Apple has introduced its new Music Memos app, designed to “quickly capture, organise and develop” musical ideas on the iPhone, while also updating its GarageBand app.Apple states that Music Memos is inspired by Voice Memos, building on its functionality by adding a number of “musician-friendly features”. These features have been specifically designed for songwriting and developing musical ideas.
The app allows recording via the iPhone’s built-in microphone in a high-quality, uncompressed format, with the user then able to name, tag and rate the recording in building a library of ideas.
Among the app’s features, it can analyse the rhythm and chords of acoustic guitar and piano recordings, and add drums and a bass line, providing “a virtual, customisable backing band that plays along to match the feel of your song”.
Music Memos can also provide basic notation, displaying chords that were played.
Meanwhile, GarageBand 2.1 introduces a number of new features, including Live Loops, a way to make music like a DJ using an iPhone or iPad.
“Inspired by DJ hardware controllers and drum machines, Live Loops makes it easy for anyone to create music by simply tapping cells and columns in a highly visual grid to trigger different looped instruments and samples,” Apple states.
“The loops can be performed, arranged and remixed live, and GarageBand automatically keeps all the beats in sync with perfect time and pitch.”
Live Loops comes with a library of Apple-designed loop templates across different genres, while users can also create their own loops from scratch.
A new Drummer feature comprises nine EDM and acoustic virtual session drummers, while the update also includes an expanded selection of amps for bass players. Apple states advanced users “can now create even more dynamic and polished-sounding songs using new automation features, controls recording and a new simple EQ”.
Philip Schiller, Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing, stated Music Memos will help musicians to “quickly capture their ideas on iPhone and iPad whenever inspiration strikes”.
“GarageBand is the most popular music creation app in the world, and this update helps everyone easily tap into their musical talent with the powerful new Live Loops and Drummer features, and adds support for the larger iPad Pro screen and 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus,” Schiller commented.
