By: Philip Matthews
An iPad pretending to be a full on hardware synth? Has the time come when our beloved hardware is replaced by software? Anybody who has used a software synth is rolling on the ground laughing now but Korg may get the last laugh. They have released a digital version of their much-loved electribe for only 10 bucks, making us wonder how serious is this thing?
What is it really?
The iElectribe is a 8 voice rhythm synthesizer. In short you can synthesize up to 8 different voices and sequence them into a maximum of 64 steps (essentially 4 bars of 16th notes). So don’t let the default red anodized skin of an ESX fool you, it is not a sampler. Rather the native color should have been blue for the EMX that it more closely resembles.
Beyond the 8 voices (called parts), there is an effects section. The effects can only be run one-at-a-time, but, like the synthesizer, can be animated (motion sequenced) to provide different effects and effect settings at different parts of the pattern. You can, however, chose which parts and which sequences are effected.
Patterns can be copied, completely modified (editing tool set included) and saved. They can be called up in any order on the fly, with or without tempo lock, in a user selectable quantization. Therefore a performance (pattern set) can be laid out to put longer pieces together for more varying ideas than 8 voices would imply.
Can It Produce Quality Sounds?
[audio:http://djtechtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Techno-6-Basic.mov]
I tested it through an AK1 in Traktor as an Audio Through on an Internal Mix and the sound was so-so. It sounds like a low bit rate song when mixed with a 320 kbps MP3. On the other hand, recording in GarageBand produced decent results. The audio quality does not seem as muddy and played with a couple of AppleLoops it was fun to grow the same pattern into something more useful. Dropped into a higher end DAW, the patterns could definitely be used professionally (especially compared to some of the loop packs available out there…).
How good are the preset patterns?
I would rate the presets (64 in total) as examples more than workable patterns. They can be used to give you an idea of how different parts could be broken down and stay within a genre. The differences between say two minimal patterns is too vast to have a good flow between the two for use in a performance. But by copying one to a blank memory slot (there are 64 blank slots) modifying it, then copying it again to the next blank slot, modifying it, etc, would allow you to build a performance set to make a complete “song” (the iElectrible does not have its hardware cousin’s song function). The only drawback is that the pattern select feature that lends itself well to performances only allows selection of the first 64 patterns, so you will need to move some of the factory presets into blank slots to get the full benefit of the feature.
The other 32 memory slots contain “templates” of different genres (you can overwrite any of the presets to give yourself more slots). These are interesting in that you get a pre-biased canvas for ideas. The parts in the template that are already laid out tend to be mostly drum parts so that you can build a bass and/or melody over it. Of course, you can tweak and do what you want to the drum part too (make minimal-hardcore? yeah).
Can you actually play this thing?
Load a pattern, mute all but the kick, press play, wait 4 bars, bring in the HH and snare, wait 4 bars, bring in the bass, wait 4 bars and bring in the melody, wait 4 bars and drop the bass while tweaking the melody part on the mod and pitch, bring back the bass, start throwing some effect to the bass and melody, drop all the drum parts and the bass, more effects, switch pattern, etc. Yeah, you can play it.
The feel of the controls during playback is maybe one of things that is questionable (age old tactile screen thang). For those with a lot of DAW experience, you will quickly want to switch the knob feel to linear from the default rotary. Now you touch the control and drag up and down for changes. For large wholesale changes the feel is quite good, but to move to a precise setting on the fly is not intuitive.
So what is good for?
As a production tool, it can be used to sketch in a background that you will build from. As a performance tool it can be used to do some tricks and interludes. But I feel the real strength of the app is as a mobile idea sketchpad. Want to see if that little groove playing in your head would sound good to a hammering DnB drum line or if that glitch noise that you think would drop in great syncopated to a soft throbbing tweet? Here is a tool in you back pack that will give you that open avenue of creative possibility.
Should I be running out to buy this?
If you don’t already have an iPad, no. But if you do this is a really cool app for anybody who has used an Electribe and can appreciate how smooth of an idea sketchpad it is, or an Electribe noob who would like to explore some new possibilities.
About The Author: Philip Matthews (Pilmat) is a regular contributor to the forum. This is his first article for Dj TechTools so show some love in the comments!
so yeah, im all about ipad programming. i remember i couldn’t wait to get my korg sx (blue) in the mail for 600 bucks. i can’t say this program compares to a real tube saturation but its a korg on my ipad for 10 bucks. come on. no complaints.
so im an ipad developer that is excited about the crappy dj programs that are comming out for the ipad. so i decided to make my own osc program.
becasue this is fun to do… using flare iphone i app on i pad.
http://pelican.asap.um.maine.edu/~oconnordw/vid/ipapTurnTablIZM.mov
here is a screen shot of my beta application. im looking for beta testers….
http://research-ants.com/uploads/pix/Default.png
here is demo of my trying to scratch with ableton using my controller.
http://research-ants.com/uploads/sratchPadLive.mov
still needs some work thats why im in beta. next is to map to traktor and see if that is any better. just finished it tonight.
right now im experimenting, with custom multi-touch gestures. like lets say two finger scratch drives an auto crab. right now its just sparse essentials cue, play, pause, and turntable, with sliders etc… maybe tomorrow once i get my traktor mapped out i will start adding things real turntables can not do.
so this is the reason i started out making a controller. my two year old rocks the ipad dj.
http://pelican.asap.um.maine.edu/~oconnordw/vid/iPadDJ.mov
you can check my experiments on vimeo.com/dvjdust
Version 1.1 just came out with “full length performances” and “audio export as .wav”. Basically you can bounce a pattern or your performance.
..
Phil.
Version 1.1 just came out with “full length performances” and “audio export as .wav”. Basically you can bounce a pattern or your performance.
..
Phil.
Nice article,makes me want get a ipad and this app.
hope to see more of your reviews,
keep up the good work.
[quote comment=”30187″]ive tested the ipad with the usb camera adapter and the Edirol UA-1A usb audio interface, and it works.[/quote]
Hop into the forums, start a thread and let us know about it. I’m sure a lot of people are interested.
ive tested the ipad with the usb camera adapter and the Edirol UA-1A usb audio interface, and it works.
ciao!
[quote post=”5881″]oes the same thing as any $100,000 SSL sound board [/quote]
i dont think that this app makes the same as a hardware pice, but at a simple point of view you are right, when only volume control or some basic stuff is your target. i saw some review on http://www.musotalk.de/software/video/article/midipad-multitouch-midi-controller-fuer-apple-ipad/ it is a german website btw. but it demonstrates the midipad and this one rocks totally,
You also left out that you can buy a mixer on this iPad for 10 bucks that does the same thing as any $100,000 SSL sound board to get put into your studio. Not to mention, even if you wanted a cheap mixer to go with a smaller studio you couldn’t even get one for that price. Also, its wireless and you could theoretically take it into any part of the studio with you to adjust volume while recording and stuff. It’s brilliant and if youre looking for a good studio mixer, I would just get an ipad. but thats just me.
Nice article, but I have to disagree with the teaser:
“Has the time come when our beloved hardware is replaced by software? Anybody who has used a software synth is rolling on the ground laughing now but Korg may get the last laugh.”
Really?? Really?? I have a very hard time finding even professional producers these days who don’t back at least the NI line of softsynths.
I think the iPad has a LOT of potential right now as a controller for… just about anything. If Apple (or another company)develops a more robust model in the future, I could see it being a whole production platform. And, with the new upcoming Net based DAWS that are coming up like Ohm Studio (http://www.ohmstudio.com/) the whole market is about to change drastically.
Cool vid, nice writing. Just making the desire to buy this app even worse, but I’m on a strict app budget so i don’t become an app addict. This one and rebirth gonna be the next two I get when my appllowance comes back around.
I read on the Mixr App blog that there’s gonna be “solutions” for interfaces.
Oh, and I also wanted to say, nice review!
I’ve got a friend who has this hardware, and it’s much fun, the fx sound great!
.
Reboot uses this hardware in a live/dj set in his video on dancetrippin.tv:
.
http://www.dancetrippin.tv/lib.cfm/6616/dj_set_episodes_138/Reboot_LiveSet/Ibiza___
.
(dont like the first few minutes very much, but it gets better!
I would like to raise awareness for android based music/dj apps, but there seems to be an issue with its audio drivers. So plz, if you care about this, join in and “star” this issue.
So maybe android developers notice and put a higher priority on this.
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3434
Some examples of android music/dj apps, including a free midi controller app FingerPlay (lemur like, but very much in early stages), very fun though!
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/05/05/ethereal-dialpad-touch-app-development-experience-on-android-and-beyond/
(great blog by the way 🙂 )
Peter Kirn has also put together a list of various other iPad music thingies. I’ll mention the web address since Peter links to DJ Techtools as well. Someone please say something if this seems like spam. http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/03/31/ipad-apps-for-music-making-whats-coming-the-bigger-picture/
Oh– I also noticed that the iphone/ipad rebirth can’t export midi. Also, the original software for Windows is free for downloading from the rebirth museum. http://www.rebirthmuseum.com/
THE FUTURE is OURS !!!
found it! http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/04/16/ipad-usb-audio-interface-coming/
…just checked and Apple is selling a USB adapter to be used to connect cameras to the ipod; why couldn’t that be used with an external sound card (assuming someone wrote an app to run it, obviously). I even feel like I saw something about that recently here or on CDM but I can’t find it now.
[quote comment=”30117″]I love my ipod touch for the super fun apps it has including some really terrific audio apps but the Achilles heel of these devices is the sound output…the outboard board puts out terrible low db signal whether through the headphone OR even “line level” output.[/quote]
I wonder how long before we’ll see USB-powered soundcards that connect to the iPad? Seems only a matter of time. There’s probably already an adapter available for existing USB devices but maybe I’m dreaming…. I can’t imagine nobody is working on this.
Awesome first article, man! I’ve had an iPad in my sights and on my list since announce… I’m a tech nerd and I can’t wait until my ideas become a reality! It’s a Lemur -$1,500! 😀 Hooray custom scripts!
[quote comment=”30130″]It’s my daughters favorite app on the ipad.[/quote]
LOL
Thanks for all the feedback.
As for the Rebirth app, I’ve only started playing with it but it is really cool. I too think the size is an issue and would have thought it would be more natural on the iPad (where I’m actually using it).
Phil.
Seems like a cool idea. I’m not an iPad fan, but i would think if this “tablet craze” were to happen. It would of already happened since they’ve been out since 01′. Apple just knows how to polish a turd…
Ive been playing with the Rebirth port on my iPhone and its too small to be really usable. But on an iPad it would be rocking. That plus the Electribe port and id be in late 90’s heaven!
It’s my daughters favorite app on the ipad.
Hi Philip
you did a really nice job.
I really like the way of comparison the virtual vs the real korg, but i think the original one is more usefull to make music. But the pirce of this app is nearly unbeatable, only €8, for some kind of virtual instruments. But as you sad: it is more some kind of a scratchpad. By the way is the output of the ipad really useable to perform at a club? which filesize has this app?
[quote comment=”30118″]Just an interesting note along these lines, Someone has just shoehorned the classic Propellerheads ReBirth onto an iPhone…
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/05/01/rebirth-arrives-for-iphone-ipod-touch-more-details-shortly/%5B/quote%5D
this new app seems pretty nice too,
greetz
Hi Philip
you did a really nice job.
I really like the way of comparison the virtual vs the real korg, but i think the original one is more usefull to make music. But the pirce of this app is nearly unbeatable, only €8, for some kind of virtual instruments. But as you sad: it is more some kind of a scratchpad. By the way is the output of the ipad really useable to perform at a club? which filesize has this app?
[quote comment=”30118″]Just an interesting note along these lines, Someone has just shoehorned the classic Propellerheads ReBirth onto an iPhone…
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/05/01/rebirth-arrives-for-iphone-ipod-touch-more-details-shortly/%5B/quote%5D
this new app seems pretty nice too,
greetz
Great article man, I am really thinking about getting an iPad and this app is definitely on my radar
Nice style of writing. Always starting off with a question that leads to a fulfilling answer.
Just an interesting note along these lines, Someone has just shoehorned the classic Propellerheads ReBirth onto an iPhone…
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/05/01/rebirth-arrives-for-iphone-ipod-touch-more-details-shortly/
I love my ipod touch for the super fun apps it has including some really terrific audio apps but the Achilles heel of these devices is the sound output…the outboard board puts out terrible low db signal whether through the headphone OR even “line level” output.
this translates to significant signal noise in the production chain…thus seriously limiting the viability for their uses as a production or performance tool…shame really
Definitely a cool article, I’ve been trying to get my head around what the benefit of music on an iphone/ipad would be. I have some iphone apps that are more like video music games (Guitar, the Major Lazer app, etc), which are kind of fun when you’re stuck in an airport… right, that’s what these things really are, a fun way to play with some ideas when you’re on the go. Props to Korg for the $10 price point, that is the right price for a toy app. It’s definitely interesting to see the evolution of all this and I look forward to being wrong about what you can do with these things.
Interesting to see if all DJ developers hop on the ipad bandwagon
Nice job 🙂 Keep up the good work, may this be the first of many posts to come !
Good job Phil!!
I have played with these Korg’s a couple years ago, was fun…..
But I did not see how it could work in reality playing out.
But fun none the less!
+1 for Phil, nice 1st article !
BTW : It reads ‘written by Ean Golden’ at the top of the article, maybe someone could correct that …
i love my electribe!
…
Big UP Phillip!
😉
…
Nice article Phil, I don’t own an ipad. (Doubt if i will, but it’s nice to see how technology is progressing!)
I’m not a fan of the touchscreen, me i prefer buttons & sliders!! lol
Cheers
Lee
Nice )