App review: Figure by Propellerheads

Propellerhead are synonymous with music-making software, Rebirth and Reason providing the core of their back catalogue for years, so it was with great interest their latest software was to be released on the iOS platform.  With only a reboot of Rebirth on the iPod / iPad, Propellerhead ditch the 'Re' naming and go with a different-yet-similar kind of app for its second release.

I'm not sure how the title 'Figure' fits in with the app.  With say, Angry Birds, you know what you're getting.  Here, I find the title to be vague and unmemorable.  Saying that, 'Reason' was always a strange choice too so at least they're consistent in that way.

Music is made by recording small loops and then re-recording over the top to give surprisingly rich layers of sound.  There are three instruments to choose from, drums, bass and lead and each can have a different sample set.  There is a nice array of customization for each instrument but little control over the actual notes played.  The pitch can be changed, as can beats to the bar and some nice effects, or tweaks, applied to each.  The usual stuff is there such as BPM, keys etc.

The interface is nice and clean.

The quality of the output is good, especially considering how easy it is to create.  The bass in particular produced some very deep, sub-bass wobbling effects that could easily fit into a Dubstep or D'n'B outfit - the drums need to be more powerful though.  The lead samples were a little same-y but by using the Tweaks tab, some variation could be experienced.  That's the key really, as an experimental dashboard for a leapfrog into something more substantial, it's really very good.  For longer pieces or even complete, structured songs, look elsewhere.

Scandalously, there is no export option nor save function of any kind.  If you've produced a nice arrangement or set of sounds, that's it, you have to remember how you got there to bring it back.  You can't put it in any other music package unless you can record direct from your iPod (or iPad).  You can't even save the arrangement.  This is the single biggest drawback and for now at least, a major flaw.  Reading online forums, it seems Propellerhead ARE going to put some kind of export in and hopefully this will be as part of a free upgrade.

Looking at Figure as a freehand musical 'doodling' tool on-the-go, it's a lot of fun, especially as it's priced in the first tier.  For 69 pence, it's a lot of bang for your buck.  It's a universal app so runs in half-mode on the iPad but even scaled up, it loses only a little of the definition thanks to its clean, intuitive interface.  I had it producing interesting beats within seconds and I'm no David Guetta (or whoever is current right now).

If Propellerheads history is anything to go by, expect to see upgrades and perhaps more sample and effect packs but don't quote me on that.  It comes recommended with that big proviso; It will create some wicked beats but don't buy expecting to use them in other software.

IPad app review: Xenon Groove Synth

What is it?

Xenon Groove Synthesizer is a software synthesizer app produced by Icegear and available in the App Store for £2.99.  It's a full-on 68.6 MB download, containing 3 different types of software synthesizer, a drum machine, sequencer, mixer and effects along with hundreds of sound presets.  Its main selling point is that all sounds are produced via software synthesis meaning no samples are used.  Everything is done by pure mathematics and everything can be changed in real-time, while a song is playing.  Does it live up to these high standards?

This is a review of version 1.6.0 and contains:

• HSX-4 Polyphonic Hybrid Synthesizer with 210 factory presets.
• 2 x Analogue Monophonic Synthesizers with 45 presets each.
• PCM Polyphonic Synthesizer with 108 presets.
• 6-track Rhythm Machine (Drums, basically) with 185 sounds
• Pattern Sequencer with 16-step step sequencing.
• Song Sequencer using custom patterns.
• Mixer for controlling levels of each module.
• iPad CoreMIDI support via the iPad Camera Connector (available separately)

The Interface

Icegear have made the decision not to make their Xenon Groove Synthesizer look like an actual piece of hardware from a studio and have instead opted for a very clean interface.  Knobs and dials are purely made of a thick circle and the on-screen keyboard is big and chunky and satisfying to use.  It's all very pleasing and immediately gives you confidence.  It's almost like a Fisher Price music box but don't let that glib description mask its intentions - this is a genuinely useful music tool.

The home page gives access to the different synths, rhythm box, sequencer and mixer.  Along the top are shortcut keys that are constantly displayed allowing you to jump into any of the sound modules at any time.  This context-sensitive menu bar changes according to which module is currently being worked upon.  For instance, options for cutting, copying and pasting patterns appear while in the sequencer module.

The Keyboard

For each of the sound modules (except the drum box), there is a piano keyboard located in the bottom quarter of the screenn  It's decent enough and is just like any of the other one hundred bazillion piano apps available for the iPad.  It can be resized and the octave can be changed by flicking to the left or right.  On the largest size, it's just about possible to play like a real piano, albeit with only one octave showing.  'God Save The Queen' perhaps? (a techno, techno, techno version though).  It's nice to be able to change any of the sound parameters and hear it instantly by tinkling on the piano.  That's *playing* the piano, not relieving oneself on the ivories.

HSX-4 Polyphonic Hybrid Synthesizer

This is a polyphonic synth, that is, multiple notes can be played at once.  There are 4 pages of settings that can be applied to any of the included 210 factory presets.  The settings include sound shape, filtering, LFO and many more.  Only two pages of setting are shown at any one time with the extra pages accessed via a quick swipe.  The preset factory sounds are reasonable enough and remind of the kind you get in a high-end home electric keyboard.  They are quite retro-sounding and this fits in well with a current trend in popular music for that kind of tone.  How it will fare in years to come is another question.  The polyphony extends to ?? number of keys at once.

The hybrid part is derived from the second sound that can be played alongside the first, with its own set of parameters.  This makes the module much more powerful and versatile when it comes to creating new sounds. 

ASX-1 Monophonic Synthesizer

Very reminiscent of the mighty Moog, only one note can be played but there are two of them, played and programmed independently.  Again, different pages of options can be accessed by swiping.  The sounds are perfect for deep, crunching synth bass lines. 

PSX-4 PCM Polyphonic Synthesizer

This is a much simplified version of the HSX-4 above.  Only one sound is played (still polyphonic though) and has a limited range of parameters to change.  108 different sounds to play with though.

Rhythm Box

A drum machine by any other name, this ia a good implementation.  Normally, these type of things are crippled by horrible latency but the sounds here are instant and very crisp.  There are plenty of kits to choose from, the ubitquitous TR808 and 909 drum machines being two.  There are also presets such as House, IDM and RnB.  Individual drum sounds can be applied to any of the 6 pads, in deference to the kit they are in.  A neat touch and allows custom kits to be created. 

MIDI

MIDI is supported through the iPads camera connection kit.  Unfortunately, I don't have a camera connection kit so if you'd like to buy me one, I'll be more than happy to update the review.  While you're out buying me stuff, you may as well get me a keyboard or other MIDI-enabled device to connect it to.  And a new car please.  My car is rubbish and the plastic trim has come off the window.  So, to recap, send me a camera connection kit, a keyboard, a new car, a cuddly toy and a big sandwich with lots of cheese in it.  Come on, hurry up ...

The Sequencer

Having been used to other sequencer-type bits of software, I felt immediately at home here.  A sequence, or song (or composition, or tune, or whatever) is made up of 'patterns'.  These patterns are at the sound module level and consist of notes placed onto a scrolling piece of musical notation, rather like an old-fashioned wind-up music box.  Patterns are placed into the structure of a song by selecting one from those available and then tapping onto the module track where you want it to go.  Very easy.  It has the usual standard editing features too such as copy and paste.  Individual patterns can be exported as a WAV file, maing it extremely useful as a musical 'doodling' app then exporting loops into a bigger package.

This key component of Xenon Groove is very intuitve but there are a couple of niggle points.  Scrolling the song track along means having to 'grab' a very small strip along the bottom with ones finger and this proved quite fiddly.  Secondly, it took me a while to realise each track can be toggled off by tapping to the left of the track.  As the track headers are all in shades of gray, I didn't realise I had turned it off.  Took me ages to figure that one out.

User Help

It comes with its own in-built help document, probably PDF but is hard to tell as it's in its own reader.  It's written in a weird kind of broken English and if I didn't know any better, it's as if Yoda, the little green Jedi Master from Star Wars had written it.  An example:

"Thank you for purchasing the Xenon.  The Xenon is designed to compose the music, make the sounds easily for iPad."

It's still understandable though and it's a very comprehensive manual, with lots of pretty pictures.

The Bad Bits

• A song can only consist of those 5 instruments and neither can a preset be changed midway through a song.  At least, I haven't figured out how to do that.
• There's no parameter automation i.e. saving the dials as they move.
• Reasonably steep learning curve.
• Imagination is needed.  It's NOT a loop or sample-based sequencer and you have to actually know where to put notes and stuff.  I'm not amazingly well-endowed, with musical ability that is, and so my songs tend to all sound the same (think, Blue Monday by New Order).  In the right hands, it could be brilliant.  Speaking of which, this app was one of many as used by Damon Albarn while composing the Gorillaz album 'The Fall' in early 2011.
• No option to import loops and samples to play alongside your composition.

Conclusion

IceGear have played a blinder by breaking free of the normal convention and presenting an interface that makes use of the iPads capabilities as opposed to modelling it on a piece of static hardware.  This allows them to present many more options than would be available on a piece of electric gadgetry, easily anyway.  It reminds me of how a beatbox such as a Korg iElectribe would be if it were re-done as software (as opposed to a software reproduction, of which the iElectribe already has as an app).

The mobile app market is being flooded with loads of software synthesizer type apps but what IceGear have done is to combine them into a cohesive whole where the sum of the parts adds up to much more than it should.  Individually, each of the different sound modules would drown in the sea of dross out there but when plugged together like they are here, they work really well.  It's so geeky it's untrue and at £2.99 it's an absolute bargain.

You'll like this if ... You want to become the next Chemical Brothers
You won't like this if ... You want to become the next Girls Aloud.

Album review: Our Little Secret by Lords of Acid

*** Warning *** Warning ***

This is a review of an X-rated album.  As such, adult themes are a feature of this review.  If you are easily offended, please do not continue reading and proceed to the nearest Daily Mail.

Who are they?

Lords of Acid are a Belgium dance music group with origins dating back to the late 80's rave music scene.  Also known as Digital Orgasm, their style can be classed as EBM (Electronic Beat Music) which is rather like a cross between Industrial Dance, Techno and Acid House.  Main vocals are provided by Jade 4 U aka Darling Nikkie aka Nikkie Van Lierop, a well-regarded music producer in her own right and one whom has contributed to several Hollywood films as well as a strong back catalogue of recording artistes.  Her voice is strong, tuneful, playful, has a wide range and is capable of producing an eclectic mix of tones.  Behind the decks, so to speak, is Praga Khan (real name: Maurice Engelen), a dance music pioneer from Belgium.  It sounds a contradiction to include the words, 'Belgium', 'Dance Music' and 'Pioneer' in one sentence but here, he does a good job of capturing that hardcore, rave music vibe.

What's the music like?

My Little Secret was released in 1997 and is Lords of Acid third album after '''Lust''' (1991) and '''Voodoo-U''' (1994).  'Secret', like their other albums, is an intruiging mix of post-punk techno, faintly ridiculous lyrics and an overtly-sexual, often perverse sense of humour. 

Kicking off with '''Lover''' (3'55), cue robotic breathless woman giving way to heavy 4-to-the-floor dance beats and hard, driving melodies.  _"Lover, I will come for you, Lover, anytime you want me to"_.  Ah, that's sweet of you.  It's quite reminiscent of The Prodigy around the time of the FOTL album, swirling techno synths layered over sampled guitars.  Showing off their wicked humour is '''Rubber Doll''' (3'11) which tells the tale of a rubber sex doll.  There is an over-riding arpeggiated Goa-trance melody and a basic drum-machine beat turned up to 11.  _"Her mouth is always open, ready to please, she's always quiet, she never complains"_. 

'''Fingerlickin' Good''' (3'45) is one of the stand-out tracks on the album. _"Abso-f*****g-lutely, mind-blowing super sexy, so delicious, it's fingerlickin' good"_.  Dark melodic synths, grungy guitars and bass propelled forward by a nasty drum beat all combine to create a very hooky, rememberable tune.  I doubt KFC will use it in an advertising campaign though.  The pace continues and never lets up with '''LSD=Truth''' (4'10).  Hymnal voices being hi-jacked by vicious drums, screeching vocals and 808 tones.  The lyrics are pure nonsense, as you'd expect for a song about LSD. 

'''Man's Best Friend''' (3'14), in this case, is not a dog but a prostitute and is as close to reflective as Lords of Acid gets.  _"No-one to cling to, nobody cares, nobody listens, no-one knows her feelings as she walks the streets at night"_.  Quite true.  '''Cybersex''' (4'00) is about the online presence we all have and how we can be who we want to be.  That 18 year old Britney Spears look-alike you think you're talking to?  That's Ron Dinkum, 45 year old male living with his mother and holder of the dubious title of 'Worlds Heaviest Porn Surfer'. 

'''Pussy''' (4'05).  _"I wanna see your pussy, show it to me"_, so shouts the chorus.  Intentionally funny, loaded with more double-entendre than a Frankie Howerd convention and sampled pussycat meowing sounds are paired up with a laid-back, beat-box melody.  What's not to like?  Probably the best track on the album and that line is about the only one I can repeat here.  The theme continues with '''Deep Sexy Space''' (2'30) which is pure 160bpm Eurotrash verging into Gabba / Junglist territory.  _"There's just no kick with a little dick"_.  Well I never, there's no need to be like that.  The whole Deep Sexy Space thing is tenuously linked by preferring men to aliens.  They've obviously never watched 'Earth Girls Are Easy'.

'''Doggie Tom''' (3'46).  _"Tom, Tom, Doggie Tom, You make me come, Tom."_.  There's a hidden message in this one somewhere and I can't quite put my finger in it, *on* it I mean.  Perhaps it's her beloved pooch?  God I hope not, although with Lords of Acid I wouldn't rule it out.  Actually, Doggie Tom, the man in question, is a perverted voyeur.  Of course he is, who isn't?  '''Me and Myself''' (4'14).  Or, an ode to onerism, you choose.  She loves herself a bit too much, figuratively and literally.  _"Just me, alone, with my gorgeous body, and f***ed-up brain"_.  Ooh love, go and see your Psychiamatrist already.  On second thoughts, after last time, probably not you weirdo. 

'''Spank My Booty''' (3'52) tells the tale of a masochist who gets off on being spanked and it describes her tumultuous relationship with an 85 year old boyfriend who beats her.  _"Bleeding badly, it was love at first strike, but just the other day, I hit him right back, the poor old b*st*rd had a heart attack."_.  How we laughed.  Of course, it's utterly reprehensible and if there's a song designed to shock, this is the one.  I just found it funny if I'm honest.  Yeah, yeah, we've seen the whole sado-maso thing before.  Move along please.

'''The Power is Mine''' (4'22) - _"Come on boy obey me, lick my boots to please, maybe I'll let loose your chains"_.  I think she needs to make her mind up.  Only a few seconds ago, you were telling us how you like to be submissive.  Now, you're making us beg to lick your boots?  Haven't you heard of Kiwi shoe-care products?  Plus, Big Fat Gypsy Wedding is on and I don't want to miss that.  I know we've got Sky+ but love, take off that spiky leather thong you're wearing and let's have a nice cup of Horlicks eh? 

'''You Belong To Me''' (9'40) - _"You can try and run away mother f**ker but I'll find you"_ kind of sets the tone for this darkly ominous tale of obsession, jealousy and all-consuming relationships.  _"Every single part of you, is mine, it belongs to me"_.  Steady on love, I only asked if you wanted to go for a coffee.  Call the Stalker Helpline and run, fast.  This track has a hidden song in it if you let it play long enough, at about the 5'40 mark.  It's all about horror films and very clever and rather chucklesome.  _"I wanna go, see a horror movie, Nightmare on Elm Street, how about it?"_.  Yeah alright then, I'm up for it.  Hang on, you're not going to do anything strange to me are you?  What's that spiky metal thing you're holding?  Ooh, saucy.

Track Listing
1. Lover (Cantata)
2. Rubber Doll (Opus)
3. Fingerlickin' Good
4. LSD=Truth (Solo)
5. Man's Best Friend
6. Cybersex (Scherzo)
7. Pussy (Round)
8. Deep Sexy Space
9. Doggie Tom (Overture)
10. (Concerto for) Me and Myself
11. Spank My Booty (Reprise)
12. The Power Is Mine (Coda)
13. You Belong to Me (Theme)
14. Horror Movie [hidden track]

The words in brackets were an ironical attempt by Lords of Acid to be high-brow.  It totally isn't.

Conclusion

It's not for everyone, that's a certainty.  But how times move on, and rapidly too.  What was considered cutting edge and 'sexy' in the mid 90's would probably now be shown on Blue Peter.  If Rihanna had done her X-Factor routine on Top of the Pops in the 80's, Mike Reid would have had an anuerism.  Madonna's 'Erotika' album and subsequent 'Sex' book are all laughable now (well, they were at the time too but let's move on). 

Unfortunately, Lords of Acid have also fallen victim to this exponential rise of a permissive and liberal society.  What might have been genuinely shocking, rude and / or (if you're a bit weird) sexy at the time, just comes across as forced, funny and faintly ridiculous.  Saying all that, Lords of Acid probably made this with studded tongue firmly in (most likely) studded cheek and unlike Madonna, they don't take themselves too seriously. 

Jade 4 U is an accomplished singer and I find her voice to be quite sexy.  I wouldn't take her to meet my mother, of course.  The tracks fulfil their ambition of providing hardcore dance music but are quite listenable, certainly in the mode of Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and a slew of other 90's dance acts.  I'm a reformed raver myself but occasionally, I like to tune out of Classic FM and put some of these old-skool records back on the 'decks'.  Peter Kay says it well; "Put some of that Smack Yer Bitch Up on, yer mam loves that".  Street.  Except now it's "Put some of that Spank My Booty on, yer Dad loves some of that". 

You'll like this if ... You like a bit of sauce on your bacon sandwich.
You won't like this if ... You write letters to The Guardian complaining Madge's top on Neighbours is too low-cut.

Can be found on Amazon for around £14.99 but shop around.

PS.  The album title, 'Our LIttle Secret' refers to the picture of the model on the cover.  It turns out 'she' isn't a female at all ...