There is an ongoing debate in the world of gaming over whether or not the medium can be considered art. Those who think it should be point to games like Braid, Flower, and even Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP as proof of gaming’s artistic merit. However, based on the look of Woolly Robot’s new experimental game Flight of the Fireflies, it might be time to add a new game to that list.
The game describes itself as “an interactive artwork” or “an interactive musical poem” so naturally its more about the experience than the gameplay. Players use touch to move a group of fireflies across the night sky and through various environments while each firefly produces its own unique tone. Throughout their journey, players can discover more fireflies and add them to the musical collective.
This symphony of the night is only available for iPad owners. Flight of the Fireflies is available now on the App Store.
The new Akai Pro MPC Fly turns any iPad 2 into a full featured MPC (music production center). Not only does it turn an iPad into a portable production center, but it also acts as a protective case opening on hinges to sit upright, lay flat, or close shut for transport. The MPC Fly touts 16 pads with note repeat and swing, and works with any Core MIDI apps. It also works in conjunction with the MPC Fly iPad app.
With the MPC Fly iPad app users can sequence four tracks at once, access library of audio samples and drum kits, use various audio effects on their sequences, pull samples from their iTunes library, and share their work on SoundCloud, Facebook, or Twitter.
The MPC Fly houses it’s own rechargeable lithium-ion battery making it a truly portable solution. It also includes a wall charger, and will charge the iPad while it’s plugged in to the wall. No word yet on how much the MPC will retail for.
Grooveshark has decided to try and circumvent the issue of not being on web stores by unleashing a gambit Apple and Google can’t shut down: a mobile HTML5-based client. Grooveshark has had a contentious relationship with the App Store and Android Market, having pulled off the rare double whammy of being removed from both the App Store and Android Market! Some of the major music labels, like Universal, dispute the legality of the service in part because they believe that Grooveshark is willingly permitting copyright infringement, although they do have deals with some labels.
As such, the idea of an HTML5 player is to be something that will work on mobile devices without approval from companies who also have financial agreements with the record labels who oppose their service. The HTML5 player works in Safari on iOS, on browsers for Android 2.3 and later, including third-party browsers. While this HTML5 solution doesn’t allow for offline listening or continuous track playing, it allows for the easy streaming of music on mobile, all without needing an app. The HTML5 player, which is still in a beta form, is available from http://html5.grooveshark.com and is currently free to access.
Ion Audio is getting a ton of press over the new iCades and my personal favorite their Guitar Apprentice, but Guitarlink Air looks pretty cool too. Announced at CES 2012, the system connects a guitar to Mac, PC, iPad or iPhone wirelessly. Guitarlink Air’s uses what it calls “high performance, low-latency technology.” The transmitter, a lightweight clip-on to a guitar strap funnels a 2.4 GHz signal that is amplified by an amp or digital output source without the annoyance or constraints of a cables.
Rockers can also use Guitarlink Air and an iOS device to practice with headphones or in conjunction with apps like AmpliTube and Garageband. and a free amp is included. The package, scheduled for a Q2 release, comes with Guitar Rig LE software that, according to Ion’s press release “shapes guitar sound with emulations of classic amplifiers and effects pedals.” No word yet on price, but its yet another one from Ion Audio for the wish list.
Rebel and Bird AB and Springworks AB have announced an upcoming application that will try to help Spotify users — or at least those with Spotify Premium — discover new music while on the go. Their app, SpotON Radio, will allow users to log in to their Spotify accounts and have custom radio stations built for them based on their Spotify data. According to Rebel and Bird’s Peter Blom, “We’re all passionate music fans and love discovering new music which can often be a challenge. Even though you now have access to an endless library thanks to Spotify, it’s hard to seek out new songs and you often end up listening to the same playlists over and over again. We wanted to change that and that’s where the idea for SpotON Radio started.”
It will work similarly to Pandora, where users enter in a starting point like their favorite artist, and then the app will find similar tracks based on that. This is all based on Spotify’s API, using their library of music (accessible through the user’s premium subscription which offers the access to the tracks) to supply the tracks for the service. SpotON Radio launches on January 9th as a free app with no ads at all, though the developers tease that it may not stay that way always. The app will be available from this link, so Spotify Premium users will want to keep an eye out for this.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted December 28th, 2011 by Michael Halloran Our Rating: :: PRICEY MAGIC
Magic Guitar turns any iPhone into a simulated guitar that gives users a chance to play along with some of their favorite songs. However, playing those songs can come at a hefty price through in-app purchases.
The latest gift to Classic Rock fans and musical time-travelers to grace the App Store is This Day in Bob Dylan – from the same folks who brought us This Day in Pink Floydand This Day in Led Zeppelin. The app contains a daily Dylan diary of factoids covering 366 days of the year. The app offers some obscure Dylan trivia for new and die-hard fans to sink their teeth into while it plays Dylan tracks already in users’ music library. It also, of course, links to the iTunes to get the rest of the 12 studio albums and 130 tracks.
Like other apps in this series, there are detailed song and album notes, and even an “Extras” section where ringtones, wallpaper and links to popular Dylan websites can be found. It’s fan-ware, but of the best sort: this app will leave any Dylan aficionado with some warm memories and a wealth of new information on the poet laureate of the Hippie generation.
The top gift on most holiday lists this year is undoubtedly a new iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. To celebrate, Disney Mobile’s very popular rhythm music game Tap Tap Revenge is running its biggest holiday deal yet. Leading up to New Year’s Eve, Tap Tap Revenge is giving away a song a day, including a few holiday favorites, Grammy nominations, and hit singles from the world’s biggest music acts, including Cold Play, who’s hit new song “Hurts Like Heaven” is Sunday’s free track. Lady Gaga’s “Marry The Night” was Thursday’s free track.
As for holiday cheer, they’re also giving away Bootsy Collins & Snoop Dogg’s “Happy Holidaze 2012” on December 26. Other hit songs being given away for free in the holiday promotion include, “Feel So Close” from Calvin Harris, “Body Work” from Morgan Page (ft. Tegan & Sara) and The Band Perry’s smash hit “If I Die Young.” Other bands include Alkaline Trio, She Wants Revenge, Coleman & Chris, Ivy, Chancellor Warhol and The Outfield.
The concept behind the Hello Music website is a simple but brilliant one: provide members with information regarding all manner of deals and sales, on all kinds of musical goodies. The Hello Music app does pretty much the same thing, only on iOS. In other words, with an account on the website and the app on a phone, anyone looking for great deals is covered.
The site, and by extension the application, will per-negotiate discounts on a set (and limited) quantity of various items. These range from tangible objects such as amps, pedals and such, to less tangible things like studio time. Since quantities are limited the deals don’t last long (usually around 48 hours), but with a handy-dandy iOS app to monitor these deals on the go it becomes much less of an issue.
Setting up an account on the website is free. The app is free. Suffice it to say, any musicians with even a little interest in savings (and an iPhone, of course) need to take a look at this.
SampleTank, a professional quality sound and groove workstation, recently announced a new update, which now makes it a universal app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. More importantly, it now features a built-in 4-track MIDI recorder, which is an essential tool for any music enthusiast or professional as it enables the mobile musician to record beats, grooves or complete songs anytime and everywhere. The new recorder features quantize and loop functions, export to audio and integration with the built-in pattern player making it a full-featured mobile sound and groove workstation.
Additionally, its drum pads interface was enhanced for easier use and now includes a total of 136 instruments as well as an another few hundred available as in-app purchases. The update also added more than 1,000 patterns as well as made the app compatible with any audio dock. The SampleTank music app is available for $19.99 on the App Store.
Music and programming seem very different, but upon some reflection, and after using Glitch Machine, I realize their similiarities. Both essentially use a language that must be learned and manipulated in order to create the desired output. Glitch Machine is essentially music creation for programmers. It is a “generative music synthesizer” where chiptune-esque beats are created through the use of expressions to create beats. Lines of code help create beats, which can be edited in real time.
To say this app has a learning curve would be an understatement – it is very sharp, because it essentially requires the learning of a new programming language. Thankfully, there are a variety of pre-made example songs in the app which are user-editable; this is the easiest way to figure out how to make sounds that aren’t just loud screeches, or how to make sounds period! When actually listenable, comprehensible music is made, the songs can be exported through iTunes File Sharing as WAV files, and can be shared with the world through Twitter.
MyStream, the mobile to mobile music sharing app that launched earlier this year, has announced a recent update that adds additional media file type support, fixed a few bugs within the MyPlayist function and improves the loading screen behavior. The app, created by entrepreneur Richard Zelson, acts as a virtual earphone splitter and allows users to share their music via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Now, the app features social networking integration and a new expanded playlist sharing functionality, which allows the full song to be played by turning on “Access MyPlaylist” and selecting a top 10 list of songs to be made available for others to enjoy. This was a major point of feedback from users of the previous version. Previously, the app only allowed full playback of the host’s song in real-time while others could only be played as 30-second samples. MyStream is available as a free download in the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
I won’t pretend to be a legitimate guitarist, because I’m most certainly not, but Perfect Guitar Song Book seems like a very useful app for those that are. It’s got all of the usefulness of an entire library of tablature, but none of the mess or back-breaking physical requirements that come with lugging it around. Of course, that’s what roadies are for, right?
It’s not all about portability, though. Perfect Guitar Song Book can also be used to grab and format notes and lyrics from any number of websites directly through the app. The text and fonts can also be tweaked to allow for easier reading, then saved for later use. Favorites can be exported into various formats (.PDF, Chord Pro, etc…), which I can see being a big deal for potential song writers.
The app also offers the useful hands-free option of scrolling via shaking. So if someone’s presumably in the middle of playing they don’t have to stop in order to “turn the page” as it were. The app also supports TV-Out, so with the proper cables a user could easily put the song up on a big screen for the rest of their band-mates/friends to use as a guide.
If Perfect Guitar Song Book sounds like a great idea, then feel free to go and grab it off of the App Store. It’s available right now for $3.99 for all major iOS devices.
Technology is improving in in leaps and bounds. It’s an immensely exciting time to be alive. Just a glance at the growing prevelance of Augmented Reality games aptly demonstrates that. How about a game that relies on augmented sound though? Now, that’s a bit different.
Dimensions looks extremely interesting in that respect. It uses augmented sound to turn the world into a game. Designed to be played in parallel with normal life, the game manipulates and enhances sound nearby changing the things we hear as a matter of course over the day. Players enter and exit different dimensions within the game as they go about their life. Missions can then be completed by collecting artifacts and fighting enemies.
It’s a pretty fascinating concept and with music from Inception composer Hans Zimmer, Dimensions looks all the more compelling.
Dimensions is set for release sometime this month. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on its development. For now, check out the video below that explains a bit more.
Everyone does it. They’re sitting there listening to music, doing whatever else while the sweet melodies relax or empower them, and then they get The Urge. Suddenly, it becomes extremely important to let other people know what they’re listening to. I can’t even begin to explain this phenomena but it’s a real thing and it happens all the time. Thanks to James Shaw, the 16 year-old app wiz, the process will be getting even more streamlined.
MusicTweet is an app designed to do just that: tweet music. When a user starts up the app, it will automatically find the song and album information on what they’re currently listening to. When the tracks change, it’ll track down the info for the new one, too. From there it’s simply a matter of tapping the “Tweet” button. The app will automatically add the title, artist and other miscellaneous bits. Tracks can be changed in-app, along with the volume, so there’s little reason for tweet-happy music lovers to not keep it running all the time.
MusicTweet is available on the App Store now for $0.99.
Fans of Tap Tap Revenge and The Muppets rejoice as Disney Mobile announced the availability of Tap Tap Muppets. The app is free and features music from Disney’s “The Muppets” soundtrack, in addition to the Muppets tribute compilation, “The Green Album.” How fitting, since it’s not easy being green. Well, in this case, it’s very easy since we all love The Muppets and music so this is a great combination to have in a game.
Tap Tap Muppets features all the usual cast of characters, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and a few more to help celebrate everyone’s favorite Muppet music. The game features six full tracks including three songs from the “The Muppets” soundtrack, which will be released by Walt Disney Records on November 21. A few of the songs include “Life’s A Happy Song” which is performed by Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Walter along with “The Muppet Show Theme” performed by OK Go.
The launch of Tap Tap Muppets coincides with the theatrical release, which hits theaters November 23. The Tap Tap Muppets app is available for free in the App Store.
A whole lot of people love Infinity Blade. Many of us here at 148apps are no exception. Even so, there’s always been one thing that bugged me about it: I could never get the hang of playing it while simultaneously doing other tasks such as crossing busy streets or operating heavy machinery. Now, thanks to ChAIR, I can do the next best thing.
Infinity Blade’s soundtrack has just been released on iTunes, allowing fans to relive those epic one-on-one battles with gods, monsters and god-kings whenever they please. Without the threat of bodily harm brought about by aimlessly wandering into traffic, no less (folks, please don’t stare at that screen while walking on the street as it’s legitimately dangerous). The album, by veteran ChAIR composer Josh Aker, includes 25 tracks from both the original and the upcoming sequel, adding up to just under an hour’s worth of playtime.
It’s the perfect way to get psyched up for Infinity Blade 2‘s release, which is just around the corner. The individual tracks are available at the standard $0.99 a pop, but all 25 can be purchased together for a much more reasonable $9.99. Either way, it’s an essential addition to any fan’s music library.
How many bands can boast 167 studio tracks? More accurately, what band can boast such gems as We Don’t Need No EducationThe Wall, Dark Side of the Moon, and Wish You Were Here? Only one – that band being Pink Floyd. Such an iconic band can now add an official app to their impressive portfolio, courtesy of This Day in Pink Floyd.
The app contains thousands of music facts covering 366 days of the year. There’s a guide to every one of the tracks released by the band, as well as more than 100 images, over 200 quiz questions and the same amount of trivia.
It’s the ideal companion for any Pink Floyd fan but it gets even better. There’s a newly restored video of their 1968 single, Point Me At The Sky, a free ringtone of Shine On You Crazy Diamond and two wallpaper screen images, including the Dark Side Of The Moon prism and the Wish You Were Here cover.
This Day in Pink Floyd is available now as an Universal app and it’s priced at $2.99.
This week at 148Apps, Tweetbot was on a roll, a new storybook app joined the fold, and - oops - apps broke the Super Bowl. There's more to read, so get to it!
:: TEENAGE DREAM
The new Akai Pro MPC Fly turns any iPad 2 into a full featured MPC (music production center). Not only does it turn an iPad into a portable production center, but it also acts as a protective case opening on hinges to sit upright, lay flat, or close shut for transport. The MPC Fly touts 16 pads with note repeat and swing, and works with any Core MIDI apps. It also works in conjunction with the MPC Fly iPad app.
Grooveshark has decided to try and circumvent the issue of not being on web stores by unleashing a gambit Apple and Google can’t shut down: a 
Ion Audio is getting a ton of press over the 
Rebel and Bird AB and Springworks AB have announced an upcoming application that will try to help Spotify users — or at least those with Spotify Premium — discover new music while on the go. Their app, SpotON Radio, will allow users to log in to their Spotify accounts and have custom radio stations built for them based on their Spotify data. According to Rebel and Bird’s Peter Blom, “We’re all passionate music fans and love discovering new music which can often be a challenge. Even though you now have access to an endless library thanks to Spotify, it’s hard to seek out new songs and you often end up listening to the same playlists over and over again. We wanted to change that and that’s where the idea for SpotON Radio started.”
The latest gift to Classic Rock fans and musical time-travelers to grace the App Store is This Day in Bob Dylan – from the same folks who brought us 
The top gift on most holiday lists this year is undoubtedly a new iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. To celebrate, Disney Mobile’s very popular rhythm music game Tap Tap Revenge is running its biggest holiday deal yet. Leading up to New Year’s Eve, Tap Tap Revenge is giving away a song a day, including a few holiday favorites, Grammy nominations, and hit singles from the world’s biggest music acts, including Cold Play, who’s hit new song “Hurts Like Heaven” is Sunday’s free track. Lady Gaga’s “Marry The Night” was Thursday’s free track.
The concept behind the 
SampleTank, a professional quality sound and groove workstation, recently announced a new update, which now makes it a universal app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. More importantly, it now features a built-in 4-track MIDI recorder, which is an essential tool for any music enthusiast or professional as it enables the mobile musician to record beats, grooves or complete songs anytime and everywhere. The new recorder features quantize and loop functions, export to audio and integration with the built-in pattern player making it a full-featured mobile sound and groove workstation.
Music and programming seem very different, but upon some reflection, and after using Glitch Machine, I realize their similiarities. Both essentially use a language that must be learned and manipulated in order to create the desired output. Glitch Machine is essentially music creation for programmers. It is a “generative music synthesizer” where chiptune-esque beats are created through the use of expressions to create beats. Lines of code help create beats, which can be edited in real time.
MyStream, the mobile to mobile music sharing app that launched earlier this year, has announced a recent update that adds additional media file type support, fixed a few bugs within the MyPlayist function and improves the loading screen behavior. The app, created by entrepreneur Richard Zelson, acts as a virtual earphone splitter and allows users to share their music via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
I won’t pretend to be a legitimate guitarist, because I’m most certainly not, but 
Everyone does it. They’re sitting there listening to music, doing whatever else while the sweet melodies relax or empower them, and then they get The Urge. Suddenly, it becomes extremely important to let other people know what they’re listening to. I can’t even begin to explain this phenomena but it’s a real thing and it happens all the time. Thanks to 
Fans of Tap Tap Revenge and The Muppets rejoice as Disney Mobile announced the availability of Tap Tap Muppets. The app is free and features music from Disney’s “The Muppets” soundtrack, in addition to the Muppets tribute compilation, “The Green Album.” How fitting, since it’s not easy being green. Well, in this case, it’s very easy since we all love The Muppets and music so this is a great combination to have in a game.
A whole lot of people love 
How many bands can boast 167 studio tracks? More accurately, what band can boast such gems as 
]
