7 months ago
(USA TODAY) -- Who needs expensive recording equipment anymore?
That's what Adam Merrin, the keyboardist for indie rock trio The 88 thought when he read about Four Track, a new $9.99 application for the iPhone which lets you record music directly into the device.
The 88 Tuesday released "Love is the Thing," a new song recorded directly onto the iPhone, available at iTunes.
The band recorded directly into the iPhone's built-in microphone, the same one used for voice calls and for cool apps such as Ocarina, which turns the iPhone into a toy flute.
The trio -- guitars, keyboards and drums -- used the iPhone mic for each instrument, plus four-part harmony, which is displayed on the bands "making of" video on YouTube. The 88, currently on tour with the B-52s, read about Four Track while driving to a gig in a van, and Merrin clicked to buy.
"It would be a fun way to put down ideas while we were away from home," he says.
He begun experimenting and decided to try recording a song. After plugging in a regular microphone, he discovered that he actually preferred the sound of the iPhone mic.
For the song, drummer Anthony Zimmitti, used his daughter's toy drum set. Guitars and bass were on small practice amps, and Merrin used a cheap Yamaha keyboard.
The tune was recorded at Zimitti's Los Angeles house, for a total of 16 tracks altogether. Four Track has a Wi-Fi feature to get the files off the iPhone, and Merrin took those and remixed the song in Pro Tools, a popular program for recording audio.
"The great thing about this, is that anyone can do it," says Merrin. "You don¹t need expensive recording equipment or instruments."
From the Technology Buzz Blog at USAToday.com
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