Korg iKaossilator app for iPhone/iPod touch

I've had this app on my phone for a while now and I keep coming back to it every now and again for the odd jam session. It's a fun little app and it's great for making a little noise on the move.

At first the iKaossilator didn't really impress me that much but after a while it grew on me. I've always wanted to own one of the hardware versions so when it hit the AppStore I brought it instantly without any thought. It was £6.99, I don't usually spend that much on a single app (especially for the iPhone) but Korg have impressed me twice with the iMS20 and the iElectribe so I thought that I'd give it a shot.

This app is really basic, I know that the original kaossilator was aimed at amateur music makers and Djs but I was expecting a whole lot more functionality from the iOS version. Don't get me wrong, it's a really fun gadget to have on your phone but I expected Korg to implement a little more into the software version.

The app on it's own is alright for a quick noise making session while your out and about but to be completely honest I can't see me making any serious music with this thing.

If you have an iPad running iMS20 or iElectribe then you can have a whole lot more fun with it. The iKaossilator has the same wireless syncing technology (WIST) that Korg have put into their other apps so you can pair it up with your iPad and run it along side the other Korg apps (or any other app that supports WIST).

I'm really surprised that the iKaossilator is only available on the iPhone and iPod Touch, an iPad version of this would have gone down a whole lot better. The bigger screen on the iPad would have made playing this thing a lot more easy where as on the iPhone it's hard to actually make anything that doesn't sound like random noise. Since I've brought the iPad I've found that I've moved all of my music making apps from the phone to the tablet. I don't know, maybe I just need a little practice.

Tweet

Moog Animoog iPad app Demo

Here's the video of me messing around with the Moog Animoog iPad app. this video was supposed to be uploaded alongside the review that I did last week. I couldn't upload it because of internet connection problems (the estimated upload time was approx. 1900 mins). My connection speed increased earlier so I thought I'd upload it while I had the chance.

So here it is.

Tweet

Fingerlab DM-1 drum on sale for £0.69

DM-1 is a vintage style drum machine emulator by Fingerlab. The app is currently available in the app store for a limited time at just £0.69. I already have some great drum machine apps on my iPad (iElectribe, Funkbox, Molten, etc.) but when I saw DM-1 on sale I thought that I'd try it out.

The drum machine is built up of 5 main parts; a step sequencer, drum pads, mixer, X/Y effects trackpads and the main song sequencer. All these different sections are spread out over different pages which makes navigation around the app really simple.

The step sequencer is easy to use and works just like any other drum sequencer, it's really fast to build a beat and get your ideas down. The included drum sounds are superb, they are professionally recorded and ready to use. There's the classic drum machine sounds (which are the standard 808, 909, etc.) along with some acoustic drum kits and exclusive DM-1 kits for you to play with.

There's two things that caught my attention with this app which have quickly made this one of my favourite drum machines for the iPad. The first one is the GUI, it's beautiful and really gives off a slick retro vibe. I'm loving the leather background to this app.

The second one is the X/Y track pads. I know, every music app on the iPad seems to have an X/Y controller of some sort but it's very rare that you see them on drum apps. The pads really give you a whole new way to sculpt your sound, they're really fun too.

For £0.69 you can't go wrong with this, I'm glad I brought it and it will be a nice addition to my line up of iOS music creation apps. Get it now while it's still on sale.

DM1 - The Drum Machine for iPad - By Fingerlab from Fingerlab on Vimeo.

Tweet

Animoog Tutorial - X/Y Pad

I've just stumbled upon this interesting little page by Bob Borries about the X/Y section of the new Moog Animoog app. It explains how the X and Y axis change the timbre of the synth engine. Head over to his site for the tutorial, the animated gifs really help to make it clear.

Tweet

Animoog iPad app

As soon as I started playing about with this app I fell in love with it. Fair enough, a digital synth is not something that I would have expected from Moog Music Inc. but in my eyes the Animoog definitely deserves to wear the Moog logo.

The app appeared in the app store in the early hours of Oct 17th for an introductory price of 69p (GBP)! A Moog synthesiser for 69p! I couldn't believe it. Well, it's going to stay at 69p for about a month until the price will shoot up to roughly £20.

£20 is a bit high for an iPad synth but to be honest when I first brought my iPad I instantly installed the Korg iMS20 app which is currently priced at £22.99.

Moog are marketing this app as 'the first professional synthesizer designed for the iPad'. That's a pretty huge claim. I'm sure there have been other professional synths on the iPad before. There are loads of iOS developers out there that are already producing fine instruments for the iPad. Look at the BleepStreet Sunrizer synth for example.

Let's get into the app then and have a look at what it can do. The Animoog is powered by what Moog are calling their new Anisotropic Synthesis Engine. Which to be honest has a really nice sound to it, there's still that warm Moog flavour but with a bit of a twist. Some of the sounds that I've managed to make with this thing are pretty insane and harsh. It still does the good old retro Moog leads and bass as well but to be honest, I'm glad that they didn't just port the Arturia Minimoog V to the iPad.

But it's not just all about the sounds. The interface is beautifully designed and the playability is superb. This is an instrument not just a fancy noise maker with the Moog badge slapped on it. The sounds are controlled and morphed using the x/y pad along with the keys, which are capable of polyphonic pitch bending and modulation.

There are lots of options for sound creation and design in the Animoog app. The timbre page has to be one of my favourite features of this synth. Here you can arrange sounds in the x/y controller, Moog says the sounds are NOT simply just samples but are actually software emulations of vintage and modern synthesisers and pedals.

It also features the staple Moog ladder filter with band pass, high pass and low pass. The filter is pretty much self explanatory and I have to admit I love the sound of a good Moog ladder filter.

The Thick module is also a pretty cool feature; it has a bit crusher, drive and unison with detune. This is the module that is going to help you completely tear shreds out of your sounds and create some filthy patches.

All of these features and more add up to a truly enjoyable playing experience. I think Moog have just raised the bar with this one.

Introducing Animoog from Moog Music on Vimeo.

Update: I've uploaded a video demo of the Animoog synth here.

Tweet

Blog/Website Updates

Updates to the site/blog

Over the next week or so you will probably notice a few updates to the Dan303 site and blog. I want to make the site a lot more user friendly for you guys so I will be changing a few things.

The main thing that I would like to to is make the site a lot easier to navigate so that content will be a lot easier to find. I might split the blog into a few categories such as News, reviews, updates, iOS apps, music, samples and synthesisers, etc.

Along with the navigation improvements I'll also be changing the about sections, side texts and main page. This will make it a lot clearer to new visitors and let them know and get a better feel about what to expect from the website.

I'm looking forward to making these improvements and I hope that they will help to push the site forward.

-Dan.

Tweet

King Jellyfish/Machines now available

I know this blog update is a bit late but I thought I'd post it anyway just in case anyone missed the release of 'King Jellyfish/Machines' on October 5th.

The new SKatterBrain EP is out now and you can pick up a digital copy from my music page for just £3.50. There's also the option to 'pay what you want' for the release if you're feeling generous and would like to pay a little extra.

The EP includes two brand new tracks, a VIP remix and an other remix by electronic producer Diamonds and Dynamite.

You can listen to the album online here:

Also, I've temporarily lowered the price of my older EP 'Meet me in the stars' to £0. As always there's still the option to 'pay what you want' if you would like to give a little back.

Tweet