This video, via noise solution, offers his take on Impaktor – a new iOS drum synthesizer that turns any surface into a playable percussion instrument:
Impaktor works by capturing real acoustical impulses from the built-in microphone and using them as an excitation source for advanced sound modules that simulate the behavior of membranes, cymbals, metallophones or strings. This makes Impaktor a highly responsive and expressive instrument.
With semi-modular architecture and several types of synthesis, Impaktor can produce a wide range of tones, from acoustic, like Tabla, Djembe, Marimba, Cymbals, Metal bars to electronic or industrial sounds.
Impaktor is available in the App Store for $4.99.
If you’ve used Impaktor, let us know what you think of it!
I have a lot of problems with false triggers, missed triggers, and even feedback triggers from my speakers. Even just trying to do a simple straight 16th pattern isn’t consistent. So, I’m still trying to figure out how to best work with it. The UI is definitely great, I just wish it worked a bit more consistently. The thing I’d really like to see is maybe support for trigger clips like the Korg Wavedrum Mini has that could plug into the headphone jack for better triggering and fewer false positives. That would be a total win for me.
Are you using headphones?
No I’m not but I don’t want to use headphones either. That Pulse Controller looks like maybe it’ll do the trick though.
Wow! talking about a useless comment on an AMAZING APP! I usually do not call people out on the internet as it is futile and does not make sense and a waste of time. I am not sure why yo spent $5 and refusing to follow the instruction. you realize if you try this app let’s say inside the engine room of a boat cruise you will def get a lot of false triggers. If you speak while you use it you will get false triggers. You realize when you play and the sound from the built in speaker of your iphone/ipad plays back what you play you will get false trigger?
stick an headphone in the hole, don’t use the app inside a cafeteria, don’t sing while you play and you will be golden
🙂
Have you read app description in the AppStore? “The app requires headphones”. In other case you get a feedback.
It would be impossible to use live. It’s fun, but maybe a little too sensitive. I can be in another room, and it will pick up my footsteps. Definitely a solid concept. Maybe it would be better with an actual contact mic.
Yes. There’s already a piezo solution out there, Pulse Controller iirc. Been meaning to pick one up, should give a much more isolated performance plus it spits out MIDI so I can drive my own soft samplers.
It takes a little faffing to get comfortable with the triggering but it’s definitely worth a go.
Headphones are a must and with low sensitivity set, you can tap your iPhone itself which seems to work well with the case I have (metal surround thing from AC Gears).
Great fun and version 2 will no doubt be even better.
Hello
Congratulation to the developer for the smart and creative design. Plus it’s great fun to play with.
Regards
Krzysztof
Its a great app. I am having a lot of fun with it and creating very usable material from it. I would never use it live because well it’s just not my thing but I could see how the false triggers could be an issue. Play with the sensitivity in the settings for the app(through IOS settings) I got better results when I adjusted it.
This thing is just far out, I have already spent too much time today grooving on it. Headphones are a must if you use your iPhone’s built in mic. However, I’m sure it is a short time until the community figures out a 1001 ways to trigger this app.
The built in looper, the smartly thought out synth engine, and just the musicality of the whole kit is gobsmackingly good.
$4.99? iOS is a musician’s playground, and this app is already one of my favorite swings.
It would be REALLY cool if this app could eventually support AudioBus, so that tracks could be sent to it to trigger percussion sounds.
This is cool, but is there any provision for midi export or quantizing of recorded/sequenced bits. You want percussion parts to have a lot of human feel, but not all ‘table drummers’ are created equal.
It’s got quantization built in.
I think this app is pretty freakin’ amazing. Sensitive – yes – learning curve – yes – REAL INSTRUMENT – Y E S !! Dont’ all real instruments take time and practice to play/master and be musically useful? I played with it at home in my quiet studio and got good/interesting results. Were they ‘perfect’ – no. Did I care? NO! I’m still just playing with it but already got some really cool loops out of it which I can use with Filterator and god knows what else. If I use it consistently and learn to play better and alter the sounds/edit the sensitivity I’m sure I will get more musically controlled results. But for $5 I’m havin’ WAY more fun than if I’d spent it on ice-cream, or other crap. This is a truly musical piece of software which proves again there’s all sorts of untapped (ha!) potential in the iOS software and Apple hardware. Brilliant!