It's difficult to get excited about a stand for the iPad, unless it's something exceptional. But most of the time, a stand is to serve a very practical need. And with IK Multimedia producing a vast array of accessories and applications for musicians to use with their iPads and iPhones, it makes sense for them to make a stand for the iPad (like the iKlip for the iPhone and iPad -- attaching to a mic stand), but for the desktop.

At US$29.99, the iKlip Studio for the iPad provides everything you need in a stand. It assembles in a matter of seconds and folds away virtually flat for transportation to your next studio session. It's made from shock-resistant thermoplastic, so it won't shatter if you drop it, or mark or scratch your iPad, either. Rubber foot pads are placed at the corners of the underside of the stand to make sure it doesn't go sliding and slipping about. Similarly, rubber foot pads are also found on the upper-side of the stand, which the iPad rests on, so your iPad won't fall out of the stand with a knock or jolt.

The iKlip Studio has been well thought through. All your iPad's controls, buttons, connectors, and the camera are easily accessible. There's also ample space to accommodate a case for your iPad if you use one. When placed in portrait mode, there's a grill in the stand to allow sound from your iPad's speaker to come through as intended, without being muffled. If you have IK's iRig guitar adapter, there's a useful bracket that can be attached round the back to neatly house the adapter.

Possibly the most useful feature is the flexible orientation of the iKlip Studio. You can tilt its position to a very low angle or have it just about vertically facing you, or anywhere in between.

The iKlip Studio may not be the most aesthetically exciting stand around, but if you're looking for a stand which ticks all the practical boxes at a reasonable price, you won't go wrong with it.

Hands on with the iKlip Studio stand for iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For musicians who use MIDI, it can be difficult and frustrating to get all your MIDI gear to talk to each other, especially all at the same time. Usually you hit some kind of snag, like your USB port not providing enough power to your MIDI device. Or older MIDI gear with 5-pin DIN MIDI connectors won't talk to your computer or newer MIDI gear, which only uses USB.

Additionally, more and more people are using MIDI on their iPads and iPhones to make music, taking advantage of the huge amount of CoreMIDI compatible apps out there.

For the average user, it can be difficult just to connect a MIDI keyboard up to an iPhone, let alone any additional MIDI gear. And if you're the kind of musician that has MIDI instruments and devices scattered all around your work space, then you know what it is to need a MIDI interface.

Previosuly, TUAW has coverd some other solutions, but the guys at iConnectivity have come up with a one size fits all solution: the iConnectMIDI -- a MIDI interface handling up to 12 MIDI connections.

In a small, but sturdy package, the iConnecMIDI has 2 miniUSB ports for iOS or desktop computer (Mac or PC) input, a powered (up to 500mA), standard USB port that can be connected to a hub supporting 8 devices, and 2 MIDI DIN ports for older gear. That's someting I've not seen on other MIDI interfaces!

Alongside a whole list of fantastic features (super fast -- no effective latency, multi-platform compatibility, no computer required), iConnectMIDI can be programmed to route and filter your MIDI data just how you want it. For example, get your iPad to talk to just one connected keyboard or all connected instruments. Or, as iConnectivity explains, "filter out all pitch bend data going out of ports 3 and 7... [or set] all data from three keyboard controllers go to one connected synthesizer."

I got a chance to use the iConnect MIDI for myself, and although my setup is not very complicated, it was great to be able to hook everything up together and see it work seamlessly. And not to worry about power (except for my iPad)!

At US$199.99 (with a promotional introductory price of $179), the iConnectMIDI is not for the light MIDI user. But considering its cutting edge feature set and tidy, sturdy footprint, if you're using the ever expanding range of iOS MIDI apps alongside your traditional MIDI gear, the iConnectMIDI needs to be at the center of your MIDI world.

iConnectMIDI provides for all your MIDI requirements, including iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 11 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Just last night I discovered a real musical treat for the iPad. On April 29th 2012, the fantastic British singer/songwriter, Fink, performed a set with the incredible Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra at the prestigious Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Conducted by Ivan Meylemans and arranged by Jules Buckley, this is Fink as you've never heard him before. And the performance was broadcast live and in HD on the iPad with the "RCO Meets Fink" app. Unfortunately, I missed this.

However (and to my delight), you can still purchase (US$3.99) and download the app to stream the entire performance on your iPad (or Apple TV via AirPlay) in HD at your leisure. Better still, a 2.0 version of the app will hit in June with extra features.

As explained on Fink's website, "The 1.0 version of this App offers a full HD video stream that will enable you to enjoy the concert in the highest quality on the latest iPad and Apple TV hardware." Expect a big update to the app in June, which will include backstage footage, rehearsals, interviews, video commentary and more.

We're also interested to try the "360 degree video component," which should allow you to move around in the concert footage. We're not sure how that will work, but it sure sounds interesting. Version 2.0 sounds pretty exciting, but the app at 1.0 isworth the purchase just to watch the performance in HD.

As a little teaser for the performance, you can watch the track "Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us" below.

Watch Fink & The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in HD on your iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 11 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're in the market for a new iPad 2, pay attention! As Chipworkds reported last month, Apple's put an updated 32nm A5 processor into the new Apple TV and the iPad 2. More specifically, the iPad 2.4.

Compared to the previous 45nm A5 chip found in the iPad 2, the new chip comes in almost 42% smaller. And now AnandTech has the scores to prove that the new, smaller chip is much more efficient than its predecessor, particularly in the battery department.

Apparently you can expect to see an 18% improvement when playing video, 15.8% improvement when web browsing and 29% improvement when playing power hungry games compared to the old iPad 2.

How can you get your hands on one of these iPad 2.4s? Well, reports say they're rather thin on the ground right now. And unfortunately, the only way to tell if you've got one is by turning it on and peering at the system information.

So, you'll either have to take your chances or wait for the new stock to fully replace the old.

[Via The Verge]

iPad 2's new 32nm A5 processor improves battery life originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 04 May 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In light of Spotify launching its long awaited iPad app, and iMore's recent in-depth look at the top three music streaming services available for the iPhone, we thought we'd take a little TUAW poll to see just which music streaming services (if any) TUAW readers use on their iOS devices.

Trend setters say more of us are streaming the music instead of buying it. Let's find out if this is true among our readers. And if so, which service is the most popular?

Check out the poll below and vote for the option which best suits you.

View Poll

Poll: Which music streaming service are you using for iOS? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 02 May 2012 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iMore has conducted an in-depth comparison of three of the most popular music streaming services available for the iPhone: Spotify, Pandora and Slacker. As mentioned in the article, iTunes is certainly king when it comes to the purchase of digital music, but undoubtedly, there's an ever increasing demand for music to be streamed to our iPhones, which iTunes does not offer. But out of the top three available, which service offers the best value for money?

In searching for the answer, iMore takes a very close look at the apps and features offered by Spotify, Pandora and Slacker for the iPhone. Taking into consideration the user interface and experience, content offered by each service, cross-platform syncing and streaming, audio quality and finally, cost and features, iMore comes to some interesting conclusions about each service's strengths and weaknesses.

Most notably, Spotify (which was voted best iPhone music app of 2011 by TUAW readers) offers the best audio quality at 320kbps for its premium users (this is dependent on your Internet connection), but its premium service is the most expensive. Pandora came in cheapest for its premium service, but at its core is detailed as an online radio streaming service. It's great for discovering new music and listening to certain styles of music, but not for choosing to listen to a particular artist or album. According to iMore, Slacker comes up tops because it offers a happy medium between the best of Spotify and Pandora: Slacker offers the best mix of discovering new music and customizing the music you want to stream.

If you're looking into streaming music on the iPhone, iMore's article is certainly worth a read to help you weigh up the pros and cons offered by each service, so that you can make a decision which best serves you.

iMore compares top music streaming services for the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 02 May 2012 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Simpl. is a brand new website creation and publishing tool for the iPad. Version 1.0 has just hit the iOS App Store and I was invited to take a look

So how does Simpl. work? By directing your website to simpl.com. To start, create a Simpl. account. Your username will become a part of your Simpl. web address (for example: yourname.simple.com). Once you've created and confirmed your Simpl. account, download the Simpl. app from the iOS App Store -- it's free!

Using preset themes, the Simpl. app lets you create a website using several preset pages (home, about, news, photos, text, quotes and contact). Each page can be edited and renamed, but the functionality of those pages is specific to their category. The result is the layout of a basic blog.

It's extremely easy to edit these pages on the iPad, and this is where Simpl. lives up to its name. You can add or edit text, create links to other websites, and easily add photos from your camera roll or photo stream to your photos page. There's basic linking to Facebook and Twitter, too.

Previewing your work in progress is as easy as a tap on the preview button. And if you decide you don't like the theme your using, it's a matter of simply switching to another one. Once you've got all your content as you'd like it, hit publish and within a minute your new site is up and live. It's... simple!

Simpl.'s strength is in just how easy it is to use. And you can imagine the less technically inclined so easily jumping to Simpl. to create their first website or blog. I put a basic site about my cat (the first thing I saw!) together within a few minutes. However, at version 1.0, for the ever so slightly more ambitious, Simpl. will leave you wanting a bit more.

The team at Simpl. have told me there's lots to expect from future updates, and as an incentive to get involved early, they're offering two months free hosting and a lifetime 20% discount on the monthly subscription, which is US$3.99 including the discount after the two month trial.

Thought it's got some room to grow (adding some more advanced features while maintaining its simplicity), Simpl. provides a super easy and intuitive way to create and publish websites on the iPad. It's definitely worth checking out.

Simpl. is a free app from the iOS App Store. You can view a promo video of the app here.

Simpl. for iPad creates and publishes websites simply originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Propellerhead -- makers of the music DAW software, Reason -- had a press conference in Frankfurt, Germany yesterday where it announced some exciting new products and features. Most notably for iOS users, Propellerhead announced a brand new music making app, Figure.

As indicated by Ernst Nathorst-Böös, CEO of Propellerhead, Figure is the soul of Reason, married to the mobile platform. It's designed for short bursts of creativity, like when you're on a bus ride or taking a break in the studio! The app is intuitively designed for touch from the ground up. Essentially, Figure is a mobile platform for mocking-up musical ideas, but with the same standard of quality sound that Reason has to offer.

Figure comes with drums powered by the same Kong Drum designer found in Reason. Bass and lead / melody sounds are powered by the same Thor polyphonic synthesizer also found in Reason.

But Propellerhead's developers didn't stop there. They also put the Reason mixer into Figure, with the same master bus compressor from Reason 6. So Figure's sound quality and potential for sound creation should be pretty high. We can't wait to get our hands on it.

Figure is due to land on the iOS App Store at any moment now, priced at just US$1.

You can watch the press conference announcing Figure at Propellerhead's YouTube site.

Update: Figure is now live on the iOS App Store. Here's the link.

We've also had word from Propellerhead that many exciting features are planned for upcoming updates. Sooner rather than later, we can expect saving, import and export of Figure files (with social media integration). Further down the line is support for export into Reason. Finally, there are plans for the implementation of a sequencer of some sort because it's a lot more fun (and useful) exporting an entire arranged track than it is just a two bar loop. We'll keep you posted as things develop.

There's also a promo video of Figure you can check out here.

Propellerhead announces Figure for iOS (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Back in January, IK Multimedia announced the iRig Mix and accompanying app, DJ Rig. We're still waiting to get our hands on the mixer (due at some point later this month), but the DJ Rig app has arrived on the App Store. And you don't need the iRig Mix to take advantage of it.

DJ Rig is a double-deck DJ mixing app that hooks straight into your iPhone's music library. With two turntables, tempo syncing, multiple cue points, sample-based pads and some crazy but useful DJ effects, performing your very own DJ set has never been easier.

I'm no DJ, but I took the app for a spin and found, for the most part, its automatic beat matching to be very effective, unless you're playing some rather complicated beats. Simply, while playing one song, I queued another, hit the Sync button and used the crossfader to bring the two songs together.

Additional features include a three-band EQ for each deck, scanning a track in wave form, and looping functionality. There are some further features to the app (X-Sync), but they only work in conjunction with the yet-to-be-released iRig Mix (We'll be sure to provide some details on that just as soon as we can).

DJ Rig is available for iPhone on the iOS App Store for US$1.99 with an additional in-app purchase of $4.99 for the Pro Bundle, which gets you all the extra features.

IK Multimedia's DJ Rig arrives on the App Store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Update: Just in case you missed it on Ustream last night, we're thrilled to announce that the winner of our Remix & WIN competition is MIZIM, or Yasmin from Yorkshire, UK. Congratulations, Yasmin! We absolutely loved your remix.

To listen to Yasmin's winning remix on Sound Cloud, click here.

To all our other contestants, thanks so much for taking part!

The long wait is almost over! The winner of our Remiix & WIN competition, with Olivia Broadfield, Propellerhead, SoundCloud and TUAW, will be announced live tonight at 9:00 PM CET (8 PM GMT) on Olivia's Ustream.

The winning remix will walk away with Propellerhead's brand new Balance audio interface and a copy of its latest DAW, Reason 6, plus a SoundCloud premium membership, a signed copy of Olivia Broadfield's latest album, "This Beautiful War," and some TUAW merchandise, too!

We've been overwhelmed and thrilled with the hundreds of submissions to the competition. It's been a tough job working through the remixes to get to our finalist because there's been such a high standard of creativity and production. Well done! But there can only be one winning remix -- the cream of the crop -- and we can't wait for it to be announced tonight.

Until then, if you haven't already, why not take a listen to the finalists on Sound Cloud here?

Remix & WIN: Winner to be announced live tonight at 9 PM CET (8 PM GMT) (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple is reportedly cutting the minimum cost of its iAd service again. According to Ad Age, the threshold for advertisers to acquire the iAd service has dropped from US$500,000 to just $100,000. Furthermore, Apple will reduce revenue sharing by no longer charging advertisers when users click on an ad, as has been the case since iAd launched.

Apple's iAd service has not seen the greatest of success. Having launched in 2010, Apple originally charged $1,000,000 for an ad campaign, but many of its initial clients abandoned iAd for services like AdMob, Greystripe, and Millenial Media who operate on multiple platforms.

Apple then reduced iAd's minimum rate to $500,000 per campaign. And in July, 2011, Apple offered further incentives by lowering the cost to $300,000 under certain circumstances.

At the beginning of this year, Apple brought in former Adobe VP, Todd Teresi, to reinvigorate the service. The new price point seems to be the first step in getting iAd back on track.

Apple reduces iAd pricing, revenue sharing originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Our Remix and WIN competition, with Olivia Broadfield, Propellerhead and SoundCloud, closes on the 31st January 2012, which means you've just a few days left to submit your remix of Olivia's song 'Say.' We've had loads of entries already (some of which are very impressive), and the judges (Olivia and the TUAW team) have their work cut out for them over the next few weeks!

The winning entry will take home Propellerhead's brand new Balance audio interface and a copy of their latest DAW, Reason 6, plus a SoundCloud premium membership, a signed copy of Olivia Broadfield's latest album, "This Beautiful War", and some TUAW merchandise, too!

If you haven't already, check out our competition announcement post here for all the details on how to enter. The winning remix will be announced in February 2012. May the best remix win!

If you've had any trouble submitting your entry, leave a comment below.

Reminder: Last chance to Remix & WIN originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I've always been curious about Propellerhead's Reason software, but since I'm not really an electronic music-making enthusiast, and the fact that up until more recently Reason had no audio recording capabilities, I've always turned to other recording platforms for my music-making needs, that is until now!

For those of you that don't know, Reason is a virtual studio rack for your Mac. It even looks like a rack filled with loads of fantastic studio equipment. It has all the tools required to produce music: compressors, reverbs, synths, delays, a whole bunch of instruments...the list goes on. Previously, though, you'd have to connect this virtual rack with a DAW (a digital audio workstation like Pro Tools, Logic, Reeper or even Propellerhead's own DAW, Record) in order to actually record something through it or capture something produced form it. However, with the latest version of Reason, Record (with all the fine features you've come to expect from a DAW) has been totally integrated into Reason. With Reason 6, Reason and Record are now one, and all the better for it.

To top that off, and really hit home the fact that Propellerhead is taking audio recording very seriously. It's produced its own audio interface hardware, too -- Balance. With Reason 6 and Balance, Propellerhead provides everything the home recording enthusiast needs.

Balance is a high quality 2-in by 2-out audio interface, meaning you can record up to two sources of audio at a time. This may appear meagre, but for the average home recorder, you're not going to be recording more than two sources of audio at a time -- say a guitar and a vocal. However, you are going to add other instruments to your track by layering recordings on top of each other. Maybe add some piano and some percussion? Balance has two XLR microphone inputs (with 48V phantom power), two 1/4" guitar inputs with padding and four 1/4" balanced line inputs (two stereo pairs). This means you can have up to 8 audio sources plugged in, setup and ready to go without having to fiddle around with cables and wires while you're in the creative zone.

Another unique feature of Balance is Clip Safe. How often have you recorded the perfect take only to discover that it clipped because the level was (unexpectedly!) too hot? Clip Safe automatically does a backup recording of your take at a lower level, allowing you to go back and readjust the input level of your take after you've recorded it.

Are Balance and Reason 6 as good as they, uh... sound? Propellerhead sent TUAW a review unit of Reason 6 and Balance so I could find out.

Physically, the Balance unit is very appealing. It's all black and with a soft rubber feel, but the unit itself feels rock solid. Unlike many smaller audio interfaces, all the controls, dials and lights are raised towards you for easy visibility and access. The two most important dials, the main output level and the headphone level, are the biggest, making them easy to find and use. The other two smaller dials are the gain levels for the two inputs. For a novice user it couldn't be simpler. Hit the source selector for the input you want, adjust the input gain level, adjust the main out level and you're on your way. All the source inputs and the audio outs are neatly arranged on the back of the unit. There are no breakout cables, covers or flaps, the design is clean, simple and clear. And, of course, the audio? The pre-amps sound fantastic, especially for the price point.

It's also worth noting that the Balance interface is not tied to Reason. The interface is Core Audio compatible and will work with the DAW of your choice, though the Clip Safe feature is a Reason exclusive. Being Core Audio compatible (like just about every other audio interface for the Mac), Balance works straight away with your Mac. Run the Reason installer disc, plug it in via the provided USB cable and you're on your way.

As for Reason 6, well... I have no real previous experience with Reason (and bearing in mind that approaching any DAW for the first time can be a bit of a learning curve), I was quickly up and running recording tracks and engaging with the huge array of instruments and gear in no time. It's clear there's a vast depth to Reason 6. And while it may take a bit of time learning how to get there, the new user can happily get along simply skimming the surface, while the more advanced user will find all the power, flexibility and detail they'd expect from any other DAW.

Like Balance, Reason 6 feels clean, clear and polished. It's designed to get out of the way so you can get on with making music. It is extremely stable, too. Which brings me to my last point, Reason is a locked environment, you can't use any third party plug-ins with it. Some may see that as a deal breaker. However, there are a plethora of Reason ReFills -- additional Propellerhead approved, high-quality instruments and sounds for expanding on Reason. Seriously, I'd say you can get just about everything your home studio will need in the Propellerhead universe. In part, Reason's exclusivity is probably what makes it so sturdy.

To find out more about what Reason 6 and Balance has to offer, check out the Propellerhead website here. I also recently had an interview with UK singer-songwriter Olivia Broadfield, who is an exclusive Reason user. You can read the interview here.

Balance comes bundled with Reason Essentials and is available for around US$500.

Finally, until the end of January, TUAW is a hosting a competition with Propellerhead, SoundCloud and Olivia Broadfield, giving you the chance to win a copy of Reason 6, a Balance interface, a SoundCloud premium subscription as well as some TUAW goodies. Check out further details here.

Hands on with Propellerhead's Reason 6 and Balance interface originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple has seeded Mac OS X 10.7.3 beta build 11D42 to developers. The build comes in at 989.75 MB for those updating from 10.7.2 and 1.26 GB for those updating from any previous version of Mac OS X Lion.

According to MacRumors, Apple has asked developers to focus their attention on Spotlight, Safari, Address Book, iCal and Mail. The release notes contained in build 11D42 indicate that the build will add Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian language support, address issues when using smart cards to log into OS X, resolve issues authenticating with directory services and address compatibility issues with Windows file sharing.

Apple's last update to Lion was in October of last year with 10.7.2, which brought support for iCloud to Macs running Lion.

OS X 10.7.3 build 11D42 seeded to developers originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Calling all producers, mixers and music-making enthusiasts. We've teamed up with UK singer-songwriter Olivia Broadfield (who we recently interviewed here), Propellerhead and SoundCloud to offer you the chance to win Propellerhead's brand new Balance audio interface, a copy of their latest DAW, Reason 6, a SoundCloud premium membership and a singed copy of Olivia's latest album, "This Beautiful War", and some TUAW merchandise, too!

In order to be in the running for this fantastic prize, you're required to remix (the best way you see fit) Olivia's song, "Say" off her album, "This Beautiful War" (we'll provide you with the audio stems). The competition closes and entries must be in by the end of January 31st, 2012. Entries will be judged by Olivia and TUAW, with the winning remix announced in February, 2012.

To enter, simply email olivia@propellerheads.se and she'll provide you with all the info and links to get started. That's it. Let the remixing begin. Any questions? Let us know in the comments below.

Remix & WIN with Olivia Broadfield, Propellerhead, SoundCloud and TUAW originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You've probably not heard of UK based singer songwriter Olivia Broadfield before, but chances are you've heard her music at some point, especially if you watch a lot of TV. Songs from her debut album, Eyes Wide Open (released in 2009), reached over 50 TV placements on shows like The Hills, Ghost Whisperer and Melrose Place. Following that, Eyes Wide Open reached No. 3 on the iTunes Electronica charts.

Daydreams, the opening track from Olivia's second album, This Beautiful War (released in June, 2011), was featured on a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy. And if that's not enough, in her spare time Olivia composes jingles for commercials, too.

After reading that, you'd be forgiven for assuming Olivia works in swanky studios around the world while she's not touring, and that she has the backing of a big record label behind her, too. But her situation couldn't be more different.

In fact, Olivia hasn't really done all that much gigging (let alone any tours), she's not with a record label and the studio where she does all her recording, well... it's an old garage attached to the side of her house. OK, she's converted said garage into a modest-but-capable DIY studio, and yet, it's not the rock 'n roll lifestyle you'd expect. That's not a bad thing.

What really caught my attention, besides her music, was Olivia's setup. Without wanting to undermine the clear production power that it has, it's an undeniably simple setup with absolutely no frills. And to me, that's a testament to the musical creativity of Olivia, the Mac and DAW at the center of her studio and the reality that producing great music doesn't always require the most expensive gear and equipment you can (or usually can't) get your hands on.

About a week ago I was fortunate to get the opportunity to chat with Olivia over Skype. Tea cups in hand, we chatted about the tools she uses to produce her music, a little about her workflow as a songwriter, her musical and production influences and what she does to recharge her creative batteries. Read on to find out what she had to say.

TUAW: Tell me about your current setup? What gear are you using? How do you make the magic happen?

Olivia Broadfield: So I have a Mac Pro. It's got two 2Ghz Dual Core Intel Xeon processors in it with 8 GB of Ram. I've had it for a year or so. I bought it second hand off this guy on eBay who was selling off gear from his studio that I don't think worked out. I got it for a really great price. When he handed it over I could tell he wasn't too happy about it, but I was!

I'm running Mac OS X Snow Leopard. I like to stay one release behind the latest release so everything's super stable.

I've got two screens (one old school Apple one that came with the Mac Pro and one Acer one). I'm a Reason Record user, so my 2 screens make mixing and programming super quick and easy.

I'm using a Focusrite Saffire PRO 24 interface, little M Audio BX5a monitors and a Rode NT2000 mic. I have to confess I did have an outboard compressor, but sold it because I never used it as the pre-amps on the Focusrite are so great. The MIDI keyboard I use is a M-Audio Prokeys 88 SX.

TUAW: Was your Mac Pro your first Mac?

OB: Ha! No. I got my first Mac off eBay about 6 years ago! It was an old silver door G4 Mac, I can't even tell you the spec, but I know it was probably pretty teeny compared to what I have now! It still sits under my desk as a giant hard drive because it's got loads of my old music on it, but I rarely plug it in these days. Back then I was using Reason and Logic with ReWire, (which was a pain in the backside), and it struggled a bit with that, but it still got the job done.

Before that I had a PC, but really just for emailing etc. I've never been a PC for music user. Studios I used before I set up my own always had Macs and I just believed that they were more stable units for making music on. From what I can tell, they don't suffer the same virus problems, so I think I felt my music and data was safer in the hands of a Mac.

TUAW: So now you're a Reason 6 user and you've left Logic behind. Why Reason, don't all the big players use Pro Tools or Logic?

OB: Well, usually people are quite surprised when they hear I'm using Reason. People seem to get all snobbish about the fact that I'm not a Pro Tools or Logic user. They give me the look that says, "aww, that's sweet. She's playing with Reason." But when they see Reason in action, they're genuinely impressed.

At university, I did use Pro Tools, but to get Pro Tools for yourself is quite expensive. So one day I was recording at a friends house and he was using a really old version of Reason, maybe 2.0. It was quite a long time ago! But Reason just looked really accessible compared to what I'd seen in Pro Tools or Logic. So when I set up my own studio and became my own producer, because I'm not a very technical person when it comes to recording, I knew I'd need something simple and easy to use, so I got Reason. Of course, back then Reason didn't do audio recording, so I got an old version of Logic off eBay to handle that side of things, but once Reason came out with Record, I happily left Logic behind. And that's why I love Reason, but I guess I'm just used to it now.

I must add that I do have a producer (Josh Crocker) I work with as well as a few others who I bring into the mix for the final finishing touches to my music. I like to think of it as the icing of a cake, I bake it, and then get some others in to help me decorate it.

TUAW: There are so many great music apps out there for the iPhone and iPad. Do you have an iPhone or iPad? Do any particular apps assist you in the workflow of how you make music.

OB: No iPod or iPad, but yep, I have an iPhone 4 -- although I'm ashamed to say I haven't updated it to the latest version of iOS, yet! My friends give me grief for that!

I know there are so many music apps out there, but I tend to just use the inbuilt voice memo for ideas and getting down songs, particularly if I'm out and about or it's late at night and I can't be bothered to boot the studio up. As I get most of my initial ideas on piano and guitar, I find just the dictaphone on its own meets most of my needs.

The other night I was twinkling on the guitar and came up with a little skitsy idea that would work great for an advert., I was able to put the idea down from start to finish on the iPhone so I could remember it the next day. It's nothing fancy, but it simply gets the job done. I actually think the iPhone mic is pretty good for that sort of thing.

TUAW: While we're talking about iPhones... Besides all the usual suspects (the Mail app, Safari, Facebook etc) what apps do you find you use the most on your iPhone.

OB: I love Hipstamactic. And I do use the Flashlight app A LOT!

One of the weirder apps I've got is Shakra Chime. It literally plays a chime! That's it! I find it helps me calm my mind.... You know, after a busy day of making music with tunes buzzing around your head. Oh, I also like Sleep Maker, where it's just rain noise. "Gentle rain onto porch roof." That is my favorite!

TUAW: What about when you're not making awesome music, how do you spend your down time? Any games you into?

OB: When I first go the iPhone, I played games all the time. The popular ones like Angry Birds. Oh, and Bejewled. I was obsessed with trying to score a million on Bejeweled, but I only got about 700,000. I am a bit of a nerd, so I do love games like Scrabble and other word games.

I could just spend all day my iPhone playing games. So occasionally, I have to force myself to go outside and look at animals and hear bird song!

TUAW: Who are your musical influences? What artists and musicians really inspire you to make music?

OB: I like people who are versatile, people who keep it fresh. I love Gwen Stefani for that reason. Influence wise, I think Feist is a beautiful singer and songwriter, her career is the one I would probably like the most. I've seen her live and she just has this great energy, relaxed like everything comes so easy to her.

TUAW: What about recording / producing influences? Are there people out there who really inspire you about the technical side of making music?

OB: When I first set up my studio over 5 years ago, Imogen Heap's Speak For Yourself album was huge. Seeing someone go out there, particularly a woman in such a male dominated studio world, and do everything herself was very motivating.

I have to say, I'm not the most able technically, which is why I love my software, the presets are pretty amazing and I can make some great sounding stuff without having to tweak much... Or I'm just lazy... Yeah, probably the latter!

TUAW: Here's a curve ball, but If you open iTunes and click on the Top 25 Most Played playlist, what's the number one song you listen to in your music library?

OB: Um... That can't be true. OK, it's a dog food commercial song that I did. I can't believe that's my most played song in my iTunes library, especially since I just finished my album and I should have been listening through to those tracks over and over AND OVER again to make sure they were all fine. Oh well... slightly embarrassing!

OK, here's the thing. I don't listen to music on my studio Mac. I am really, totally old school when it comes to listening to music. I listen to CD's in my lounge. In fact, oh gosh, I've never downloaded a digital song...

Interview: Olivia Broadfield on Macs, apps and DIY music making originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Korg's popular, slim-line NanoSERIES USB-MIDI controllers have been updated to 2.0. We were lucky enough to get our hands on the NanoKONTROL2 control surface and put it through its paces.

Like the the nanoKEY2 (a 25 key, velocity-sensing MIDI keyboard) and the nanoPAD2 (with 16 responsive pads and an X-Y touchpad for drum input and sound manipulation) the nanoKONTROL2 adopts the same remarkably compact form factor with a micro USB connection.

The nanoKONTROL2 has 8 faders, each with a solo, mute, record-enable button and a dial knob at the top. To the left of the controller is a transport section (play, back, forward, record, stop) with a track selector, marker and cycle button.

As with the other nanoSERIES controllers, the nanoKONTROL2 automatically maps to your DAW (the one I tested worked first time with Logic Pro and Reason), but you can download the Korg Kontrol Editor software to fully re-map the controller to your specific needs.

Being that it is so light and compact, the nanoKONTROL2 feels fairly solid and sturdy. When you push a button, you know it's been pressed. The buttons light up when they're activated, too, which helps you make sense of what's happening.

Many may be wondering why you'd want an external controller to manage what can easily be done with a mouse. And it's a valid point, too! But when you have a tactile controller in front of you, it suddenly feels a lot quicker and easier to make that quick adjustment or tweak. Of course, it boils down to personal preference.

The nanoKONTROL2 is compatible with the iPad through Apple's USB connector, but only works with Korg's select apps. Unfortunately, it won't work with an app like Garageband for iOS, for example.

For around US$60, I wouldn't say the nanoKONTROL2 is a bargain, but weirdly, you're paying for the compact size here. Certainly, if you're in a small home studio or consistently on the move, the nanoSERIES2 makes sense, provided the straight-forward, simple features meet your needs. I've know a few producers to use them in cramped spaces and be more than happy with the results.

Have you used Korg's nanoSERIES? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Hands on with Korg's NanoKONTROL2 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's taken a little while, but Apple's flagship music production software and music performance software have arrived on the Mac App Store, joining Apple's other Mac App Store offerings like iWork, iLife and Final Cut Pro.

Logic Pro 9 and MainStage are now available for download from the Mac App Store at US$199.99 and $29.99 respectively. Apple has discontinued the boxed retail versions of Logic Studio and Logic Express (and apparently Sountrack Pro 3, which came bundled with Logic Studio).

Similar to Apple's Final Cut Pro transition to the Mac App Store, this is a dramatic price cut for Logic Pro 9, which was previously bundled with MainStage, Soundtrack Pro 3, WaveBurner 1.6 and Compressor 3.5 as the boxed Logic Studio for $499.

Logic Pro 9 is available from the Mac App Store now as a 413 MB download. An additional 19 GB of optional content is available via in-app download.

[Via MacRumors]

Logic Pro and Main Stage land on the Mac App Store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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's Laugh Synth makes you cry -- with laughter? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earlier this year, IK Multimedia introduced the iRig Mic and VocaLive app for the iPhone. Our very own Steve Sande did a review of the iRig Mic, which you can check out here. The app is good, but it's not universal which is a big drawback for folks who have an iPhone and an iPad. Of course, you could use the VocaLive app on your iPad, but it was simply the iPhone version of the app enlarged 2X.

This month, IK Multimedia has brought VocaLive to the iPad.The new app is custom built to fit the tablet's larger screen, and has some extra features, too. Vocalive for iPad can be expanded to 8 recordable tracks and adds a fourth effect slot. Two of these four effect slots can be used for vocal effects compared to a single slot on the iPhone version.

If you love singing, karaoke, doing voice overs or just hearing your voice warped through crazy effects, then check out VocaLive and the accompanying iRig Mic. VocaLive is free on the iOS App Store with extra effects available via in-app purchase. There's also a full version which includes all the effects available for $19.99.

IK Multimedia's VocaLive comes to the iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Around this time last year, Tascam introduced the Portastudio app, a 4-track recorder modeled after the legendary Portastudio 144 4-track recorder of some 30 years ago. Now, Tascam has debuted the iM2, a stereo recorder with two condenser mics and a built-in pre-amp that's based on Tascam's well known DR series of portable recorders.

The iM2 simply plugs directly into the dock connector of your iPhone or iPad, overriding your devices built-in mic to provide you with high quality recordings. The two mics are adjustable over 180 degrees for uni-directional recording, perfect for capturing a live recording as well as the ambience of the room you're recording in.

The iM2's built-in preamp can also handle 125 dbs of noise, so you could theoretically record a jet plane taking off without having to worry about any distortion to the recording, even if your own ears may suffer.

The iM2 is priced at around US$80 and is available for pre-order. For all the details, check out Tascam's website.

[Via Engadget]

Tascam debuts iM2 stereo condesor mic for iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Amidio debuts Songineer - Instant Composer for the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As detailed late last week, Apple announced a replacement program for first-generation iPod nanos created between September 2005 and January 2006. These particular models may overheat and pose a safety risk. Registered users of these iPod nanos were sent an email from Apple directing them to the replacement program.

Though the replacement program indicates that it may take up to six weeks to receive the replacement iPod nano, MacRumors is reporting that some applicants have already started to receive their replacement iPods.

And if you assumed that applicants to the replacement program would receive current generation iPod nanos in exchange for their faulty first-generation ones (especially since first-generation iPod nanos went out of production nearly five years ago), you wouldn't be the only one. However, the replacement nanos appear to be first-generation refurbished models.

First-generation iPod nano replacements begin to arrive originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here's another Mac 101 tip for novice Mac users.

When I first heard about iCloud syncing iWork documents between Apple devices I became quite excited. Like many, I create iWork documents on my Mac and then access them on my iPad or iPhone on the move. Up until now, I've been using Dropbox to sync my files between my Mac and my iDevices. And though this works really well, the whole seamless, behind-the-scenes ease of iCloud really appeals to me.

Since iCloud debuted alongside iOS 5, I've been really pleased with how well this works. That is, between my iPad, iPhone and accessing my docs through a web browser. However, where I've struggled to see the seamless beauty of iCloud is when syncing my iWork docs created on my Mac to the cloud. I thought I hadn't flipped a preference switch in Pages or in my iCloud settings, but after having a complete read through of Apple's description of what iCloud does when syncing iWork docs between your devices, I realized there is no automatic syncing of iWork docs between a Mac and iCloud -- iWork docs need to be saved to iCloud manually.

To do this is not all that complicated. And while there are a few different ways, the simplest is as follows. Have your iCloud account open in a web browser. Click on iWork and then Pages (if you want to upload a Pages document, for example). With all your Pages docs visible, simply drag the Pages document from your Mac onto your web browser, where all your documents are. You will be asked if you'd like to upload the document to iCloud. That's it.

While this is convenient, it's not as convenient as saving a document on your iPad and seeing it automatically appear on your iPhone. It's likely this kind of implementation will come to the Mac in the future, but for now I'm sticking with Dropbox.

Mac 101: Getting iWork files on your Mac onto iCloud originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here is a Mac 101 tip for novice Mac users.

Running Pages in Mac OS X Lion means you never have to worry about saving a document, it just happens automatically. While this is wonderful, this new feature has caused me to scratch my head a few times while I acclimatise to this simple, but quite different way of saving documents.

In previous versions of Mac OS X, when working on a document, very often I would hit "Save as..." from the File menu to (double) check where I had saved my document or to rename my document as it went through various titles. The problem I've found with Versions and Auto Save in Lion (or where I've struggled to adjust!) is that once you've created and titled a document by saving it, you're left with "Save a Version," which means you can't locate where you've saved your document or rename the title of your document from within Pages.

Fortunately, there's an older feature of Mac OS X that helps you easily identify where you've saved your document. And I'm not talking about going to Finder or Spotlight to search for it. You can view the root path of your document right from within Pages. Simply hit and hold the Control key on your keyboard (or right-click on your mouse) and click on the title of your document at the top of the Pages window. This will bring up the root path of your document so you can easily see where you document is stored on your computer.

Note that you must aim carefully when clicking on the menu bar. If you're in an app that supports Versions, a click on the right-hand side will reveal the Versions menu, and that's not what we want in this instance. If you see the disclosure triangle appear beneath your cursor, move a few pixels to the left.

Mac 101: Locating the root path of a Pages document in Pages originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to Chitika, an analytics company, Mac OS X Lion only holds 16% of the Mac OS market share, trailing behind Snow Leopard (56%) and Leopard (22%) -- indicating poor adoption of the newest operating system in comparison to previous releases.

Even though Apple announced over a million downloads of Mac OS X Lion with in the first day of its release, and in October Tim Cook announced that Apple had sold 6 million copies of Lion since its launch, claiming a massive 80% growth over Snow Leopard, according to Chitika, that pace has significantly slowed down. Chitika cites stability issues (Wi-Fi and MacBook Pro battery performance) and dislike of the iOS-like UI features as reasons for the supposed slow adoption of the new OS.

Now we've all had our gripes with Lion, but from where we're standing, we're pretty much happy with what the OS has to offer. So we thought it would be great to see just how many of our TUAW readers are running Mac OS X Lion, as opposed to Snow Leopard, Tiger or another operating system.

[Via BGR]

View Poll

Poll: Which version of Mac OS X are you running? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to the photo search engine Skylines, iOS devices account for 39% of all photos posted on Twitter. Of the 24 million photos posted to Twitter in the week of October 22nd to October 29th, Twitter for iPhone came in highest with 21%, Instagram accounted for 13% and the iOS 5 Camera and Photos app accounted for 5%, bringing the total to 39%.

Apple's new iOS 5 introduced integrated Twitter functionality, bringing posting of photos to Twitter directly from the Camera and Photos App. iOS 5 has only been out since October 12th and it's already the 7th biggest photo client for Twitter.

Other big players were Twitter for Blackberry at 12% and Twitter for Android at 10%. Twitpic accounted for 8%, but was not counted towards the iOS percentage because it is a multiplatform client.

Read Skylines' report on their blog here.

[Via TNW]

Report: 39% of photos on Twitter posted from iOS devices originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For some time I've wondered when and if Native Instruments would enter the iOS music-making market. Being that they have such a respected presence with their awesome music software and audio interfaces in studios and with musicians around the world, it was irresistible to think of Native Instruments producing something fantastic for an iOS device.

Now their first offering has arrived for the iPhone with iMaschine. As demonstrated by musician and soul singer Jamie Lidell in the video below, iMaschine is a song creation sketchpad. With a whole bunch of drum samples and beats, the ability to create your own one-shot samples using the iPhone's mic, virtual keyboards, effects and a 4-track recorder / mixer so you can lay down some vocals too, iMaschine has plenty to offer to work up a song idea.

One of the cool features is that once you've come up with something good, you can export it directly into Maschine (the complete desktop package) or upload a loop or song directly to SoundCloud.

I'm looking forward to giving this a go as well as any forthcoming apps Native Instruments may introduce. How about Absynth or Kontakt for iOS?

Native Instruments debuts first iOS app, iMaschine originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The revamped glass cube entrance of New York City's 5th Avenue Apple Store has been revealed. While the store didn't officially open until 10:00 AM Eastern time, work was finished on the cube earlier this morning, revealing the new, streamlined structure. According to the store's web page, it closed at 10:00 PM last night so that final renovations could be completed.

MacRumors has published pictures of the new cube that were taken this morning. The new structure is made of 15 large panes of glass (the original cube used 90 panes of glass) and offers a stunning, streamlined appearance. The reconstruction began in June, 2010 and is reported to have cost US$6 million. The original cube (below) cost $7 million to construct.

Apple reveals new glass cube at 5th Avenue Apple Store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPod Nano watches have taken off. With the addition of a well designed strap, your iPod Nano becomes an iWatch with different time faces, a music library, pedometer and a cool touch screen interface.

But some things have been lacking. For instance, the iWatch is obviously not waterproof, like so many traditional watches out there. And what about taking your iWatch to the next level with Bluetooth? Wouldn't it be cool to be able to stream your music to wireless speakers from your wrist? Boombotix seem to think so.

Through a Kickstarter project aiming to raise US$17,000, Boombotix is hoping to release the Proof: an iPod Nano watch strap with all-round rugged protection and three interchangeable adapters. One for waterproofing, a slightly larger adapter with Bluetooth support for wireless audio devices and one that simply locks your Nano into the strap as is for use with headphones.

If this sounds like the iWatch you've been looking for, check out the Kickstarter promo video here and the Boombotix website here.

[Via PCWorld]

Kickstarter project aims to add Bluetooth and waterproofing to your nano-powered iWatch originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple's Soho retail store in New York, at 103 Prince Street, has been shut down for some major refurbishment. However, a temporary store just a few minutes walk away has been opened to make sure local customers aren't put out.

I say "temporary," but according to some photos published by Racked, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between this temporary store and any other regular Apple store. With staff dressed in blue Apple t-shirts, a Genius Bar and all manner of Apple products displayed on blond wooden tables, it looks like this temporary store will be here for a little while at least. Perhaps the only tell tale sign that this store isn't permanent is the wooden stair case instead of the customary glass ones found in regular Apple stores.

Check out photos taken inside the temporary store and further details at Racked.

[Via MacRumors]

A look inside New York's temporary Apple Store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of the frustrating things about driving a car with an iPhone (or other smartphone) in tow is syncing its contents with the car's audio or navigation system. But thanks to Toyota's new Toyota Touch Life, that doesn't have to be so much of a problem anymore.

According to Engadget, Toyota's new Touch Infotainment system lets iPhone and iPod touch users access a handful of apps directly from their iDevice. By downloading Toyota's "application launcher," a free app from the App Store, users can access certain apps on the in-car display, which mirrors iPhone's screen...in part. Only certain apps are compatible, including Garmin StreetPilot and some Internet news and radio apps like AUPEO!, plus Stitcher, Facebook and Twitter.

Touch Infotainment is exclusive to new new Toyota Verso-S, Yaris and Hilux cars. We don't know if will become available to the Avensis, Prius or Verso models or as an add-on to existing Toyota vehicles.

Toyota's Touch Life will "mirror" your iPhone's display originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Consumerist has posted a cute story about a 10-year-old girl whose purchasing of an iPod touch was made rather special by an Apple Store manager in Utah.

As the story goes, the particular young lady has wanted an iPod touch for quite some time. So much so that she saved her birthday and allowance money over the last 9 months so that she could finally afford to buy one for herself (I think a lot of us could learn a little something about this alone)!

Accompanied by her mother, she arrived at the Gateway Apple Store at 10:30 AM. Both were greeted by two Apple employees who told them that the store was closed from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and that they could not shop now. The mother explained the situation and pointed to the young girl with her jar full of money, but they were politely told that they would have to come back later, even though it wasn't quite 11:00.

The saddened but understanding pair moved along to do other shopping, but after a short distance an Apple employee chased after them to tell them that the store manager had made a special exception to let them in. Escorted into the store, mother and daughter were given the attention of the entire staff, and after the transaction was made the store manager asked all the employees to "...give [redacted] a round of applause for saving her money and buying an iPod today."

The young lady waved goodbye and immediately called her dad to tell him the story.

For the story as told by Matt the dad, click here.

10-year-old girl has memorable experience at Apple Store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Cupertino City Council has paid tribute to the memory of Steve Jobs by adjourning its meeting on Tuesday, October 18, 2011. As mentioned on the Cupertino City Council website, "The city is in the process of reviewing the new Apple Campus 2 headquarters project, which was Mr. Jobs' vision."

Earlier this year, Steve Jobs unveiled plans to build a new Apple Campus in Cupertino to house the growing needs of the company, alongside its existing campus at 1 Infinite Loop.

The council staff also put together a tribute video montage of extracts from Steve Jobs' last presentation to the council, amongst memorable moments of Steve Jobs career at Apple.

The last two times Steve Jobs presented at the council, he received standing ovations on both occasions. And on both occasions it was made very clear how proud the council members are to have Apple call Cupertino its home.

[Via Business Insider]

Cupertino City Council produces Steve Jobs tribute video originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Back in July, IK Multimedia (the company that's brought us the iRig, iKlip, Amplitube for iOS and a whole host of other music hardware and software) announced the iRig MIDI, an interface allowing MIDI instruments and machines to be connected to iOS devices.

However, the device didn't come to market until just this last week. And while there are other ways (MIDI to USB cable) and interfaces (Line 6, Yamaha) allowing you to get a MIDI connection to your iOS device, there are only a few which have created a MIDI interface to be used with Apple's 30-pin dock connector. And IK is one of the first to release one in conjunction with their own app, SampleTank for iOS.

Before you read on, if you don't know what MIDI is or why and how you'd want to use it with your iPad or iPhone, check out this previous post.

The iRig MIDI Hardware

The iRig MIDI is a standard Core MIDI interface. It has 3 ports (IN/OUT/THRU), two LEDs and a micro USB port for keeping your iDevice charged. It is essentially a small, black, plastic box with a 30-pin dock connector attached to it.

Unlike the ruggedness of the iRig for guitar or even the iRig Mic, the iRig MIDI doesn't feel particularly sturdy. In fact, it feels like if you were to accidentally stand on it, it would crack. However, it is neat and tidy, and it gets the job done. Coincidentally, it looks remarkably similar to the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer I and II, though I haven't physically handled one myself (white on black print, triangular, red LEDs, dock connector to the right of the unit).

Two MIDI cables and a micro USB cable are bundled with the iRig MIDI. The MIDI cables are a good meter and a half in length, which means you should find ample length to position your setup the way you want it. The micro USB cable is for keeping your iDevice powered while using the iRig MIDI (connecting to any standard USB power supply) and it plugs directly into the side of the iRig MIDI. This is a welcome feature, however the provided cable is particularly short, making it rather difficult to reach a standard USB power supply!

To get things up and running, simply plug the iRig MIDI into your iDevice (I used my iPad) and connect your MIDI cables to your MIDI device (I used an Axiom 49 MIDI keyboard). Once plugged in, you'll be prompted to download the free iRig MIDI recorder app from the iOS App Store. This is a simple MIDI recording app which also contains the firmware to make everything work, so make sure you download it. I had no problems getting things up and running. It worked the first time, which was great!

As mentioned earlier, the iRig MIDI has two small, triangular, red LED lights to indicate when MIDI signal is being received and sent. If you're not seeing the lights flash, you've probably not got the cables plugged in the right way or any power to your MIDI device. These LEDs are a simple yet very effective way of letting you know that things are really working. Speaking of power, this may be obvious, but the iRig MIDI will not power your MIDI device like a USB cable might, so make sure you've got your power adapter for your MIDI device if you need one!

From there, you're pretty much good to go. The cool thing about using a MIDI interface like the iRig MID is that you're now able to take advantage of over a hundred other apps which are Core MIDI compatible (like GarageBand for iPad). IK has conveniently put together a list of all those apps here.

The iRig MIDI costs around US$69.99, which is comparable to other iOS MIDI interfaces out there, like the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer II.

SampleTank for iOS.

So what about the app that IK is pushing in concert with the iRig MIDI? Well, you may have heard of SampleTank before, it's IK Multimedia's professional desktop sampling software package. And they've now brought it to the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Providing over 400 instruments bundled into 16 different instrument categories, layering of up to 4 instruments simultaneiously, a whole bunch of melodic and rythmic patterns or grooves to play with and sound and effects editing to customize the sounds your playing, SampleTank is an instrument sound library compressed into one app for your iDevice. It's not the first, but its power is in its sample quality and abundance, as well as working in tandum with the iRig MIDI.

The combination of these two makes for the perfect, light-weight solution for musicians who play using samples, particularly in live performance settings. Think about carrying your laptop and all its accessories, your audio interface and then your MIDI keyboard, for example, to a performance. Now think about your iPhone, the iRig MIDI and your MIDI keyboard. The second of these setups has a significant'y lower footprint than the first. But of course, your computer is going to be much more powerful than your iPhone, and handle much bigger samples with more integrity, right?

So the question is, how do the SampleTank samples stand up? Well, they are sampled -- and we're not talking about gigabyte sample files here -- so naturally, some are going to sound better than others, and it all depends on what your looking for. But take the piano samples, for example, and have a look at this YouTube clip below.

That doesn't sound bad at all. In fact, it sounds great! You could easily get away with using that piano sample in a rehearsal or a live performance. And most of the other instruments offered stand up well. Some in my opinion, however, fall a little short -- like the orchestral strings -- but on average, you'll be pleased with what's available, especially considering you're using your iPhone and not your computer!

Of course, all this doesn't come free. You get a taster of samples in the free app, but individual packs can be bought to expand a category of sounds (pianos, drums, strings) at $4.99 each. Or you can buy them all for $39.99.

The user-interface

The interface is simple enough to use when choosing instruments and preset grooves and loops. It's also pretty straight forward to edit and tweak the sounds and samples, which is what we've come to expect from apps like these. There's also a built-in virtual keyboard player, which means you can play the samples in the app without having to hook up an external MIDI device. Layering up sounds one on top of the other takes a little more time to get used to and it's quite a basic feature -- great for coming up with a few ideas, but nothing more. Yes, you could have hours of fun doing this, and it's a great way to explore all the samples, but personally I don't see any real musical application for it in it's current state other than having a bit of fun. You can export these creations too, but that's about it.

Clearly, where SampleTank shines is with its samples being used in a performance setting, and the ease of use with which it can be implemented.

Conclusion

So, is the iRig MIDI and SampleTank for iOS the combination of hardware and software for your iOS device that you've been looking for? Well, if your a keyboardist (or a drum machine user) and you love using a ton of different samples and sounds, then yes.

However, don't forget that the iRig MIDI alone is compatible with a multitude of other Core MIDI apps to choose from on the iOS store. Like GarageBand, for starters, which in my opinion is still one of the best and most comprehensive music apps out there at a very reasonable price.

However, if you're after some particular, high-quality sampled instruments, one of the nice things about SampleTank is that you can start with SampleTank Free and expand it the way you want by purchasing the samples you need. And some of those samples really do sound amazing.

Here are some demos of some of the samples on offer in SampleTank for iOS.
Or you can download SampleTank Free here.

For all the details, check out IK Multimedia's website here.

Update: The guys at IK Multimedia have got in touch to update us on a few things. Firstly, regarding the short micro USB cable for keeping your iDevice charged while using the iRig MIDI, they say, "[W}e wanted to supply a longer one [power cable], but due to the very tight power rating requirements by Apple, regarding devices supplying power through an accessory, this was the maximum cable length we could go to. If a device like the iRig MIDI doesn't correspond to their specific requirements, Apple simply won't approve it for use."

Secondly, they've let us know that an iPad version of SampleTank for iOS is on the way. It will be a universal app and a free update to those that purchase the current version.

Finally, IK say that at some point in the future they will be adding recording features into SampleTank for iOS, but there is not specific time frame at this point.

iRig MIDI and SampleTank for iOS review (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continuing in the vein of record iPhone launches stories, AT&T has announced it has activated more than 1 million iPhone 4S handsets as of Tuesday. They say that makes it the most successful launch in the company's history, which might explain why some customers experienced activation delays on day one.

AT&T is so pleased with the result, it has put together a little video with AT&T staff and customers saying how much they love the iPhone on AT&T. If you're a user of the carrier, you may feel a pang of pride!

Meanwhile, Sprint realized its best ever single-day sales on iPhone 4S launch day and Apple sold 4 million units within the 72 hours of availability. For a phone that's not the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S is causing quite a stir!

AT&T activates 1 million iPhone 4S handsets originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Samsung shipped more smartphones than Apple in the last quarter ending September 30. According to a person "familiar with the situation," Samsung shipped 20 million smartphones where as Apple shipped sold 17.1 million in its fourth fiscal quarter, which ended September 24, as announced in Apple's last conference earnings call. [Noting that shipping units doesn't mean selling them. Samsung may have shipped 20 million smartphones, but Apple sold nearly that many. - Ed.]

As noted in Apple's last conference earnings call, sales of the iPhone slowed down in the second half of the last quarter (as predicted) due to speculation and rumor of a product refresh: namely, the iPhone 4S (check out TUAW's Chris Rawson post taking a closer look at this). However, with the iPhone 4S selling a hefty 4 million units within the first three days of its launch, things could look a bit different at the end of the next financial quarter!

Samsung reportedly beats Apple in smartphone shipments originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Monday, the scheduled release date for Steve Jobs: A Biography, Fortune Magazine will publish an exclusive excerpt from Walter Isaacson's highly anticipated biography of Steve Jobs.

The sections to appear will focus on Steve's working relationship with the former CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates, which spanned nearly three decades. As stated by CNN Money, "...the co-founder of Apple and the co-founder of Microsoft were the twin pillars of personal computing -- at times fierce competitors, at times key allies."

Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs will be available on the same day, October 24, 2011. Previously the release date was set for November 21, and before that March 6, 2012. According to publisher Simon & Shuster, "...the book is based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years, as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues."

Fortune to publish first excerpt from Isaacson's biography of Jobs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Following the announcement of Infinity Blade II at Apple's media event, Epic Games has released content pack #4 in an update to the the original Infinity Blade game. The new pack comes with "new magic rings, swords, shields, and helmets" as well as a "fierce and deadly RookBane!"

On top of that, the update comes with a sneak preview of Infinity Blade II and Infinity Blade: Awakening, a book written by Brandon Sanderson (which coincidentally is now available on the iBook Store and the Kindle Store).

The update is free (and waiting for you now in the updates section of the App Store) if you've purchased the game.

Infinity Blade update with content pack #4 available now originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pop quiz! You've got thirty iPads. You need to sync all of them up to one Mac and charge them all at the same time. What do you do? Well, it's simple. Buy 3 Griffin MultiDocks at US$1,799.99 (or $699.99 each for one which handles 10) and daisy chain them together. As Griffin says, "[It's] the compact, flexible way to charge and store multiple iPads."

Clearly, this one's geared at schools, businesses and IT professionals, and it's a wonder there aren't more of these on the market. Monitoring, syncing and charging 10 iPads (or more) is a time-consuming hassle.

The MultiDock comes with some nifty features, including LEDs to indicate the charging status of each iPad and auto-off charging, which automatically stops sending power to a device once it's charged.

You'll find details on the Griffin MultiDock at Griffin's website. For all the details check out Griffin's MultiDock page here.

[Via Engadget, Gizmag]

Griffin MultiDock will charge and sync 30 iPads at once originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.