This week’s featured track is Trigger by Dra5t3k. It’s a nice little piece made with Cassini Synth for iPhone, NanoStudio, and mixed in GarageBand for Mac. Dra5t3k had a chance to tell me a little bit about how it was made…
“I first improvised a spontaneous little ‘ditty’ in the Cassini synth app, on my iPhone 4, that ran about a minute and twenty seconds long. I love that synth. The rich sounds and deep effects gave me a good base to work on for this piece. I recorded the playing, and saved it to file, and then copied it from within the app.
After that I pasted the sound file into Nanostudio app. I believe this is an Intua copy/paste feature built into both apps. Once in Nanostudio I used the file as a sample within several different Eden synths within Nanostudio all at different settings, and arranged differently. For example the higher pitched notes are all being played at recorded speed and pitch, and I repeated that segment 16 times with a gap at the second to last segment. On a separate Eden synth I took the same sample but transposed it 12 steps down (1 octave) and this not only lowered the pitch but slowed the sample down by half. Now I repeated this segment 8 times. 3 more samples were done at lower octaves and slower speeds so that at the lowest bass pitch, the original one minute sample only plays once throughout the whole 15 min piece. This longer composition creates an effect of overall consistancy because the notes are all related in pitch and time, creating a sort of meditative effect because our brains can predict how the song will play out. Near the end of course I dropped the higher notes to focus on the bass notes because I love bass and also wanted to create some variety in the song.
The final step is syncing the song with my computer and opening it up in GarageBand for desktop Mac. There I can utilize features not yet available in the iOS platforms like tremolo effects, graphic equalization etc.
Other notes are Nanostudio also has lots of filters and add on effects I used, left and right channels, and I also lowered the overall pitch by 32 cents to have this piece in concert A 432 hz, which is a nicely more natural pitch for our ears to hear.”
Check out more iOS music made by Dra5t3k on SoundCloud
CASSINI Synthesizer for iPad
by iceWorks, Inc.
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Rating
- $5.99
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Platform
iOS (iPad)
CASSINI Synthesizer for iPad
Polyphonic Subtractive Synthesizer for iPad
3 OSCs + 2 Filters + AMP + 9 EGs + 6 LFOs + 3band EQ + Saturator + 2 Delays + Arpeggiator
* Inter-App Audio support (v1.3.0)
You can stream live audio directly to other InterApp-Audio compatible apps directly.
* Audiobus support
Now you can stream live audio directly to other Audiobus-compatible apps! See http://audiob.us for more information. (including. state saving in Audiobus2)
* 3 Oscillators + 1 Sub-Osc
- Sawtooth, Pulse(PWM), Triangle, Sine, Noise, FM, 8bitOsc
- Waveshape Modulation
- Oscillator Sync
- Ring Modulation
* 2 Filters
- LP24, LP18, LP12, LP6, BP, HP, Formant
* AMP
- Overdrive
- 3 Band EQ
- Auto Pan
* 9 Envelope Generators
- DAHDSR (Delay, Attack, Hold, Decay, Sustain, Release)
- Velocity, Keyboard Tracking
* 6 LFOs
- Sawtooth, Pulse, Triangle, Random, 16 Step Sequence
- Waveshape Modulation
- Envelope for LFO (AD/AR)
* Modulation Delay
- Delay Time: 1-2000ms / Tempo Sync
- Delay Time Modulation
* Filtered Stereo Delay
- Resonant Filter (LP, BP, HP)
- Filter Modulation
* Programable Polyphonic Arpeggiator
- The arpeggiator does not support external synchronization.
* Scale/Chord Remapper
* Support for CoreMIDI device (input)
* Virtual MIDI-IN & Background Audio
* Scrollable keyboard (Horizontal scrolling at the bottom edge of the keyboard)
* Recorder
- Audio Copy (Compatible with INTUA BeatMaker, Apple GarageBand and so on.)
- Export wav file via iTunes File Sharing
- The recording time is limited to 3 minutes.
Further information at http://ios.icegear.net/cassini_ipad/
NanoStudio
by Blip Interactive Ltd
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Rating
- FREE
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Platform
iOS (Universal)
NanoStudio
NanoStudio is a recording studio for iOS, OS X and Windows. It has virtual analogue synths, sample trigger pads, a comprehensive sequencer, a sample editor, a mixer and multiple effects all integrated into a single application.
Record your ideas in real time, mix synth layers with samples, compose and arrange your tune using the powerful sequencer and bring the mix alive with effects such as reverb, compression and EQ. Share your tune on SoundCloud from wherever you are or use the comprehensive audio mixdown options and MIDI export feature to get your ideas over to your desktop DAW when you get back home.
NanoStudio's intuitive user interface frees you to get creative yet has loads of depth for when you need it. To try it out head on over to our website where you can download the OS X and Windows versions for free!
INSTRUMENTS
Up to 6 simultaneous instruments (including mixer) or upgrade with the '16 Instrument Tracks' in-app purchase, particularly recommended for newer devices.
'Eden', a powerful 16 voice subtractive synth with dual oscillators, 2 pole resonant filter, 3 envelope generators and 4 LFO's per voice and 2 dedicated insert effects. Eden's virtual patchbay lets you hook up almost anything for modulation mayhem.
The 'TRG-16', a performance pad for triggering samples. Adjust pitch, pan, volume and envelopes and assign each sample to one of the 3 output busses, each with its own effect sends and filter setup.
SAMPLING
Record samples with the built-in mic (iPod Touch requires external mic), resample NanoStudio's own output or upload your own samples using NanoSync for OS X/Windows. Edit your samples using NanoStudio's built-in wave editing tools (with multiple undo/redo) and process them offline with custom effects chains.
SEQUENCER
Record performances in real-time using the keys and trigger pads or create patterns and controller sweeps by drawing them in the piano roll editor. Arrange your patterns into a complete song using the track editor. You can edit while the song is playing and every operation has multiple undo/redo.
MASTERING
Nanostudio's mixer has 2 global effects sends, 4 insert effects per channel and you can record, edit and playback all your fader and pan changes. When you're ready to share your mix with others you can upload it direct to SoundCloud or use NanoSync to copy the exported .wav file to your Mac/PC.
EFFECTS
NanoStudio's reverb, compressor, parametric EQ, waveshaper, delay, chorus, and bitcrusher effects are all highly optimized so you can run lots of them.
FEATURE SHORTLIST (loads more at www.blipinteractive.co.uk/specifications.php)
* 6 simultaneous instruments, up to 16 with in-app purchase
* MIDI input with the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer, Akai SynthStation 25 and Core MIDI
* Audio copy/paste for sharing audio with other compatible apps (Sonoma and Intua standards supported)
* Upload your mix directly to SoundCloud
* Eden synth (also plays samples) - single or dual keyboards, XY controllers, pitch bend and accelerometer control
* TRG-16 sample trigger pads
* Sequencer with up to 64 tracks and a piano roll editor for note, velocity and controller events, all with undo/redo
* Mixer with 4 inserts per channel, 2 global send busses and volume/pan automation on every channel
* Sampling and resampling, sample editor and effects processor with undo/redo
* Transfer samples, final mixes and individual track mixdowns to your Mac/PC using NanoSync
* Send projects, samples and MIDI files as email attachments
* Built in help
Support for Akai Pro's SynthStation25 keyboard controller is included. SynthStation25 delivers instant hardware control for improved performance capability and expression. For more information on SynthStation25, visit http://www.synthstationapp.com.
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