I have been an extremely busy bee the past couple months working hard on a project here at the school. I’d like to share just a bit. I’ve learned a ton about using Notion software,… More
GarageBand Update Allows Facial Control of sound!
Use facial expressions and the TrueDepth camera for hands-free control over musical effects like guitar wah and synth parameters*
Moog Brings iOS the Minimoog Model D!
Minimoog Model D – $4.99 (Introductory price as of 3/27/2018)
There are so many great iOS music making apps but Moog has always been right there at the top of the greats ever since it released its first app, Animoog!
Now Moog Music has brought us a mobile version of the world’s first portable synthesizer, the Minimoog Model D- ironic considering how much MORE mobile music making gets with this app and our devices we carry now a days.
This app has it all too, well almost – more on that at the end. In fact, it improves on the original by adding four note polyphony, the ability to play chords, a looper, ping-pong delay and a Bender!
Since this is iOS and Moog has amazing developers working for them, the Model D app has support for AUv3, MPE, Ableton Link, Inter-App Audio, Audiobus, Bluetooth LE MIDI controller and will even makes sharing presets and audio recordings over AirDrop and to other iOS apps easy peasey!
If that list seems like someone is speaking a foreign language just take that as a way for me to say that it makes me weak at the knees to realize all that we can do with the app!
LET’S TALK ABOUT MY LIST
MPE is perhaps one of the most exciting items on the list – MPE is what allows controllers like the Roli Blocks so amazing! MPE allows for an amazing level of control over the sound and allows for nuances in your playing that makes for a much more expressive performance! Much like an acoustic instrument would instead of a traditional keyboard. Traditional keyboards have tried to evolve from a simple key press with the mod wheel, aftertouch, polyphonic aftertouch and even adding XY pads. MPE allows for 5 variations when pressing a key or controller…. strike, pressure, glide, slide and lift.
BlueTooth MIDI allows for your controller to connect wirelessly to your iPad! Let me say that one more time – WIRELESSLY WITHOUT DONGLES!
AUv3 allows for multiple instances of Model D inside of supporting apps like GarageBand and Cubasis (which is half price currently too by the way! $25!). Previously we had to record the audio for one track and then reload the app to do the next track. AUv3 is amazing!
Ableton Link keeps multiple apps and devices all in sync! No more feeble attempts at hitting the start button at JUST the right time and hoping things lock up. Now all your apps will lock in tight as can be and stay in sync – your drum app playing the beats, the bass line coming from another app and the lead effects from your buddy on his device will all be in sync!
AirDrop – who HASN’T used AirDrop? Please tell me you don’t have a device that supports it… if your device supports AirDrop and you have multiple devices or friends then you should have used AirDrop to share pictures, documents, videos and now audio recordings from Model D!
Below you will find the intro video but first I’ve got to remind you that four of Moog’s other apps are also on sale…
Cubasis is half price!
Duet Display – Anyone Using this?
So I’ve been keeping an eye on the Duet Display app for awhile now.
It looks very interesting AND it is 50% off right now! But I have serious questions as to how useful this would actually be!
For a teacher – how do you use it?
For a musician – how are you using it to extend what is possible with a simple laptop?
For a graphics design person – does the Apple Pencil work well with it or do you NEED the Duet Display Pro?
Any ways… if you are using this I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments below….
St. Patricks Day Notion Sale
Well this is great news in deed! Even if you aren’t Irish!
PreSonus is giving you a 30% discount this weekend off of their stellar music notation app Notion as well as their DAW, StudioOne. PLUS you can even get 30% off a bundle of the two!
That means Notion is only going to cost you $105!
https://shop.presonus.com/products/software
I have been very busy using this software combined with other music notation apps like PhotoScore in NotateMe and Sheet Music Scanner this past couple of weeks. We are doing a musical and there is no body around here that plays stringed instruments. Therefore I am putting those parts into Notion and then we will use the N-Tempo feature in Notion to have the Pit perform live with.
Not sure what that means? Well, someone taps along to the tempo and the string parts stay in sync with the live music! Plus you can even do vamps, jumping to a different section easily and all sorts of cool things that is just not possible in any other software.
Notion allows me to bring music into the software via computer keyboard and mouse input, via XML from the PhotoScore feature in NotateMe or Sheet Music Scanner, or via a MIDI keyboard input. Plus I can edit scores on my iPad while on the go and even make use of my Apple Pencil to quickly fix and add marking/notes that are easier because of using an Apple Pencil.
If you are looking for a new music notation app there is no better time than now to act!
Extra Voice Recorder App FREE TODAY ONLY
For anyone who wants/needs an app to record voice and audio this just might be a nice catch for you!
The Mac AND iOS versions are both FREE TODAY ONLY as well as is the pro upgrade!
Extra Voice Recorder – iOS Version
eXtra Voice Recorder – Mac Version
Tunable is FREE right now!
Nice deal here people. Great app. Go get it even if you have a different tuner/recorder/metronome.
Korg Module and KA Pro Symphonic Dreams Sounds
I’ve got like two seconds but I wanted to share that I think the new KA Pro Sound pack for Korg Module is just simply wonderful! If you need string and orchestra sounds then do yourself a favor – buy this while it is only $10 for the Strings Sound Pack!
Korg Module – only $20 right now because of the release of the sound packs.
Sound Cloud Examples:
BeatMaker3 Free during NAMM!
Oh wow! Well this deal HAS TI BE THE DEAL OF THE YEAR!
BeatMaker3 is currently free!
Go…
No seriously…
hurry!
iTunes12 – Playing Just One Song at a Time
So Apple in all it’s glorious wisdom constantly makes decisions based on what the company believes us end users need.
- Some times that works out well for us.
- Some times it backfires and blows up in Apples face – ummm, how many lawsuits is Apple currently facing for “slowing of older devices”? 12 I believe.
- Sometimes it just drives long time users BONKERS
As is the case when I try to use iTunes to play the music for a show. I’ve done this for years and it has always been simple…
- Create a Play list
- Drop the tunes into said playlist
- Make sure the little check boxes are all off
Then iTunes11 came out and hid the little check boxes! We found the solution last year. Apple apparently didn’t think we wanted to view our playlists as playlists any more. Thankfully Apple left the ability in iTunes to turn that WONDERFUL feature BACK ON – List the menus – VIEW/VIEW AS/PLAYLIST – as you can see in this screen shot…
Then this year iTunes12 was released. Remembering last years frantic frustration I went looking to make sure we could still play one song at a time. Good thing I did because once again Apple decided to hide my wonderful little check boxes! This time I had to go to PREFERENCES/GENERAL and make sure the option was on under List view Checkboxes as you can see in this screen shot…
So now I can set my playlist to perform as I’ve done for years… If you look at the screen shot below you will see the first three songs have the check boxes marked so those three songs will play one after the other. The last three songs will not play until I select the song and hit the play button – after which the playlist will stop!
The short version of this story is the same warning as ALWAYS!
NEVER NEVER NEVER update any software/hardware right before a performance if it is mission critical! You just never know what little thing, or big thing, is going to be different/missing that will mess you up!
