Pitch Controls
The top left section is common to all the instruments (tanpuras, tabla, sur-peti and swar mandal). It is used to set the "base" pitch of Sa.
- The two buttons on either side of the pitch display tune the pitch up or down one note at a time
- Single-tapping on the pitch display brings up a pitch picker wheel
- Double-tapping on the pitch display lets you enter the pitch frequency manually
- The slider allows fine-tuning of the pitch within a two note (semitone) range
- Double-tapping on the slider brings up a fine-tune value picker wheel
- Tap on the pitch slider endpoints (b or #) to further fine-tune the pitch by 1 cent (1/100th of a note or semitone)
- Hold down on the pitch slider endpoints for faster pitch adjustment
- The display in the middle shows the current note name (such as C#) in the center, the octave on the lower right, and the current fine-tune value in cents on the upper left. The display also briefly shows the current pitch frequency in Hz after each change on the upper right. The color of the text in the display indicates whether the fine-tune slider is exactly in the middle (green), to the left of center (yellow), or to the right of center (cyan).
Tanpura Controls
The top right section is used to tune the two 5-string tanpuras. By default only the controls for the first string of each tanpura is visible. Scroll the controls right to show the 2nd string controls (note the rest of the tanpura strings are always tuned to Sa). Each tanpura has the following identical controls:
- Use the switch to change the tuning of the first string or to turn off the tanpura
- Tapping on Off turns off that tanpura
- Tapping Pa, Ma, or Ni tunes the first string to that note
- Tapping on ... takes you to the Custom Tuning screen where you can choose a different standard note (such as Dha) or use the slider to fine-tune a custom note
- Scroll a tanpura right (by swiping left on it) to bring up similar controls for the 2nd string of the tanpura
Mixer
The middle right section contains the mixer used to turn all the instruments on or off, and set their relative volume and panning.
- Use the Volume/Panning/EQ segmented control to switch the sliders under it from volume controls to panning controls, or select an EQ Preset
- Use the switches on the left to turn the instruments on or off
- Use the sliders on the right to adjust the volume or panning of each instrument
- You can double-tap on any slider to bring up a volume or panning selection picker wheel
- If an Apple TV or other AirPlay-enabled device is in range, the Audio Route control is also shown at the top of the mixer
- From the EQ section you can set the mic reverb (if Karaoke add-on is purchased) as well as pick an Equalizer preset
Tabla Controls
The middle left and bottom sections are used to control the tabla.
- Use the Taal picker on the bottom left to select the taal.
- Each taal has one or more styles. Use the Style picker on the bottom right to select the style.
- Some of the taals also have a special Shuffle style that plays randomly shuffled styles.
- To use the Metronome, just pick the special Metronome taal at the top of the list of taals, and choose the time signature from the style picker
- The Tabla Play/Stop button on the right turns the tabla on or off
- The Master Play/Stop button on the left turns all instruments on or off
- Tapping on the i (info) button on the right shows you the tabla bols of the currently chosen taal and style
- The Tempo Display in the middle shows the current matra at its center, the tempo range on the bottom, the tempo in bpm on the upper right, and the division on the upper left. When the tempo is less than 40 bpm, the display also shows a dot for each quarter-matra to the right of the matra.
- The slider and the buttons around it let you control the tempo in a variety of ways:
- Move the slider to directly adjust the tempo
- Tap on the tempo slider endpoints (- or +) to adjust the tempo by 1 bpm
- Hold down on the tempo slider endpoints for faster tempo adjustment
- The x/2 button halves the tempo, and the 2x button doubles it
- Hold down on the tempo display or double-tap on the tempo slider to get a tempo picker wheel
- To use the Tap Tempo feature, simply start tapping the beat on the tempo display and watch the tempo match your tapping!
- Manjira: When a taal supports Manjira (such as Bhajani, Dadra or Rupak), the Manjira button is displayed above the tabla play/stop button. Tap the button to enable/disable the manjira. Note the manjira only plays when the tabla is playing.
- Microphone: If the Karaoke add-on is purchased, the Microphone button is enabled (above the Master Play button). Turning it on lets you sing or play into the mic and hear yourself to the backing of the instruments. Note this requires the use of headphones or a wired connection to external speakers (wireless Bluetooth or AirPlay speakers are not supported due to Apple restrictions). Also when using speakers, make sure the speakers face away from the microphone to avoid feedback.
Presets Pane
The Presets Pane lets you load presets, delete existing ones, or save new presets. The Presets Pane is visible on the left in landscape mode. In Portrait mode, tap on the Presets button on the top toolbar to bring it up. iTablaPro ships with presets for the most popular raags, but you can add your own as well as delete the existing ones at any time. To restore the original factory presets, just reset the presets from the settings page. A preset saves the state of all currently playing instruments.
- To play a preset, simply choose the name from the list of saved presets.
- To find a preset, either tap on the first letter of the name in the index to the right of the page, or scroll to the very top of the list to access the Search box.
- To delete a preset, simply swipe your finger across the preset row and tap on the Delete button, or tap on the Action button on the top right and choose Delete Preset(s) to enter delete mode. Tap on Done on the top left to exit from the delete mode.
- To create a new preset, first set the pitch, the Tanpuras, Tabla, Taal, Swar Mandal, etc. Make sure everything you want to include is playing (important!), and then tap on the New Preset (+) icon on the top left. Enter a name for the preset when prompted, tap OK and you're done!
- To update a preset, first choose the preset and make sure everything you want to include is playing (important!). Make any changes you need, tap on the action button on the top right and choose Update Preset.
- Favorites: Tap on the star on a Preset to mark it as a favorite or remove it from the favorites. Use the control at the top of the page to toggle between showing all presets and just favorites.
- To email a preset, first select the preset, tap on the action button on the top right and choose Email Selected Preset. To send the whole list of presets (or simply back them up) choose Email All Presets from the action menu. To import presets received via email, open the email on the device, tap on the attachment, and choose Open in iTablaPro.
- Tap on the black bar at the bottom of the screen to show/hide the preset load controls. You can use these controls to choose which aspects of the preset are loaded when you choose a preset. For example to load everything from the preset except the pitch, turn off the Load Pitch switch.
Backup/Restore Presets: You can use the iTunes File Sharing feature to access the iTablaPro Presets file:
- Open iTunes on your Mac/PC and connect your device.
- When the device appears in iTunes, tap on it to select it.
- On the right, go to the Apps tab and scroll all the way down to the File Sharing area.
- Choose iTablaPro in the list of apps, you should now see the iTablaProPresets file in the Documents area on the right.
- You can drag this file to your desktop to back it up.
- To restore the presets or copy them from another device, simply overwrite this file with a previously backed up file or a file backed up from another device. You can also share presets among devices this way.
WARNING: Do not manually edit the presets file or you may corrupt the presets. In case of error, you can restore the original presets from the Settings screen.
Swar Mandal
Tap on the Harp icon on the toolbar to bring up the Swar Mandal controls. The Swar Mandal has 15 strings each of which can be assigned to a note. This screen lets you configure what notes to play, how loud to play them and whether to play them once or repeat them at a certain loop duration.
- Tapping on the Play Once button plays the Swar Mandal once
- Turn the Auto Loop switch ON to auto-play the swar mandal at a set loop duration
- The Tuning section lets you assign notes to strings. NOTE: you must have at least one string tuned to play the Swar Mandal
- The Loop Duration section lets you choose how often the loop repeats when the Auto Loop switch is ON
- The Manual Play section is basically a large button that plays the Swar Mandal once every time it is tapped (similar to the Play Once button)
- Use the slider on the bottom to increase (+) or decrease (-) the swar mandal volume
Tuner
Tap on the Microphone icon on the toolbar to bring up the tuner. The Tuner lets you tune external instruments to iTablaPro, or vice-versa.
- Tap on the Stop button to stop all sound in app
- Sing or play an instrument (the desired "Sa") into the microphone
- The display on the left shows the current iTablaPro pitch
- The display on the right shows the pitch of the external instrument as measured via the microphone
- Use the Microphone display on the right to tune the instrument to match iTablaPro
- Or tap on the Capture button to auto-tune iTablaPro to the external instrument - this makes the captured pitch the new "Sa"
- Once captured, you can use the Octave Up/Down buttons to adjust the octave if needed
Recording
The Recording function is accessible from the Record icon on the toolbar (if purchased as part of the Karaoke Add-On). The recorder function lets you use the mic to sing or play along with the instruments and then record everything in a convenient compressed or uncompressed format.
- Use the Microphone button to turn on the microphone if you want to sing or play along on an external instrument - the button will turn red when on
- Start any instruments such as tanpuras or tabla
- Tap on the Record button to start recording (the recording format and parameters can be chosen in Settings)
- When recording is on, the Record button will glow and show the recording time under the button
- When done recording, tap on the Record button again to stop and enter a name for the recording when prompted
- Tapping on a recorded file lets you perform additional functions such as playing the file, renaming it, opening it in another app or emailing it
- To delete a recording just swipe horizontally on it
Settings
Tap on the Gear icon on the toolbar to bring up the Settings screen. This screen lets you configure the application's global settings. The settings are divided into four sections: Tanpura, Tabla, Recording (if purchased), and Miscellaneous. Choose the appropriate section to access settings for that area. Each setting is explained under the control for changing it.
Recommended Usage
- Turn on one or both tanpuras and set the pitch using the top section
- Pick the taal, this changes the list of styles available for that taal
- Choose the style from the list
- Set the tempo to your liking. Tap on the plus/minus signs around the slider to fine-tune
- Start the tabla by pressing the tabla play button
NOTE: The tabla's bayaan sound is very bass-intensive and cannot be fully heard through the iPad internal speaker. For best effect, use a speaker dock, external speakers, or high-quality headphones.
Website and Contact Info
Prasad Upasani is a professional musician, teacher and performer who also happens to be a talented programmer with over 25 years in IT. He has a Master's degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor's degree (Sangeet Visharad) in Indian Classical music. He lives in Southern California.
For more information and for our other products including iTanpura and iLehra, please visit the iTablaPro website
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Dedicated to the memory of my guru, the gentle sage who lovingly taught me everything I know about music starting from how to tune a tanpura: Sangeet Acharya Pt S.C.R. Bhat, a guru of gurus who quietly, selflessly gave of himself to anyone who asked.