Musicians and composers have long dreamt of computers and mobiles playing music that changes on its own, rather than playing static, pre-determined scores. But to actually pull it off, you need a number of pieces. One solution for putting those pieces together is finally here, with desktop-to-mobile delivery and an interesting combination of a generative engine with synths and effects that can work in real time.

We’ve been following the work of Intermorphic for some time: this team, experienced in generative music (as popularized by the likes of Brian Eno), has been building a portfolio of software for music making using generative and other techniques. At long last, their anticipated Mixtikl V1 suite is here. The idea is to combine a set of complementary tools for making and delivering music on computers and mobiles, with a particular eye toward interactive, generative tools. The components of the suite:

• Partikl, the synth: Modular synth, DLS (DownLoadable Sound) MIDI playback, and effects “network,” Partikl works both on desktops and on mobile devices (currently PocketPC/PDA). There’s even a “particle generator.” Make tones, create modular synths and effects you can modulate live, or play back sample/loop content.
• Noatikl, the generative engine: Here’s the good bit. Based on the evolution of the same Koan system employed by Brian Eno, Noatikl is a scriptable “hyperinstrument” that can generative musical structures. Partikl is designed to work with it, so part of your musical structure can be modulating your synths, effects, and samples. The full Noatikl doesn’t run inside Mixtikl, but a runtime does, so it can play back generative structures instead of limiting you to static MIDI files and the like.
• Static content support: Even the most rigorous advocate of generative music will likely concede that some pre-determined content can be useful. So the suite supports static scores and audio files (OGG, WAV, AU, MIDI, MOD).
• Apps to use them together: Remixer, Performer, and Player let you combine these elements for live use.
• Packs: Tiklpak content  are generative packs that show off what the thing can do.
• Desktop support: Mac, Windows. And having the ability to use plug-ins means authoring should be much easier.
• Mobile support: Windows Mobile at launch (for almost any resolution currently available, even including Windows Mobile smartphones). Coming soon: Symbian, iPhone/iPod touch, and the multi-platform Antix Game Player (have to admit, hadn’t heard of that one).

Mixtikl Download Page [Desktop, Mobile]

Press release

Pricing: US$9.99-29.99 for Mixtikl; Noatikl $79.99+; various bundles and limited-time coupons available – but you can get up and running with quite a lot for around ten bucks

It’s good to hear the iPhone is back on the list after some doubts from Intermorphic earlier this year. (Apple easing up on restrictions may have helped!) The Intermorphic crowd note that:

If you do get a chance to play with it, do try out some of the Noatikl generative items in the Tikpak Cinematic 120d, which is one of two Tiklpaks that comes embedded with Mixtikl. The generative items show up as red in the content list. As some of these also use Partikl to dynamically create the their sounds (they do a lot) and they also use FX, these ones can really slow up your device, as they do consume a fair amount of processing power.

There’s something appealing about being able to take a generative composition with you, whether it’s listening on the go or actually remixing or performing with it. So the mobile delivery thing is really important.

It’s taken some time to develop this, so it’ll likewise take some time for us to spend some time with Mixtikl. Stay tuned – and let us know if there’s anything you’d like us to specifically see.

As seen in September on Palm Sounds, though worth repeating here.

Griff Promo Movie from Daniel Webb on Vimeo.

Promos are good, but actually learning how to use the tool is often the best way to judge it musically. It’s well worth going through the whole walkthrough, as that should give you an idea of whether or not this way of working is your style:

Griff Walkthrough from Daniel Webb on Vimeo.

Head to the official Griff site for more:

planetgriff.com

And you know, while we’ve seen some apps come close, we really haven’t seen an iPhone app quite this comprehensive.

It’s easy enough to dismiss mobile music devices as toys, and I’d add, there’s really nothing wrong with toys. But the test – a personal one – is whether or not you can develop your musical ideas with them. Some of the deepest, most consistently satisfying tools for mobile devices are the ones that shrink down real production capabilities to a handheld size. Look closely at these apps, and you’ll see software that could easily have passed for “advanced” sequencers on computers fifteen years ago. (Indeed, I think arguably we’ve lost some usability with the complexity we’ve added since.)

While the iPhone phenomenon continues to grow, don’t write off Windows Mobile for music. Tony Stone sends a video showing off the piano roll-style sequencer in an app called AudioBox. It goes beautifully with the stylus – precision input that isn’t possible with your finger on the iPhone.

AudioBox Micro Composer is available at various online software stores. Here’s where Tony says he picked it up:

AudioBox Micro Composer @ ClickApps

AudioBox Product Page @ 4pockets [developer]

AudioBox has come up many times on Palm Sounds; see the interview with the developer

US$44.95, but for that you get the sequencer, an analog synth, a string pad synth, a samples, a drum machine, 16 channels of mixing, effects, editing capabilities, and “device automation” (not sure what that last one means). Part of the reason this is all possible is that developing for Windows Mobile is very much like developing for Windows – and unlike Google’s Android, you can write the apps in C/C++. If you’re not a developer, what that means it that you’re basically getting desktop-like apps.

Tony is worth checking out, too. He’s a Christian hip-hop artist, beatmaker and producer, and youth minister, and he’s promised some very interesting DIY projects coming soon. See his blog and MySpace page. We actually have a whole lot of readers making music in communities of faith, demonstrating that there’s a lot more diversity of musicians working with technology. It’s not at all limited to the view people have of the club or DJ scenes.

Side note: Microsoft should never have gotten rid of the Pocket PC moniker.

This site has always been about making music with computers and digital technology. Today, we increasingly have access to powerful computers in mobile form factors. But, despite the simple fact that all of these are ultimately computers, I’ve quickly learned that mobile music production is a divisive issue. Some of you are as passionate about hating mobile tech as others of you are about loving it, perhaps propelled by a strong uptick of iPhone hype and accompanying resentment. Don’t worry — I won’t be swayed too much by either group; I’m committed to computers in all forms, tiny and large, and accompanying digital synths. And analog synths. And, really, anything that makes sound.

That said, the survey results we did on mobile tech are very interesting. Story topics for CDM aren’t a popularity contest, but your responses do reveal a lot. (The best reading turns out to be the write-in portion.)

First up, here’s a look at what mobile platforms people own. I expect the survey is somewhat self-selecting (some of you in the “none of the above” category likely didn’t respond), but note how the game platforms dominate.

That’s platforms you already own. But which are you interested in reading about? The margin on each device increases significantly. (Sony’s PSP doubles; Linux triples.) So that demonstrates that people are interested in learning about the larger landscape, and may be basing future purchase decisions on what’s available for music creation. (It also appeared that stronger support for PSP and Linux came from Europe than North America, possibly in part due to painfully-inflated costs for iPod touch and iPhone in that market.)

Zany Write-In Response

Okay, enough demographics. The best part of doing the poll was getting your write-in responses.
Google’s Android platform unsurprisingly got a number of write-in votes; GP2X got fewer, but I expect people just (rightfully) answered “Linux.” We did get some interesting responses, though:

Mobile device suggestions:

• Boss Micro BR
• Buddha Machine
• Graphing calculators (careful; with the readers here, you might get your wish
• Korg Kaossilator
• MPC 500
• Psion organizers
• “steam powered”
• Yamaha QY100
• Speak and Spell
• PlayStation 1 (that’s mobile?)
• Nokia N-gage (but now I know you’re joking)

And then there was the hater/lover argument:
“PLEASE GIVE THE IPHONE A REST! BORING YUPPIE TOY. soz for capitals.”
“Not all of us have tiny little girlie fingers!!!” (ouch!)
“The above statement should be “I really couldn’t care less.” As it happens, I am interested in all of them, so I really could care less.”
“mobile audio coverage is getting ridiculous”
“Just keep it to a minimum, guys =)” (Well, it is by definition miniature, right?)
“more iphone!!!! screw the haters”
“Everything. If there’s something new and interesting done with a C64, it could be worth going out to buy a setup.”
“every – f***ing – thing !”

At least someone said “whatever, it’s all good.” Sir, you may be alone in your calm attitude, but the editorial staff appreciates it. Meanwhile, I’ll be exercising my tiny girlie fingers over a variety of devices. (They give me uncanny accuracy in touch apps. So there.)

BeatMaker Update and Workflow

A new BeatMaker video (below)

One of the biggest objections — and a fair one — boils down to “but how do you use this in real life?” The “it’s a toy” argument is a legitimate one if it means you have software you play around with, but that you can’t use as an instrument effectively or work into your own music. (By that token, for instance, my toy piano is actually a valuable instrument.)

So it’s big news that, as many people had hoped, Intua’s BeatMaker has added MIDI export. That means you can assemble ideas and patterns on BeatMaker and bring them into your desktop music software of choice. I’m already hearing from people using this with Ableton Live. This isn’t a new feature — Windows Mobile and Palm apps have offered the same thing — but it’s a big part of the draw of these devices. BeatMaker also has an improved manual, more videos, and Bonjour support:

intua.net

Intua’s Mathieu also tells us “We’re working on the new BeatMaker killer-update now. Should be interesting !” Indeed.

For the record, that means some of the interesting workflow possibilities now available include the likes of:

• Building MIDI patterns and audio loops for use elsewhere (PSP Rhythm, PSP; BeatMaker, iPhone/iPod; many others)
• Building complete tracks using unusual synths (PSPSEQ, PSP)
• Working on drum patterns, with samples, in a round-trip with desktop software (iDrum, iPhone/iPod)
• Using your mobile device as a touch/stylus controller, etc. (DSMI, DS; various tools, iPhone/iPod)

All good stuff. Of course, by the same token, there are clear disadvantages of mobile devices — cramped screen space and controls, limited processing power, a lack of full-sized and full-fidelity audio I/O, and the like. But that’s why I’ve always felt conventional form factor computers aren’t really going anywhere. They work really well; these augment what they can do.

With all this talk of mobile music creation, it’s time to get a little scientific. Which mobile digital platforms do you actually own? Which do you want to read about on CDM? We have, of course, lots of interesting stuff happening with actual mobile computers – think UMPC, Eee, and OLPC – but then, those fit nicely with other computing platforms since that’s what they are. Other handheld game systems, PDAs, and phones require real, specific attention for musicians. And naturally, this is about making music on mobile systems, not necessarily playing Mario Kart.

We need to know what you think. Your feedback will help us direct the site. Don’t worry, we still love things that no one else does, so fear not if you’re in a more obscure category – though you will want to get your votes in.

This is also a chance to sign up for our soon-to-launch email list, which we’ll use for human-created, exclusive dispatches from team CDM in a form that makes sense for our overburdened inboxes. (It won’t duplicate anything else, and it won’t be too often, and it won’t be sold to anyone else – it’s just another way for me and the team to chat with you.)

So, here goes – you’ll need to click through to the actual site to finish the survey, or head straight to:

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/61300/yvwf9

Respond now; poll closes Monday 8/18

Photo credit: Yesrobot’s Game Boy rig, captured by Alícia

Some good news, some bad news for iPhone/iPod Touch owners. (For everyone who doesn’t care, we’ll be consolidating iPhone news from here on out so you can safely ignore it.)

Good news: iZotope’s mobile version of iDrum is here (seen above). It’s a nifty $5 toy, though some restrictions, including the lack of audio export, may keep it from being more than that.I Correction: you can exchange both samples and project files with the desktop iDrum, and use ringtone bounce (including, apparently, on iPod touch) to export audio. That could make this very useful as a mobile addition to your workflow.

I do also think it’s inspiring in the way that it uses touch interfaces, something that could bode well for what touch-enabled computer music apps might look like.

Better news: BtBx is a fun-looking US$3.99 beat machine with drum sounds and (at last!) real-time synthesizers from the creator of PSP Rhythm. Unfortunately, it doesn’t let you use your own samples, and it can’t quite stand up to the cooler PSP Rhythm – even if hacking a PSP is kind of a pain. But it is a good sign.

But bad news for Apple owners, good news for owners of other gadgets: the generative music studio Mixtikl will hit those platforms first because of Apple is tying its developers’ hands with technical and legal restrictions. It’s not a deal killer for everyone – we’ve seen developers write special client apps to get around file exchange issues, and obviously a number of developers aren’t concerned with legal terms because they’re releasing apps anyway. (Jobs is justifiably proud of their 60 million-download count.) But there’s no question that part of why the iPhone is more a mobile toy and less a mobile computer is in fine print and legalese, not silicon. That could be mobile carriers’ fault – but either way, it could also demonstrate that shrinking computers and not more powerful mobiles are the future for mobile music creation.

iDrum is In

iZotope have released their first app for iPhone, a mobile counterpart to the iDrum drum machine. (Thanks to Richard Lawler for the tip!)

iDrum for iPhone/iPod touch comes in two editions, each costing US$4.99 – a “Hip Hop” and “Club” version. (If you buy both, bizarrely, you get two apps; Richard speculates this may be due to how Apple sandboxes their apps.)

Good:

• An elegant interface, showing what touch-enabled apps in general can do
• Ring tone creation
• Some sound design names we enjoy (Goldbaby, Matt Simmers, Art Gillespie, Sable Gray)
• Round-trip work with the iDrum desktop app

Bad:

• Can’t export audio of your creations directly, but you can use the ringtone bounce
• Ring tone creation requires a sync app on the desktop

iZotope iDrum for iPhone and iPod Touch

Update/correction: I’m, fairly I think, called out by iDrum developer Art Gillespie on two points:

1. I missed the most important feature here, which is that the mobile iDrum works with round-trip co

mpatibility with the desktop iDrum. As Art points out in comments:

“you can do full round-trip editing of beats–including sending samples back and forth–with iDrum (desktop) for Windows/Mac.”

This obviously would fundamentally change the workflow of using the mobile app. If you’re not an iDrum user, you might stick to the rival drum machine for iPhone, Intua Beatmaker. But if you are an iDrum desktop fan, this could be a real killer app.

2. His experience with Apple developer relations has been positive, meaning me blurring the description of iDrum with some other criticisms of Apple’s platform and developer relations is unfair.

In my defense, there’s actually no explicit mention of the ability to share project files between desktop and mobile iDrum. So, let’s say that right now, as that’s very, very cool. (In fact, it’s cool enough that this is worthy of a separate aside!)

As for developer relations, I think that’s fair – and it’s absolutely in keeping with what we’ve been hearing. Some people are happy, some are unhappy, and some are simultaneously happy and unhappy. That’s what one would expect on any developer platform. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to point out some of the weaknesses alongside the strengths. It would be far easier to do so if Apple hadn’t placed an NDA over everything having to do with development, so that does mean I’m often ranting in the dark. But without violating an NDA, I think we can very safely say Art is happy, and there are a number of happy developers putting out great apps. There are other developers who are less happy, which has the side effect of ensuring we’ll have mobile apps on other platforms (and the jailbroken Apple platform) to look forward to, alongside these apps.

BtBx (“BeatBox”), From PSP Rhythm’s Creator

Louis Iturzaeta and Billy, the talented developers of the way-awesome PSP Rhythm on Sony’s gaming handheld, has launched their first iPhone / iPod Touch app, using a modified version of their RHYTHM engine.

The good:

• Real-time synths, with some great, acid-style sounds
• Fairly impressive features in a compact space
• Pattern-auto save, online docs
• Real-time sound modification via their engine

The bad:

• No custom samples
• No audio export
• Kinda silly-looking interface (I prefer PSP Rhythm’s look – but Louie promises there’s a new skin coming soon)

At this absurdly low price, I can’t complain. Don’t let the baby toy interface fool you: the underlying sound engine means this could be a seriously fun soundmaker.

That said, I have to say, I’d choose the PSP app over this. I’ll add a major caveat, though: hacking a PSP is a pain. (More on that soon. Short version: buy a used unit on which someone has done the hard work for you.) It’s too bad Sony doesn’t have some outlet for homebrew developers like this to sell through the Sony PSP store. I think they could do great, iPhone-killing work.

Full specs from Billy:

Hey Peter and team, the drum machine/synthesizer BtBx that Billy and I (from PSP Rhythm) created is now available in the app store!

Below is are the features/specs of the app. It was written with a modified version of our RHYTHM audio engine. Our plan is to create a synth application and a full studio application as well as release "Lite" versions of each app.

BtBx is available for $3.99 and the "Lite" version will be available for $0.99 when it is released.
-Louie

http://www.pureprofitcorp.com/btbx
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=287398151&mt=8

BtBx ("BeatBox") is a music sequencer for the iPhone or iPod Touch.
BtBx gives you instant access to the world of electronic music with big drum sounds and acid-style synthesizers.

Features:

• 8 drum sounds
• 2 instrument sounds
• 2 real-time synthesizers
• 16 step drum machine style sequencer
• 16 patterns
• Keyboard with +/- 3 Octave Range
• Realtime Mutes
• Tempo Adjustment (40-240 BPM)
• Low Pass Filter with cutoff frequency and filter resonance
• Auto-saves patterns so no data is lost
• Instruction manual is built into the application

BtBx utilizes a custom audio engine and sequencer which enables you to:

• Program song melodies with any sound
• Play any drum or instrument sound forward or in reverse on any pattern step
• Modify a Low Pass Filter on each sound (12 total LFPs running at the same time!)
• Add accent notes on the synthesizers
• Add Distortion to any sound
• Add Delay to any sound

BtBx Product Page

Mixtikl Bails on Apple for Now

One of the most exciting upcoming iPhone apps is delayed for the forseeable future. That’s Apple’s loss, but a gain for Windows Mobile and Symbian as they gain the developers’ focus. The tool is Mixtikl, a mobile edition of an innovative music creation platform with:

• a generative music engine
• synths and samplers
• effects network

Is the problem that the iPhone isn’t powerful enough? Absolutely not. The problem is what happens after you add in other restrictions. Bottom line:

We were (and still are) very excited by the potential of our software running on these Apple devices, and we love Apple products and all our other software products run on Mac OS X (and Windows XP of course).

So, we have decided not to press ahead with development until Apple can:

• relax a number of (as we see it) overly restrictive terms in the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement
• allow apps to share/exchange data/files between themselves and an attached PC/Mac

The developers can’t talk about specifics because of the NDA covering the agreement, but they do point back to some of the issues I’ve discussed here.

Of course, this isn’t the end of the road for Mixtikl, necessarily. If Apple could relax or even better clarify the terms of their agreement, this app could be back. But this further illustrates the problems with the NDA. It’ll be even harder for developers to share these restrictions with one another, and for those issues to be addressed, if no one can even talk about it.

We have some wonderful mobile toys at the moment, but I do look forward to the day when cool mobile platforms don’t come with gag orders attached (cough, Apple) or require elaborate hacking (ahem, DS and PSP) just to use. Windows Mobile and Symbian remain valid and should have better hardware behind them soon. As for Linux platforms, basically, we’re just waiting for more to actually ship.

It’s well worth reading the full story:

Mixtikl for iPhone / iPod touch – Intermorphic postpones development for now

Mixtikl Product Page

Previously:

Generative iPod? Deep Modular, Generative Music System Bound for iPhone, Phones, Windows, Mac

Don’t toss that Windows Mobile gadget yet. In fact, you might want to keep glued to Craig’s List for a used unit, if you like the idea of road warrior music production on the cheap, sans laptop.

Amidst all the hype around the iPhone and iPod Touch, Windows Mobile devices could actually win on power apps for on-the-go music making. Maybe that’s because of the similarity to developing Windows desktop apps, maybe it’s because of fewer restrictions compared to Apple’s SDK, or maybe some combination of that and fortune. Nonetheless, during this Summer of iPhone, the makers of powerful Windows Mobile sequencer/sampler studio Griff note on their new blog that Windows Mobile just got a new music app.

Yes, you read that right: a new app for Windows Mobile.

Wildly enough, MeTeoR is basically a pocket-able miniature DAW, boasting:

• 12 tracks of audio with stereo mixdown
• Audio waveform editing with cut, copy, paste, and processing (fade, normalize, reverse, etc.)
• Various effects (delay, chorus, reverb, phaser, filters, pitch shift, noise gate, graphic EQ, and more), with routable aux sends
• Metronome with live recording
• A mixer with full automation envelopes for each tracks (for the mixer lanes and effects)

The whole thing is basically reminiscent of an old version of Cakewalk for Windows, only running in your pocket. I could see it as fairly useful for doing some quick processing or pre-processing on a big project – load those extra files on the subway and keep working on that project, even if you’re up against a deadline.

Not only that, but because the system requirements are fairly flexible and used Windows Mobile devices are fairly worthless, you could easily rescue someone’s unused PDA and press it into service as a music device. They’ll thank you. The environment will thank you.

US$29.95, but unlike Apple’s iTunes store, you can download a demo version. (Imagine that.)

All of this is on paper (erm, pixels); no promises, as I haven’t used it yet. I have to brush off my Dell PDA and give this a try. I know there’s a charger here somewhere…

MeTeoR @ 4pockets.com [Demo download and purchase links, detailed features]

Assuming you’ve survived hours of waiting on line or weathered various technical problems, Apple’s app store is online. Anyone with iTunes can have a look; it’s right inside the iTunes Store (formerly the iTunes Music Store). But while Apple’s development platform is impressive, early in the game a lot of the actual music apps seem to me to be, frankly, underwhelming. (Some of the non-musical apps look far better, like the lovely free client for awesome note-taking service Evernote.)

Click through to App Store > Music, and you may feel like you’ve entered a time warp to simplistic handheld music apps from the Palm and Windows Mobile platforms, only dressed up with shiny new eye candy – and $5 and $10 prices. You’ve got your choice of several guitar tuners and metronomes, and various sound toys that mimic instruments. Also, I find the iTunes interface rather annoying. You get a bunch of shiny icons but it’s hard to find specific tools. So, after all these years, are we still struggling to catch up to late 90s Palm apps? Really?

There is one potential standout: Karajan is a polished-looking handheld music theory tool for quizzes on intervals, chords, scales, and pitch. Then again, Karajan will cost you US$15. For free, you could head to Ricci Adams’ musictheory.net and get more detailed lessons and trainers in your browser. (It’s even Creative Commons-licensed, so if Flash ever runs on iPhone, we could see a port.)

Don’t get me wrong. The platform’s new, and I expect we’ll see better offerings over time. In fact, I think it’s natural that early offerings would be on the simple side. The problem is, the hype from the iPhone loving crowd is amped up so high, you begin to feel like we’ve left reality entirely. I wonder if the press will overlook real handheld music apps, like the powerful offerings available for PSP and Nintendo DS. And I feel obligated to point out that, bizarrely, you can get a heck of a lot more power for handheld music by hacking a game system and download free games than you can by paying hundreds of dollars on hardware, potentially many hundreds on service, and (in many cases) spending money on apps for Apple’s official mobile platform. (Maybe some of the talented developers are more drawn to the hacked platforms, anyway, contrary to conventional wisdom – partly because so many interesting mobile apps are labors of love, done outside their day job.)

To have a really good time, I’d be tempted to fire up a used Palm or PocketPC for the wealth of music apps available on those platforms – real sequencers, notation software, and unusual instruments. And that’s to say nothing of the PSP and DS. Sure, the iPhone may have powerful hardware, but as we’ve seen with Nintendo (ahem) that doesn’t necessarily yield great game design. I’m not crazy, right? Doesn’t this look like more fun to you, too? And without the hassle of a big mobile carrier. (The iPod Touch, at least, fares better, and it’s not as though there are many cool apps for the Zune.)

Then again, maybe all of this is a good thing. Old hardware is notoriously hard to recycle, hard on the environment, and loses its value quickly. Musicians, after all, form affectionate relationships with old instruments. Maybe it’s best to leave the disposable gadget culture to the tech freaks, and go find tools that’ll really give us a musical experience. Someone’s got to pick up those cheap eBay PDAs.

Updated: See comments for some insight from Chad, who’s written some awesome PalmOS apps at minimusic.com. He talks a bit about some of the specific hurdles facing developers for writing mature music apps — which, by definition, are tougher to develop and more demanding of the platform.

Given the iPhone/iPod Touch OS’ audio features and horsepower, there are clearly some interesting apps down the road. But then, that’s part of why I point out that this generation is a bit lacking — it’s because I think it’s a shadow of what’s possible and what we should see. We’ll be watching.

Aside from being toy-like mini-computers, could mobile devices take on a musical usefulness all their own?

At the Electronic Music Foundation’s 10th Anniversary Symposium in 2004, Morton Subotnik and fellow panelists imagined an iPod that, instead of playing canned music from your music library, would actually generate music for you on the spot. Believe it or not, commercial demand aside, that might soon be reality.

We saw Intermorphic’s fascinating generative music engine noatikl at the end of last year. It’s the “spritual successor” to the Koan generative system used by Brian Eno in 1996. Read up and see the videos here:

noatikl: New Generative Music Engine, So You Can Rock Out Like Eno

They’ve got various videos showing off what the results can be like, including the one at top, which combines noatikl and Apple’s Logic 8 synths. If you’re interested in learning more, Intermorphic has a page with some background on generative music with comments from pioneer Eno:

generative music @ Intermorphic

Enter iPhone, Mobile

Here’s where this all goes mobile. Wonderful mobile music site Palm Sounds notes that Mixtikl will allow on-the-go music production for a variety of platforms. You’ll be able to work on your Mac and Windows PC VST/AU host, but you’ll also be able to support:

• Windows Mobile 5, 6
• iPhone, iPod Touch
• Symbian Series 60 V2/3 smartphone
• Antix Game Player

The basic idea is a music tool that blends generative music tools and playback with access more traditional loops and patterns.

Mobile functions will include:

• Generative music playback and creation alongside loops, MIDI, and modular synths and effects
• Quick mixing with selectable sources/loops and effects, and preset generative players
• Cell-based performance mixers
• Synth sound editing
• Effect and “network” editing
• Packaging for export

Intermorphic’s Peter Cole also tells us that non-commercial licenses for noatikl are automatically being upgraded to commercial-use launch — and price cuts are coming on all the products.

Now, I have heard lots of skepticism about generative music in general, in everything from games to composition to live performance. But I’d remember, too, that this approach to music is really new. Eno’s 1996 iteration was revolutionary at the time, and few have followed. The enabling technologies have only recently fallen into place. And whereas most musical creation systems have plenty of existing precedents from linear analog tape and mixing decks to musical notation, generative music requires new ways of thinking. So I’m very interested to see what happens. And while this didn’t get a demo onstage at WWDC’s iPhone bash today, it could wind up meaning deeper things for music in the future than even iPod.

mixtikl Product Page; product due later this year

Making music with Windows Mobile – Mobile Minute

Some, like Pocket Stompbox and a Theremin, are more of a novelty. But the free Frequency Tuner looks handy. (Of course, Brad will also tempt you with productivity-killing Windows Mobile apps.)

For more of this kind of tiny music gear, don’t miss the Palm Sounds (that’s palm as in your hand, not Palm OS necessarily).