Tomas Chlebek When you drill into the Music category in the App Store, you will find mostly very simple music games such as guitar, drums, ocarina, etc. on the top ranks. Beat Maker 2.
First of all, it should be mentioned that the entire application is in English, so if you do not understand this language, investing in BeatMaker is not a very good idea.
Zacatky
When we start the application and create a new project, we get to the basic view, the so-called Studio view. In the middle of the screen we see all the instruments we are adding and the effect bundles (FX bus). At the bottom we see a bar showing all the instruments with the option to add more, and after clicking on the "cube" on the left, a bar appears for controlling playback, recording, song tempo and metronome. In the upper bar, behind us, we see the icon to return to the basic screen present, similar to the playback control bar, always and everywhere in the application; icons for the sequencer, mixer, sample lab, sharing, project management, and information icon for available RAM and battery status. Because BeatMaker is increasingly demanding on the hardware of the device with more samples and playing with sound, for this reason it is only available on iPhone 3 GS and later and iPod Touch 3rd generation and later.
So we will choose the first tool, which will most likely be Drummer machine, we choose from, by mobile standards, a fairly rich library of samples and find ourselves in the instrument environment, the main element of which is the visible 16 pads out of the available 128. Now it is enough to examine which pad produces which sound and using the hide bar at the bottom of the display to start record percussion.
As soon as we are satisfied with the result, we move to the next instrument, which is the keyboard, where we can record a melody on the instrument again selected from the library. We will then return to the home screen (Studio view) and we will use it to put the recordings together Sequencer. In it we see our recorded sections, each on a new line. We can move, copy and extend them.
Where the simple fun ends
However, you can't help but notice that we didn't even touch most of the icons with our fingers during this process. Using Beatmaker 2 to play and make noise (as far as the device's reproduction capabilities allow) is the same as using Photoshop to crop and reduce photos.
When exploring the program, we will soon find out that its possibilities are very wide. One of the most interesting things is the great modifiability of all the instruments, mainly regarding their sound, but also to a certain extent their appearance. Be an example Drummer machine:
We have a total of 128 pads available, divided into eight groups marked with the letters AH. For each group of pads, we can choose either the entire set of samples from the program's default library, or use our own, which we get to the library either via ftp from the computer, or we can upload them directly in the program, without leaving the instrument. There, we can edit any sample, both its length and its sound (volume, panorama, tuning, playback backwards, etc.), the so-called Sample lab. We can also copy and move the samples on the pads to where we need them. Sound parameters can be adjusted either within a single pad or in bulk.
Effects, Mixer, Sequencer…
There are also several ways to play and record. 3 of the 10 available sound effects can be applied to each instrument (that is, each audio track). The list includes: Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Overdrive, Equalizer and more. Effects can also be grouped into separate groups (of three), so-called FX Buses, which affect multiple instruments at once. Effects can be controlled in two ways. The first is a simple setting of the sliders and regulators to the desired positions, the second takes place using the so-called X/Y Cross Controller, when the degree to which a given effect affects the resulting sound is regulated on the fly by moving your finger along the X and Y axes. This method is more convenient for more dynamic use of the effect.
From the main screen (Studio view) is further accessible Mixer, in which we mix the volumes and panorama of audio tracks within instruments. IN Sequencer all work with recorded audio tracks within the entire project is grouped together. We can also create new tracks in a precise grid, where we don't play individual notes, but "draw" them. Furthermore, we can adjust various sound parameters for each note separately. We also export the song from the Sequencer, as a wav or midi file. We get it from the device using the option Sharing accessible from the home screen. It is possible to use the ftp server and upload to Soundcloud. It is possible to import songs from iPod into Beatmaker and with pasteboard we can share files across iOS with applications that support this option.
In addition to the sounds that are available in the library by default and those that we upload in the application, we can download samples or even entire sets of samples from the computer using ftp to the device, we are limited only by the supported formats.
User interface
The user interface looks very nice and also usable, after a few mistakes it is not at all difficult to figure out how it works even without a manual. It is available on the manufacturer's website and is quite comprehensive. With the recent major update to version 2.1, a modified environment for the iPad was added, which is significantly based on the smartphone version, but at the same time also uses the advantages of a larger display, we cannot talk about simply expanding the application to a larger surface.
With similarly complex programs, not only the software itself is important, but also the community associated with it. Even at this point Beatmaker can receive a high score on the site Guess it is not a problem to find a complete manual, several video tutorials and a short guide on how to start navigating the program. Of course, there is also a page on Facebook where you can ask questions if you don't know how to deal with something.
As I already mentioned, Beatmaker is a hardware-intensive application, which you can tell by the rapid battery drain when "playing". The manufacturer recommends restarting the device before booting to free up RAM, although I've never done that, I haven't experienced any hangs or app crashes on the iPhone 3 GS. In combination with easy programs, it was possible to use multitasking to some extent.
Can a recording studio really fit in your pocket?
As the manufacturer's "slogan" already says, Beatmaker 2 is mainly a portable sound studio, rather than the actual creation of sounds and their acquisition, it is intended to process those available to us in the library. I think GarageBand is the closest and, above all, the best-known software for comparison, which, on the other hand, is more focused on playing itself. Not that Beatmaker can't do it, but it excels in a slightly different direction. In a direct comparison of game options with GarageBand, it does not offer such a rich selection of tools. I have far from covered all the possibilities of this software here, and I admit that I am not very knowledgeable in the "field", but even as a beginner I am able to understand Beatmaker and use its possibilities, which do have their limits, but I would not argue with the manufacturer's claim that it is the most advanced mobile music studio in the current App Store.
BeatMaker 2 - $19,99
But the absolute best is probably Nanostudio. It certainly has the best sounds that Beatmaker doesn't have and that disappointed me a bit. See: http://www.blipinteractive.co.uk/