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Smule Strikes Back With Ocarina 2

Posted by Blake Grundman on June 21st, 2012
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Ocarina was one of those ubiquitous apps that hit early on in the life of the App Store and cemented itself as one of the top downloads of all time.  Even our own founder, Jeff Scott, gave the musical emulator a full five star rating, almost four years ago.  It is safe to say that had we established the Editor's Choice awards when that all went down, most likely it would have even snagged one of those as well.

Several iOS devices later, Smule, the developer of the groundbreaking app is finally getting around to releasing a sequel to their smash hit.  This time around, Ocarina 2 will actually be free for everyone, with downloadable song tabs available for a minor additional cost.  Just when you think something couldn't get any better, they blow your expectations out of the water.  We will leave you with a small sample of what you can do in the new app, inspired by a certain television show that is close to many of our hearts.

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Feel the Holiday Spirit As Ocarina Goes Free for 72 Hours

Posted by Blake Grundman on December 8th, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarstar :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED :: Read Review »

Tis the season to both give and receive.  iOS developer Smule seems to understand that better than anyone else, and accordingly, are ready to announce a special holiday giveaway.  Starting at 1pm on Tuesday December 7th, their critically acclaimed program Ocarina will be absolutely free.  The only catch is that it is only for a limited time.

Looking back in time through the magic 148Apps.com crystal ball, we can see that not only has the app been well received by numerous junkets, but our very own Jeff Scott gave the then fledgling software a perfect five star rating.  Trust us on this, we were not the only place that told you it was the best around, either.  Word of mouth spread so quickly that it went on to garner over 2.8 million downloads since the original release in November of 2008.

Now boasting an impressive online community of digital ocarina composers, this is where the true appeal of the app lies.  This is so much the case that the online library of composed pieces has reached an astounding sixty million playbacks.  Here is what our own review had to say about it, way back in the day:


"Overall Ocarina, while not the most exciting musical instrument on the iPhone, does use the network connection on the iPhone to it’s fullest to create a fantastic social application. It’s a lot of fun." -- Jeff Scott 

The fact that Smule is willing to give one of their marque titles away, even if it is only for a limited time, is commendable and another reminder that sometimes it is better to give than to receive.  In this case though, we will happily take part in the receiving as well!  Be sure to head to the App Store and pick it up before the promotion ends on December 10th at 1PM.  When an app manages to gain our five star approval, it would be a crime to let this opportunity slip by.

Are iPhone-based Cover Bands the Next Big Meme?

Posted by Jeff Scott on March 2nd, 2009

We've seen no shortage of great music related iPhone apps released into the iTunes App Store. Some of the best apps are even more powerful than their hardware based counterparts. So I guess it was only a matter of time before we started seeing bands release exclusively iPhone created songs. This is one of the better ones I've seen, and it's by a real band from the UK, The Mentalists.

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This is a cover of a song called The Kids from the band MGMT, and pretty well done. They are, according to the video, using apps such as Ocarina (Our Review), Digi Drummer Lite (iTunes Link, and Retro Synth (iTunes Link).

Ocarina

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Jeff Scott on November 11th, 2008
Our rating: starstarstarstarstar :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
A fantastic and fun social music instrument
Read The Full Review »