Favorite IPhone/IPad apps?

[SamBooka]

Been into this pretty heavily over the past month. Checking out all the apps for IPhone4s and thought I would mention my fav's (hoping that others would chip in something I missed

I was going to do "Fav Metronome" and "Fav Tuner" etc but there are so many that are polyvalent that I am just throwing them out there in any order


GarageBand - 8track recording with keys bass and drums and a whack of amp models and effects. Sounds Amazing and easy to use. For 5$ it sounds beyond amazing.

Peterson Strobosoft Tuner - I have a bunch of apps that have built in tuners but this is my usual go to tuner.

JamUp - Fewer amp models than Garageband and pricey but it does sound good and has a looper included and you can import mp3s and select the playback speed. Not as good as ASD (see below) but a nice all in one.

IRealB with jazz rhythm packs - For legal reasons you download chord charts separately. It is basically a fakebook that plays the chord charts on piano/bass/drums at the tempo you want and the key you want. This, with JamUp, is the bulk of my practicing. Find the chart for West Coast blues and play along. It is easy to make your own songs so I use it as a metronome too! If you want a metronome that does more than Tick tock tock Tick tock tock this is great. It is more a metronome where you specify tempo, feel and even the key for piano and bass vamps.

Amazing Slow Downer - I admit I didnt buy the full version. The free "lite" version only plays the first 25% of the the song but for jazz the last 75% is just improv anyway. If you want to pick out a specific lick you can just trim the MP3 in another app... save it and open the trimmed file. The first time I tested it I figured out the riff from Airegin, Four on Six and figured out I was playing west coast blues wrong.. (and fixed that too)


Not normally this verbose but I am having lots of fun with this my Iphone. I find a decent set of headphones really make the difference.

If you have other favorite apps please post them..

Cheers

Drew

[anothersixstringer]

since I discovered the iRealBook, later renamed iRealB, practicing and jamming has changed for the better. Actually, I use to go to a jazz jam every now and then and all the guys have the app on tables or iphones....
Have it on my iPhone and on my (android) Galaxy Tab, really good stuff

[Little Jay]

AmpliTube Free - Fender Edition. Has a nice Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb emulation that I use all the time to play along with iReal.

Love it!

[msr13]

FYI, the Polytune app, which is great, is on sale untl the 19th for only $.99.

[JakeAcci]

This is a good idea for a thread. Thanks for the suggestions:

My picks:

Play by Ear first of all, I recently heard about and downloaded an app called Play By Ear which is a very powerful and free ear training app. It's a lot of fun!

iRealB is great for having changes on a gig - it's unfortunate that I don't know the tunes, and it's not a substitute for knowing the tune (and the melody!) but of course having the chord changes to every tune right in front of you is pretty helpful in a pinch. The play along fidelity is quite higher than I expected. I haven't downloaded the extra styles (maybe I should do that right now) but the default styles are pretty useful...again, no substitute for playing with people or playing with records...

Bookman is a great app that cleanly displays pdfs - I have a dozen real books on pdf and now they are viewable on my phone. Too small on the phone to really play the tune, but to review a tune on the bus or something...I have every tune in my pocket!

Cleartune is my favorite tuner. $4, but it has some advantages over other tuners. First of all, its extremely accurate, even more so than I need it to be. It's visual display is very simple (great for students/small children) and it will 'remember' the last note it heard and keep its needle in that place so it doesn't just keep resetting to zero or going blank like most tuners do when they aren't hearing a note. It also can play back a pitch for you, but you can get pretty intensely detailed about the exact pitch you are hearing (it can play back pretty much any note and get accuracy to 1/10 of a Hz, meaning you can tune microtonal instruments as well)

I haven't settled on a perfect metronome yet. I have three (bpm, steinway, and web metronome) they all have their pros and cons, none of them is complete. Do you guys have one that you can tap tempos, that's easy and intuitive when it comes to manually inputting tempos, and can go lower than 40 or 30?

virtuoso keyboard is free and useful, just a keyboard app, good for getting a pitch reference

SpeedTube slows down youtube videos, that's useful once in a blue moon


So some of you must have one of those adapters that can allow you to plug a guitar directly into the iPhone, right? Any favorites? Pros, cons of different ones?

[Rob MacKillop]

Is there a legal app which has the melodies written for jazz standards, not just the changes (as with iRealB)?

[JakeAcci]

I'd doubt it highly, that would be highly illegal. Changes can't be copyright, but melodies very much are. Maybe one of the music publishing companies will make an app someday, that will be cool.

[WhoisLevang]

I still have a phone that looks like a "communicator" from Star Trek, so no "apps", but I bet this guy could tell you about some-

Cracklin Rosie on a Whole Lotta Mobile Phones - YouTube

[NSJ]

Not mentioned--Notion for ipad--best notation device, as close to Finale or Sibelius as we've gotten.

Also not mentioned: ReadRyhthm


Great Instrument apps-non guitar related:

iElectribe
Pianist Pro
Filatron
Sample Wiz
Animoog
M3000 HD
Soundcloud (free)

[JakeAcci]

NSJ, could you give a summary of those apps and what they do? Might be helpful rather than each reader having to do google searches for each one. I'd personally appreciate it for sure...

[JazzReggie]

Thanks for all the app suggestions guys!

Originally Posted by JakeAcci

I haven't settled on a perfect metronome yet. I have three (bpm, steinway, and web metronome) they all have their pros and cons, none of them is complete. Do you guys have one that you can tap tempos, that's easy and intuitive when it comes to manually inputting tempos, and can go lower than 40 or 30?

You should check out Tempo Advance. It's easily the best metronome in the App Store. You can set the tempo all the way down to 10 bpm, or all the way up to 800 bpm. You can set the tempo with a keypad, tap tempo, Italian tempo markings, adjust up and down, etc. It can do crazy subdivisions, you can choose which beats get accents and which sounds you want to use for them, and you can save your favourites. You can even create setlists of all your settings.

Originally Posted by JakeAcci

So some of you must have one of those adapters that can allow you to plug a guitar directly into the iPhone, right? Any favorites? Pros, cons of different ones?

I'm using the Apogee Jam now, and upgraded from the AmpKit LiNK. I definitely prefer the Jam, but I was happy using the LiNK before that. The Jam provides a higher quality digital signal - cleaner, less noise, etc. It also has a 2nd adapter cable for use directly with Macs. The Jam is more expensive though ($100 vs $40), and some apps aren't compatible. (It uses Core Audio, which will give better results, but some apps such as Amplitube don't support it yet, while many do, such as GarageBand, AmpKit, etc.) To get an idea of the difference quality wise, if the Jam was a MIA Strat, the LiNK would be a MIM Strat.

One app which hasn't been mentioned is Capo. Like Amazing Slow Downer, it can slow down your music for you, change pitch, loop, etc, but I think Capo is a much nicer app. The UI is much better, and it has some features ASD does not, such as markers, vocal reduction, etc.

Edit: I previously wrote that Capo was limited to 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full speed settings. That is incorrect, Capo supports finer adjustments - from 25% to 100% in 1% increments. You just have to tap and hold, then drag to see the finer adjustments. The same applies for pitch too, you can increase / decrease by fractions of a semitone. Not sure how I missed that, serves me right for not reading the docs.

[JakeAcci]

I just got Tempo Advance, $3. Incredible, thanks for the tip! I had only been browsing the free and $1 metronomes feeling too lazy to research the high end ones, but took your word for it and am very satisfied so far. Now the thing I'm trying to figure out is if you can have it do things like accent the "e" of "four" rather than the "e" of every beat - although it is cool that it can accent whatever subdivisions within a single beat in the first place.

[JazzReggie]

Originally Posted by JakeAcci

I just got Tempo Advance, $3. Incredible, thanks for the tip! I had only been browsing the free and $1 metronomes feeling too lazy to research the high end ones, but took your word for it and am very satisfied so far. Now the thing I'm trying to figure out is if you can have it do things like accent the "e" of "four" rather than the "e" of every beat - although it is cool that it can accent whatever subdivisions within a single beat in the first place.

Glad you like it! Hmm, I don't see a way to change subdivision accents depending on the main beat. However, you can achieve the same effect. For example, let's say you're working with 16th notes at 80 bpm in 4/4. Set up 16 main beats, then put a normal accent on beats 1, 5, 9, and 13 to give you the 1, 2, 3, 4 beats. Next, put a different accent on beat 16, which will give you the "e" of beat 4. You'd then change your tempo to 320, which would effectively be 80 for quarter notes. I just tried it myself, and it works nicely - way easier to do than to explain.

[SamBooka]

I bought ReadRhythm but suck at it too badly to comment on if it is actually any good. I also have play this note that is so far the only one that I have found that does what it does (which is):

You plug your guitar in (or use the built in mic). It shows you a staff. You play the note on your guitar and it tells you if you got it right.. kinda like flashcards.

BTW I have IRig and Apogee Jam. Prefer jam but it doesnt work with Amplitube (no great loss if you have Garageband).

I have been using IBeat as a metronome... not in love with it but it work. I dont need crazy rhythms so much as something that sounds nice lol (like brushes and closed highhats).

Would LOVE to find a decent Chord dictionary...

[NSJ]

Originally Posted by JakeAcci

NSJ, could you give a summary of those apps and what they do? Might be helpful rather than each reader having to do google searches for each one. I'd personally appreciate it for sure...

Notion for ipad--best notation device, as close to Finale or Sibelius as we've gotten. You enter notes using a guitar or piano emulation, which is pretty cool. You can score multiple instruments and have playback. Automatically also writes not just in standard notation, but in tab.

Also not mentioned: ReadRyhthm---great for practicing your time and syncopation on various time signatures. HUGELY RECOMMENDED!


Great Instrument apps-non guitar related:

iElectribe--beat and DJ maker.
Pianist Pro--emulates a piano.
Filatron: MOOG app--great sound effects.
Sample Wiz--like a Moog app, various synthesizers.
Animoog--amazing MOOG app, can get some really cool sounds. Like a Moog synthesizer.
M3000 HD--emulates a Mellotron instrument.
Soundcloud (free app): can store your own wave files and listen to other users sound/wave/MP3 files.

[BenThayer]

Originally Posted by SamBooka

Would LOVE to find a decent Chord dictionary...

I use "guitar toolkit" and "all guitar chords",in that order, on my iPad and phone.

BT

[SamBooka]

Originally Posted by BenThayer

I use "guitar toolkit" and "all guitar chords",in that order, on my iPad and phone.

BT

Will check them out... Thanks.

One of the things that puts the guys off at work is paying 7-20$ for an app before knowing how well it works. Not all apps have "Lite" versions.

A little tip: Look for the app you are interested on Youtube.. most of them are on there. As an example at random I took ReadRyhthm .. didnt find it so I tried putting IPhone in the keyword search and found it.. "Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer"

[Evan]

I wanted an app that would let me build, save, view/scroll/playback a progression of chord diagrams. I want to be able to add alternate voicings to the saved progression and switch between the voicings... Saving the ones I like as new progressions (imagine if Ted Greene had made Modern Chord Progressions interactive).

I had my eye on ChordMate (9.99) for a while, but it doesn't allow saving progressions and the makers say that new features are on hold for a while. There's a Mac app version that does allow saving progressions, but it's way too much @40.00 and you can't move the progressions to iPad even if you buy both apps.

I'm a software developer and considered making my own app, but time is pretty short already with guitar practice and work. I started reading about iPad dev... But soon became distracted with guitar. if others out there are interested in teaming up, I might get more excited about it.

[SamBooka]

UPdate: there is an update on IRealB.. You can buy the guitar chord pack (2.99.. I know.. but I have paid more for a single pick) and it will show you the guitar chords along the bottom.. if you want to see a different inversion just tap the diagram and 3 others will show up....

The chord dictionary seems pretty good too although there are probably other free ones available that are just as good.. I havent found one that is better tho.

[Modern Saint]

I have iRealB, Polytune and AmplitubeFree

[bborzell]

"On the path" or "The Music Path" is a music lesson ap that features the likes of Lee Ritenour, Alex de Grassi and many others. They seem to be expanding their "staff".

I bought a 3 lesson finger style blues package taught by Kenny Sultan. It is excellent.

[Mojojojo]

I have a ton of music apps.

Read Rhythm - I agree with all others. Great app and can be challenging, but well worth it. It's frequently updated with new rhythms, so the devs are on the ball with continuing to provide value with this app.

Sight Read - Music Quiz for Guitar - Has a music staff, a note comes up, you have to press the corresponding note on a visual fretboard. Adjustable settings to allow you to focus on Treble or Bass cleff, ability to suppress notes above or below the staff, and breaks the neck down into 3 sections between the nut and 12th fret. You can even take a timed quiz.

Music Theory Pro - Quizes on Note Names, Key Sigs, Intervals, Chords and Ear Training.

Planet Waves Chordmaster - Pretty good and easy to navigate chord dictionary. Probably should have spent an extra couple of dollars to get their app that also includes an Arpeggio and Scale dictionary.

Ultimate Guitar Tabs - Gives you access to text based tabs and the ability to store them.

iRealB - Pretty much what everyone else has said... a BIAB type application to jam along to and have access to chord charts. Very useful.

Guitar Pro - I've taken to using Guitar Pro to transcribe songs I'm working on and also to download from the internet and can use as backing tracks. This is a mobile version, so you cannot "work" in it, but you can use it for reference and playback.

EveryDayLooper - Another really cool app. It is a four track looper. You can bounce tracks and just keep going. You can hook up your instrument to it, but I never have. The main thing I use it for is to practice singing harmonies with myself.

Sing Harmonies - It's an app that has a handful of popular songs like Lean on Me and Proud Mary that is recorded with 4-part vocal harmony. You can remove any number of the singers and practice singing their part. I got really into singing for a bit after realizing that I seem to have a better voice than half the people I jam with and wants to do singalongs. I never really worked on my voice before, so I started finding apps to practice on my own. Can't afford singing lessons AND guitar lessons. Not looking to be a lead singer (though I can dream right?) but I'd love to be able to provide great harmony.

Voice Tutor - I can't recommend this app enough if you are interested in singing. Filled with exercises and warmups to train your voice. You can select certain programs to work on various singing difficulties such as cracking, breathy, brassy, etc... You can even speed up and slowdown the exercises like a metronome. Just like practicing a guitar, you got to learn to find the notes slow before you can fly.

GarageBand - Picked this up since it was only $4.99 and I needed something to play along with the new Apogee Jam I picked up. Amplitube does not work with Apogee Jam, so I had to go hunting for an Amp Sim that I could use with the Apogee Jam guitar input. Garageband is a bit more suited as a mobile recording app and not as a practice resource so I haven't really put it to much use yet.

Music Studio - Got this app not long after first getting my phone. Very powerful and works much like Garageband. Really good selection of instruments. Learning to play jazz is for my own personal growth, but I've played in original rock bands for years now and love to record. This lets me play around with song ideas when I'm away from my phone. Build a loop, for instance a drum loop, bass loop, whatever, using it's onscreen keyboard, then use the loops to build a song. Very hard to do on such a small screen, so hopefully one day I'll finally get an iPad where this will be perfect.

Amplitube - As an amp sim and practice tool, I love this app. Great amps, especially the Fenders and a good slowdowner tool. Even has a 4-track for recording. Pretty easy to setup your tones and save presets. You can play along with your iPod library and slowdown/change pitch. One thing that kept me from using this app more, was the iRig guitar input. It just made way too much hissy noise and after practicing with headphones for a bit, it drove me crazy and gave me too much ear fatigue. The iRig connects via the headphone input which leaves the dock port free to hook your phone up to a charger. I've since started using and couldn't be happier with the Apogee Jam as a guitar input. It connects to the dock port and is completely hiss free. I can remove my hands from the guitar and it will remain silent. I don't even have to use a noise suppressor with the Apogee which I always did with the iRig. Noise suppressors really hurt your tone, especially if you play with a clean jazz tone and rely on playing dynamics. Amplitube does not support dock connectors at this point, though they've been promising an upgrade for the past 6 months that would allow it. With all the investment I put into Amplitube, I had no other choice but to explore other amp sim apps and have since found:

Jam Up - Like Amplitube, is an amp sim, and practice tool. Instead of a 4 track it has a looper. I LOVE practicing along with loopers. It also has a jamalong to your iPod library feature. I different graphical interface than Amplitube, but nice and a bit more "retro" looking. Tones in this app are very, very good. Tough to compare with Amplitube because of Amplitubes "hissing" with the iRig, but Jam Up sounds superb with the Apogee Jam.

Beat Time - A music slowdowner type of app. Since I couldn't use Amplitube with my Apogee, and before I pulled the trigger on Jam Up, I looked for a dedicated slowdowner/looper. I just don't like ASD because I use Transcribe! on my computer and really like the ability to look at my loops as a wave form and adusting the loop by manipulating a highlighted section of a wave form. Makes it much easier to find where the measures start and end. ASD, Amplitube, Jam Up, all use an A B marker button with no wave form showing. If you are a split second late in pressing either the A or the B button, too bad. You'll have to do it over. Wave forms will allow you to mark off beats and sections too. Just really all around better. Someone earlier mentioned Capo, and I really wanted to get that one, but it was pretty expensive. Beat Time was similar for half the price, and has the ability to work with videos as well, which helped me a bit with my last transcription.

As you can see I have quite a few apps for music on my phone. I'm slightly perturbed that I had to get some "redundan" apps, like Amplitube and Jam Up or Garageband and Music Studio, especially since those were some of the pricier (not Garageband, that one's a good price) apps. So make sure your input device is all it's cracked up to be. I went with iRig first, because that's all there was at the time, but the apps I invested into with that adapter in mind just didn't work with the Apogee Jam. The Apoggee Jam is just superb as a guitar input. The only negative I can give it is you can't charge your phone while you are using it, but I'll accept the trade off with it's excellent sound quality.

[SamBooka]

What would you say the main difference between music studio and GarageBand?

[Mojojojo]

Two things right off hand. There are amp sims in GB. You can plug right in and record directly. Pretty good selection of amps too. You can't do that in Music Studio. You'd have to record in something else and copy/paste or import your track. Same if you're looking to record vox.

The other is all sounds are triggered by a keyboard in Music Studio where as in GB you can trigger guitar sounds with a virtual fretboard, same for bass, and drums with a virtual drum kit.

I haven't fooled with it too much, but it seems pretty cool. Very guitarist friendly. MS seems to be better suited to synth players. GB is also much cheaper than MS. MS has a lot of instrument voices and a lot of tone tweakability, but GB is not too shabby and has a very friendly interface. GB at 4.99 vs MS at 19.99 wins by a long shot in my book. Plus I have a Mac with GB preinstalled so no problem working on my projects from the computer.

[bborzell]

Not an app, but a very useful accessory.

[NSJ]

Originally Posted by bborzell

Not an app, but a very useful accessory.

Indeed. I use it regularly on a daily basis, but thankfully, once once a day on the #2 setting (analog).