ToneStone, an app that makes it easy to create music, is created by the same people who made Left 4 Dead and Guitar Hero. The app is being officially announced today but it's still in closed beta and there is a waitlist for anyone who wants to test it. Based on the videos and my conversation with Greg LoPiccolo, ToneStones interface is very appealing to me as a hobbyist in music production.LoPiccolo is a name you may have heard of, but you've likely played games that he created. Harmonix was where he worked, making music-based games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Tom Leonard is another ToneStone founder. He has many of Valves' greatest hits, such as Left 4 Dead, Half-Life 2 and Guitar Hero, listed on his LinkedIn. LoPiccolo stated that ToneStone's mission is to enable a global community of musicians to create and share music. He believes that songwriting is a fundamental human need.ToneStone employs a system that consists of loops and decksToneStone's music production system uses loops and decks to simplify the process. Loops can be thought of as the building blocks for a song. They can be used to add synths, drums, strings, and so on. These loops can then be organized into decks that represent various music genres such as synthwave, trap or pop. ToneStone comes with pre-made decks, but you can also make your own and add your sounds or recordings to the loops.This tutorial video shows you how to actually make music in the app.ToneStone's team hopes that it will act as a social music creation platform. It makes it easy to share music and remix music from others. However, Discord is the most popular place for sharing music at the moment. While there have been some games that allow users to create music, it is difficult for beginners to know where the line is.You can remix any ToneStone user song, as long as it is currently shared in Discord. This will give you full access to the project file or, as LoPiccolo said, the musical DNA. This allows you to really alter the original. Any songs that you have made can be exported as MP3 files and uploaded to SoundCloud.ToneStone's founders have years of gaming experience. It is not surprising that ToneStone uses gamified elements. LoPiccolo explained that tutorials are intended to teach basic music composition and software usage. He spoke about the similarities between creating a deck using loops and creating a card deck for games like Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering. However, the real fun is when you create your own decks.ToneStone draws inspiration from Hearthstone and Magic: The GatheringLoPiccolo informed me that there are some revolutionary ideas in the works that will allow people to make musical decisions and create music as gameplay. This is similar to what happens when you play more traditional games such as Call of Duty. You would have a musical creation at the end.The discussion left me thinking of a series of events in which you decide where the song should go. This sounds really fun and it's unclear if there is a seed or other process that stops everyone from having similar songs. LoPiccolo stated that the ultimate goal of the experience was to make it single- or multi-player, allowing you to work with another person to create music.ToneStones' modability reminds of DIY music production.LoPiccolo claims that ToneStone can be modified and extended in the same way as video games. The engine is written in jаvascript and users can contribute music as well as interactive content such tutorials, guides or game modes. I was a part of DIY music production and the idea of such community contributions reminded me of YouTube tutorials, shared projects files, and VST plugins.ToneStone may have many advanced features, but simplicity is still the priority of its creators. According to them, users should be able make music in seconds by opening the app. The more complicated features can be left behind if you are not interested or ready for it.The app should allow users to make music in seconds by opening it.I've spent hours learning how music is made in FL Studio and Logic Pro, mostly for fun. Hearing LoPiccolo raving about ToneStone makes it seem like I should have had it years ago. It may be used for quick sketches or soundtracks, which I wouldn't have chosen Logic for.ToneStone isn't the only app that allows music beginners to create their own songs. Apple's GarageBand offers a feature called Live Loops that is similar to the one found on iPads. Live Loops was fun, but frustrating at times when I tried to make the song my own. GarageBand is only available for Macs, iPads and iPhones. ToneStone is available on Macs, PCs and distributed via Steam.ToneStones mission is to combine the social aspects and creator-driven content on platforms like Instagram in order to create music. Although the social aspects of music production are not new, especially in the indie or hobbyist music scene, ToneStone recognizes that it can be intimidating for beginners. This is what I saw when I started making music. ToneStone's tutorial was a lot scarier than mine.LoPiccolo spoke about how game developers can score their own indie titles with ToneStoneToneStone is still very much in its infancy, but the team has high expectations. LoPiccolo gave a glimpse of the current capabilities of the app, stating that it can be used for creating license-free soundtracks to indie games and live streams. He also said that the team is currently working on collaboration and live performances. Although the app is still in closed beta, LoPiccolo said that they plan to offer a free base app with advanced features, which can be unlocked through a subscription. However, he did not share pricing information. The app will also include a marketplace for you to buy new effects, loops, and modules.Register for the ToneStones beta waitlist.
