Multitrack Playback From An iPad

Sebastian Sygulla has released Multitracker, which he describes as a tool for playing back multichannel backing tracks in live situations. He tells us that, in contrast to other iPad-Playback Apps, it fully supports multichannel Audio Interfaces.

Sebastian had this to say, "As a keyboarder in a cover band, I know the needs of a musician. For playbacks, I need to have a player that can give the drummer a click that the audience can not hear and which provides additional outputs in mono or stereo, in order to possibly fly in keyboard tracks or choirs etc. Songs must be quickly available and easy to start. Optionally also with a pedal or other midi controllers. That's what Multitracker stands for."

Here's more details in Sebastian's own words...

With Multitracker, the musician receives an app, which allows him to route multi-track playbacks to any output of a USB audio interface or to the two headphone channels of the iPad. With the help of playlists you can quickly arrange and playback such multichannel songs. In contrast to players which are not intended for the stage, "Multitracker" pauses after each song. The operation is simple and tailored for live use.

With Multitracker, a song consists of several audio files, which the artist imports into the iPad. These audio files are assigned individual volumes and audio outputs which are stored with the song. Then the artist can arrange these songs in storable playlists. When playing a playlist, Multitracker stops after each song, automatically loads the next one within a few milliseconds, and waits for a start command from the artist.

So far musicians had to spend a lot of money on a hardware solution or to use a laptop with additional an audio interface. An iPad, on the other hand, is made for this purpose: it has no moving parts that could wear out, is insensitive to dust, small, reliable and easy to transport. Meanwhile, there is a wide range of audio interfaces with over 16 outputs which the iPad supports..

Pricing and Availability:

Multitracker is now available as a free trial version in the Apple App Store and can be unlocked to the full Version by in-app purchase.

More information:

• www.multitracker.eu