Improvox explanation and question about podcast

By Ken Downey, 16 May, 2013

Forum
iOS and iPadOS
I have worked toward putting a podcast of Improvox together since yesterday, but it's just not coming together. part of it is that I really feel like I'll be insulting your intelligence, since the info button explains everything so well. So my question is, what exactly do you want covered? Do you want me to demonstrate the effects and how to use them? Do you want to hear the differences between harmony styles, or do you need to know about song sharing? Okay, so that's the question. Here is my description of the two pads and how they work. They are x/y pads, which means that dragging your finger up and down has a different affect than dragging your finger left and right. Really with these pads, the rule of thumb is to simply go toward a corner. First, the tradition effects. Tap and hold toward the right side of the screen in the center. If you tap too high or low you'll be out of the pad. Drag up and right for reverb, up and left for tremello, down and left for echo, and down and right for a mix of all three. Shake the device to set the echo's tempo. Up and down adjusts effect level, and left and right affect the effect intensity. If you double tap the pad, the effects change. Go to the upper right corner for resampling, upper left for a robot effect, lower left for ring mod, (moving left adjusts carrier frequency,) and to the lower right for a wawa effect like those used on guitars. I really recommend using this app with Garage Band or ThumbJam through AudioBus, because the effects are not very good. The harmony pad works the same way as the effects pad. Each corner produces a different harmony except the top left, which plays all three. Down on the bottom are the key down and key up buttons, labeled as left and right. Next to them is the use voice button. Press this and hum a key for three seconds, and the app will go to that key and whistle a chord to you, telling you both the key and mood. to the right of those buttons are the styles, and they change how the harmonies are played. For example, if you're in C and sing a D, you'll hear a G major chord in choir, but a D minor in pop. This is one of the few things that's easier to show in a podcast. The styles are choir, pop, barber shop, jazz, and classical. to the right of the last style are the happy and sad buttons that adjust from major to minor keys. Along the top of the screen are three tabs. The info tab on the top left gives a concise manual of all these features. Press info, then look for the InfoFAQ button. Once you've read through, click the close button in the bottom center. In the top center is the controls button. When you press it, three sliders appear. Another reason I haven't done this podcast is because I'm not precisely sure what two of them do, though I believe it works like this. The top slider determines how fast your voice glides from one pitch to another. If you set this to 100% your voice will snap instantly from pitch to pitch with no gliding. The slider underneath it determines overall volume. The slider underneath that determines how fast the harmony parts will glide to the next pitch. To get your pads back once the sliders appear, click a style or mood button. In the top right corner of the screen is the share button. Unlike everything else in the app, the buttons in this section are labeled as selected when pressed, not highlighted. If it's your first time using this feature, just press record and start singing, or import to get a song to sing along with. There is also an overdub feature so you could, for example, remove the vocals from a song, import it, and add your new vocals in. To play a file, click the share button. It seems like you have to click it twice sometimes, but you'll know it's up because the share button moves to the left slightly and is replaced by the library button. Press that, select a song, and press play to hear it, or overdub to add a new track. I haven't really played with this feature because the app already gives your three harmonies, plus your own voice, making four, so unless you want to do a remake of something with six or eight parts you won't even use this feature. Finally, you can export to sound cloud and other sources. If this is what you want the podcast to be about I'll have to learn it myself first, but I'll need to eventually anyway. HTH

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Comments

By Clare Page on Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 10:42

Hi! Thanks very much for the explanation above of how to make ImproVox work. As for a future podcast about this app, speaking for myself, I have often installed apps on my iPhone after hearing podcasts demonstrating those apps, so I personally feel that a podcast about ImproVox should include at least a brief demonstration about what the different styles and harmonies can do and what they sound like. That way, people can hear what this app does, and that might help them to decide whether to get it or not. It's up to you whether you decide to include other features such as recording or sharing. That's just my opinion, though, and hopefully others will post here with theirs!
Glad we're in agreement. That's precisely what I was considering podcasting on, the different styles. I think everything else is simple and straightforward. I've also contacted the developer and asked for Voiceover support, as well as the exact function of the sliders in the control section.

By Isaac Hebert (not verified) on Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 10:42

I would love for you to cover as much as you can in you'repodcast. Demo the effects Demo the different harmony styles and cover song shareing.

By Ken Downey on Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 10:42

In reply to by Isaac Hebert (not verified)

I'll have to do song sharing in the next podcasts, because it's done. I just have to edit it and submit it.

By Steve Matzura on Sunday, June 23, 2013 - 10:42

All of the above. Please. I'm clueless with these things until I get started, but once shown the path and my first foot placed firmly upon it, the rest I'm good with. But I wouldn't even know where to start at this point.
I'm pretty much the same in most cases though I have been able to figure out most of this wonderful ap; it's so awesome! Harmonizing is my absolute favourite thing, not being the best at pitching the right notes myself. I even know how to share the recordings etc through iCloud and email though it'd be cool if there was a dropbox option. I think the OP did say he was planning a second podcast sometime in the future, and in which case, i suggest you do cover the sharing options, as well as dubbing over tracks; I haven't figured that one out yet.