Previously, we’ve covered the Capo range of apps for the iPhone, iPad, and desktop that help students learn music by ear via setting repeating segments, altering the tempo & pitch, and giving students the ability to adjust an equalizer. When we previously covered these apps, the Capo mobile applications were more limited in some respects compared to it’s older desktop sibling - not a bad thing, but it would be nice to bring over the ability to adjust highs and lows for example instead of just only pitch and tempo. Robick is an alternative take on plugging in tracks from your iPod’s library, and altering them in such a way that helps you learn parts of a song. The developer noted to me it was primarily designed for learning Jazz (I’m assuming for Japanese students), and the interface reflects a modern edge and a shifting paradigm that’s quite neat.
Robick’s controls sit on a record metaphor, which you can tap outside of to change between various controls in combination with the mode controls at the bottom of the display. The idea is that you can highlight portions of your song for playback and repeating, refine those portions by changing the key, pitch, or tempo, and you’re also given the chance to adjust mids, highs, and lows by simply swiping and adjusting these raised highlighters. Tapping on the information icon will give users a better understand of the controls, and I’ve included the demo video below for your viewing pleasure.
You can add any song you’d like from your iPod’s library, and the app comes with an initial track to get you started (the same song you hear in the demo). The metaphor for the controls are interesting, and while not initially intuitive, offer some excellent control over the parts of the song that you want to focus on. The selected portion of your track and be repeated at half speed for example in a higher key so you can play along on the piano for example.
Robick is really something in terms of how information is visually displayed: it’s elegantly modern, visually elegant, not overdone, and gives users a preview of all of their settings on one simple screen. For $2.99 in the App Store, Robick could be of aid in helping you with your music studies.
