TECHNEWS IN ASSOCIATION WITH HEADING DOWN DIRTYSOUTH!


JONNY from Point Blank warms up his deep south grooves with Ableton 8’s amp and cabinet effects


APP REVIEW


APP NAME : ALKEX INSTRUMENTS DEVELOPER : 8BIT STUDIO FORMAT : PRICE :


IPHONE/IPAD £0.69


If you grew up in the ‘80s you’ll likely have an affection for the consoles of the era, like the Commodore 64, and especially its distinctively glitchy 8 bit sound output. So popular are the C64’s sounds that we have genres devoted to them right here in 2011, so Alex Instruments now invite you down memory lane via their nostalgic-looking app for iPhone or iPad.


As the marketing suggests, this is the only app to currently offer a full sample range of the C64’s SID chip and we’re pleased to confirm the sounds that emerge are 100% authentic. You can go further, too, and customize your patterns using the built in step sequencer or play live on the


retractable keyboard, then bend and distort the sound using the touch contacts.


We had a ball playing with 8BIT Studio, but despite the fact there’s 128 steps of memory, 8 keyboard patches and 13 drum sounds included, we couldn’t shake the feeling that the main aim here is having fun rather than music creation. Not that that is a bad thing, of course, and if you’re into ‘chip’ & ‘circuit bent’ sounds, then look no further for your new weapon of choice.


VERDICT 7/10


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15