MadPad

January 30th, 2013 | Published in All Posts, Apps & Accessories

I had a blast making my sound remix with MadPad, a design-your-own soundboard by Smule. Sample sounds to create a grid of video clips that are played back when you tap them. Record a mix and upload it to YouTube without leaving the application! Download MadPad for $2.99 in the iTunes Store to get started.

Here is a simple 5 step walkthrough showing how I made my sound composition.

Step 1: “Click on create your own sets.”

Step 2: Use the sliding scale to tell the program how it should record your sounds.

Step 3: Using the iPad’s video camera, record video of the object or person making the sound to easily identify it when saved to the grid. Tap where it reads “Tap to record” and the sound will save to the grid space.

Keep repeating until the entire grid is filled with sounds.

Step 4: Set up the preferences for your new project. The round clip corners is optional but I recommend keeping the “2 finger drag” and “export in HD option highlighted.

After setting up preferences your sound grid will look like this! You can now begin experimenting with different rhythms and combinations. Tap on the grid icon on the lower right hand side.

This gives you the option to play your sounds and have the video clips fade out when they finish. As you tap on the clips, remember that dragging with two fingers down will decrease the pitch, and dragging up will increase it.

The loop button will take a section of sound and repeat it, this is a great function to establish an underlying beat that will be repeated throughout the mix.

If the sound you recorded isn’t what you wanted, you have the power to fine tune it and make it sound the way you want it to! Just tap on the cascading bars icon in the lower right hand side of the screen.