Developer Torico has introduced Frum – a new FM Drum Synthesizer for iOS.
Features:
- Unique UI – The vertically scrolling sequencer allows you to enjoy single-handed control of the UI.
- Rearrange blocks to compose music. – songs can be composed by rearranging pattern blocks with your fingers. Complex arrangements and organization is possible with the user having control over song name, pattern block colors, loop counts and durations.
- Social sharing built in
Audio Demos:
Specifications:
Sound engine
- Oscillators : FM/PM synth with 4 operators? sine, square, triangle )
- Tracks : 4 ( can extend to 4×4 pads using the ‘Pad division’ function )
- Filter : High, Band and Low pass filter
- Effectors : Overdrive, Auto Pan
- Features :
Generating BUG, Pad division, UNDO, REDO, Live edit, Save and load presets (factory/private)
Pattern Sequencer
- Step resolution : 1/16
- Maximum step: 64 (4 bars)
- Features?
Gate input, Keyboard input, parameter input in Motion edit mode, Copy and paste, Step shift
Song (Pattern Block)
- Maximium patterns : 150
- Pattern Block Properties : Name, Color, Loop count, Mute
- Features :
Drag & drop, Duplicate, Delete, Delete All
Settings
- BPM Stepper
- Mixer : 4 track volume faders + 1 master volume fader with a limiter
- Other Features :
Shuffle, Mute, Pad Division, Pad sound switch, and so on
Other functions
- SNS (Timeline, Popular, Recommended, Demo)
- Account management, Account synchronization, Create account
- MyData
Pricing and Availability
Frum is available now for an introductory price of US $2.99.
Seems sonically very versatile. Those demos really highlight the versatility of FM to get percussive sounds- and the synth tones are pretty cool, too.
The app (or the demos?) are rhythmically limited. But that’s par for the course in iOS. These tones and funky grooves are pretty fun though.
Have to disagree about iOS apps being limited – many of the iOS synths are more capable than typical Windows or Mac synths. Anyone that thinks otherwise simply is ignorant of what’s been going on in the iOS world over the last few years.
If you want a software-based sound module for live performance, iOS has great synths and in many ways blows away using your computer. Many of the best synths are now coming out on iOS first, then Mac and Windows.
Where the desktop really leads is having a wide range of legacy software synths that are integrated into the DAW ecosystem. iOS can’t compete with that.
Only limit I have seen on Ipad has been more of a hardware interface one
I have seen some limited audio interfaces with midi, although there is some nice attach to multi audio for iPad.
I would like to see one with a couple of audio AND MIDI jacks and a possible HDMI out
Does it support Ableton Link?
I think my mouse-pad does
(anyone who has gotten accessories for their computer gets this)
“Generating BUG,” as a feature. 🙂
Sounds pretty great to my ears but no MIDI, AudioBus, IAA, LINK, AU, etc will keep me on the sidelines for a bit. Not that a $3 app needs to have all of those features ffs but more that I’m already overrun with good sounding apps (that do have those features)
put some freakin midi pants on for petes sake!
Sequencing part is kinda nice on touch screen. Good sounds in a glitchy way.
It keeps on crashing on my ipad mini 2, though 🙁
Very nice groove app if you like creating within the same environment. I bought it because it sounded good. Now that I have it, it’s better than I imagined. I freaking love the shift feature, and I like how it’s laid out vertically- it’s like I’m making music on my Amiga again. Protracker for iOS? Not quite, but I get that vibe. I don’t have a need for Audiobus, Link, AU, etc with this type of app, so the lack of it is of no consequence to me.
I’m happy I got this at $3, but I would pay double, knowing what I do now, which is probably half of what the app is capable of.
i bought it too and agree it’s a great app, but now that I know I like it I definitely need Audiobus, Link, midi, and proper audio export etc… and I’d pay more for those features as an iap in the next update. I think somebody as talented as this dev should know this already though,
Why do all of these apps release in an unfinished state?
Instant buy and no regret at all.
maybe my favorite groove app…
Dude, me too! so good. Just wish i could sync it with my kit!
This Dev needs to take out the “Needs to be online in order to operate/save/use social stuff” or make it optional. Some of us don’t want to be online all the time.
Because of this I asked Apple for a refund. At first, I liked this app very much but I noticed this issue I was very disapointed.
this app looks like a vacuum cleaner for data disguised in music app.
Great app, BUT be warned that there seem to be some privacy issues surrounding it, which are currently being discussed over at the Audiobus forum. Apparently the app is cloud-based (no info on that in the description, as far I can see) which, among other things, means you can’t load or save your songs if you’re offline. It might also collect some user data, don’t know too much about that though.
A real shame, hope they redesign it from the ground up…
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/15303/frum/p5
I confirm this problem of privacy. I made a short exploration in the system files of this app with Filza and noticed some “unusual” things.
Can you elaborate on that? Or have you posted anything about it elsewhere?
I saw some “googleanalytics” and some piece of code have their header comments in Korean. I didn’t post elsewhere.
Maybe I’m parano….
but it is not normal to force the users to be online to launch the app.
Besides, there is no sandbox for the saved song .
EDIT: it is not Korean but Japanese
I paid a visit to the provided forum link: The dev has explained that the app is cloud based and they did not imagine that being online could be a problem.
Let’s hope that they will fix this problem and if they do I will buy this app again (I have been refunded).
So what is the problem being online?
I personally feel my data being saved on a cloud kinda safe.
Isn’t it a common idea these days?
being online is easy in Japan because they have a good infrastructure.
In France there are a lot of areas (zones blanches) without internet (ADSL, 3G,4G and so on) and when you can connect, it is a poor connection.
Besides, if you are in a train it is impossible to get a connection.
In addition to the “but there’s no Internet here” comments jean pierre left above, it’s possible that a user may be living in a country behind a ‘national firewall’, or you yourself may travelling to play a gig in such a country. You’d be surprised at the number of countries that actually have some such restrictions. There’s no guarantee that this government(s) might whitelist the cloud site you need to get to in order for you to open up the app. And good luck trying to get any government body to change their mind as to what may or may not be censored.
This requirement is just damn stupid and shows the developer didn’t think past the tip of their own nose when they implemented it. 🙁