FourTrack for iPhone Review
You can do this on a phone?
FourTrack for iPhone is truly a wonder to behold. A mobile audio powerhouse, FourTrack is designed to help aspiring singers and artists produce professional quality tracks with the lowest possible cost of entry. The app itself is extremely technical and there are many features that your average music fan simply won’t use or need. This is underlined by the fact that the app is a full ten dollars to download. However, for those who want a powerful mobile recording solution, FourTrack is undoubtedly in a class of its own.
Once you start the app you are already set up to begin recording. The use of a plug-in mic is a necessity as the quality of the recording depends on it. You use a simple slider to begin recording and from there you are on your own to create a musical masterpiece.
The app (as the name would imply) allows users to record up to four different audio tracks to one piece of music, and up to 16 with the “bounce” feature. However, because of the limitations of the device, namely the fact that you can only have one recording device plugged in at a time, each audio track needs to be recorded separately. This may seem like a major drawback, especially if you’re looking to record two singers performing at the same time, but it’s just something that the ten dollar app can’t handle.
When it comes time to take your music to the next level (aka computer editing) you’ll be able to export your song in a number of ways, but the most convenient by far is simply have the app create a local Wi-Fi web address for download. Then you can direct your computer browser to the address provided and download your full track in a matter of moments. It’s a technology that has been available for photo editing apps for some time, and now FourTrack makes excellent use of it.
It’s not for everyone.
If you’re a musician, you’ll likely already have a list of things in your head that you can use this app for. On-the-go melodic recordings, or ideas for songs you’ll want to explore in more depth later, but the relevance of FourTrack stops there. There is really no reason that any non-musician types would want to spend the money on an app that is designed for such a specific task.
Additionally, despite what the name says, the app isn’t really a true four track. You can’t record multiple streams at once, so it’s hard to recommend to someone who is looking for a true four track hardware experience. Like many apps that emulate physical hardware, FourTrack comes off like a watered down version. That’s not to say that the app isn’t useful, and there are a ton of tools included in the app that we haven’t touched, including compatibility with auto-drummers and other much more expensive computer recording equipment.
What it comes down to is that if you’re a musician with any kind of experience with recording equipment, you know that you can’t come close to this kind of functionality anywhere else for the ridiculously low price of ten dollars. So if that describes you, FourTrack is remarkable value and should be picked up immediately.
