![]() Once it’s physically mated to your smartphone using its USB-C input, don’t imagine for a moment it won’t ruin the line of your jacket. But while its dimensions (30 × 66 × 129mm) and weight (240g) don’t suggest a device that’s difficult to transport, it’s significantly bigger and heavier than any smartphone it might accompany. This EarMen TR‑Amp, for example, is a portable DAC/headphone amp that is undoubtedly capable of far more convincing and gratifying sound than any (and I mean absolutely any) smartphone is able to deliver by itself. ‘Portable’ as it relates to a DAC you might use to improve the sound quality of your smartphone, though, is a different matter. After all, if a piece of electronic equipment (just as a ‘for instance’) is battery-powered, and can be easily lifted and moved from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’, then by definition it’s ‘portable’. Seems like a pretty obvious oversight.You wouldn’t have thought the word ‘portable’ could be contentious, would you? And I suppose it isn’t, not in absolute terms. So, it's hard not to see the graphical answer to the musical question which kind of defeats the purpose of the app. For one thing, I don't see any way to disable the staff showing the notes of the interval that's being played. Here, it's just basic stuff, and a little awakward to use to boot. I recently paid the same price for the MLB app, and get all kinds of goodies in that package. I can't for the life of me figure why they charge so much for so little. Just the opposite, EarMan seems less intuitive and user-friendly than the one I had years ago. After looking at EarMan, I decided to download, but thought with the high price, it would be a really wonderful application (afterall, I had once had a free one that was pretty darn great). So I kept expecting a nice, full-featured free for iPhone, but had not found anything comprable. I'm a fan of musical interval trainers - I had a free one on my Palm PDA some years ago, and it was really helpful. It tests your ear training skills at a proficiency level achieved when completing the EarMan curriculum. You also might want to download EarMan's free companion application EarTester. To read more about this application or to view additional screenshots and videos clips visit the website indicated below. * Localized into English, French, Italian, Japanese, German and Spanish * Selectable Playback Range and Direction * Incorporation of Complementary Intervals * Silent Mode (for Practicing Intervals Visually) * Structured Training Program with 105 Sessions Like many things ear training needs to be done on a regular basis to truly yield results and that makes EarMan an ideal application for the iPhone. There are high resolution playback samples, a "calm interface" designed to keep you focussed on the sound, interval songs to help memorize the base intervals, but above all EarMan is meant to be a constant companion. Much thought went into the design of this application. Once a Curriculum session is completed with a grade of 80% or higher the next interval set is introduced, eventually the range is widened and the playback mode advanced. These sessions are available at any time and can used to practice just in between or to prepare for the next Curriculum session.ĮarMan's Curriculum on the other hand is a structured lesson plan of 105 sessions that begins with one interval set in a narrow range. Interval set, range and playback direction are configured on the fly. Quick Sessions offer a way for spot learning. There are two basic training modes in EarMan, the Quick Session and the Curriculum. Naming the intervals eventually becomes second nature. All that's left then is matching a sound to a button. Before any session, the answer buttons (and mostly there are only two at first) can be used to play back any interval so one can easily memorize it. But beginners need not worry about the terminology of ear training. Eventually however unisons and octaves will be introduced as well and finally complementary intervals. Taking sevenths as an example, a session will first test you on major and minor sevenths. All sessions are graded immediately and results are made available in the results section of the application.Ī major key concept in EarMan is that of the interval set. Completing a training session in EarMan takes about 1-2 minutes, only a fraction of a typical tutored lesson. This is an affordable, no-nonsense application that can help you improve your skills with a structured curriculum and fully customizable practice sessions. EarMan is a program that helps you practice ear training on the go. One of the most basic skills for any musician is the ability to correctly identify intervals, something that is practiced in class or with a private tutor. A good ear is the key to all musicianship.
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