How did people live without the iPhone? I'll go ahead and make a confession...I don't have one (*shock**astonishment**nausea*)...the main reason being, I hate AT&T's customer service. 'Nuff said.
Although I don't have one, seems like everyone else does. With all of the applications floating around, it's hard to find the ones that are actually useful and not just fluff. If I did have an iPhone however, the first thing I would use off of it would be a metronome. I've always thought it would be great to have a small metronome or click that you could take with you wherever you go and pull it out when needed. There's quite a few of them, but here's three I ran across that function in three different ways. If you have one that you use already, or you just know of one that interfaces better, please shoot me a comment or a line as I want to know. Click on the highlighted names and you'll be redirected to a site where you can use or download the application.
1) Metronome 2.11
- This one will either display and play the tempo that you set it at or allow you to tap your own tempo out (that will give you a general idea of the tempo at best...really hard to keep your tapping exactly right.). At the top of the screen you can turn the metronome off, allowing you to tap your own tempo, or on, allowing it to play the programmed BPM.2) Flash Metronome- This one comes from Diatche Software and it's simply a blinking light. That's it. No sound...which can be beneficial considering the problem with many of the metronome app's is a volume issue. The screen displays a ring with a light flitting around it...you can also set the whole screen to flash ala strobe effect with each beat. Very simple app. You can set it anywhere between 30-200 BPM, which should cover your needs.
3) Metronome and Tuner- This one only works when you're online...so you don't actually have to download the app, you just go to the site when you need it. Probably the most basic of all the metronome's I'm mentioning...but as an added benefit it has a tuner beside it. So if you like tuning your drums to certain pitches or if you're a multi-instrumentalist, it could come in handy.
Again, this isn't a comprehensive list in the least bit...it's mainly meant to let you know that there are several out there to choose from, and if it's available why not use it? Ah, Technology...What would we do without it?
Post Update:
So after I posted this a few of ya'll that actually have iPhones clued me in on Tempo. After looking into, this is by far the most useful and my fav of all the above. Check this blog out to get a comprehensive review of the product....and it's only 99 cents!
10 comments:
I'm using Tempo, best one I've tried so far - www.frozenape.com
@Oliver...You're right, that's better than the other 3 I posted above. Thanks so much for putting the link up!
yeah, I'm using Tempo as well. I love the setlist feature. I'd like to see an update where you can edit setlists offline (as a text file, and email them to your account).
I've also got TapMe, which is nice for finding the tempo of a tune you're working on.
What's up Aaron...used to seein ya over at Billy's forum, so it's nice to have another familiar "face" here...
After looking into tempo, I agree, it's far superior, expecially if you're going to be using it in an actually playing situation. The setlist was actually what caught my eye, really useful. I think I'm going to update this post and add tempo...like I said above, I don't actually have an iPhone. This topic came up on the 18 hour bus ride back from Nebraska (47 hour trip, 38 spent on a bus...and the set was 45 minutes long!) and it got me thinkin. I was limited in my analysis, seeing as I don't own one, but I know tons of folks do and alot of them I talked to had no idea it even had metronome capabilities.
After looking into it, I think that there's a TON of useful stuff missing from these applications...a great opportunity for anyone who knows how to program and loves the drums (just a thought!)
Again man, great to see ya here and thanks for lending your expertise!
I don't have an iPhone either, since here in Canada you get shafted with Rogers as a carrier, who has 1 high rates, and 2 very poor coverage in my area.
I have an iPod Touch, and it's great. I patch it straight into a little monitor-mixer that I have on stage next to my hats. I can dial in the click volume there, and control my monitor level, all going into my in-ears. It's a great system. Plus I can check my Facebook during breaks ;-)
@cush-daddy...That's what I'm talkin about! Puttin the technology to good use...and yea, the main reason I don't have an iPhone is for carrier reasons (as I mentioned above). I've considered the iPod Touch though...now if I could just convince my wife...
@Alana...Glad to have you aboard! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment, even if you didn't know what to say. Looking foward to hearing from ya in the future and thanks again for reading!
GigBaby is another worth checking out. There's a GigBabyFree version as well.
Thanks Eddie...this post has been so popular that I've got plans to update it here in the near future (Seeing as this is a one man show, everything takes longer than I'd like it to). Any other suggestions for me to check out are appreciated!
Thanks Audiyo for this writeup.
We at Zero Brainz would like to humbly shout out our iPhone metronome, Cycles. It has a number of features not found in other metronomes on the market, such as assignable mutes and accents to subdivisions throughout the bar, and settable percentage of randomized muting. There is also a comprehensive arrange section, classy wood background, and vintage flashbulb animation.
Thanks for checking it out!
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cycles-metronome/id469821777?mt=8
Site: http://zerobrainz.com/cycles/
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