On some recent flights between San Jose, CA and Des Moines, IA, I spent a lot of time with some ipad/phone music apps, BtBx, FunkBox, and a bit with Molten. I have a few music apps on these devices, and I find one of the best places to get absorbed in to them is to fill the gaps of a long wait. I’ve tried using these things in my living room, but there’s too many distractions. So on my most recent flight, I tried out some apps that I’d recently purchased, but hadn’t really explored.
They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and I wish I could somehow combine them all into one app with the simplicity of BtBx, the sounds, ease, and mixability of FunkBox, and the expansive possibility of Molten. Regardless of my longing for feature creep, it still was a hell of a way to pass the hours and forget that I was in an uncomfortable chair, trapped in a metal tube, 35,000 feet above Middle America.

BtBx

BtBx was definitely the most fun. I kept coming back to it, mostly because I had some melodic control along with the beats. The small form factor of the iPhone focused me on making music, and the interface makes it pretty easy to get around the various features in the small space. It has the usual drum machine sounds of bass, hats, snares, and claps, but adds an extra kick sound and some “instruments” so you can add some melody to the 16 steps. Each sound has a filter, and you can reverse, speed up and slow down a sound with the keyboard, so even a lame cowbell sound can turn into something cool, or a clap can turn into a lo-fi ambient soundscape. It is almost the perfect little step sequence sketch pad, except that there’s no way to export the results as MIDI or even WAV. It’s a bit hearbreaking to get attached to your groovy creation, only to have it all stuck in the device. To get some examples out, I just hooked up a cable and recorded the iPod Touch analog output.
Here’s one example of triggering different patterns. I made all 16 patterns on my iPod Touch and then used the pattern sequencer to jump around to different parts:
Btbx1 DJ by Livid Instruments
(alternate, mp3 link: btbx1_DJ)
Here’s another example that evokes a low-budget horror movie sound track, where I created some patterns for an intro, then got to the main pattern. Once there, I used the BtBx controls to drop instruments out of the pattern to keep things moving and changing and leave room for some zombie’s head to explode or a knife to glint in the corner:
Btbx horror by Livid Instruments
(mp3 link: btbx_horror)
I did this on the iPad, just to try it out there. I found it crashed a couple times on the iPad, but was totally solid on the iPod – fortunately I saved my work!
I’d love to take these patterns, put them into Ableton Live, expand them, refine them, and apply some of Live’s instruments and devices, but with no way to export the MIDI, I’m stuck with this fairly limited, lo-fi mix. At best, I can record  each pattern, cut it up in an audio editor, and use the WAV files to mix. I also would love to be able to copy a pattern from one slot to another, as it would make it much easier to create variations and more related pieces. Finally, it’s worth noting, as it’s not obvious, the “Volume” slider at the top is not “master volume” but the volume for the selected sound in the mix. That took a while to figure out, so I thought I’d randomly pass that on!
BtBx by Pulse Code, Inc. $3.99: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beatbox-btbx/id383548057

FunkBox

FunkBox is a fantastic drum machine sequencer on the iPad. It features big, pretty controls, a gaggle of the best vintage drum machine sounds, and 16 playable pads, so you can overdub and record beats into your sequence. Once you program your patterns, you can lock a drum machine and tempo to each pattern, or use a master drum machine and tempo. Mixing up your patterns is really fun, as it doesn’t restart to the 1 when you change patterns, so you can remix on the fly. With each sequence on its own set of sounds, you can get some really funky mixes going.
I made a set of patterns and did a quick mix, jumping around to the different patterns around a primary beat:
Funkbox mix by Livid Instruments
(mp3 link: funkbox_mix)
Given the seamless remixing, with a good set of patterns (you get 3 sets of 16 patterns for your project), there would be no shame in using this thing in a live performance, remixing your patterns around other stuff. You can export patterns to WAV and/or MIDI. I found myself wishing for a metronome button, since every time I started a new pattern, I had to program a rimshot or something to give me a click track.
Unlike BtBx, it’s easy to copy a pattern from one slot to another if you just want to do a set of variations. With a level mixer for each sound right in the middle of the screen, you can tune each pattern to have its own character: the mix is set for each pattern. Each drum machine has some alternate sounds, so you can swap a ride out for a crash or a clap for a rimshot, for example. There is also an accent mixer, which I didn’t get into, as I was too busy having fun rocking the beats. For integrating mobile work into a studio set on your computer, FunkBox simply kicks ass. No distracting, half-assed effects or excess setup is needed. You can crank out loads of beats and bring them into your set however you like.
FunkBox by Synthetic Bits, $3.99: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/funkbox-drum-machine/id350437349

Molten

Molten is the deepest and cheapest of these three, with lots of controls 4 pages of 16+ steps for each pattern. It supports external sync, MIDI control, and WAV and MIDI export, and audio copy/paste. It’s definitely the least attractive interface, with slightly blurry graphics and some garish colors, but it is definitely usable. There’s a lot of tweakability for each sound, and it can sync with other apps (like FunkBox). Most impressive is that each beat can be subdivided into up to 9 beats, and you can do weird time signatures and triplets, so there’s some really crazy rhythmic possibilities here. However, I didn’t like the default sounds, so I had to labor to create my own bank, which is akin to having to string your guitar when you buy it.
I think Molten will really shine when I hook it up to a MIDI controller (oh, like a block or something), since, after looking at the specs, I’m pretty sure it will light up the LEDs and provide a comprehensive step-sequence engine for the controller. I hope to feature something on that later! You’ll notice that I don’t have an example file for this app, which is a direct reflection of “possibility vs. productivity.” I was too busy having head-bobbing, stupid fun with the other two apps to overcome my reluctance to figure something out. Stay tuned for when I get it hooked up to my Code, Ohm64 or block: I think we’ll find something good to listen to from Molten.
Molten, $1.99 by One Red Dog Media: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/molten-drum-machine/id398933969

Of course, none of these apps are going to be the center of production for your next show, but for less than the cost of a crappy hamburger at the food court, you can bust out some great stems, get some great ideas, and stop complaining about how much flying sucks. As a matter of fact, these apps are so fun and productive, you’ll probably look forward to that next cross-country trek, and maybe even hope for bad weather.

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news by Peter

A friend recorded me warming up for the Memetic Festival gig that I played at a few days ago in Winnipeg. Just thought I’d share this video that was recorded in my hotel room the night before the show. (warning: this video contains tracker speeds that may be too dizzying for some viewers- viewer discretion is advised)

This post was submitted by Hitori Tori.

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projects by Hitori Tori

We’ve been working with good people over at Liine for some controller/app integration, so when I saw this video from Ohm64 user Dudu Aram (aka Ali Disco B) using the Ohm64, Griid, and Live, I had some questions about integration. His mashups look well conceived and his setup is very compact. He’s using the Ohm64 as his customized “instrument”, which is precisely why we created it in the first place. I thought it might be beneficial for me to share our discussion publicly, and turn it into a QA session.

I recently saw your video mashups on the forums using the Ohm64. Looks like you were using Griid, and Live? Can you tell us more about your setup?

Well before that setup I tried a lot of different gear, especially  controllers. I believe i found my favorite setup using a macbook pro running Ableton Live 8 (I like to use only original Live plugins to keep the computer in a good CPU usage), an M-box soundcard using just 2 outputs, and a controller. I love the Livid Ohm64 and the Ipad running Liine Griid. Sometimes i carry a synth with me. The Mopho Keyboard, or for smaller setups, the Korg Monotron.

How do you pick songs for your mashups?

The first thing is i need to enjoy the son. The second thing is a classic song for dancers to understand what a dj can do remixing the tracks live. Sometimes electronic music gets boring for me, and I like to mix it up with Hip-hop, rock’n'roll, pop, disco… and vice-versa. So i decide on tracks and chop only the cool parts that I like. I don’t need to play the full song, just my favorite parts. After that, i analyze the keys using “Mixed in Key” (www.mixedinkey.com).Before using Mixed in Key  i used to find the key with the piano, which is a very slow process. So after choosing, choping  the cool parts, and analyzing the keys, i like to make a very organized session in  Ableton Live. The way I organize the songs it is very helpfull to see the songs on the Ipad running Griid. Sometimes i do need to remaster the pieces i’ve chopped. I like to “equalize” the songs with distortion and use very high compression, this is what makes old songs modern.

How does Griid interact with the Ohm64, or does it at all?

Before working with the Ohm64 i tried TouchOsc with an Ipad, which is really cool for knobs and faders, or note buttons. But when you use  the buttons to play it like a drum machine or an MPC, the Ipad has latency. So, i prefer to use the buttons on the Ohm64 for the drum kits or fx i would  play like a MPC because there’s no latency. Most of the people use those buttons to launch the clips. I like to work  the fx and the percussions, or scratch songs in this space on my Ohm64. I like to launch my clips in Griid so i can read the name of the music I’m lauching. Most of my live  technique takes place on the Ohm64, like live glitches, fx interaction, crossfades, etc… With these two controllers I recreate live remixes and mashups. Both controllers have very cool interactions on the stage. I don’t have  problems with this setup running at the same time. It’s perfect.

What kind of controls are you using the iPad for vs. the Ohm64? How do you find the work flow between the two?

On the Ohm64 i just have controls for mix and fx. I can’t launch clips on the Ohm’s clip bank because i use the buttons for fx and work flow. With the Ohm64 editor i change the 32 central buttons for “Ctl” and the other 32 I still leave in note mode. In Ableton i did my macros with 8 fx chain for channels. So in the buttons 1,2,3,4, 9,10,11,12 (image 1) are the fx chain of my rack in Channel 1. For each of the 4 channels i have one fx chain with 8 fx to push buttons. (Image 2). In that fx chain i just turn on the fx when the button is pressed. When i release the button the fx stops. With this i can make live glitches with a lot of different fx, and play the fxs like  ”percussion”, completely changing the song. The other 32 central buttons i use for samples, which can be drum kits, scratch sounds, or vocal pieces to play and record live loops. In the other side, the Ipad is very helpfull to find the clips I want to build my live mashups. Liine Griid is my sample library, and the Livid Ohm64 in my mixer and fx control.

Where can we see/hear more of your work?

I have this blog about technology, music, video, future, nature… http://alidiscob.com/ and I update it everyday. As Dj producer “Ali Disco B” you can find more things on Itunes, Beatport, and a lot of my tracks can be download for free here in my http://soundcloud.com/alidiscob . Also my Vimeo page http://www.vimeo.com/duduaram is where I upload things I do as Dj and commercially. In my http://www.youtube.com/alidiscob I have my test stuff like my video studies. I’m starting  VJing on the side with my Dj gigs now. So I preparing my live shows using Ableton 8 and Modul8 (www.garagecube.com/modul8/) controlling via Ohm64. In these websites I will upload the stuff I’m producing right now. My page on http://www.facebook.com/duduaram is still pretty new. As you can see i have a life on the web where is easy to find me, so everybody can message me that i will reply.

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interviews by Jay

With the addition of the expansion jacks on our block controllers you can add all kinds of analog controls to your existing setup, for very cheap. I’ve made a few tutorials so far, and here’s another one showing how to connect a SoftPot touch fader to it. I’ve often thought about ways to integrate the sides of my controllers with some kind of expressive interface, and within a few minutes I did so with the block. It is really very easy to integrate these kinds of controls with the expansion jacks to give you additional and totally customizable interfaces. At the end of the video you can see how I integrated my controls for use in Ableton Live. I can’t wait to see the first whammy bar addition

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news by Jay