Henny Gives BeatMaker Tha Bizness

by Eric March on July 17, 2008 at 8:53 pm

If nothing else, the iPhone is proving itself to be quite a capable and well-rounded device in numerous fields, and music is no exception. Nobody appreciates this more than Henny from Tha Bizness, who rocked a new joint on camera using BeatMaker Sequencer for the benefit of all. This app is a pretty well-done sample sequencer with some nice features. It features a 4×4 pad array that you can load up with your choice of customizable sample kits. You can set individual sample volumes, note velocities, note frequencies, groove/shuffle — even slice beats into individual components on-board — construct your song pattern by pattern, humanize or quantize each pattern, and sequence it all with the built-in pattern sequencer. There are two top-level effects channels available that allow you to apply three-band EQ, a “bit-crusher” for some lo-fi grunge, and a synchronized delay. Load and save customized drum kits, export your song to WAV, even share it with the world.

It’s not Fruity Loops — if anything, it has more in common with ReBirth RB338 or a stripped down version of Sony’s Acid — but as an instrument you can perform live, or to use to sketch song ideas on the go as inspiration hits, BeatMaker is more than capable. Its $20 App Store sticker price may shock some of you, but this is a highly polished music app with a lot of excellent features, an intuitive interface, very pleasing visuals, and lots of nice notions and afterthoughts to enhance your experience, so if you’re serious about your music, it doesn’t get much better than this. If you’re still not convinced, check out the video below for an up close and personal walkthrough. (Check the HD button in the video’s menu overlay for some up-close detail.)