8Bitone+ app review: with sequencer and piano roll

Introduction

8Bitone+ MICRO COMPOSER is a great iPhone and iPad app for any of you who are fans of retro-style 8-bit video game music as it features a range of different sounds and tools you can use to compose your own jingles.

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I should warn you before we jump into the review that this app has not been updated since early-2012 so there is no support for iPhone 5 or above; fortunately I have an iPhone 4 and was able to check out some of the features.

Create Cool Video Game Music

I really like this app as it enables you to pretty quickly and easily come up with awesome retro 8-bit video game-style with a synthesizer with a variety of different voices such as oscillators, arpeggiators, and more.

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The voices can also be edited in a variety of ways to achieve a truly authentic retro sound; this is great for when you’re trying to emulate a specific style of PC or console game as there are subtle differences between, say, an NES and a Sega Master System.

Sequencer and Piano Roll

8Bitone+ MICRO COMPOSER offers the choice between a sequencer and piano roll to compose in a manner that suits you, and the interface has a very bold design that I’ve found to be more than suitable for use on the smaller display of an iPhone.

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You’ll also be pleased to know that you can share your finished compositions with others online via Twitter, and you can even back up your compositions and in-progress works by uploading them to the developer’s server.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Create awesome retro 8-bit video game-style with an easy-to-use synthesizer
• Choose from different voices such as oscillators, arpeggiators, and more
• Voices can be edited in a variety of ways to achieve a truly authentic retro sound
• Choose between a sequencer and piano roll to compose in a manner that suits you
• Contains a slick but bold interface that is suitable for use on the smaller iPhone display
• Share your finished compositions with others online via Twitter
• Back up your compositions and in-progress works by uploading them to the developer’s server

Cons

• This is a great idea for an app but it seems that a lot of users are having issues with the audio not playing, and the app hasn’t been updated since March 2012 - hopefully the developer will take note of these complaints and undo whatever bugs have arisen
• There is no support for iPhone 5

Final Words

8Bitone+ MICRO COMPOSER has its flaws for sure but I like what I’ve seen of it so far so if you happen to have a slightly older iPhone or iPad then I think you’ll have a lot of fun with it!