amidio
Latest
Futulele goes live for iPad, ukelele serenades just went multi-touch (video)
Futulele has come a long way since we saw it in March; it's now on the App Store and has put on a lot of sheen in return for slipping past the original April release target. Along with a few more flowers to reinforce the Hawaiian vibe, Amidio's definitive ukelele app has since gained the requisite support for the new iPad's graphics and a fully automatic mode, just in case you're not yet a virtual Jake Shimabukuro. If your ambitions do involve playing for yourself, you still have access to the promised maximum 132 chords (12 per set) with the flexibility to adjust chorus, delay, EQ and reverb in addition to recording those plucky creations. We're still waiting on the Futulele Remote app (and matching case) to choose chords more like we would on the real deal, but you can do it all on the iPad for now if you're willing to spend a fiver at the App Store. A flower necklace and an impressionable young lover are optional.
The ukulele's future is now with 'Futulele' iPhone, iPad app (video)
Nothing quite says "check me out" to the ladies like riffing on a frickin' pink ukulele -- until now. For folks rocking both an iPhone and an iPad, Touch DJ app maker Amidio Inc., is releasing its latest magnum opus, the "Futulele." Ah, be still, your beating heart. This dual-device ukulele synthesizer connects the aforementioned iOS devices via Bluetooth, creating a virtual four-string strummer on which to throw down a soulful rendition of "Tiny Bubbles." Users get their groove on by touching the iPhone to select up to 12 chords per song and using the iPad to strum; chord sets also can be changed on the fly. Amidio says the app should drop sometime in April, and will be optimized for the iPad 3, to boot. Sure, a regular ukulele might be cheaper, but who are you to argue with the future? Speaking of the future, check it out in all its cheerful glory with the Futulele video posted after the break, as well as some not-so-futuristic PR.
Amidio's Laugh Synth makes you cry -- with laughter?
Amidio is known for their mobile music creation apps for iOS devices. They've brought us fully featured apps like the recent Songineer, Seline HD and Touch DJ. But the focus of their newest app, Laugh Synth, is a little more, well... light-hearted. Laugh Synth does what it says on the tin, it synthesizes laughs. As detailed on Amidio's YouTube page, Laugh Synth "...takes a sample of a laugh as an input, then divides it into phases and intelligently loops the most notable part, enriching it with the pitch modifications, subtle vowel alterations and crazy effects." I couldn't have said it better myself! With 25 built-in laugh samples (some of them quite ominous), including Dracula and T-Rex, simply drag your finger around the input panel to mold, manipulate and morph the laugh samples. Take it even further with delay, chorus, bitcrush and reverb effects. And when you eventually stop laughing from all of that, sample some of your own laughs and share them with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. Honestly, Laugh Synth will either have you chuckling away or (more likely) crying in desperation. But don't take my word for it, check out the video below and get the app for a laughable $US0.99 from the iOS App Store.
Amidio debuts Songineer - Instant Composer for the iPhone
Amidio, makers of mobile music creation apps like Seline HD, have released Songineer, a scale-based sequencer to help you create and generate melodic sound and groove while on the move. Featuring a drum machine with 5 drumkits, a beat randomizer, 20 instruments, a DNA keyboard (which means you never hit a wrong note), on-board FX and easy recording / editing , Songineer has all the tools you need to create and compose your next big hit. And if you do happen to find you need to expand the sample library, there are more instrument and drum packs available through in-app purchase. Once you've completed a song simply export it as a MIDI file, .WAV, .M4A or multi-track dry .WAV file. If the idea of layering beats and grooves down while capturing that perfect hook over the top appeals, all from your iPhone or iPod touch, Songineer (US$1.99) is probably right up your music-making street. Check out this video below of Songineer in action.
Count The Beats: First look at Amidio's Seline HD app for the iPad
The guys over at Amidio Inc (Touch DJ / Noise.io) have recently released their latest app for the iPad, Seline HD (US$5.99). Seline HD is a musical instrument designed for performance and composition of music on the iPad. One of its key features is to make the creation of complex melodies easy, while accompanying those melodies with big sound scape type pads. With its all new, ergonomically designed interface, the ioGrid, Seline HD makes playing music a breeze, literally, without the strain (RSI, anyone?). Seline HD's intuitive CrystalClarity HD sound engine analyzes what you are playing in order to add subtle nuances to your strokes of genius. And the keys are designed to be suitable for players with all hand sizes, according to Amidio's press release. So, how do you play? You lay your hands down on the keys, like you're about to play a piano. A fully adjustable 16-note scale is divided between your left and right hand, odd and even notes respectively. The idea is to place your index, middle, and ring finger over three individual columns, each finger being responsible for its own column. As a result, interesting playing and improvisational input possibilities occur, but more importantly, you get the added comfort of knowing you will never hit a wrong note. In your face, music teacher! But the playing doesn't end there. Some well thought out features enhance your Seline HD skills even more. Aiming for the center of each key (in a column) will provide maximum volume, while aiming slightly off center and to the edges will provide less. In effect, more or less velocity. Your thumb (or you can move and use your index finger) is left to control a center, two semi-tone, up or down pitch bend, while going left or right will add manual vibrato. There's also note shift, up or down buttons (to create great trill sounds), and, in addition to this, the joystick on each side calibrates the attack of the notes being played. To add a luscious background to your melodies, activate the Drone (chorded synth pads). Analyzing what you are playing, the Drone will add sound scape backgrounds to your melodies. Using Amidio's CrystalClarity HD sound engine, Seline HD makes it easy for beginners to play as well as for seasoned musicians to find depth in the experience. By implementing dozens of algorithms to analyze the melody being played, Seline HD will subtly introduce character and expression to your input. For example, play an intensive solo where you land up holding the final note, Seline HD will detect this passage and add a subtle vibrato to that final note, as a finishing touch. To top it all off, Seline HD is equipped with a full range of recording possibilities, including direct recording to .wav files. With 20 built-in factory voices (flutes, bowed strings, reeds, synth leads, and more), and nine drone voices, we're looking forward to spending some quality time with Seline HD. After the break, check out Seline HD's tutorial video, Seline HD being used by The iPad Orchestra, and Jordan Rudess (of Dream Theater) playing a piano accompanied by Seline HD.
Amidio's Touch DJ app stuffs a turntable into your iPhone (video)
Not kosher with getting a handset tailor made for DJing? How's about transforming your existing iPhone into that very device when the mood strikes you? Hailed as the first true DJ MP3 iPhone / iPod touch app in the world, Amidio's $19.99 Touch DJ program (available now) enables users to independently manipulate two MP3 or M4A files, including scratching, looping, positioning, equalization, effects and pitching. The "visual mixing" requires all sorts of tapping and sliding, but the on-screen UI seems pretty elegant from what we've seen. The only real knock on this is that there's currently no way to get music from the iTunes library into the program; instead, you'll be forced to reload tracks into the app's own MP3 library. Still, for those looking to ditch the hard case and waltz in with a pocketful of boogie, this ain't a half bad option. Check the demonstration vid after the break.
