Tim Cook Highlights 'Magical' iPad Doo-Wop Duet Between Billy Joel and Jimmy Fallon

[Thunderhawks]

OMG, where have I been??? The last concert I saw him at was probably in the 80's and really have not seen him since then. I still buy his music but I guess I had not paid attention to him in over 20 years (I know its 30 years since the 80's but that would make me too old so I am not going there). Two lessons -- pay closer attention to the tiny cover photos in iTunes, and both Billy and I are old farts.

Kudos to those who have the genetic make up and don't lose hair, get fat etc.etc.
at older ages.

Billy's accomplishments are great and he is also a good human being.

Just donated the proceeds from his birth show to Northshore Animal League, which will enable them to break ground for a no kill animal shelter with no (or less) cages.

 

[ghostface147]

Don't try this at home...
Great show, but the real deal wasn't the iPad there... Two pro mics?

Plus an Apogee quartet....

 

[the8thark]

OMG, where have I been??? The last concert I saw him at was probably in the 80's and really have not seen him since then. I still buy his music but I guess I had not paid attention to him in over 20 years (I know its 30 years since the 80's but that would make me too old so I am not going there). Two lessons -- pay closer attention to the tiny cover photos in iTunes, and both Billy and I are old farts.

Just for you I made a quick montage of Billy throughout the years in photoshop.

Now everyone can see when Billy started getting fat.
Not every year/Joel era is there but most of them are.

 

[dejo]

Indeed, I suspect sales are going through the roof at this point - you can't buy this type of attention.

Current #4 in Top Paid iPad Apps.

 

[Glideslope]

In essence I think that this was Steve’s big passion for Apple products.

Something that is so simple that you can essentially pick it up and create a really intimate and engaging moment without any complexities.

Great video!

Perfect.

 

[SirLance99]

In essence I think that this was Steve’s big passion for Apple products.

Something that is so simple that you can essentially pick it up and create a really intimate and engaging moment without any complexities.

Great video!

And expensive products behind the scenes to make this all happen as it did. None of this could happen with just the ipad and app.

 

[Nunyabinez]

This was definitely a cool little skit but no way was this "magical". Apple Seriously needs to stop using that word for each and every thing. There was nothing "magical" about this at all.

Yes, I believe it was not actually powered by magic, but electronics.

Huh? I agree, the whole "magical" thing irritates, but what you were hearing was less the result of expensive microphones/processing (which are a necessity for TV, in any case) and more the result of two pretty good singers having a good time.

Cook not must think "magical" is much more than run of the mill IMO.

These buzz words are getting old.

Perhaps you could suggest some acceptable adjectives that appeal to your sensibilities, like "didn't totally suck" or "mildly amusing."

 

[LastQuadrant]

I wonder if Fallon is endorse by Apple, he's been using macbook since late night.

From knowing people that have worked at Apple through the years and having read interviews of Apple employees, Apple doesn't pay anyone to "endorse" their products, nor do they pay for product placement. The only thing Apple might do is showcase a user/customer using their products on their website/ads or they might loan equipment out for promotional purposes, but they don't pay a dime for any endorsements or product placements.

That's been a LONG standing policy for Apple.

----------

And expensive products behind the scenes to make this all happen as it did. None of this could happen with just the ipad and app.

But they needed to get the mike in and sound out which was probably done, at least another site showed the other product they used, which was an Apogee Quartet.

Go to Appleinsider's site, they have an article on the same subject.

 

[sodajerk2]

Ain't Got Noth'in on Imogen

Always nice to see Apple get a well deserved plug.... As for the novelty of the Looper concept, take a look at what Imogen Heap was working with seven years ago. The first time I saw this, I grabbed my kids to have them watch what true genius is all about:

 

[WilliamG]

Always nice to see Apple get a well deserved plug.... As for the novelty of the Looper concept, take a look at what Imogen Heap was working with seven years ago. The first time I saw this, I grabbed my kids to have them watch what true genius is all about:

YouTube: video

Imogen is a fine artist, but the second she starts singing at 1:08, it became painful to my ears. Ouch.

 

[patent10021]

Ellen Samsung selfie my ass

 

[2457282]

Just for you I made a quick montage of Billy throughout the years in photoshop.

Image

Now everyone can see when Billy started getting fat.
Not every year/Joel era is there but most of them are.

Awesome. Thank you. Please do not make a montage of me, I do not think we want to see that, thank you.

 

[dec.]

And expensive products behind the scenes to make this all happen as it did. None of this could happen with just the ipad and app.

Thanks for pointing this out, they almost tricked us all!!

 

[Alfuh]

This was definitely a cool little skit but no way was this "magical". Apple Seriously needs to stop using that word for each and every thing. There was nothing "magical" about this at all.

Most overused word from Apple and Cook in the last few years

 

[raybo]

I had the good fortune to meet Jimmy Fallon backstage on his old show and he is as charming in real life as he is on stage - a true mensch. His success is well-earned.

 

[Verita]

Doesn't matter, the galaxy tablet has a higher resolution screen.

/s

 

[Sym0]

I think that change was due to the faux pas that occurred when Bill Gates was on a few months back while Jimmy was hosting Late Night...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57617615-71/jimmy-fallon-tries-to-hide-his-mac-from-bill-gates/

I wonder if someone from the staff was canned b/c of that incident.

It was staged, everything is on these shows.

 

[conigs]

And expensive products behind the scenes to make this all happen as it did. None of this could happen with just the ipad and app.

There really wasn’t that much going on. Yes they needed an interface to get audio in from the mics and the audio out of the iPad, but this is a TV show… that's necessary. You could very easily do this in a quiet space with just the iPad.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Yeah, I was wondering that too. How was he able to connect two wireless pro mics to the iPad and get it to output to the studio speakers? There must be extra hardware involved. If I bought the app, I'd be worried I couldn't do this.

The "magic" of this wasn't in pro mics, or having the right i/o gear - It was watching a whole performance come together live before our eyes, part layered upon part, the pieces coming together to make a satisfying "whole." It would have worked with one, lower-quaility mic, and if it was just the two of them sitting together on a living room sofa, no need for the fancy i/o gear at all. The pro gear was simply what was necessary to make it work at the quality level of national television. The studio audience can't respond if they can't hear what's going on; the band, 15 feet away, couldn't hear well enough to play its parts, and if the sound quality was lacking, it would have drawn our attention from the perfomers.

As much fun as it is to believe they got this right on the first take... hardly anyone is that good, and no musical performance goes unrehearsed on "live" TV. A few rehearsals a couple of hours before showtime doesn't make it any less magical. So what if the lyrics were up on the Teleprompter, so what if a really fine band was subtly backing them? They nailed it when the time came, in front of that live audience.

And knowing all that, it's still freakin' awesome, as far as I'm concerned.

Some of the happiest days of my career were spent in recording studios where, day after day, New York's top musicians, songwriters, and arrangers would gather to give their best for soft drinks, fast food, telecommunications companies, haircare products, home appliances... yeah, jingles. They'd run-down the lead sheets they found on their music stands a half-dozen times while the engineer pulled the sound together. Tape rolled, two or three takes later we were ready for a playback, and by Take 6 they usually had it nailed and were headed out the door to the next session. And as great as they all were (and still are), if they hadn't played together on a regular basis, if they didn't have the chops, things could not have come together that "easily."

Everybody's talkin' down the
thing that we've seen here
But it's still magic-making to me!

 

[dec.]

Yes, I believe it was not actually powered by magic, but electronics.





Perhaps you could suggest some acceptable adjectives that appeal to your sensibilities, like "didn't totally suck" or "mildly amusing."

That's nothing. Apparently this guy believes he is Dumbledores successor at Hogwarts:

> https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ceo/index.html

And at google they have just began to design magical wands in shape of apps

> http://www.insidemobileapps.com/2013/05/16/google-io-2013-how-to-make-magical-android-apps/

 

[jicon]

An App to give Reggie Watts a run for his money... interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdHK_r9RXTc

 

[Kariya]

Can't tell if serious....

That was LeBron, but same difference.

He's serious http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/12/even-samsung-spokesman-lebron-james-has-phone-problems/

Fixed.

 

[shinji]

Billy Joel has looked old and fat for well over 10 years now. Not a new thing. I saw him live in 2006 and he was just as fat and bald then. And he was like that for years previous too. He started going bald/fat in the River Dreams era around 93/94. Slow process but it happened.

But he's still an incredible musician, so there ya go.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Yeah, I was wondering that too. How was he able to connect two wireless pro mics to the iPad and get it to output to the studio speakers? There must be extra hardware involved. If I bought the app, I'd be worried I couldn't do this.

The iPad was connected to something below the desk.

It must have been some audio interface with mic-inputs... as well as line-out to the studio.

You're right... the $7.99 app doesn't come with extra hardware... but that should be obvious

This was still an amazing demo for the APP

EDIT:

They used an Apogee Quartet

http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/16...d-to-duet-with-billy-joel-on-the-tonight-show

.

 

[MentalFloss]

And expensive products behind the scenes to make this all happen as it did. None of this could happen with just the ipad and app.

That is complete BS. If you make such a claim, then at least state what kind of expensive product was behind the scenes in your opinion and what exactly was not possible with that app without this product. Do you hear anything in that video that did not come straight out of Joel's and Fallon's mouths? There's not even the slightest hint of autotune or any other processing.

I got the app, and I can do pretty much the same thing, with the obvious exception that I don't sound like Billy Joel (I don't even sound as good as Fallon). The only piece of "expensive hardware" I use is a Snowball mic, which delivers comparably flawless sound quality and which is something that anyone can afford who is able to shell out a few hundred bucks for an iPad. So the only thing you avoid is singing into the not-so-great iPad microphone. And that is not something they were hiding in that video - they were quite obviously singing into two wireless mics. Yea, if they used Apogee Quartet to get the sound into the app, that is not cheap, but they just as well could have put a Snowball mic or any other decent USB mic on the table, with a direct connection to the iPad, and the result would have been pretty close.