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ThumbJam (Universal)
ThumbJam is a powerful musical performance experience for the iPad, iPhone & iPod Touch. You get over 30 high-quality real instruments multi-sampled exclusively for this app. Hundreds of included scales allow you to effortlessly play in any style from rock to classical, whether you are a musical novice or a seasoned professional.
Even if you’ve only played air guitar, ThumbJam lets you sound like a pro. Pick an instrument and jam – with all the scales to choose from you’ll never hit a wrong note. The high quality instrument samples will make you sound like you just skipped years of music lessons.
For the performing musician, this app is awesome for soloing on an instrument you didn’t bring along. Play in any key, any style – go from a string ensemble to a wailing guitar. ThumbJam was developed and tested by musicians to feel and sound like a real instrument. You’ll be surprised at how expressive it can be, make sure to check out the videos and audio at thumbjam.com.
ThumbJam makes use of tilt and shake to add vibrato, tremolo, note bends, and volume swells for more realistic and expressive results. It supports up to five simultaneous touches and up to 16 voice polyphony. Delay and lush stereo reverb add depth to the sound. Put on your headphones or plug in to your home stereo and prepare to be blown away.
Build your own loops from the ground up or import your favorites and jam from there. Layer as many loops as you want, with different instruments for each. Export your loops as audio files or Ardour DAW sessions via WiFi. Copy and paste audio from other apps using Sonoma Wire Works AudioCopy/Paste as well the general pasteboard used by BeatMaker.
Want to jam with your friends? ThumbJam lets you broadcast tempo, key, and scale to other nearby devices via Bluetooth so you can play together live. Even better, you can use it as a MIDI or OSC controller over WiFi to control software instruments on your computer!
The app includes a huge variety of scales, from western to eastern. Save your favorites for quick access. You can even import new scales in the Scala format for complete flexibility.
You can also record your own samples using a built-in or attached microphone and play them instantly. Create your own presets with different settings, scales and keys based on the existing instruments. You can even import samples from other apps using audio copy and paste!
FEATURES:
MIDI Support:
- Supports CoreMidi via wifi and wired with the iPad camera connection kit and USB midi interfaces (in/out).
- Line6 MidiMobilizer support for midi in/out
- Akai SynthStation support for in/out.
- There is midi input support for all of the above so you can play the ThumbJam instruments with external controllers.
- Virtual midi port support for communicating directly between apps running on the same device. You can use other controller apps to play TJ running in the background, or use TJ as a controller to play other synths. Full poly bends and note tie support for smooth continuous bending with compatible controller apps.
- Cool new feature for midi input, Scale Lock. When enabled all note input is mapped to the currently selected scale. For instance, if you play up the keyboard on adjacent white keys you get the next note of the selected scale for each white key pressed. It’s surprisingly playable, like the ThumbJam equivalent for keyboard controllers.
- The mod wheel controls parameters selected as an x-axis control or v.tilt volume, using whatever ranges are configured in the patch.
- Recorded audio loops now save a corresponding midi file alongside for later import into sequencers, etc.
Loop Mixdown:
- New options for mixing down the current active audible loops to a single WAV file.
- A similar feature in the loop mixer to let you bounce the active loops down into a new loop, while muting the originals.
Scales
- Make your own custom scales in the app.
- Quick-change scale/key user preset buttons.
- Split screen mode supports different scales on each side, as well as key.
Effects:
- Reverb with separate sends for each loop.
- Resonant low-pass filter, with X-axis or tilt controls for cutoff and resonance.
Import/Export/Copy/Paste:
- SoundCloud audio sharing support. Easy sharing of loop mix-down, session or arbitrary audio file to SoundCloud, with integrated optional posting to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr (via soundcloud mechanism).
- The Copy/Paste (Export/Import) page lets you choose to mixdown the current active loops and copy that to the clipboard, or do the usual browse thing.
- ThumbJam can import Instruments, LoopSets (in ZIP files) and audio files from Mail attachments, Safari web browsing, or other apps that handle documents.
- iTunes Document Sharing support for direct import or export from your computer.
Miscellaneous:
- AudioBus Support
- JACK Audio Connection Kit support
- Ability to load two instruments simultaneously for quick switching, or play using split screen.
- Mic input control mode, play the ThumbJam instruments by singing, humming or from playing anything that produces pitch into the mic! Very responsive pitch tracking, a really fun alternative input method. MIDI output from it is also produced, so you can use it as a realtime audio to MIDI setup.
- Bluetooth audio output.
- Improved tuner during sample recording and instrument creation.
- Sustain bar to make it easier to sustain notes
- Pitch sidebar to more precisely set the note range on screen, not restricted to octave boundaries.
Included instruments:
- Cello, Violin, Viola
- Upright Bass (plucked and bowed)
- Several drumkits
- Darabukka
- Djembe
- Electric Guitar
- Electric Bass
- Trumpet
- Trombone
- Tenor Sax
- Flute
- Low Whistle
- Acoustic Guitar
- Hammered Dulcimer
- Mandolin
- Cittern
- Grand Piano
- Drawbar Organ (2 types)
- Rhodes
- Pipe Organ
- Synth Strings
- Synth Choir
- Theremin
- Sawtooth Waveform
- Sine Waveform
- Triangle Waveform
And from Jordan Rudess:
- JR Zendrix
- JR Smooth Steel
Many more for immediate free download in the app including several drumkits, Mellotron instruments, slap bass and more! New instruments posted regularly.
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ThumbJam, one of the first synthesizer/sample-based programs available for the iPhone and iPad is also one of the best. At once a beautiful sounding and emotive instrument as well as being a very good demonstration of techniques that would be useful not only in this program but others to come.
You play the instrument by moving your finger or fingers up and down the fretboard so to speak. You are also able to move up and down to create vibrato or tremolo depending on which direction you gently shake, either up or down. Because of the several physical gestures you are afforded a real sense of playing whatever sampled instrument is used.
ThumbJam’s gestures enhance performances to a point where a synthesizer sounds like an organic physical instrument. If there were a physical modeling engine added for additional performance or even some extra multisample engines the prospect would be frighteningly realistic.
But as is I find this a go to instrument to create memorable performances.
The sample data is not always peak quality yet often adds to the realism of ThumbJam, similarly as Mellotrons offered interesting taped recordings of their instruments. Just having that little lack of perfection lends to the realism of the iOS performance.
Also, this is one app that works as well on the smaller form factor iOS devices as it does on an iPad. Kudos to Sonosaurus for an idea wonderfully developed. btw, their drum synth, DrumJam is of equal foresight and design ingenuity.
Actually I think the graphics on Thumbjam are a little uninspired. The Wiz products may be a bit tacky looking but they have personality. And they have JR promoting the beejezzus out of them.
Thumbjam needs a better hype machine.
I agree with the previous comment – great fun to play, many wonderful sounds and inspiring to use. One that i keep coming back to.
I’m surprised ThumbJam hasn’t gained more traction on the App Store than it currently has. Whilst there are zillions of VA synths, there is a definite shortage of imitative or sample based instruments, though this seems to be changing with the arrival of Apps such as Sampletank and Fairlight etc.
In terms of looks and playability, from a purely subjective view, Thumbjam knocks Samplewiz and Morphwiz into a cocked hat. I mention these two apps simply because they are the nearest in application to Thumbjam, along with others such BeBot, which is another favourite of mine. Without meaning to sound harsh, both the xxxxWiz Apps look horrendous and as far as style is concerned, they really are tacky and trashy looking. Some might say it’s the sound that matters, but if your using an App your going to be looking at for a long time, then you want to like it, and both Samplewiz and Morphwiz look like they’ve been designed by a brothel owner.
The complete opposite applies to Thumbjam, which is as pared down as it can be and feels like you’re playing a musical instrument and not a slot machine. I didn’t have high expectations of the sound quality, living in a world of 40 gig pianos on Digital Audio Sequencers on our computers, the file sizes for TJ are very modest. However, they’ve managed to get some good recordings from many of the instruments and implement them in a playable way. The solo strings, such as the Cello and the Viola in particular are excellent, and with a little added built in reverb, you can get some genuinely emotional playing styles from TJ.
All in all it’s a cool app, and one that’s unfortunately got lumped together with the Sample/Morph Wiz stable in people’s minds. This is a shame, as it is in a completely different league in terms of quality, ease of use, looks, and the high standard of sounds it reproduces.