Beat-Machine app for iPhone and iPad

4.4 ( 9424 ratings )

Music Entertainment
Developer: Primitive Digital Software

Free

Current version: 1.4.2, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 01 Nov 2012
App size: 27.2 Mb

Beat-Machine is a powerful vintage beat box emulation for iOS. It combines a simple X0X sequencer and a flexible sample player with high quality FX and comprehensive support for iOS audio and MIDI technologies. Beat-Machine perfectly captures the simplicity and power of the early digital samplers that pushed the limits of beat makers creativity during the early days of hip hop, giving you an easy way to incorporate old school beats into your iOS productions.

▸ Simple X0X sequencer: Drag your finger across the grid to draw your beats! Each step also has adjustable pitch and velocity parameters that can be manually edited or played using the 16 Levels feature.
▸ Multiple time signatures supported: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/8, and 7/8 time are available so you can create traditional pop or just get weird
▸ Tap tempo
▸ Up to 99 measures per pattern with a measure seek control
▸ Measure copy
▸ Song mode: String your saved patterns together on a timeline to create songs. You can also mix patterns of different time signatures into a song.
▸ Inter App Audio tempo sync / timeline integration: Sync Beat-Machines sequencer with the sequencer of IAA host apps
▸ Ableton Link: work it; perfect
▸ "Groove" algorithm emulates the subtle timing variances in the clocks of vintage beat boxes
▸ Groove algorithm also works on MIDI output
▸ Classic Swing algorithm
▸ Comes with whack patterns like vintage drum machines: make your own since youre the best
▸ Comes with whack samples like vintage samplers: import your own since only you know what sounds good (audiocopy, audioshare, iTunes)
▸ Made in Flint, MI: the most thuggin city in America
▸ Extra fancy sample player: Each pad has non-destructive trim, reverse, ADSR, resonant filter, sample rate decimator, bit crusher, and interpolation
▸ Samples are streamed from disk so they dont use RAM
▸ Load .wav samples of any sample rate, 16 and 24 bit supported
▸ Sample rate agnostic: samples always play at the correct speed no matter what the sample rate of the session or the sample is
▸ Turn off sound interpolation to emulate vintage samplers that couldnt interpolate samples at variable playback speeds (extra old school)
▸ Dial in vintage crunch with sample rate decimation / bit crushing
▸ Analog style ADSR works like a transient designer / compressor, allowing you to add a percussive transient to any sample (punchy!)
▸ Variable sample playback speed
▸ Audiobus 2
▸ Mute Matrix for programming pads to mute other pads
▸ Global sample rate control
▸ Full mixer with volume, pan, mute, solo, delay send and reverb send
▸ Extra smooth concert hall reverb algorithm modeled after the concert hall preset from the classic Lexicon 224
▸ Digital Delay with feedback filter
▸ Built in 808 synth makes extra thuggin beats
▸ Time / Pitch / Vinyl: Change the duration of an audio sample without changing the pitch or change the pitch without changing the duration. This uses the classic (offline) timestretching algorithms found on old MPCs and other vintage samplers that gave so many classic hip hop beats "that sound." It also includes a vinyl record emulator that processes the audio sample rather than just overlay hiss and crackle on top of it. Dust, hiss, electrical interference, record wear and groove distortion are all adjustable to add a little crackle to your audio samples... or destroy them.

▸ Comprehensive MIDI support: MIDI IN / MIDI OUT / Virtual MIDI / Clock Sync supported through Core MIDI accessories and Inter App Audio

It is recommended that you have AT LEAST an iPad 3 / iPhone 5 for best performance, especially if youre going to use 24 bit samples and trigger the synth while using other audio apps.

If you have any comments / suggestions / feature requests we can be reached at our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/PrimitiveDigitalSoftware

PLEASE report any bugs you find cause then we can fix them

With your support we can continue to develop the most accurate vintage beat box emulation on iOS!

Pros and cons of Beat-Machine app for iPhone and iPad

Beat-Machine app good for

Finally a decent Drum App, there is still some bugs, however the developer is committed and updates as soon as the bugs are discovered. Decent samples and the ability to load samples on the pads. Keep up the Good Work to make this App the best drum app on the App Store.

This is already a wonderful beat app, and I am looking forward to the recently announced update. Kudos to the developer!

Great update. Who doesnt like Link!? Fun to play good options and sounds.

Seems to have the right balance between complexity and usability, gets updated and has a developer whos committed to the cause. Recommended.

Fantastic beat machine gets even better with new updates. An incredible app that costs next to nothing. Unbelievable. Kudos to the developer!

This is as easy as it will get to make great drum beats on your iPhone or iPad. I love this beat drum machine as it gets the beat out of my mind and on the machine painlessly and with great results! The developer is really awesome too, he is very responsive and loves feedback. I give this 5 stars, you cant go wrong with this! Updated- This developer is serious about his customers. BM just got another update and its rock solid. Only thing I wish is for the iPhone version to have a full screen mode for the pads specially useful if youre controlling other apps with this app, which it really is solid for also! Amazing!

Some bad moments

Im disappointed to not see MIDI program changes still. I bought this app because it said "fully MIDI capable." Unfortunately Its pretty much useless to me without it. Why make an app with sequencer and sync in and out without program changes? Doesnt that force me to switch between apps every time I want to change each ones pattern? Maybe Im missing something but I tried reaching out via their FB (support) page and havent heard anything.

Beat-Machine needs a in node IAA transport bar. (Sept. 2014) Still not there. Cant effectively record to another app with synchronization. If this was fixed the app would be useful.

Ottima app. Per studiare ad anche di più! Semplice a completa sopratutto pensando che lho presa gratis!

I cant believe this app is only .99 this is hands down the absolute most powerful audio app I have ever used (and yes, Ive tried them all). I have had iPhone since the first generation and have downloaded countless apps, this is the only one I have ever reviewed... I personally use Reaper for all my production and I must say this works great with it. Im sorta new with audio production however, I understand this app 100%. Extremely powerful yet easy to use (like reaper lol). Two thumbs up developer! Now make me some more apps.

There was no audio on an iPhone 4s iOS 5, but it no audio issues on an iPad 2. Kits are bland. Some individual sample editing is possible, but pitch is only adjustable by switching the pads to a 16 note scale. Only one delay and one reverb,with a usable mixer. Not fully baked.

The good: Clear layout, punchy sample set, love the Run DMC homage pattern Somewhere in the middle: the mute concept is novel The bad: slow loading time of kits, not keen on having to stop the sequencer in order to arm for recording (should be able to do it on the fly), cannot delete user patterns in menu after saving One more thing: in the description the word sampler is used to describe the product...how is it a sampler? Can I somehow record signals from the app itself, or in all actuality is the drum machine simply a sample playback machine (nothing at all wrong with that) Keep up the awesome work, thanks for the great intro price, and I anticipate energies by the Dev. to tweak, improve, and mature the app...the kinks will be addressed I am sure.

Write review