While Beatles’ Rock Band will no doubt be a hit with fans, iPhone apps for musicians are also inspiring a creative revolution.
If you’re lucky enough to score a used Roland TR-808 drum machine—the gold standard of house and techno musicians—prepare to shell out $1,000. Or, download Blackout Labs’ ultra-cool GigBaby! (99 cents). In 1967, The Beatles recorded “Sgt. Pepper” on four-track tape machines. In 2009, you can download a four-track recorder that supports CD-quality audio onto your iPhone. Absolutely fab! So is GigBaby! perfect? No. You can’t “bounce” (or recombine) tracks you’ve already recorded, so far as I can tell. But GigBaby! lets you select backing rhythms and has a set list manager to organize your ideas.
