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Double Bass Useful iPhone/iPod apps for bass players

Michael Eisenman

Michael Eisenman

Supporting Member
Jun 21, 2006
2,677
3,996
Eugene, Oregon
#1
I've found some useful apps for my iPod touch, as they relate to us bass players. Here they are:
  • Metronome (http://www.onemoremuse.com)
    A lot of good features and accurate.
  • Amazing Slow Downer (http://www.ronimusic.com)
    This is for when I don't want to drag my computer into the music room to fire up Transcribe.
  • iReal Book (Invalid Link Removed)
    Lots of songs in a pinch; change keys; add your own songs.
  • iStroboSoft (Link Removed) At $10.00, it's a steal.
    I just got it, but I don't yet have the phone-plug-to-iPod adapter to be able to tune my bass. Peterson has 'em.
    EDIT: I got one of those thumb-tack mics and held my tuning fork against it to calibrate the tuner. Pretty slick. I then found some A440 reference tones on the Interweb, and they're not all A440. The computer's sound card may not be properly calibrated to generate the exact frequency.
Have you found anything of value (for iPhone/iPod) that we'd be interested in? Let's hear it.
 
#5
Michael Eisenman said:
I've found some useful apps for my iPod touch, as they relate to us bass players. Here they are:
  • Metronome (http://www.onemoremuse.com)
    A lot of good features and accurate.
  • Amazing Slow Downer (http://www.ronimusic.com)
    This is for when I don't want to drag my computer into the music room to fire up Transcribe.
  • iReal Book (Invalid Link Removed)
    Lots of songs in a pinch; change keys; add your own songs.
  • iStroboSoft (Link Removed) At $10.00, it's a steal.
    I just got it, but I don't yet have the phone-plug-to-iPod adapter to be able to tune my bass. Peterson has 'em.
    EDIT: I got one of those thumb-tack mics and held my tuning fork against it to calibrate the tuner. Pretty slick. I then found some A440 reference tones on the Interweb, and they're not all A440. The computer's sound card may not be properly calibrated to generate the exact frequency.
Have you found anything of value (for iPhone/iPod) that we'd be interested in? Let's hear it.
Click to expand...



have you used your thumb tack mic to record anything? if so whats the quality?
 
#6
diechris said:
have you used your thumb tack mic to record anything? if so whats the quality?
Click to expand...

I haven't recorded any practices or gigs with it. Worth a try, though. The mic was only $12.00.

I use the mic only to calibrate the iStoboSoft tuner and with the new voice memo app that comes with OS 3.0 for the iPod touch. Oh, and you should be able to use it with Shazam and any other apps that need sound input.
 
#7
Michael Eisenman said:
I haven't recorded any practices or gigs with it. Worth a try, though. The mic was only $12.00.

I use the mic only to calibrate the iStoboSoft tuner and with the new voice memo app that comes with OS 3.0 for the iPod touch. Oh, and you should be able to use it with Shazam and any other apps that need sound input.
Click to expand...

Nice. I was mainly looking in to using it for interviews/podcasts and also as a riff recorder instead of a mini cassette tape recorder. for $12 its worth a shot
 
#8
Although I don't have an iPhone (I have a Nokia N95 :cool:), I did recently record a track for the upcoming Hubert Nuss CD (with John Riley on drums) with the Brian Eno program "Bloom." The iPhone app Bloom creates little melodies—mostly inside a tonal center, but sometimes deviating from the tonal center. We took a line out from the iPhone into the board and let Bloom do its thing, then we played free along with it . . . I will keep you posted when it comes out on the next Hubert Nuss CD.
 
#10
The iPhone Real Book app is very practical, but at the moment it only has chord changes -- like a Pocket Changes book, no melody. It does transpose, though.
 
#13
Michael Eisenman said:
I haven't recorded any practices or gigs with it. Worth a try, though. The mic was only $12.00.

I use the mic only to calibrate the iStoboSoft tuner and with the new voice memo app that comes with OS 3.0 for the iPod touch. Oh, and you should be able to use it with Shazam and any other apps that need sound input.
Click to expand...

Well, since then I have used the mic and the new voice memo app in OS 3.0 to record parts of our rehearsal. It's surprisingly competent, but only mono. Syncs to iTunes as AAC (which is MP4).
 
#14
Guitar toolkit is a great app. It has a tuner, metronome, scales and chords. you can select any key and then choose the mode you wish to learn and it will show you on the fretboard where that mode sits. You can use it for guitar 6 or 12 string bass 4, 5 or 6 string and left handed. £5.99 New update includes banjo, mandalin and over 45,000 new chords added.

It is a great app.

Beatmaker is also a good electronic tune creater along the same lines as propeller heads reason. check it!
 
#16
jonnythelarge said:
Guitar toolkit is a great app. It has a tuner, metronome, scales and chords. you can select any key and then choose the mode you wish to learn and it will show you on the fretboard where that mode sits. You can use it for guitar 6 or 12 string bass 4, 5 or 6 string and left handed. £5.99 New update includes banjo, mandalin and over 45,000 new chords added.

It is a great app.

Beatmaker is also a good electronic tune creater along the same lines as propeller heads reason. check it!
Click to expand...

Does this app allow you to see a bass fretboard and just play notes? Sometimes when I'm somewhere without a bass, I have some riff in my head and I want to figure out how to play it. I'd like an app that I can just touch notes on a fretboard and hear them so I can work out the riffs.

MX
 
#17
MX21 said:
Does this app allow you to see a bass fretboard and just play notes? Sometimes when I'm somewhere without a bass, I have some riff in my head and I want to figure out how to play it. I'd like an app that I can just touch notes on a fretboard and hear them so I can work out the riffs.

MX
Click to expand...

I have this app too and yes you can touch notes and hear them and even zoom out to see more. It doesn't sound real though, but who cares. I love GuitarToolKit, it's by far the best app I have so far besides Pandora. The tuner is very sensitive & accurate, it has a bunch of scales, thousands of chords, a chord search, a metronome that you can assign different sounds and patterns to, including a kick drum:D it even has alternate tunings and CUSTOM tunings to assign to your tuner, absolutly FANTASTIC app!! Totally worth $10!
 
#18
StreetSurfer said:
I have this app too and yes you can touch notes and hear them and even zoom out to see more. It doesn't sound real though, but who cares. I love GuitarToolKit, it's by far the best app I have so far besides Pandora. The tuner is very sensitive & accurate, it has a bunch of scales, thousands of chords, a chord search, a metronome that you can assign different sounds and patterns to, including a kick drum:D it even has alternate tunings and CUSTOM tunings to assign to your tuner, absolutly FANTASTIC app!! Totally worth $10!
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Off to the App store.
 
#19
I gotta say I've used a friend's iphone with the irealbook app on a few gig tunes -- and it's freaking crazy cool. 800+ tunes -- any key. Amazing. No wonder it was created by a bass player!!!

Now -- if they could just have this app for something like the Sony Reader -- it would be much easier too see on the band stand.

That said, I am currently gassing for a newer iPod Touch and plan to purchase the irealbook app immediately!

How cool is that -- use your ipod for all your chord changes -- and then plug it straight into your amp for background itunes break music.
 
#20
And then you can get a number of good metronomes for $1. Karajan is expensive ($15) but the interval ear training is pretty good. It has a keyboard now. There is a demo available. AmazingSlowDowner is available for $8 I think. IPod touch is a pretty fantastic portable music training tool.

Massimo, sorry dude, I totally forgot about you. Hopefully I can somehow find the time to begin finishing what I started.
 

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