MooCowMusic:Band Pre-Release Hype Video

by Eric March on May 5, 2008 at 7:10 am

You may recall a couple of weeks back we told you about MooCowMusic’s upcoming band-in-a-box type app known as MooCowMusic:Band. Well, Moo hasn’t been idle all this time, no sir. It looks as though he’s been very, very busy indeed. Busy enough that he expects to be able to release this incredible new app in “a few days time.” So much for the month-and-change wait; he’s managed to cut that effectively in half.

He has also provided more detailed information about his ultimate music app, as well as provided a demo video that you’ll need to go fetch a drool bib for before you watch. I can’t say it any better than Moo himself, so I’ll just let him get on with the detail filling:

Play and record multiple instruments
o Drums, bass, guitars, keyboards can all be played and recorded into one song from the same application.
o There are no limits on the instrument interface, enabling not only standard instruments but also unusual, outlandish, or completely novel instruments to be created and played.
o MooCowMusic:Band can be expanded with future instrument packs and user-created instruments.
o Multitouch – press up to five keys at once for complex chords.
o Animation shows keys being pressed, strings being struck, etc.

User-definable instruments
o All instruments in MooCowMusic:Band are defined as simple text files, making it easy to create your own instruments to use within the application. As long as you can edit a text file, create or find some sound samples, and create a graphic backdrop, then you can design and build your own instrument. Alternatively you can import instruments that other people have created for you by simply copying them to the application Instruments folder.

Recording and Playback
o Any instrument can be recorded, or overdubbed onto a previous recording. The only limitation is note polyphony.
o Each instrument has an overlayed panel at the top of the screen containing all the common controls for recording and choosing an instrument.
o Via a settings menu, the user can erase any mistakes by erasing select instruments from the mix, or even the last few notes recorded.
o After erasing, the user can go back and overdub replacement notes onto the track.

Metronome
o To aid in timing, a metronome is available which can be enabled or disabled during recording.
o The metronome tempo is configurable, as is the number of beats per bar.

Advanced audio engine
o Mono or stereo samples. 14.1Khz 16Bit.
o Multisampled instruments, with each key triggering a separate sample.
o Samples stop when you lift your finger, allowing more expression.
o Configurable Attack stage of playback allows samples to fade in gradually.
o Configurable Release stage of playback allows samples to fade out when you release the note.
o Samples can be defined to loop for as long as the key is pressed.
o Each instrument can be indepenently panned and its volume set, to position it in the mix.
o Each instrument can be muted.
o Each instrument can be soloed (mute all other instruments and just allow this one to play).
o Play along to your MP3s.

The application is currently in Beta Test stage. I expect it to be released in a few days time.

For more info please see the official Band forum at: http://www.moocowmusic.com