BeatStudio Offers Stellar Drum Sequencing For The iPad And iPhone
BeatStudio ($2.99) by Frontier Design Group is an all in one beat production and recording studio for iOS.
The app is a sequencer that brings a multitude of quality drum recordings to the fray, allowing users to create their own drum tracks in a jiffy. The app isn’t perfect, but for the price, it’s easily one of the best drum machines in the App Store.
First and foremost, BeatStudio is a drum pad and sequencer. The app presents the user with a large grid of multiple instruments. By tapping on any open square, the player can produce a prerecorded sample of that instrument.
There are a load of samples available, including standard drumming fare like a bass drum, multiple hi-hats, and several ride cymbals. BeatStudio also includes more percussion-oriented instruments like maracas, tambourines, and shakers.
The variety is nice, and adds a refreshing amount of complexity to the user’s beats. There are also two free downloadable packs of extra instruments, in case one is left hankering by the included options.
But beyond being a drum pad, BeatStudio is also a fantastic sequencer. The included multitrack recorder makes creating and editing beats an easy affair. The ability to manipulate recorded samples beat-by-beat is also a tremendous boon, especially for those that like to get hands-on in their mixes.
BeatStudio comes with a few extra amenities, as well. The app fully supports audio copy/paste, meaning it plays well with any other music apps you’re sporting, including GarageBand, AmpliTube, etc.
The app also comes with quality quantization and tempo controls. Combined with audio copy/paste, it’d be a simple matter to load whole songs from elsewhere into BeatStudio, and then create quality backing drums for them.
The app isn’t perfect, however. There are a few features I’d really like to see support for, most notably the ability to create complex time signatures. Currently, BeatStudio only supports straight four-four time.
I also noticed the occasional jump in audio when multiple tracks where involved, like a glitchy skip. This wasn’t so much a lag issue as it was a bug inherent to the app.
The samples themselves sound great, which is a must for any quality drum machine on the iPad. BeatStudio’s sounds are on-par with apps like GarageBand, however, I still prefer the latter’s drumming experience.
BeatStudio’s pads were a bit small on the iPhone, but just about perfect on the iPad. That being said, if you prefer a virtual representation of an analog kit, GarageBand can be had for the same price, and offers a much more realistic experience.
At the end of the day though, BeatStudio is easily one of the best drumming apps available on the market. As a dedicated beat production studio, its sounds are top-notch, and its recording interface stellar.
The $4.99 price tag makes the app a bargain in music production for iOS, and with such rock solid performance, the benefit of having a premium drum machine on your iDevice is hard to argue with.
