News

What will be the next big thing online? And how will it change our lives? In the Digital Giants series, the digital world's top thinkers share their visions of the future with the BBC. Ge Wang, co-founder of Smule and assistant professor at Stanford University speaks about the power of mobile apps - and how they can enable meaningful human relationships.

"Smule CEO Jeff Smith just wrapped up his keynote at VatorSplash, in which he discussed how his company, developer of wildly popular sonic iPhone applications like I Am T-Pain, Leaf Trombone, and Ocarina, is engaging with an increasingly transforming technology sector. Envisioning a revolution in recorded sound, Smule hopes that its applications will usher in an era of active sound creation and listening, fundamentally opposed to the passive experience of recorded music in the past."

Ge Wang, co-founder of Smule, the company behind applications like Ocarina and I Am T-Pain that turn the iPhone into a music machine, said he expected the tablet to be better than the iPhone at detecting the touch of many fingers. "On the iPhone, there are five touch points max,” Mr. Wang said. "You don’t need much more than that because that's about all you can fit on that screen." A tablet with a bigger and better multitouch screen, he said, “could mean entirely new user interfaces, screen layouts, instruments, contraptions and games."

"I Am T-Pain is an iPhone app that lets users record themselves singing along to songs by the US rapper with the help of AutoTune, and post their recordings to Facebook and other sites. Costing $3 (£1.85) - three times the cost of an average song on iTunes - the app sold more than 600,000 copies in two months."

"I Am T-Pain might be an obvious choice for top spot, but it combined technical innovation with stellar sales. Eschewing pure promotion, it let fans sing along with a selection of T-Pain songs while having their vocals Auto-Tuned on the fly. It also had good sharing features, used in-app payments to buy and download new tracks for use in the game, and recently added the ability to sing over any song in your iPhone music library."

"Today, Smule is announcing that they've secured an $8 million dollar round of Series C funding. That's an absolutely massive pot for a development house focused solely on the iPhone, and it more than doubles Smule's total funding thus far... So, what is Smule planning to do with the new-found cash? Make more iPhone apps, of course. It'll also go toward expanding the 'Smule Sonic Network' which serves as the backbone for their applications."

"Pocket musicians, rejoice: The ensemble of instruments available at your fingertips is set to expand. On Wednesday, Smule, the software company behind applications that turn the iPhone into imaginative instruments, announced that it had secured $8 million in additional financing. Smule, based in Palo Alto, Calif., has already had several hits for the iPhone and iPod Touch.One, called Ocarina, allows users to play their phone as if it were an ancient flute. Pressing colored circles displayed on the screen and blowing into the microphone releases the haunting hum of a wind instrument."

"The conductor raised his hands. A low droning sound arose, as if the chamber ensemble were tuning. Then the musicians began to swing their arms in wide circles, creating rising and falling waves of electronic sound. The Stanford Mobile Phone Orchestra’s performance on Thursday used the most unusual of instruments: Apple iPhones amplified by speakers attached to small fingerless gloves."

"What Smule has done here is technically incredible - and it’s a friggin’ killer product idea, to boot. You sing into the iPhone microphone, and it pipes your voice back through the iPhone earpiece or (preferably) speakers/headphones, complete with that Auto-tune sound. You can pick which scale you want your voice “Auto-tuned” to, saving your favorite settings as presets for later use. All of the technology is officially licensed and based off of the original."

"Smule, the guys who made Leaf Trombone and Ocarina, just ported Auto-Tune—the software T-Pain and Auto-Tune the news uses to make music gold—onto the iPhone. Holy crap is it awesome."

"Auto-Tune, the voice alteration software pushed to its limits by the likes of Cher, Britney Spears and the rapper T-Pain, has been made available as an iPhone application.Users can either sing along to T-Pain's hits or record their own distorted vocals, which can then be posted on social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace, or sent over email."

"T-Pain knows most people think two things when they hear his name: 'I have top hats and there’s Auto-Tune,' he tells Rolling Stone. He opted to turn the second signature into a new iPhone application developed with Smule. The “I Am T-Pain” app costs $2.99 and lets users transform their own voice into Auto-Tuned vocals, record tracks and stream them to Facebook or MySpace and create their own songs, Jay-Z be damned..."

"Despite Jay-Z's best efforts, it looks as if Auto-Tune, the software that adjusts the pitch of a singer’s voice, isn’t destined for the graveyard after all. Instead, it’s headed to the iPhone."

"Adopting the same Auto-Tune voice/pitch correction technology used in recording studios, "I Am T-Pain" creates, in real-time, the vocal effects T-Pain has helped make popular in recent years. "It's actually the same software that I use in the studio, so if anybody actually wanted to be T-Pain, then there you go," he says."

"This thing sounds just like the radio. If you have an ear for music, and can really get a hold of how to sing into the iPhone, you can actually get your recordings to sound like the real thing. After all, the application is based on the same Antares Auto-Tune technology T-Pain uses in the studio, according to Smule. Smule is once again breaking new grounds with this application that merges music technology, the iPhone's capabilities, and mainstream hip-hop music."

For Ocarina and Leaf Trombone, Wang's wildest dream has come true: He wanted to see the world latch onto an instrument and share the love of it in a social setting. Within the iPhone app, you can listen to other folks playing the Ocarina and see where in the globe the music is coming from. Fans have posted sheet music, showing how to play popular songs on the instrument. "This is a new type of social fabric," says Wang.

One of the most original entertainment programs to emerge from the App Store is Ocarina by SonicMule Inc., a Menlo Park, Calif., start-up that was founded by Stanford University academics who specialize in computer music.

Leaf Trombone is a wonderful instrument and an incredibly accomplished social toy. Furthermore, like any musical instrument, it’s something that you’ll delight in playing and growing with over time. Smule’s ability to manifest pure gold out of a downright silly concept, earns this app TheAppleBlog Gold Award.

The app is simple, but the concept I think is pretty remarkable. We’ve seen interactive instruments, and we’ve seen music games. By adding the judging element, though, this is a free-form instrument that can also be a game.

Ge Wang has conducted orchestras in lots of different places, from a sculpture garden on Stanford's campus to Macworld. But if he has his way, it won't be long before he's leading a worldwide chorus of iPhone players. See who else made the list: The 2009 Creativity 50

I like Leaf Trombone a lot - it taps into the iPhone’s network effect, it’s fun to play, and anyone can get started with a minimal amount of effort.

Developer Smule has taken the iPhone and iPod touch -- already cool devices -- and raised them to all-new levels of amazement with this one-dollar piece of software... Smule is on its way to becoming one of the world’s best and most creative app developers.

The World Stage will separate the Music Gods from the Wannabes.

If you hold shares in Apple and you're keen to help the company boost iPhone sales -- not that it needs your help -- try this: Next time you're at an office happy hour, whip out your phone, open the App Store, and buy a title called Ocarina.

The most startlingly original app is iPhone Ocarina, which turns the phone into an uncanny simulation of the musical instrument beloved of small children.

"...one of the most magical programs I've ever seen for the iPhone, and probably for any computer. It's Ocarina, named after the ancient clay wind instrument."

Software apps turn the Apple iPhone into an ancient musical instrument, not to mention a virtual lighter, firecracker and voice synthesizer

The beauty of Smule’s iPhone applications is the simplicity of interacting with them, and the whimsy they bring out in the user. Zephyr is yet another perfect embodiment of this.

When you see—and especially, try—Ocarina, you won't be able to help but say, "Wow!" The innovative use of the iPhone's features highlights the device's potential, the understated elegance of application's design inspires, and using Ocarina is just plain fun. This may be the best 99 cents you'll spend in your life

Smule's addictive 99-cent Ocarina turns the iPhone into the ancient flute-like instrument.

Wang and Smith are riding the latest phenomenon to sweep across the tech industry.

MacBook maestro Ge Wang bends the boundaries of computer as musical instrument.

As an instrument Ocarina has been perfectly executed, and is much more suitable for the iPhone’s screen size than the virtual keyboards and guitars that litter the App Store... This is how an iPhone app should be done.

I think, if you're not excited by these insights, and the true breadth of technology going on behind the scenes with the applications Smule is turning out, you're just not a true nerd. Keep your eye on the big brains at Smule — I'm certain we'll be seeing a lot more incredible innovation out of them.

Our top pick of the bunch is Sonic Lighter by Smule; skip right to it if you want to see an impressively developed $1 app.

If you're like me (and gods help you) and you like to manipulate your voice in different ways--you know, to freak your cats or even your wife/girlfriend--Smule has come up with something cool to make your Friday go by faster.

How it accomplishes this functionality, however, is what really makes Smule’s newest application a killer piece of tech. Truth be told, Sonic Vox is creating real time voice effects. To be clear on this point — it is not recording your input, altering it, and playing it back to you. Rather, as you are speaking into your iPhone’s mic, Sonic Vox is using Digital Signal Processing (DSP) in real time to alter the resulting, simultaneous output.

Now Smule is out with another neat party trick, Sonic Vox, a kind of whacky microphone app that lets you change your voice on the fly. Practical applications? Well it does arrive in time for Halloween so you can put an extra scare or chuckle into the neighborhood kids.

One of the coolest features is the ability to see what are supposedly real-time Sonic Boom explosions by people around the globe. Also, if you have a second iPhone with Sonic Lighter, you can use it to light the fuse of the firecracker on your first phone. Talk about synergy.

All in all, if you’re looking for a way to have some momentary fun without losing fingers or something to accompany your friend’s Sonic Lighter purchase, this is it.

Sonic Mule (better known as Smule) – yes you have heard of it. It’s that lighter on an iPhone thing. Take the time to look a little deeper, it’s not what you think. Smule is more than just the really cute little app. Much more.

Now the Sonic Lighter iPhone app brings the sacredness of group flame to iPhone users everywhere. Not only can you create fire of your own, but Sonic Lighter allows you to simultaneously light iPhones around you.

Here's why people are going crazy for Sonic Lighter, and are willing to pay $.99. Smule has built in social and viral features that are helping this spread like mad, and they also give this ridiculous but effective incentive to use the app all the time.

You can actually blow on the flame through the iPhone's microphone and have it move around or even blow it out, just as you might with a lit match. You can also manipulate the flame with your finger — and not get burned.

Out of the horde of iPhone applications that fall into the "useless" category, the Sonic Lighter app released Tuesday actually looks pretty cool.

Smule's site even hosts an World Wide Ignition Map that traces recently lit Smule flames around the globe (the East Coast and parts of Europe appear to be pretty heated up over the Sonic Lighter at the moment).

For $.99 cents I will use this amazing app to deliberately blow people's minds while blowing on my iPhone.

But hold on, what’s that, up there? In the Arctic Ocean, hundreds of miles north of the Chukchi Sea, itself north of where Alaska and Russia kiss? It’s a single, solitary Sonic Lighter ignition.

I'm really hoping to see more of these amusements type apps that are low cost, entertaining, and less complex than, say, Spore or other full blown simulation type apps or games.

它将为iPhone用户带来神圣火焰组。有了Sonic Lighter，您不仅可以点燃自己的iPhone，还可同时将您身边其他的iPhone点燃。而能做到这个神奇举动的，仅仅是1美元的软件。

Smule even has a nifty World Wide Ignition Map that traces recently lit flames around the globe.

As virtual lighters go, Sonic Lighter definitely takes best of breed, and kudos to Smule for some innovative work here.

The Smule has got to be one of the most interesting iPhone applications, but interesting does not mean useful.

Yes, I am a part of the iPhone cult. I sacrificed my old metro provider in order to gain favor of Steve Jobs and his apostles. Just like any cult underling, I must show my appreciate to the great Apple lord, and a new iPhone app has made that task all the more easier to do.

Though, for only 99 cents, I can definitely say it’s worth it for a quick entertainment fix…especially if you can get some other friends to buy it. Then you can all sit around, light each other's flames and sit in a dark room listening to Free Bird. Or not.

Smule has started a fire on your iPhone that can be shared with other users to create bonfires. Using a sonic modem, not wi-fi or 3G, users have the ability to “ignite” other Sonic Lighter users by touching the two iPhones together.

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