BeatMaker was just updated today and it is a big one.  Besides listening to their users (take note all you iPhone developers, especially you Gameloft) and vastly expanding their sequencer so you can get down to the 1/64T level, they have had added the ability to sample sounds using either the built-in mic on the iPhone or an external mic on the iPod Touch 2G.  I played around with it for just a bit today and I must say they did an absolutely fantastic job.

BeatMaker Sampling from Ryan Billingsley on Vimeo.

The interface is really easy to use and perhaps the only thing that bothers me is you can’t preview what you are recording, but being able to edit the recording is great and almost makes up for that.  The ability to sample is very exciting for me because I have always wanted to create a song or a couple songs using only sounds found out in the world.  I know people have done this before and it isn’t the most original idea but I like the thought of turning noise into something musical.

Another huge improvement to the already impressive BeatMaker is the addition of pitch shifting in the sequencer.  Let me explain.  Before you could only change the pitch of a sound on it’s respective pad, or button that triggers the sound.  This meant you could only change the pitch universally no matter what it would always be that pitch.  This makes music rather difficult.  Let’s say for instance you have a sample of a C key being played on a piano.  In order for you to actually create a song you would have to use up several pads and then tune them to different pitches.  Now you can use the sample on one pad and then adjust the pitch each time the pad is played in the sequencer.  This really blows this program wide open.  To demonstrate, I made a little song using the sampling of the bottle.  It was a quick song and just demonstration so don’t hold this against me.

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As you can see, this software is capable of a lot. I took the sample recording of the pencil hitting the bottle, assigned it to four pads allow for the sample to ring, then changed the pitch to create chords and make it musical.  I also added delay to it and the brand new Band Pass Filter.  You can see how the amount of creative freedom that exists is really staggering.

I can’t wait to start creating material with this. I really have my heart set on crafting a short EP of music created on my iPhone in places I wouldn’t normally create music.  I want to tie in a lot of visuals including photos and video of the places I visit and draw from and then package the whole thing.  I have been needing some personal creative project to embark on and I don’t think I will find a better one than this.

I will be using BeatMaker, Noise.IO, MiniSynth, and probably some odd apps here and there.  I will mix the whole thing in Logic as most apps have no ability to record or output any audio file save BeatMaker which can export both a WAV file or a MIDI file to use as rhythms in other applications.  Did I mention BeatMaker is the coolest, because it is.

If anyone out there is using the iPhone to create music I want to hear about it, drop a comment.

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