On paper, Rockmate shouldn’t work this well, but it’s actually a fun way to make music with friends.
We love it when an app is so ludicrous in its proposition it makes you think ‘that’s never going to work’, only to be surprised when it does. Rockmate is one of those apps, but this is not a GarageBand wannabe – Rockmate is all about the live experience of playing together in a band.
Taking a screen edge each (a limit of four players, obviously, at least until Apple releases a pentagonal iPad) you all hunker down around an iPad. One of you has a drum kit, the other a one-finger keyboard, and there are two guitars. How it all works in real time is hard to explain without giving it a go, but you soon become proficient within its limitations. But even with customisable sounds and instruments, everything you make does tend to come out sounding like BBC Radio 6 indie rock. For creating sweeping piano ballads, look elsewhere.
However, if you just want to have a bit of fun creating music with your mates, everything you need is here. Then, once you’ve finished recording, you can export it to iTunes or Mail.
Download this app: Rockmate for iPad
Best iPhone apps | Apple iPhone 5 review
Review courtesy of Tap!
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