They have a free version .... I downloaded it but need time to play with it more before deciding whether it's worth buying one of the paid versions.
I took the free version for a spin. What I liked about GrooveMaker was that after watching the handful of videos out on YouTube I was able to utilize all of the functionality of the application. As music apps go, I would say that GrooveMaker offered a fair bit of functionality without the added complexity. On the good side, you can pull together something that won't scare the dogs away without too much effort. Plus you can save it and with minimal effort send it to your desktop. I cannot attest to the number of loops available as I was only using the free version which contains a single song. That song did have a solid number of loops though from which to choose, enabling you to create a wide spectrum of results from the starting samples. The quality of the loops is quite good. What you cannot do is import your own songs. At least there is no manner of doing so at this point. The developers of GrooveMaker do promise a free song to anyone that registers, which would lead me to believe that there is a way to add songs. Whether or not that will ever be opened up to the end user is another question. If you like to mix loops, play around with sequencing and want to end up with something that won't make you wince when you are through, then Groovemaker might just be your app. You will need to decide if the $9.99 price point is worth it for you. Certainly take the free version out for a test drive. Watch the videos on YouTube. They will help you gain a good understanding of the product to make a valid decision on GrooveMaker.
What, BtBx is not dead Oh yay, I just noticed my old favourite BtBx got an update that was promised almost a year ago: session manager and 13 sample sets. I had lost all hope of this ever happening. BtBx was one of the first drum machine/synth combos in AppStore and it was very fun in it's own limited way. Very easy to use but quite powerful. I had a great industrial-type song going on it using all kind of gimmicks like slowed down reversed piano and stuff, but it didn't survive the update process Now with save and new kits it is alive again - just spent two hours playing with it. There is still no song export, though.
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BtBx got an update which now includes "New, Save, Load or Delete Song Sessions", "13 Different Sound Kits" and more. I was reluctant to purchase this in the past but with the update I went ahead and took the plunge. I'm actually enjoying this app a lot .... there's some good demos on youtube. Still not too sure about Groovemaker ..... I've been playing with the free version but reluctant to purchase the paid versions until I can hear some samples and demos on youtube ..... right now all I find are the free version. If you go to IK Multimedia's website they have some "coming soon" that I may just wait for .... especially the trance version which is more my style. Has anyone tried any of their paid versions? I'd love to get your opinion or maybe even a youtube sample.
New in the app store bleep!Box .... looks pretty cool. Here's the url to the youtube demo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55JQK5300D4
I have their hip-hop version. Since you have played around with the free version you are aware of what the application can do. There is nothing added in the way of functionality. As for loops, the quality is the same as what was offered up with the free version. What you are asking, and I think everyone would like to have, is a sample of all of the loops that are included with each version, because after all, that is what this app is all about. In retrospect, I should have waited. While the quality of the loops with the hip-hop version are excellent, the selection is so-so. That added to the fact that you can't slice loops and are forced to take them in their entirety drops Groovemaker into the "hey can I play around and make music category".
Thank you for replying with your opinion. I think I just may wait on this one and see what they come out with and what the user reviews have to say .... or .... until there are some samples posted on their website or youtube.
nice one ! i'd somehow missed both FingerBeat (which is cheap so i've bought) and Dopplerpad ...which is expensive so i'm thinking about - the vids i've seen look awesome though...eg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxTMHH6RlcU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b-XMLD4HrU&feature=related and Mixdex is free
I've held off on Groovemaker. I have the free demo, and it makes nice little mixes on its own with the clever automix buttons, but it feels too limited to cough up full price for. Also the sequencing page drives me mad - I keep losing my "grooves". For loop-related mixes I have to go with Looptastic, which IMHO is a pro-level app that DJs could easily use. I did buy bleep!box though. WOW! Just last week I was pining for a drum synth (i.e. not samples) and now here is a brilliant one. Loads of potential and worth the (high) price for me.
The 'feature' that drives me mad with GrooveMaker is when you change the tempo, the pitch of the loop changes as well. Not that I am not a fan of The Chipmunks, but when the my dogs can no longer hear the pitch, you know something is wrong.
Very few iphone apps can do real-time time-stretching (changing the speed of the loop but keeping the pitch the same) that I know of. In fact I think there's only the awesome Looptastic that does it.
Has anyone tried Xewton? It's $20.00, but it looks simply amazing. I've purchased quite a few apps including iSequence, iSyn, Piano Studio, and many, MANY others--LOTS of others. But this looks like it pulls everything together quite well. The reviews on AppStore look very favorable. Anyone else try this app?
Wow. Xewton look pretty amazing. I'm not too impressed by their demos, but that's likely because of the person making them and not the app itself. Do you know if you can add your own samples for the instrument? Also, can you export to midi? That would make this well worh $20! Has anyone tried [app]Jasuto modular synthesizer[/app] yet? It's absolutely amazing and it's only $.99 right now. You can't do much with it by itself, but in combination with a sequencer, it's unbelievable. Sound wise, it's pretty standard, but the interface is nothing short of incredible. There's also a free plugin(which is the full synth, BTW) for you sequencer, via VST.
I just set my sights on this one too. A bit pricey without a good solid demo of what it's capable of, but it looks like it's right up my alley -- like a really scaled down Fruity Loops with piano roll and stuff. I'd really like to see someone with musical chops demo this though before I drop a couple of sawbucks on it.
I believe no, and no, but MIDI export is definitely a planned upgrade. I'm sure once these two are added, this could be a very excellent app.
Waiting for some maturity on this app before I buy. Most importantly .... waiting for my tried and true TA fans to recommend.
