New Audio iApp?

[MacRumors]

According to a previous reliable report (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/12/20031209153636.shtml) -- Apple is working on a completely new Application that may be due as early as MacWorld San Francisco.

A new report claims that this new application will come in the form of a consumer audio application. The new app is said to also include a large library of audio clips (~3gb altogether). The exact details of the new application are unclear.

[Squire]

I wonder if the audio clips will be the same ones available from Freeplay that have been offered to .Mac subscribers?

Squire

[awulf]

A cut down version of Sound Track? So you can make your own music for iMovie and iDVD.

[dukemeiser]

Maybe this is iWrite. iWrite my own music? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but neither does "iPod."

I think I'm probably the first person to place iWrite in audio. Everyone else has placed it with text/PDA/pen.

[Squire]

Originally posted by dukemeiser
Maybe this is iWrite. iWrite my own music? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but neither does "iPod."

I think I'm probably the first person to place iWrite in audio. Everyone else has placed it with text/PDA/pen.

That would be cool. Maybe they know how many people are tired of waiting for Finale 2004 for OS X.

Squire

[k2k koos]

perhaps it'll be called iTrack.

joking aside, i do not see much sense in an app like this, being a musician myself.
Perhaps Apple's answer to fruity loops etc, but still, i think programs like Logic, reason etc are far more suitable to compose music.
Then again, we'll see, it's only a page 2 rumor...

;)

[tny]

Originally posted by k2k koos
perhaps it'll be called iTrack.

joking aside, i do not see much sense in an app like this, being a musician myself.
Perhaps Apple's answer to fruity loops etc, but still, i think programs like Logic, reason etc are far more suitable to compose music.
Then again, we'll see, it's only a page 2 rumor...

;)

I doubt this is a composition program. More likely, if the rumor is true, this is something in the same niche as Amadeus II.

[stingerman]

Probably a limited Soundtrack feature for the next iMovie version.

Apple really needs a Video Jukebox more than anything else that links in to a DVR. So an iBox with an Video Jukebox to keep and burn broadcast TV would be awesome. It's time to do for Video what Apple has done for Audio. Maybe we'll get a 30" TV as well.

[Wonder Boy]

a soundtrack type program for g3's would be hot. i was going to buy live 3.0 or phazer, but i'll wait now.

[jeffy.dee-lux]

i want something like bias deck. except uhhh... not as expensive, that's right, i want all the same features just less cost. it'll work out somehow.
but yeah, forget the library of samples and all that, i just want multi track recording in a nicely itunes integrated package. Is that what you were talking about with iTrack thing?

[autrefois]

Originally posted by jeffy.dee-lux
i want something like bias deck. except uhhh... not as expensive, that's right, i want all the same features just less cost. it'll work out somehow.
but yeah, forget the library of samples and all that, i just want multi track recording in a nicely itunes integrated package. Is that what you were talking about with iTrack thing?

I really like Deck. But it's true that a less expensive option that offers fewer features but is better integrated with the iApps would be welcome, especially if it's done by Apple.

The name for this new music application? iBach! :)

[dukemeiser]

If you're a consumer (non-professional) and you want to make a movie, you use iMovie. But what if you're a consumer, and you want to make music (haha, not that kind you sicko...), then what do you use? Well, nothing. Logic is way too expensive (and feature laden) to be used by your average Joe.

This would fit right in with Apple's current music grove. This would also fit in with the "completely new app" rumors. As far as I know, there really isn't a consumer level audio app.

[Squire]

Originally posted by dukemeiser
If you're a consumer (non-professional) and you want to make a movie, you use iMovie. But what if you're a consumer, and you want to make music (haha, not that kind you sicko...), then what do you use? Well, nothing. Logic is way too expensive (and feature laden) to be used by your average Joe.

This would fit right in with Apple's current music grove. This would also fit in with the "completely new app" rumors. As far as I know, there really isn't a consumer level audio app.

I totally agree. I'd love to buy Logic but I wouldn't want to spend that kind of dough and then decide, after the novelty wore off, that it wasn't worth it. Originally, I thought Soundtrack was supposed to fit into this area. A stripped-down Logic would be quite cool. So how much?

Final Cut Pro= $999
Final Cut Express= $299

Logic Platinum 6= $699
New Audio iApp= $210

Hmmm...too expensive for the average Joe interested in making music?

Squire

<edit: I just realized the iMovie comparison. That would make this Audio iApp free, wouldn't it?>

[awulf]

Originally posted by Squire


<edit: I just realized the iMovie comparison. That would make this Audio iApp free, wouldn't it?>

Yes, all iApps but iDVD are free and I would expect this new iApp, what ever it may be to be free too.

The reasons why iDVD isn't free is because or some licensing issue with some part of iDVD and the fact it would be a huge download.

[jeffy.dee-lux]

am i crazy or do some new macs come with sound studio built in? or is it just the 14 day trial that i keep reinstalling... i mean uhh, remembering.
anyways, something like that guy would be cool with me, a bit more refined though...
and how hard would it be to include some realy multi track recording?

for those of you that do use your mac to record music, what do you record through, do you have an external mic plugged in through some kind of device? i just use the built in mic, its great, i can tell whether something i recorded was before or after i got my hard drive replaced, this one's a lot quieter.

[jholzner]

Originally posted by jeffy.dee-lux
am i crazy or do some new macs come with sound studio built in? or is it just the 14 day trial that i keep reinstalling... i mean uhh, remembering.
anyways, something like that guy would be cool with me, a bit more refined though...
and how hard would it be to include some realy multi track recording?

for those of you that do use your mac to record music, what do you record through, do you have an external mic plugged in through some kind of device? i just use the built in mic, its great, i can tell whether something i recorded was before or after i got my hard drive replaced, this one's a lot quieter.

Yep, new macs do come with soundstudio.

[nuckinfutz]

I think the new iApp will be iMusic.

This will be a simple app that allows for 4 track 16/44.1k Audio synced with 16 or 32 channels of midi.

The reason why Apple will be developing this app is twofold.

1. Entertainment- simply plug in a USB keyboard and you have softsynths and effects at your disposal for music making thanks to Core Audio.

2. Linking this App to the iLife group would mean that you could compose much better tracks to use in iDVD or iPhoto or iMovie.

Imagine sending an iMovie with decent sounding midi tracks embedded that would play back correctly on any Mac that has the current iLife installed. Cool.

[inkswamp]

I'm a musician and I have to say that I've been extremely frustrated with the offerings out there as far as multitrack software goes, so I hope Apple is looking into a multitrack iApp. I've been seeking a way to replace my aging multitrack machine with a simple way to get my tracks recorded direct to disk and do simple editing there. Now, there are a few packages out there, but none cater to the musician who just wants multitracking and nothing else, probably because the average musician (non-keyboardist) is very low-tech, so most software contains oodles of cool MIDI and keyboard interfacing elements, drum beat generating software, looping, effects, etc. Nothing I've found so far has been a simple multitrack interface. All I need is the ability to record it, then cut and paste bits and pieces around if I want, and then mix it down. Everything out there either has more features than I need (and is outrageously expensive) or it's a share-/freeware app that does too little. There is a void there for a simple multitrack iApp and I hope Apple decides to fill it.

[AlanAudio]

Apple always prides itself on catering for creative users. An iApp targeted at people who want to create music ( iPerform ? ) would be an appropriate extension to the iApp family and would mesh very effectively with iMovie, iDVD, iTunes & the iPod.

If it were to offer something like 8 track audio, elementary MIDI and a stripped down version of SoundTrack, it would offer the means for novice musicians, together with those who merely aspire to musical creativity, to create stuff themselves.

Apple have a fantastic track record for taking concepts like that and coming at them in a fresh way, so that the process is great fun and offers impressive results with minimal complexity.

Almost anybody would be able to build a backing track and then record vocals and instrumentals over it using a bog standard Mac with no external hardware ( some Macs will need something like iMic for audio input ).

In the past, Mac users were able to use Digidesign's Pro Tools free, but that is only available for OS 9. Digidesign is reluctant to offer a version for OS X, despite having the full version of Pro Tools working very well on OS X and PT free being available for all modern incarnations of Windows.

Digidesign is owned by Avid, their fortunes have not been improved by Apple's success with Final Cut Pro. I'm not suggesting that Digidesign's new-found disinterest in wholeheartedly supporting the Mac platform is in any way connected to Avid feeling peeved with Apple, but the bottom line is that the lack of Pro Tools Free for OS X leaves a vacuum.

Somebody needs to fill that vacuum and who better than Apple ?

With rumours of a forthcoming Apple audio hardware device nearing completion, it would be a perfect time to launch iPerformer ( or whatever it may be called ) in order to get customers creative juices flowing.

As always, once people start getting pleasing results with the iApp, they will be looking for higher end solutions and will inevitably gravitate towards the new Apple audio hardware device, SoundTrack and Logic. Apple could also generate further income by using the iTMS to sell audio samples to be used as building blocks.

The whole idea could work very well, generating a new market, new customers, new exposure and new income streams for Apple. It would also be a sharp prod in the ribs to a company who had previously been very Mac positive, but are currently less so.

[Nermal]

Wow, that was a very long first post. Welcome!

[FlamDrag]

Do let me know what could be stripped out of Soundtrack in order to make it free or nearly free? From my POV it's pretty bare bones as it is!

My only ideas:
1. Significantly fewer included loops
2. Significantly fewer tracks
3. Less control over dynamics of individual tracks.

That's not much really. I confess that I'm not a Soundtrack expert so it's possible that I'm missing several features that could be removed. However, I'd like to know what they might be.

[mr.iso]

Originally posted by Squire
I totally agree. I'd love to buy Logic but I wouldn't want to spend that kind of dough and then decide, after the novelty wore off, that it wasn't worth it. Originally, I thought Soundtrack was supposed to fit into this area. A stripped-down Logic would be quite cool. So how much?

Final Cut Pro= $999
Final Cut Express= $299

Logic Platinum 6= $699
New Audio iApp= $210

Hmmm...too expensive for the average Joe interested in making music?


You can get the Logic Audio 6 Big Box for $230 from zzounds.com
http://www.zzounds.com/item--EMABIGBOX

i don't see that happening. Perhaps a rebranding of emagic? but not a new product.

[Kingsnapped]

Apple managed to make a "stripped down" version of Final Cut Pro for the less financally inclined. I, personally haven't noticed any major changes. It's quite feasable for them to do the same thing with soundstudio.

And for the record, Soundstudio did not come with my two week old Mac, but it is included with all of my scnool's eMacs. Logical?

[AlanAudio]

FlamDrag asked "Do let me know what could be stripped out of Soundtrack in order to make it free or nearly free?"

I've no idea, but it seems to me that if you want non-musical people to be able to make some form of music, in a similar manner to how non-video people make iMovies, then using looped samples is the most productive way to go.

As Apple already has SoundTrack, it would make perfect sense to re-use that technology. Maybe if SoundTrack can't be stripped down as part of an iApp, they will just have to give it away, but charge for the large library of samples.

The only other way I could imagine Apple going would be to use intelligent synthesised instruments. The best example I can think of was 'Band in a Box', which allowed the user to specify a style to accompany the users own keyboard efforts, but I dismissed that, as not everybody can play a keyboard and Apple would surely want a more universal appeal for an iApp.

As one who has used Deck since version 1.0, a feature I always liked, but seldom saw elsewhere was their way of performing crossfades.

When you have virtual faders, the idea is that you click on a fader to move it. However a very common operation is the need to ride two faders simultaneously, perhaps to balance speech against music.

In Deck 1.0, they introduced a feature where you had two linked faders. Moving the mouse up & down faded them both up and down. Moving it left & right made one go up while the other went down. Moving diagonally made more complex fades possible.

It was very elegant and very intuitive.

I hope Apple come up with a similar way of allowing crossfades.

[ExoticFish]

soundtrack is just a multitrack, if apple were to come out with an audio app i would think it would be some sort of editor like peak or logic, just limited in ability. (although i'm hoping for a cheaper soundtrack cause i just bought peak le!)

[FlamDrag]

There are quite a few differences b/w FCP and FCE. I love FCE and it's a great product for me - I don't often need the extra features of FCP. But there are a lot of features in FCP that are not in FCE.

My point is that Soundtrack, as it stands today, is very basic in what it does. Members of this forum frequently post about "Soundtrack Express" and how wonderful such a program would be. Yet they never venture a guess as to what in the heck it would do! Many of these people I suspect have never used Soundtrack. As far as I'm concerned it IS already an iApp. I'll shout the praises of Soundtrack from the rooftops all day, but I fail to see how it could be any more limited in its feature set.

If any audio iApp came from Apple, my guess is that it would be something along the lines of SoundStudio from FeltTip Software, not something resembling Soundtrack.

But the rumor mentions ~3GB of audio clips? I don't know what to think about that.

[walliver]

I'm not familiar with SoundTrack (I don't have $300 to spend right now), but I suspect Apple may be trying to use the ScreenBlast model; i.e., release a free or inexpensive looping application similar to Screenblast ACID, include a starter set of loops, and then make loops available for download on .mac or iTune Music Store.

[FlamDrag]

Agreed, the only way that it could be turned into an iApp would be to strip the loops out and have them as add-on purchases later.

However, here's the problem I see with such a model. Unless you are going to sell loops in fairly large packages (that is numbers of loops), it's unwise to allow previews of individual tracks as it would be far too easy to simply record while previewing and import the loop. However, this is not out of the realm of possibility.

I'm not trying to simply shoot down ideas or say that everything is impossible. I would just like to hear how those who think it's possible to make Soundtrack an iApp propose to do it.

Walliver - you seem to at least be familiar with what Soundtrack does. That is a contrast to many who post on the subject. :)

[AlanAudio]

The nature of loops is such that a 30 second preview probably gets you the whole loop, so it's not practical to sell them with things as they currently are.

One obvious way around that problem is to reduce the quality of the preview, but there are other possibilities.

They could either be of low bit-rate, have noise added, have an audible watermark, or maybe, could have some form of DRM so that they can't be used or copied until they have have been unlocked by being paid for.

Of all those possibilities, I would imagine that Apple would most like the DRM model.

[VectorWarrior]

I can't really see the point of Apple releasing a cut down version of soundtrack. As others have said compared to other sound programs it has limited capabilites anyway so an even further reduced feature set would be pretty pointless. It wont be usefull to any professional sound people or musicians and consumers aren't exactly going to be switching in their droves because of this either. As a sound designer myself i was hoping that they were going to release a more pro-spec product and that was the impression that i've got from a number of rumours floating round the net at the moment.

[aldo]

Wow, this sounds exciting.

I'm thinking that a soundtrack-type app would be best. Just rename it and get rid of FCP integration, reduce the number of tracks and loops and reduce pro-level features.

Also, I was thinking a cool iTunes integration competition here... you make your music with iWrite and you can win a contract to get your music published on the itunes music store with promotion paid for.

They could also sell extra loop 'packs' or something.. but I think an eJay style music composition tool (drag and drop stuff in) would be very popular.

[AlanAudio]

Originally posted by VectorWarrior
I can't really see the point of Apple releasing a cut down version of soundtrack. As others have said compared to other sound programs it has limited capabilites ........

But that is exactly the point.

If it is to be an iApp, the people using it may well not have any ability to play a keyboard. Therefore they need the means to create music without any conventional playing skills.

Of the various possibilities, a variant of SoundTrack does seem to be the solution that would allow that type of user to get impressive results.

A skilled musician wouldn't be impressed with that sort of iApp. A skilled VT editor wouldn't be impressed with iMovie either, but that didn't stop it being a popular application.

[Audacity Works]

Hey guys, long-time reader, first-time poster...

Someone mentioned the Logic Audio Big Box earlier for $239. It's utterly fantastic for the money, especially since several other stores are selling it for $199.

I'm not quite sure what Apple has up their sleeves, but I'll tell you what they need: WaveBurner Pro for OSX.

WaveBurner Pro was an absolutely brilliant CD authoring app for OS9 made by Emagic. It was absolutlely dead easy to use-- Open the thing up, drag your audio files (.WAV, AIFF, SDII) into a box in the order you want them to appear on the CD, and that's it. The odd-numbered tracks take up the top half of the screen and the even tracks the bottom. If you want two songs to fade into each other, simply drag the latter waveform to the left-- WBPro draws your crossfades for you. If you want a faster fade out, drag the crossfade line accordingly.

Bootleg a concert and want to throw in track IDs? Simply open the file in WBPro and drag track ID flags onto the waveform. Want to change the volume of one song? Drag the fade line down. Wanna' shorten the intro or end of a song? Wanna' chop out that annoying guitar solo? Cake. Applying mastering plugins like multiband compression, EQ, and limiting to either individual songs or the entire CD is a snap as well.

Bought WBPro for my sister and she was making mix CDs within five minutes. Jam, Peak, Spark, and iTunes are all clunky amateurish piles of rat feces in comparison when it comes to CD burning.

The sad part is that so few people were aware of WBPro, and it only cost $199. Read more about it here (http://www.emagic.de/products/st/wb/index.php?lang=EN). With luck, we'll know more about upcoming OSX support at the NAMM show (music gear expo) in late January.

Or... If Apple made a "Pro" version of iTunes based on WaveBurner Pro's code and marketed it well (i.e. to Joe Schmo Hipster and not Mr. Recording Engineer), that'd attract legions of customers alone. Its ease-of-use factor is certainly already Apple-like.

As for this new high-end multitrack app nonsense, man, Apple's really barking up the wrong tree if it's true. Rumors claim they want to take on Digidesign's professional TDM ProTools systems (as opposed to their ProTools LE systems), which ain't gonna be a pretty battle. As it stands, ProTools is used on close to 90% of every major-label release (if not as a recorder or mixer, as an editor), and its ubiquity is steadfast, at least for the next five years. Steinberg's Nuendo hasn't made so much as a dent, and Logic, though often used by professionals in conjunction with ProTools, isn't the grand usurper Apple thought it could be. At least not yet.

If Jobs and Co. bundled a free 24-track recording app that included some Emagic plugins and AIFF-to-AAC conversion, it'd be a huge hit. They could offer an inexpensive ($100?) 16-bit USB audio interface with instrument input, proper mic preamp, headphone out, MIDI, and zero-latency monitoring. It'd send a huge message to those thinking of getting into recording but aren't quite sure which platform to pursue. And "iTracks" is actually a pretty cool name.

While we're at it, Apple (or one of their development partners) really needs to make some sort of usable stereo recording peripheral for the iPod. That mono Belkin mic is a joke. Have it attach to the dock connector if necessary-- as long as it's minidisc-quality or better.

[JohnGillilan]

Originally posted by Audacity Works
Or... If Apple made a "Pro" version of iTunes based on WaveBurner Pro's code and marketed it well (i.e. to Joe Schmo Hipster and not Mr. Recording Engineer), that'd attract legions of customers alone. Its ease-of-use factor is certainly already Apple-like.

When Steve announced iTunes for Windows back in October, he definitely made a point of knocking MusicMatch and other players that offered a Pro version containing more features. He made it very clear that iTunes was the best, most notably because all of its features are free. (I am assuming you meant that iTunes "Pro" would cost money) (I realize QuickTime Pro shoots this down in a sense, however QT Pro is irrelevant/does not appeal to most Mac users; iTunesPro would appeal to many, however I think it could have a potential backlash among loyal users who have gotten used to the current price of iTunes $0.00)

As for this new high-end multitrack app nonsense, man, Apple's really barking up the wrong tree if it's true. Rumors claim they want to take on Digidesign's professional TDM ProTools systems (as opposed to their ProTools LE systems), which ain't gonna be a pretty battle. As it stands, ProTools is used on close to 90% of every major-label release (if not as a recorder or mixer, as an editor), and its ubiquity is steadfast, at least for the next five years. Steinberg's Nuendo hasn't made so much as a dent, and Logic, though often used by professionals in conjunction with ProTools, isn't the grand usurper Apple thought it could be. At least not yet.

I agree completely. Many people seem to think that Logic is a serious threat to ProTools. At this point in time, it is naive to believe this. Despite FCP's recent successes over Avid's video offerings, Digidesign CONTROLS the pro-audio market when it comes to market share. At the AES convention (Audio Engineering Society) in New York several months ago, Digidesign's booth was not only the busiest, but it took up half the convention hall. Even if Apple realeases a great new "pro" product, users will be reluctant to embrace it (at least in the short run) becuase compatibility is EVERYTHING. If virtually every studio in the world uses ProTools, why would you support something else??

While we're at it, Apple (or one of their development partners) really needs to make some sort of usable stereo recording peripheral for the iPod. That mono Belkin mic is a joke. Have it attach to the dock connector if necessary-- as long as it's minidisc-quality or better.

Damn straight!

[FlamDrag]

I'm against any incarnation of iTunes Pro - at least by that moniker.

Marketing is my primary concern with such a product. While it may make sense on paper to say "if you need X, Y or Z, simply upgrade to iTunes Pro." The problem with this model, in that market space, is that others may offer X, Y and Z in a free version. IMHO, this could undermine Apple's strategy.

The flip side is that I don't think that iTunes has to do everything under the sun. Nor do I have any problems with Apple releasing an iTunes-like product with a richer feature set. However, I do think that to avoid confusion, it should be named something else entirely.

Additionally, the name "iTunes Pro" is an oxymoron by Apple's nomenclature standards.

-

In related topics, one large difference b/w FCP and FCE is actually Soundtrack. FCP includes Soundtrack while FCE does not.

-

After much deliberation, I COULD conceive of an iTrack application to pair with iMovie and iDVD.

The differences b/w iTrack and Soundtrack:

1. Only 2 or 4 tracks with which to mix.

2. Included loops are already mixed down into categories. That is to say, there might be two or three "Latin Percussion" loops in iTrack vs. loops for Bongos, Congas, Timbales, Claves etc in Soundtrack.

These loops would come in 5 categories:
- Percussion
- Horns
- Strings
- Keyboards (yes I know they're percussion)
- Voice

3. No pitch control

4. Limited (if any) tempo control.

5. Limited control of track volume...
- Softer
- Louder
- Crescendo
- Decrescendo

6. Exports only to iMovie / iDVD

[nuckinfutz]

I agree completely. Many people seem to think that Logic is a serious threat to ProTools. At this point in time, it is naive to believe this. Despite FCP's recent successes over Avid's video offerings, Digidesign CONTROLS the pro-audio market when it comes to market share. At the AES convention (Audio Engineering Society) in New York several months ago, Digidesign's booth was not only the busiest, but it took up half the convention hall. Even if Apple realeases a great new "pro" product, users will be reluctant to embrace it (at least in the short run) becuase compatibility is EVERYTHING. If virtually every studio in the world uses ProTools, why would you support something else??

Money....Money.....Money. Digidesign is but a gnat on Avids butt by comparison. While Digi enjoys ubiquity in the Pro Audio DAW arena the overall market is small and a new paradigm is slowly being developed. The battle lines have been drawn for sometime now. This battle is Native versus DSP based.

Apple most likely knows that if they enterer the Native DAW market it will take years they can hope to make a dent in Digis reign. But it will happen. Moores law is good for at least another 10 years which means computers will be 100x faster in 2014. Software programming is making equal strides.

In the end it comes down to Quality and Price. It took FCP 3 to 4 version before it finally was ready for Pros. This DAW will be no different. By version 3 it should be mature and gaining in marketshare. I don't care who you are if you can accomplish the same work on a cheaper system then that saved money goes right back to your pocket.

You want a Blueprint just look at FCP versus Avid. Apple is cleaning up on the low to mid level systems. FCP/Aja IO/Declink and more products allow you to edit HiDef video for less than $10k. Fast forward to the near future when that same $10 allows you to Record/Edit Hidef, add surround sound and burn HiDef discs. That's the future that Apple sees. A workflow that allows a person to create Audio/Vide that can rival what a Major Studio can do. If you are into these markets your should be besides yourself with glee...this is unprecendented power coming to you at a breakneak pace.

[neutrino23]

How about a tie-in with iTMS so you could purchase royalty free music for slide shows, iMovie, FCE, etc.? Now you can use these clips but for the casual author it is daunting to search this stuff out and figure out licensing and such.

If not royalty free music I suspect we'll see Apple see selling more kinds of digital content on-line now that they have figured out how to do it. Also, as they seem to know how to do this content provides may be more willing to cooperate with them.

Carpe diem.

[Audacity Works]

Originally posted by FlamDrag I'm against any incarnation of iTunes Pro - at least by that moniker.Fine, call it something else. WaveBurner Pro 3.0, perhaps?;)

Soundtrack (like ACID on the PC) is not compositional software. It's a fun yet elegant tool to layer a bunch of loops so kids can mistaken say "Hey, check out the song I wrote!" Layering four loops on top of one another is not writing a song-- It's nothing like utilizing proper compositional software like Logic or Digital Performer. iTracks needs to be laid out like Cool Edit Pro or Deck-- Something really simple. Maybe it could include one or two loop tracks from Soundtrack, but it should first and foremost be a multitrack recorder/editor. If Apple charges anything for it, it better be less than $100, because Logic Audio can be had for $199 with a slew of softsynths and plugins.

Digi's going nowhere. Half of my friends run major studios in LA, and they must run ProTools to stay competitive. I'm all for the little guy (assuming we can agree that Apple'd be the "little guy" in this equation), but when Digidesign enjoys a Microsoft-like monopoly, things ain't gonna change, not for a very long time.

[nuckinfutz]

Digi's going nowhere. Half of my friends run major studios in LA, and they must run ProTools to stay competitive. I'm all for the little guy (assuming we can agree that Apple'd be the "little guy" in this equation), but when Digidesign enjoys a Microsoft-like monopoly, things ain't gonna change, not for a very long time.

I must admit Audacity you have my interest peaked with your fondness for Wave Burner Pro. I had no idea the program was held in high esteem. Apple would do well to update it and even integrate it's core CD burning tech into apps that require CD burning.

Nothing is going to beat ProTools overnight. It's going to take years of software maturation and features. Apple will have to stay up on the task in order to be effective. Ahhhhh this is going to be fun to watch.

[FlamDrag]

Audacity - I did not mean to infer that anyone had actually suggest iTunesPro as a name, although my post does read that way. I was merely thinking out loud on the name.

Hopefully, kids who use Soundtrack or any possible variant will say... "Check out this song I looped together." or "made" or "mixed". I don't know enough about the audio industry - hense I'm staying out of the ProTools discussion - to know the proper term.

The name iTrack makes more sense to me as a Soundtrack like application, more than it makes sense as an editing application. However, it wouldn't be terrible if they went with it for editing.

IF Apple debuts an audio iApp, my guess is that it would be Soundtrack-like for the simple ease-of-use factor. Sound editing can be a bit complex for the basic user.

Heck, maybe it will do both. That is, if any application by any name exists.

This is one of the healthier discussions I've read in a long time on this forum.

[Wash!!]

I will love if my ipod can crossfade between songs when it plays as it does in itunes that will set up appart and better than any other player up there.

for example this last new year's party I had to use my brother's g4 ibook and itunes to play all the music for the party I set up the crossfade to 12 sec and let play all night it was great but a little cumberson, I would use my 15Gig ipod but it does not has the crossfade as some of the tracks I used were mix with each other. I hope Apple would add this the the ipod.

Cheers

[JSRockit]

Originally posted by ExoticFish
soundtrack is just a multitrack, if apple were to come out with an audio app i would think it would be some sort of editor like peak or logic, just limited in ability. (although i'm hoping for a cheaper soundtrack cause i just bought peak le!)

It is not exactly a multitracker...it is a loop sequencer.

[Fred Mertz]

New iApp is called Garage Band. Music creation tool. included in $99 upgrade to iLife. New minipod credit card size, 10,000 songs $249. More Later.

[Squire]

Originally posted by Fred Mertz
New iApp is called Garage Band. Music creation tool. included in $99 upgrade to iLife. New minipod credit card size, 10,000 songs $249. More Later.

Thanks, Fred. I like the Garage Band thing. I'll take one. As for the new mini iPod, isn't it the 40 GB model that holds 10,000 songs?

Squire

[mariner77]

Originally posted by nuckinfutz
I think the new iApp will be iMusic.

This will be a simple app that allows for 4 track 16/44.1k...


It's a good idea for Apple to develop an audio application such as this, but 16 bit / 44.1 kHz audio just won't cut it anymore. My $400 M-Audio FW410 can record at 24 bit / 96 kHz and the only application under $100 that handle this mode is Sound Studio. If Apple wants me to pay for an audio application, it better let record at something higher than 16 bit / 44.1 kHz.

It's shocking to me that Quicktime can only handle 24 bit / 65.535 kHz audio, how can that be???!!!

[AlanAudio]

Originally posted by mariner77
It's a good idea for Apple to develop an audio application such as this, but 16 bit / 44.1 kHz audio just won't cut it anymore.........

You are putting pro expectations onto a low-end iApp.

The original response specifically mentioned the limited needs of an iApp and 16b / 44K is entirely appropriate for most consumer's needs.

Obvioulsy pro's will have different requirements, but they won't be using an iApp.

[JSRockit]

Originally posted by AlanAudio
You are putting pro expectations onto a low-end iApp.


I agree. I am sure you already have a DAW and don't need an iApp from Apple.

[Audacity Works]

Indeed, most pros don't even record at 96k! I'm 24-bit/44.1k right now and see no reason to ever go higher. Higher sampling rates are industry hype IMO.

[JSRockit]

Originally posted by Audacity Works
Indeed, most pros don't even record at 96k! I'm 24-bit/44.1k right now and see no reason to ever go higher. Higher sampling rates are industry hype IMO.

That is the rate I use as well...and until we are using something other than CDs and MP3s to distribute our music on, then this is fine. Also, I believe our speakers would have to change to be able to hear 96k...but my understanding of this type of stuff is minimal to none.