The App has 4 main screens: Song, Beat, Sample and Track. The Song screen is where each new song is created, played and exported to WAV file. The Beat screen is where you can experiment with beats and save them. The Sample screen is where you can combine one or beats into a sample, or record from the smartphone microphone. The Track screen is where you can add samples or audio recordings to each track in the song.
The toolbar at the bottom of each screen contains buttons to navigate to each screen.
Each song is automatically given a name e.g. SG001.
The New Song button creates a new song.
The Choose Song button displays a list of songs for the user to choose from.
The Play Song button plays the currently selected song. The Stop Playback button stops playing the currently selected song.
The Delete Songs button displays a list of songs for the user to delete.
The Export Song To WAVE File button converts the currently selected song into a WAVE file that can be played on other devices. The WAVE will typically stored in the Android/data/com.bergin_it/handybeat/files/data/songs directory e.g. SG001/SG001.wav.
The slider at the top of the Beat screen adjusts the duration of the beat in milliseconds. Next the sound effects can be applied and combined via buttons a toolbar. The slider under the toolbar adjusts a percentage of how some of the sound effects are applied. Next the notes in the currently selected octave can be pressed to play the beat. The slider under the note buttons is used to select the octave.
The Save Last Played Beat As button stores the last played beat with an automatically given name e.g. BT001.
The Delete Beats button displays a list of beats for the user to delete.
The History area displays the beats that have been played.
The Choose Beats button displays a list of beats that can be displayed in the Sample screen grid.
The Start Recording Sample As button starts recording the played beat with an automatically given name e.g. SP001. The Stop Recording Sample As button stops recording the sample.
The Delete Samples button displays a list of samples for the user to delete.
Below the sample buttons a grid of selected beat buttons allows the user to play beats when recording a sample.
The Start Audio Recording As button starts recording the smartphone microphone with an automatically given name e.g. AR001. The Stop Audio Recording As button stops recording the smartphone microphone.
The Delete Audio Recordings button displays a list of audio recordings for the user to delete.
The Choose Track button displays a list of tracks that can be played. The Play Track button plays the chosen track. The Stop Playback button stops playing the chosen track.
The Delete Tracks button displays a list of tracks for the user to delete.
Below the track buttons a grid of tracks allows the user to add a sample or audio recording to a track repeatedly. Each square in each row represents a beat interval that is determined by the song BPM and duration. A sample or audio recording must begin (snaps to) a beat interval. A red rectangle represents a sample or audio recording in a track. Clicking the red rectangle will give the user the opportunity to delete the sample or audio recording from the track. The green rectangles on the left side of each row contain the track name (e.g. TR001), and one of those green rectangles can be tapped to select the track for inserting a sample or audio recording (and will change to a black colour). The grid can be dragged to show earlier or later beat intervals or hidden tracks.
The Choose Sample button displays a list of samples that can be selected for the currently selected track in the grid. The Play Sample button plays the chosen sample.
The Add Sample To Track button adds the currently selected sample to the currently selected track in the grid. If another track is being played then the sample will be added at the current playback position in the currently selected track in the grid. Otherwise the sample is added to the start of an empty track or after the last sample in the track. If the currently selected track in the grid already has samples then the user will be given the option to repeatedly add the sample to the track.
The Move All Samples To Left button moves all of the samples in the currently selected track in the grid a number of beat intervals towards the start of the track.
The Move All Samples To Right button moves all of the samples in the currently selected track in the grid a number of beat intervals towards the end of the track.
The Change Sample Spacing button changes the number of beat intervals between samples in the currently selected track in the grid.
The Choose Audio button displays a list of audio recordings that can be selected for the currently selected track in the grid. The Play Audio Recording button plays the chosen audio recording.
The Add Audio Recording To Track button adds the currently selected audio recording to the currently selected track in the grid. If another track is being played then the audio recording will be added at the current playback position in the currently selected track in the grid. Otherwise the audio recording is added to the start of an empty track or after the last audio recording in the track. If the currently selected track in the grid already has audio recordings then the user will be given the option to repeatedly add the audio recording to the track.
The Move All Audio Recordings To Left button moves all of the audio recordings in the currently selected track in the grid a number of beat intervals towards the start of the track.
The Move All Audio Recordings To Right button moves all of the audio recordings in the currently selected track in the grid a number of beat intervals towards the end of the track.
The Change Audio Recording Spacing button changes the number of beat intervals between audio recordings in the currently selected track in the grid.
In the Display section the Number of Beat Buttons per Row option sets the number of beat buttons per row in the Sample screen grid.
In the Display section the Max Number of Lines option sets the number of lines in the History area of the Beat screen.