G-Stomper Producer: Review
Music Making App for Android Breaks New Ground
A review from rhythm enthusiast, Jon Stubbs
In early 2019, I emailed the developer, requesting a few new features. He said a new app was about to be released, and though my requests wouldn’t make it into the initial release, he’d add them to the list. I assumed he was just being polite. What followed was a fascinating exchange of ideas, and by the fall, he released updates to all four apps in the lineup. They all included new features that went well beyond my hopes. I’ve written this review to put the new features into a larger context, and to express my appreciation for their efforts.
As a life-long learner, composer, performer, teacher and tinkerer, I’m obsessed with exploring new rhythms. My tastes aren’t especially rebellious; but rather, I just love hearing compositions where delightfully unusual rhythmic elements are presented in a balanced and compelling way.
I studied jazz and was accustomed to the well-worn rhythms of swing and triplets. Later, I found my way into the community of Zimbabwean music, where I was surprised to hear entirely new triplet-based rhythms; where even the triplet grid itself has a “swing” that is refreshingly different from the even “grid” of western music.
Around that same time, I started creating quintuplet (5 steps-per-beat) grooves using drum machine apps. These apps forced me to fake the beat divisions using 16th notes; but I was still able to get my feet wet. The wonderful Metronomics app (by John Nastos) allowed me to delve into more unusual ideas. The grooves I was eventually making with quintuplets, septuplets and nonuplets were serious fun –especially when using the technique of starting out with relatively ordinary rhythms but then shifting them to fit the new subdivision grid. The results are glitchy grooves with a new flavor of “shuffle”; these beats are quite natural sounding after only a few listenings.
From time to time, I’ve submitted requests to mobile app developers that they expand their step-rate (steps-per-beat) options to allow for greater exploration of new rhythms. Though my requests mostly go unanswered, I have had a few successes. However, no developer has met my requests with as much enthusiasm and determination as Andreas Graesser of Swiss-based Planet-h.com. Their flagship app, G-Stomper Producer app gives the user immense creative and sonic freedom.
I originally asked that he add quintuplets and septuplets to the existing step-rate options. He responded saying, “I have room for six more options”. We settled on expanding the step rates to include 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 16 steps-per-beat! He made this change for all four apps in the G-Stomper lineup.
We worked together on ways to integrate time-signatures so that they look and act the way experienced musicians expect them to. For example, most mobile apps treat 6/8 (if they include it at all) as equal to 3/4– (3 beats, each divided into 2 or 4 steps) but 6/8 should actually be two beats with triplets (3 or 6 steps per beat). It is the same with 3/8, 9/8, 12/8, where the dotted-quarter note is the actual beat (and NOT the quarter, nor the eighth). Andreas had to make a few special cases to reveal more information than a typical time-signature would allow, yet without making it hopelessly confusing for seasoned users of his apps. He found an elegant set of solutions.
Andreas puts great care into the documentation– which is essential for this feature-packed software. The docs were updated to clearly explain the new features. We both had very specific ideas about how to communicate things. We even debated over how to format a table. When there were a couple button labels that were unclear to me, Andreas quickly adapted the docs to make things more clear. It was a fascinating and fun process.
The apps in the G-Stomper product line include:
- G-Stomper Producer (with step-rates, lengths, and patterns per track)
- G-Stomper Studio (with step-rates, lengths per pattern)
- G-Stomper Rhythm (drum machine), and
- VA-Beast (subtractive synth/SFZ-soundfont player with a step sequencer)
All of these apps provide slightly different features, approaches and workflows. Yet they all use the same expanded system for step-rates and time-signatures. It’s worth mentioning here that every step can be individually shifted by 32 micro steps (separate and apart from the timing system). G-Stomper Producer provides the most flexibility by providing the aforementioned step-rates, 1-16 steps per bar, 1-8 bars, all on a PER TRACK basis. That means the kick, hat, snare, (or user samples) can all have their own timing setup. The other G-Stomper apps use a more standard groovebox approach with rhythm settings applying to all the tracks of a pattern. I like the flexibility and power of Producer, but I also appreciate the ease of workflow in the Studio, Rhythm, and VA-Beast apps. There are several best-in-class features in all of the apps, but rather than list them here, you can try out the demo and discover for yourself.
If you’re an Android user and maybe you thought Caustic was the only game in town, you owe it to yourself to check out G-Stomper Producer. There’s a whole world of new sounds and rhythms to explore!
Jon Stubbs
www.jonstubbsmusic.com
G-Stomper Producer is available for $12.99 USD via Google Play or Amazon. A free demo version is also available.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.planeth.gstomperproducer
https://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/dl/android?p=com.planeth.gstomperproducer
Planet-h website: