When I first heard about ThumbJam, developed by Sonosaurus, from Music Technology and Percussion 1 & 2 instructor Charlie Nesmith, I had my doubts. My initial thought when looking at the application on iTunes was the price: $6.99. Since I definitely do not have an infinite amount of iTunes money, I wasn’t sure if this was a wise investment. After Mr. Nesmith showed me tracks that he had created the night before, ranging from funk rhythms to dubstep bass drops with synthesizers, I was hooked. As soon as I got home, I purchased the application, and since doing so I have not been able to put it down!
The ease of the application is what hooks you. Within seconds, I was creating more beats than I ever could have imagined was possible. With a few drop-down menus, you can choose from over 30 different instruments ranging from a violin to a set of 808 drum pads. The quality of the different instruments is unmatched, and once you hook your iPhone up to speakers, you can truly appreciate the fullness and amount of bass that resonates from each one.
One of the cooler features of the application is ThumbJam’s use of the iPhone’s accelerometer. If you shake the phone, you can get wavy sounds out of your instrument, including vibrato (think about the sound that a violin makes during a sad song). If you tilt the iPhone vertically, you can raise the pitch of the note you are playing. This ability gives you the freedom to create any sounds you want.
In one of the recent updates for ThumbJam, a new menu was added that lets you record a sound. With the press of a button, you can record a clap, a whistle, or anything that makes noise and add reverb, delay, echo, and even make the sound pitched. You can even have a medley of tuned claps if you want!
You also have the ability to mix recorded tracks. You can create an organ melody, save it, and then record a drum beat on top. Then you can change the volume of the individual tracks, and even mute one out completely with the press of button, giving you completely unlimited creativity.
ThumbJam is by far the most used application on my iPhone, even more than Facebook. You can have access to its musical creativity no matter where you go, unlike Garage Band for Mac. It also comes at a reasonable price, instead of an outrageous $19.99 that I payed for one of the first track mixing apps for iPhone (Beat Maker and Beat Maker 2). If you are looking for an affordable application that offers endless hours of entertainment, ThumbJam is for you.
