Simple, serious fun... – Figure - Make Music & Beats Review

… with potential. Edit: unfortunately a recent update changed this app to require you to create an account and log in just to use it. This is a huge step in the wrong direction. I don’t mind having an option to log in if I want to share my creation or browse other people’s contributions, but I don’t want to have to create an account just to use the app for quick time waster entertainment and fun. Dropped review to 2 stars until this is addressed. Yet another amazing app destroyed by forced social networking participation. As has been said several times here already, this app (currently) lacks the ability to save your songs, or export your creations, which is frustrating and limiting. Having said that, this app is really creative and a lot of fun to play with. You can create a beat track and record that into a loop, then dynamically add lead or bass to fill it out. There are a lot of different sound kits for each stage (maybe a dozen drum kits, two dozen lead kits, and a dozen or so bass kits). You can mix and match the kits for some very interesting sounds. Once you have recorded a loop (only two bars, which hopefully will be expanded on in future revisions), you can adjust the volume for each stage, and you can change the key of your "song" dynamically as you play. This is a great "bus stop" app, allowing you to create your own soundtrack as you wait around. I played with the app today for about 20 minutes while I waited for my wife to finish her shopping. I connected my iPhone to the stereo in my truck and sat in the garage for half an hour listening to my own rhythm and soundtrack. This is definitely one of the better 0.99$ purchases I have made. The styling is very nice, the controls are innovative and interesting. As a developer myself, I can appreciate the clean look this app has, and how polished it feels. Nothing seems out of place. 4 stars because of the lack of save or export, but definitely worth the money. Once this app matures a bit more, I think this could justifiably be a $4.99 app. Well done, Propellerheads! I am excited to see how you improve this app moving forward. Consider me a fan.
Review by Spetsdod on Figure - Make Music & Beats.