Mayk.It
Price: Free (for now)
Mayk.It is advertised as a music creation app for non-musicians. It has a friendly interface with simple tools to create a backing track, including countless pre-programmed beats, and then record audio over the top of it if required. There are voice filters and (weirdly) an endless supply of GIFs to attach to your finished track when you publish it.
Mayk.It is also a social media app and users can listen to other users’ compositions, and, in a slightly awkward Tinder way, swipe right or left to like their music. If a user particularly likes a piece, they can comment on it and even remix it within the app. Mayk.It is still in its final stages of completion but is available on the app store now.
Tape It
Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Tape It is a (relatively) simple app that allows iOS users to record high-quality stereo recordings onto their phone using the built-in mics. Apple themselves released a product a few years ago called Music Memos (MT Feb 2016) that offered similar features but is now sadly unavailable. Tape It could well be the replacement for that app.
It off ers the ability to view more of the waveform on screen to identify different sections of recordings and makes better use of the screen. Tape It also incorporates AI (artifi cial intelligence) to remove unwanted background noise – it analyses frequencies and can clean up recordings by removing air-con noise or a fridge buzz in the background. This could be great for capturing pupil performances quickly and sharing them with colleagues.
AKG ARA
Price: $99
Another month and another USB-mic aimed at content creators and streaming. However, the AKG is also aimed at musicians and anyone else that might ever need a mic. The AKG further separates itself from some of its competitors by including two helpful options: it has more than one polar pattern and it includes a basic built-in audio interface.
If you are recording a solo musician, select the cardioid polar pattern and it rejects sound from the side and the rear for a focused capture, and if capturing a whole ensemble – the omnidirectional pattern captures equally in all directions. The Ara also includes a headphone socket for direct monitoring and connects to a computer direct via USB – this could be a great all-round mic for live streaming and recording.
Bowie Stylophone
Price: £29.95
The Stylophone has suffered from a lot of negative press over the years, but one artist who always saw the potential was David Bowie. Manufacturers Dubreq and the estate of David Bowie have now teamed up to launch a Bowie-branded Stylophone. From his breakthrough single Space Oddity through to albums in the 2000s, the Stylophone could be heard in some of Bowie's music.
The Stylophone's unique method of music creation makes it extremely accessible to musicians of all abilities and its distinctive sound will be unlike any other instruments found in a music department. At this price, every musician should own one for novelty value alone.
