BeatMaker for iPhone

Posted on 03 Sep 2008 18:57:33 by John Slater

Beat Maker seems to have been in the iTunes App Store since the launch of it back in July but i never wanted to download it because 1. The Cost and 2. I didn't have the new iPhone and didn't know how the DRM works, so i held off for a couple of months.

On Saturday i decided to take the plunge after getting my new iPhone and buy the app because of all the raving reviews, plus i recently sold a few games on Play.com so i was able to afford the steep price.

So here is my review of Beat Maker for the iPhone & iPod Touch...

Beat Maker
Beat Maker is a mobile music maker to put it bluntly, it's rather like Fruity Loops in the way that it allows you to setup different patterns and add beats in whatever order you like, it could also be compared to a limited version of eJay which was massive back in the day because it made music making accessible and bloody easy.

The software is very easy to use but takes some getting used too but once you grasp the concept of each tab you slap your head and say "Duh" because it is so blatantly obvious.

Beat Maker also allows you to export your songs to WAV or Midi (which means you can plug it into a synthesiser and make more changes) as well as Import new BeatPacks that can be made with some Free software provided by the Beat Maker creators.

It comes with a lot of already installed BeatPacks that can be loaded to make different tunes including various different genres such as Rock, Hip Hop and Electronic.

Pads
The pads screen is where you will first start off and will look very familiar to people who have used the application called Band for the iPhone. This where you will first start to build you pattern, to build a pattern you simply hit play and record and it will loop round, then when you start to hit pads it will add it to your recording pattern.

The more patterns you build the more layers to the song you create, even better is that if you don't like a pad's sound you can change the pitch and tempo and make it sound how you like.

I like to create 1 pattern that is the drum and base for the song, something that will be repeated over and over again in the background, this way there is always a solid beat to the song rather than one that varies slightly.

Sequencer
The sequencer is where the building of the song is done, simply tap a block on the sequencer on the same row as the pattern you want to play for that block. This is very easy to use because it's as simple as clicking a block and listening to it, if you hate it just tap it again and it doesn't play.

Another priceless thing built into the sequencer is the ability to globally edit a pattern, this allows you to go into a pattern after you have built it in the pads window and tweak it. You can make it louder, quieter and change the pitch but the main thing is you can change when different beats will play which is great if your finger doesn't tap the pads quite within the timing of the song because you can simply unselect it and tab where it should have played.

FX
Once you have built your song using your pads and sequencer it is time to go in and make some changes to how it sounds which is all done within the FX panel. You can adjust the 'Feedback and Wet' of the song allowing echos, you can change the Low, Mid & High of the song (i haven't a clue what it does or what difference it makes) then last but not least you can change the Frequency and Bits of the song.

The final product
Well once you have built and tweaked your song you simply need to export it to your PC/MAC and let the world hear your musical talent.

The Damage
The price point is very high if you ask me, lots of iPhone owners are younger people with very little money to begin with and then the added cost of an iPhone on top of their expenses it just doesn't seem like a good price. However saying that once you have played with Beat Maker you can really see the value in the product and it is endless fun because you have unlimited possibilities.

Beat Maker will set you back a whopping £11.99 in the UK and around $20.00 in the USA.

My suggestion to the people who made Beat Maker would be to create a free limited version to entice people into buying the real deal.

Pros
- Endless Fun
- Lots of kits to play with
- Moderate to use
- Lots of features
- Import Kits
- Export Kits & Export your Song

Cons
- Expensive
- Deletes your work once you exit
- Not many places to download more kits.

Final Word
If you are looking for something to burn away your dinner hour then get this, you can get a lot done within an hour but always remember to save because if you don't you will loose whatever progress you have made once you close the application.

The Details
Name: BeatMaker
Creator: Intua
Price: £11.99 (around $20.00)
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