Band: Music Creation Fun For Your iPod Touch

If you’re looking for a fun musical diversion on your iPod Touch, Band might prove an affordable yet adequate application.  While it doesn’t quite carry the same power as more expensive beat sequencer apps, it’s easy-to-use, seriously entertaining and could easily make way for hours of creative play for children and adults alike.

You can play five “instruments” in Band:

  • The Rock Kit, a 12-piece electronic drumpad
  • Funky Drummer, a virtual trap kit featuring eight drum loops
  • Grand Piano, a virtual acoustic keyboard
  • Bassist, an electronic bass mode
  • 12 Bar Blues, a shuffle-beat setup with a complete rhythm and lead section

As you might have guessed based on the instruments available, the modes are designed for playful composition instead of serious music-writing.  With that goal in mind, though, Band is a great success, literally drawing you in for long periods of tinkering and a wide variety of musical outputs.

You can record all the music you create and save it to your iPod for later retrieval.  You can even dub new music over previous recordings, along with adding applause and cheers from a live audience.  The instruments themselves are pretty good with the only caveat being you can’t alter the type of sound.  For instance, there’s no option to play the acoustic grand piano as a synth keyboard or the electronic bass as an upright four-string.

Save for that, however, the $10 Band app is a great value for hobbyists looking to create some easy tunes off their iPod Touch.  For professional musicians looking for serious composition apps, though, getting Intua’s Beatmaker or something similar should be more fitting.

About the Author:

Leave a Reply