WNAMM11: Top Five Apps And Accessories

Apps were big business at Winter NAMM11. There was plenty to see at the Apps and Gaming Pavilion, and beyond, with many companies setting out just to make musical accessories to accompany iPads, iPhones, and iPods.

Here's a round up of the Apps and accessories that we think will make a splash in 2011:

• First up is the iConnect - an iOS CoreMIDI hardware interface for the iPad, iPod, and iPhone. With two MIDI in and outs, two micro USB to iDevice outs, and a USB Type A host port, you can plug a number of MIDI controllers into your iPhone and control compatible Apps. The MIDI data routing is 'extremely' low latency, and the device can handle tens of thousands MIDI events every second.

• Jammit is a really useful App for guitarists, bassists, drummers, vocalists, and keyboard players. If you check out their site you'll notice that pretty much everything is 'coming soon', but, there are plenty of demonstrational videos previewing the App. In fact, if you go to our original story on Jammit then you can see it all in action. Essentially Jammit allows you to jam along to a huge library of authentic multi-tracks from famous rock recordings. If you're a guitarist you can isolate the guitar or turn the guitar off, slow the track down, and play along to the notation or tablature.

• The Trumpad is one of the coolest virtual instrument Apps out there, and is made by the same developers as the popular iBone. The Trumpad is a two inch Trumpet, set out so that you play different valve combinations and move your iPhone on a vertical axis to change the position of the bell. You can play along to your iTunes library, or use the in-built tutorials to play along to Jazz classics.

• Presonus announced the SL Remote App for their StudioLive Mixers. This is great for live sound engineers who use the SL desks, the App offers the flexibility to be able to make adjustments to certain parameters on the desk whilst you are setting up on the stage or even at the bar grabbing a pint. Potentially this also means that if each member of the band had an iPad with the SL App, they could all control the mixes going to their own monitors.

• IK Multimedia were showing off their brand spanking new iRig Mic at NAMM11. The iRig Mic is the same concept as the iRig for guitars, just applied to vocals. The condenser microphone is iOS compatible and comes with Vocalive free and Amplitube free. IK are marketing this as a new way to be able to control your own on-stage sound, by using an iPad to change effects. The Mic is compatible with a number of other Apps as well, so it could be used to record onto your iOS device using multi-track software.

Rich Beech
www.StudioParanormal.com

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