MusicPro Magazine

Hey Gang,

A lot has happened in the app department of the iPhone since it’s release.  Some developments with regard to music oriented software applications for the iPhone are of special note.  I thought that I would bring a few of these little gems to light, so here we go.

First of all, let me say that the most useful thing of all about an iPhone is the sheer multitude of applications (like a computer) that you can install to do just about anything a computer program can do.  Think about that…..for a phone, that’s simply amazing.  The best thing about an iPhone app rather than a computer is that the phone will go with you everywhere…….yeah, in the bathroom too.  No excuses for lost productivity time now.

The app in the spotlight today is called Visual Metronome.  Here’s the link to there site: http://www.onemoremuse.com/products/VisualMetronome/.

A handy little metronome application on the go, Visual Metronome works like a charm.  On the main interface screen you can see the numeric values changing to the beat with the ‘accent’ beats displaying with a bright white background and all non-accented beats displaying with a black background.  The play button (which turns into a pause button while playing) is large enough to easily get to.  The beats per minute are displayed with a ‘+’ or ‘-’ to increase or decrease the value by single digit increments.  If you hold down the plus or minus buttons you will increase or decrease the bpm values in ‘fast scroll’ mode allowing you to make larger changes much faster.  This feature came as an update after I purchased the app a few weeks prior.

Also on the main screen is a set of icons that allows you to select the type of subdivisions of the beat you wish the metronome to play back.  Quarter note (default), eighth note or triplets (8th note triplets) subdivisions can be selected.  At the very bottom is the standard iPhone volume slider.

If you go to the settings area by tapping on the little italic ‘i’ in the little white circle at the bottom right of the interface, you can adjust a multitude of settings to your liking.  Such items as beep sounds for the accent as well as non-accented notes can be chosen individually.  The time signature can be changed.  Strong vs. weak beats within any time signature can be assigned, and other tweaks as well.

I have used this app on an actual gig.  As a drummer, I played a gig a few months ago where I had to learn roughly 40 tunes in a short amount of time.  I created ‘cheat charts’ for myself with metronome markings at the top of each chart.  I set my iPhone on  a drum case next to my seat and used Visual Metronome (with the sound off) to give me the tempo to start each tune.  Once the count-off was done, I didn’t need a metronome, so i didn’t use it again until the next song.

The best part is that I didn’t have to carry along (or possibly forget to carry along) yet another piece of gear.  My phone goes with me everywhere anyway, so it’s a no brainer.  This makes a great metronome for practicing also since a stereo headphone jack is already built right into the phone anyway.

All this for just $1.99 (US).   Let’s see you buy a metronome anywhere else for that little money.  One other thing of note is that on the main interface there is a little tuning fork icon too.  This is set to the standard A440.  This is great for me as I occasionally play timpani with the local orchestra and I use a real tuning fork to get a reference pitch from which to tune.

If any of you have tried this metronome out or have a different or better metronome app for the iPhone, tell us about it by posting a reply below.