Beat Loop – Review

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On September 30, 2008

App Type: Uncategorized

Beat Loop – Review

Our rating:

By: Benjamin McDowell

Version #: 1.0

Date Released: 2008-08-25

Developer:

Price: 2.99

User Rating:
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Beat Loop is an interesting approach to the drumming in your Apple iPhone/iTouch device concept. This program presents you with 9 windows to chose from. Each window has a different drum element in it. Playing the sounds are a little easier in the horizontal rather than the vertical position.

The sound samples are excellent for each instrument. In addition to being able to play the 9 drum voices, there are a few interesting options that could make this program more interesting than most of the other drum programs.
1. You can actually record what you play. Unfortunately you get only one "pass" on each rhythm pattern. There’s no way to play a first pass with basic rhythms followed by a second or third pass so you could add to more instruments and rhythms to your fun!
You can save each pattern and play them back one at a time, but not being able to combine various drum figures into an interesting composite leaves a lot to be desired.
2. You can change the volume and touch sensitivity (Volume Simulation) by tapping at the top of each window for a softer sound and at the bottom of the window for a louder volume. There’s also an option window that allows you to control the overall volume, turn on or off window touch sensitivity (Velocity Simulation) and keeping the window lock (Sleep) function deactivated while you’re playing the program.

Drumming is always based on accurate placement of the individual sounds and beats you play. There must not be any "delay" between when you tap the individual window and when the sound is recorded. Unfortunately, this delay exists in this program. It may just require a minor adjustment in the program code to resolve the problem.

There’s a term in electronic drumming that isn’t necessarily liked by all drummers. It is called QUANTIZATION. This feature allows inaccurately placed beats(sounds) to be corrected to their proper position in a pattern. This feature relies on having a metronome type guide (click) sound that helps the player keep his patterns in sync. This program has no such feature to assist the player with keeping the beat consistent. That coupled with the delay in response of the individual windows makes creating a really swinging drum pattern quite a challenge.

The controls at the bottom of the window will allow you to accomplish all the commands available.
You can record a single pattern, listen to it back and save it if you like what you’d created. You can give it a name and it will be placed in a directory for future playback.
 
Quick Take:

Beat Loop is going in the right direction where the drum programs are concerned. There are features that would greatly enhance this program’s value to the market.

Value: As it is currently offered, I would say it’s a "good" value for the beginner drum "tapper".  However, if the features I mentioned above were added it would be a blockbuster program for the amateur and professional alike!

Would I Buy Again: I would buy it again once the missing features were included.
Learning Curve: Currently a couple of hours should be sufficient to fully understand how to use the program

Who is it for: In it’s present format, it would provide entertainment for those of all ages who just want to fool around with drum sounds and get a simulation of what a drum Pattern (loop) would sound like.

What I like: The visual layout is very "user friendly" in that you can select which way you’d like the windows to face. I prefer the "landscape" view myself. It gives you a little more area to tap on.

What I Don’t: The fact that it is, in fact, only a single loop allowing you only a single pass to create your pattern. Secondly error correction is very important to the end result of each pattern. If you have no metronome (click) reference at all, the patterns will always vary in feel and speed making the overall pattern inconsistent. It won’t feel like it’s swinging! Quantization is not the simplest item to add to a program like this but would greatly enhance it’s appeal to the player.

Final Statement: Beat Loop is a great first step to a comprehensive drum program that would attract both amateur and professional customers if the features I mentioned above were added. They have good sound samples and a very usable window to tap in. The arrangement in the windows is straight forward and logical. They just need to take that next step to bring them out of the basic "tapper" market into a very usable tool for everyone to enjoy! I hope they take the next step!

Read the Developer's Notes:
Tap out a beat - Record it - Play it back - Loop it - Save it for later. Beat Loop has everything you need for creating realistic drum beats on the go. No more worrying about setting the correct tempo. No more tiny drum pads. Simply tap out a drum beat at your own pace on Beat Loop's 9 generously-proportioned drum pads.Hit the Record button, and Beat Loop will faithfully record your masterpiece. Hit Play to hear it in all its glory. Loop it continuously to really show off your talent. Beat Loop's innovative" Velocity Simulation "lets you easily produce soft, medium and hard drum hits. Simply tap near the top of the drum for softer sounds, or tap near the bottom of the drum for harder sounds. Your drummer didn't show up for band practice? No problem! With Beat Loop in your pocket, tap out a quick beat, loop it, and get on with the fun.

Beat Loop features: - 9 high-quality drum samples, each recorded at 3 different velocity settings, for a total of 27 individual samples.- Recording mode so you never forget that great idea you have for a drum beat.- One-touch creation of drum loops. Simply play your recorded beat through until the end, and tap the loop button when the beat should begin again. Once you've set up the loop, Beat Loop will play your beat indefinitely.- Save your recorded drum beats and loops for later.
- A volume control for iPod Touch users.- Works in both portrait and landscape.O U R   T A K E  .  .  .

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