iPad mini 4.

Official Web: http://jg-ravity.com/?p=758
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGravityApps

jgBassEffects is on the app store now and is free with IAPs:

Plectrum is a new universal iOS app that emulates classic plucked string instruments

From the developer who brought us RunloopSound, Csound for iOS, comes Plectrum, a classic emulation of plucked string instruments. It is impossible not to fall in love with its deep and complex sonority. Plectrum supports USB and Bluetooth MIDI devices and works both as a standalone application, and as an Audio Unit plugin for GarageBand and many other hosts.

Plectrum is free on the app store now:

SynthScaper has arrived

Today Igor Vasiliev (creator of FieldScaper and SoundScaper) brings us another synth specifically for experiments and soundscapes, and I’m betting that this is going to be just as interesting in terms of sound design as his other apps.

Here’s what to expect from SynthScaper:

Synthesizer specially designed for creating and experiments with ambient soundscapes in wide range from noises to melodic instruments and everything in between.

You can construct melodic pads or atonal soundscapes from different kind of built-in or downloaded samples by using all power of multi-layered oscillators, chains of filters and effects, envelope generators and low frequency oscillators. Or just use predefined scenes and creating your own scenes from library of oscillators presets.

Very flexible settings of each module give you a great opportunity for creating unique and colorful sounding from usual instruments or natural samples and adding automated changes and spatial effects for an endless variations. Different ways of assigning screen and MIDI keyboards to the oscillators provide very advanced features to control the sound. The on-screen keyboard is adapted to create special effects and varying the continuous textures and drones.

Main features:

Three independent oscillators.
Three layers with own samples in each oscillator.
Six voices in each layer.
Six envelope generators.
Six low frequency oscillators.
Separate arpeggiator for each oscillator.
General processing of level, balance, LPF, HPF for each layer.
Three additional slots for filters and effects after each oscillator.
Set of different kind of filters and effect modules.
Spatial mixer with two different sound space.
Screen keyboard adapted for continuous drones and soundscapes.
Predefined set of keyboard scales and custom scales.
Full screen, double and split features for screen keyboard.
Options of screen keyboard for pitch, continuous, modify, velocity.
Supports for two virtual and two MIDI keyboards at the same time.
Flexible assigning keyboards and controls to the oscillators.
Two main effects controls can combine several parameters.
Uploading samples thru Dropbox, Web access, clipboard.
Auto and manual tuning of samples with frequency analyzer.
Set of predefined and ready-to-use scenes and presets.
Built-in library of samples of instruments, synths, noises, etc.
Detailed application description.
Inter-App audio compatible (with transport and BPM controls).
Supports Audiobus with “State Saving” feature.

SynthScaper will be constantly developed and next version will have even more sounds, effects and features.

Requirements:

Recommended at least iPhone 6 / iPad Mini 4 / iPad Air 2 and higher.

You can find more details about SynthScaper on the website:

http://motion-soundscape.blogspot.com

SynthScaper is available on the app store at the special launch price of $9.99:

Preview video:

Audio Damage adds to their rapidly growing portfolio of iOS apps with Dubstation 2

So far Audio Damage have brought Rough Rider 2, Grind Distortion, and Eos 2, and now add Dubstation 2 to that list. To be honest I’m glad to see it growing so quickly as they’re all high quality apps.

Here’s what you can expect in Dubstation 2:

The original dub delay effect, Dubstation has been a go-to effect in the production toolbox for over a decade and a half with good reason. Now available on iOS, this 1:1 code-identical port of the desktop version of Dubstation brings this classic effect to the mobile production studio.

Easy to use and understand, Dubstation works just like a hardware delay pedal. True stereo operation and a nice saturated feedback path provide an instant-classic delay effect that has been used in thousands of commercial tracks.

Features

Tempo-synchronized or millisecond timing.
True stereo dual time mode, single time mode, or ping-pong.
EQ and saturation control on the feedback path, for tonal control.
LFO to delay time, for chorus and tape effects.
Tempo-synced stereo looping (“infinite mode”) with sound-on-sound and reverse.
Heavily optimized for extremely low CPU usage. Use as many as you want, even on an older device.
Factory and user presets that can be copied to and from the desktop version.
Audio samples and manual available at the Audio Damage website.

Dubstation 2 is available on the app store for $4.49:

Stereo Phaser AUv3 arrives

From the developer who brought us Jack the Beatmaker and other apps with minimalist design comes a new FX app simply entitled Stereo Phaser. I guess you could say that it does what it says it’s going to do.

That is nice phaser effect that can run in stereo mode. The app is Audio Unit AUv3.
In stereo mode the signal is split and run through 2 phaser effects with different frequency settings but same rate, depth and feedback that are shifted in stereo space with the same rate(same as the phasers’)

The app is an Audio Unit Effect AUV3 and can be used inside GarageBand or other AU host apps as an effect plug-in. Stereo Phaser can also run as a stand alone app adding effect to the audio input so you can play your guitar, bass or synth directly through the app if you have the connector to do so.

Stereo Phaser controls:

Rate – that is the phaser speed
Depth – phaser depth
Feedback – effect feedback
Stereo – stereo spread

Stereo Phaser is on the app store costing $0.99:

Goose EQ arrives and brings with it a bit of a different business model for an app

A nice EQ is always welcome, but this one comes with a different business model, which it’ll be interesting to see the response to. Here’s what the developers have to say about the app and the model.

Our mission is to manipulate audio with 21st century tools, instead of limiting ourselves with 20th century hardware and concepts. Goose EQ discards the limitations of past hardware and harnesses the future’s computing power. We have designed the UI with only the the physics of audio and the current touch interface in mind,dropping all the baggage of the past.

Goose EQ is the next generation of equalizers. It is a sleek stereo equalizer with 11 different types of filters for fine grain audio control. Designed especially for touch screens, no effort was made to recall EQ hardware of the past. Without the limitations of old hardware, Goose EQ takes a bold step into today’s world of touch gestures and high powered processors. As a result, it looks and feels great on any iOS device.

It’s not just good looking and easy to use; there’s power behind this clean user interface. It boasts:

As many bands as your hardware can handle
Linked or independent stereo control
Analyzer for each channel
Precise control of Gain, Frequency, and Bandwidth with gestures and text input
Multiple EQs at once
Hardware inputs & outputs
AudioUnit v3
Save your own presets
Built in Presets
Bypass a single band or a whole EQ.
Multiple filters:
Parametric
High & Low Pass
Resonant High & Low Pass
Band Pass & Stop
High & Low Shelf
Resonant High & Low Shelf

To get full use of the EQ there is an auto renewing subscription with the following details:

“One Year Equipment Rental”

What you get:

Unlimited custom presets
Unlock all factory presets
Concurrent equalizers

How it works:

Starting a subscription will give you the full version of the app
There is a 2 week demo period in which you can cancel and never get charged anything
Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase
The rental automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period
Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period
Subscriptions may be managed and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your iTunes Account Settings after purchase

Revenue model:

We believe that iOS hardware is good enough to do great things with audio, yet there is very little good software to run on it. We believe this is because of the current revenue model: pay once and expect updates for life. No one expects to buy a pair of shoes once and have them replaced every year for free. So we are going to try subscription with various checkpoints along the way.

We will be doing a yearly subscription. We will continue fixing bugs, adding features, and updating for the first ten months after first release. At that point we will look at our current active subscriptions. If there are enough to support further maintenance we will continue to keep the app working on the latest OS and hardware. If we do not get enough revenue, we will set the subscription price to $0 a year, and stop development. This means that the people who got on board will be able to use the app until it does not work anymore because of OS updates. Because this pricing model is so different than anything else on the App Store, let’s describe it another way (as a list):

Subscription-based revenue model.
If sustainable, we will continuously and features and update (The app will not be abandoned like so many in the current transition to 64 bit).
If it still proves unsustainable, then current subscribers will be able to continue to use as if they had paid upfront like the typical revenue model.
Bonus: the subscription will be about 1/4 the price that we would have charged if we were using the old revenue model.
Bonus: Free trial. Start the subscription. If you don’t think the app is for you, cancel the subscription, and you will not be charged anything.
Cancel any time.

View our privacy policy and terms of use: http://goosesoft.com/privacy

Goose EQ on the app store:

Audio Damage brings us Eos 2

Audio Damage have been busy. What with Rough Rider 2 and Grind Distortion. Now Eos 2 arrives and is well worth checking out. Here are the details:

A long-time studio standard, now finally available for iOS! This is a direct 1:1 port of Audio Damage’s Eos 2 desktop plug-in, identical in every way to the Eos you know and love. This download includes an AUv3 App Extension for use in AUv3-savvy hosts like AUM, AudioBus, GarageBand, Cubasis, and Auria Pro. Also included is a stand-alone application with Inter-App Audio.

Eos 2 consists of four high-quality custom-designed reverb algorithms, made with the modern production environment in mind. Three different plate simulators and our own Superhall algorithm give you a broad palette of reverb, and the easy-to-understand interface makes adjusting the algorithms to suit your track incredibly simple.

Want a traditional dark plate reverb? Eos 2 can do that. How about a short, dense room sound for your drum buss? Not a problem. But where Eos 2 really comes in to its own is when you drop Superhall on your piano or synthesizer tracks. The incredibly long modulated hall sounds of Eno-style ambience are where Eos 2 thrives, something that is not possible with convolution ‘verbs.

Features

Four reverb algorithms designed for Audio Damage by ValhallaDSP, including three separate plate algorithms and our own unique SuperHall, a rich, densely modulated, extra-long hall algorithm designed for ambient and synthesizer music.
Full control over the reverb early reflections and tail, with modulation and equalization control, to sculpt the density and tonal characteristics to your needs.
All presets from the desktop version included, and you can even share presets among all versions of Eos 2 using the copy/paste mechanism.
AUv3 and IAA standard.
Note that Eos 2 is a dense, heavily modulated algorithmic reverb, and as such may be somewhat heavy on the CPU, especially on older devices. For best results, use a single instance as a send.

Eos 2 costs $5.99 on the app store now:

Acrux Seasons looks enticing

Acrux Seasons comes from the developer of pyka_loop (worth a look in its own right) who are friends of mine and a lot of fun to be with.

This looks like something rather beautiful to play with, and it’s free too. Here are the details.

Play Victor Gama’s Acrux and immerse yourself in the beauty of echoing leaves, swirling mist and playful sonic droplets.

Angolan/Portuguese instrument designer and musician Victor Gama has developed a complex sonic palette which combines the cyclical elegance of gamelan with the complex tonalities of 20th Century minimalists like Steve Reich, Michael Nyman and Glen Branca.
The acrux is a unique harp-like instrument built and workshopped by Gama, with inspiration ranging from the vast beauty of the star constellations to the unassuming obscurity of the leaves that fall on the forest floor. Knowing the limitations of conveying the depth of these inspirations in a physical instrument, Victor sought to create a digital version of his instrument that would showcase the beauty behind his method. After meeting with creative education company ‘pyka’, Victor met with 6 primary schools in South Wales and the most unlikely of creative partnerships was formed. Over several months, the potential for the digital acrux instrument was discussed, tested and created by under the watchful eye of Victor himself. The result of this work was Acrux Seasons, the app that allows you to play your way through the seasons as you watch them change around you. Victor, pyka and all six schools now hope that you can find your own inspiration in this uniquely beautiful app.

The app is compatible with 9.7″ iPads, from the iPad Air and up.

Acrux Seasons is free on the app store now:

Category: New App

Amp Rack may (or may not) be what you’re looking for