Software
The iPhone Ocarina: Link Never Would Have Allowed This
Posted by John Herrman at 9:12 PM on November 7, 2008
Until this week, tapping and shaking accounted for the whole of the questionable "iPhone as an instrument" experience. Now it's gone too far. The SMule Ocarina app recognises the roar of you blowing into the iPhone's mic and converts it to the moderately mellifluous sounds of a digital Ocarina. It comes with presets, exhibited here on video. The above preset: Zelda's Overland Theme. Below: Robert Plant's and Jimmy Page's Greatest Indignity. [SMule via BBG]

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
unkpku has a really long fucking screenname because i saw some o
Posted 11:38 PM 7/11/08
Oh hells i don't care!
unkpku has a really long fucking screenname because i saw some other people do it
shalegac
Posted 11:37 PM 7/11/08
LOL. I love watching all the Japanese fan made game music clips. There are some really cool ones out there.
shalegac
D_Zarster
Posted 11:29 PM 7/11/08
Oh hell yes!
D_Zarster
Joseph
Posted 11:18 PM 7/11/08
Oh hells no!
Joseph
discounteggroll
Posted 12:12 AM 8/11/08
damnit...my Kool-Aid voice tags got hidden
discounteggroll
discounteggroll
Posted 12:12 AM 8/11/08
Oh Yeah!
discounteggroll
Curves
Posted 12:12 AM 8/11/08
The LedZep thing was hilarious, especially Mr SaturdayNightFeverWhiteSuitAndMAtchingLa.... They looked so serious that I couldnt help laughing the whole time.
Curves
dirigoDIGITAL
Posted 12:04 AM 8/11/08
You for got pinching and tilting as control...
dirigoDIGITAL
stryder100
Posted 11:59 PM 7/11/08
Me sort of want, but I'd get tired of it quickly and I'd still be out the money. So never mind.
stryder100
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 11:55 PM 7/11/08
On the one hand, no Blackberry has this capability. On the other hand, the iPhone 3G is nowhere near ready-for-prime-time as a business device.
Crap like this makes me think that RIM is going to be around for a while.
OMG! Ponies!
Carbonfly
Posted 12:53 AM 8/11/08
How was this not awesome? Holy cow that was cool!
Carbonfly
citizen024
Posted 12:39 AM 8/11/08
iPhone HIPPIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
soon they will start gathering.
+ Watch video
citizen024
zigziggityzoo
Posted 12:54 AM 8/11/08
lol. ridiculous. Also: awesome.
zigziggityzoo
ideaman2020
Posted 1:26 AM 8/11/08
That's just.. totally... ummm.... yeah.
ideaman2020
marksayshigh
Posted 1:21 AM 8/11/08
hahaha this is great, I could not stop laughing!
marksayshigh
Chromeo
Posted 1:40 AM 8/11/08
IF I could get the app for free, and actually put time into learning how to semi-play music on it, and didn't annoy the piss out of my girlfriend with it...then it would be cool.
IF.
Chromeo
robbo
Posted 2:07 AM 8/11/08
As a business app this is priceless - how to toss off the wind bag in the boardroom - everyone just pull out their instruments and blow.
robbo
golferal
Posted 2:05 AM 8/11/08
Note to self: If you're going to have a totally lame product, at least make awesome marketing videos and you'll still (probably) sell a lot of product.
golferal
Gann
Posted 2:00 AM 8/11/08
That first song is the song I want played at my funeral.
Gann
Turbo Driver
Posted 2:24 AM 8/11/08
I just got this- and it works GREAT! Totally not-bogus app. Its unreal how they got the mic to work as the 'input'. You really do have to blow softly- just barely, actually.
Now, if they could marry it up with that keyboard app.. I mean, really...
Wolf
Turbo Driver
Oz
Posted 2:17 AM 8/11/08
I like it... and I like the world view when listening to other people's melodies hehe
Oz
strider_mt2k
Posted 2:14 AM 8/11/08
Wow.
That blows.
That blows BIG TIME!
what?
strider_mt2k
Limekiller
Posted 2:53 AM 8/11/08
The creativity of people never ceases to amaze me. How does somebody even come up with an idea like this?
Limekiller
Dirk
Posted 2:44 AM 8/11/08
At 99ยข, this app will sell like hotcakes...
Dirk
rudez90
Posted 2:44 AM 8/11/08
i just bought this holy shiiiiit
rudez90
godwhacker
Posted 2:38 AM 8/11/08
@citizen024:
hippies!! all they do is smoke dope and smell bad!!
godwhacker
rudez90
Posted 2:37 AM 8/11/08
LOL wow thats insane
rudez90
Oirectine
Posted 2:36 AM 8/11/08
Could not have started my friday any better.
That was epic.
Oirectine
radambomb
Posted 2:34 AM 8/11/08
EPIC!
radambomb
cschmitz
Posted 3:08 AM 8/11/08
@stryder100: Are you really hurting that bad for 99 cents??
cschmitz
ar7983
Posted 3:03 AM 8/11/08
Does this remind anyone of the Peruvian pan flute bands from the South Park two-parter this season? Pandemic 3? Attack of the iPhones?
ar7983
bilups
Posted 3:32 AM 8/11/08
Why does this thing remind me of Beamz??
[gizmodo.com]
bilups
Die Fledermaus
Posted 3:29 AM 8/11/08
Oh great now we are not only going to have to deal with pan flute players on the corner but now people playing these, and hocking thier CD's. Or are we just going to have competing musicians pan flutes on one corner the SMule Ocarina players on the other. it is truly the down fall of civilization.
Maus
Die Fledermaus
dc-united
Posted 3:27 AM 8/11/08
@citizen024: I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Maybe I'll do both.
dc-united
clone.of.snake
Posted 3:19 AM 8/11/08
This reminds me of a Chinese dude playing a Yamaha electronic saxophone at Times Square's NWQR (yellow) line... see him almost everyday, but never once did I see anyone give me money.
clone.of.snake
ejjoe
Posted 3:52 AM 8/11/08
That's Frickin great
ejjoe
king_of_fools
Posted 4:18 AM 8/11/08
This right after the Pan Flute episode of South park ... how funny.
king_of_fools
bucho54
Posted 4:14 AM 8/11/08
@OMG! Ponies!: If bberry develops the consumer appeal a bit more apple will have more of a problem. Same goes if apple figures out the business stuff. Both do what they do very well.
bucho54
geodesigner
Posted 8:14 AM 8/11/08
I wonder when they'll release an iMelodica app. The same principle as this one, but with a regular keyboard.
geodesigner
sum47
Posted 9:08 AM 8/11/08
Out of all the iPhone/touch instruments, this has got to be the coolest. The piano, guitar, and "band" one were cool but this one actually requires you to "blow" into it! Wish I had an iPhone now....
sum47
sos10
Posted 9:04 AM 8/11/08
@OMG! Ponies!: I suppose you have no opinion on the app then, so you just make a generic comment to fill up space?
sos10
antitrust311
Posted 8:54 AM 8/11/08
@Curves: Looked more Karate Kid to me but still hilarious!
antitrust311
benjello
Posted 9:53 AM 8/11/08
You too can blow your favorite artists!
benjello
Ribs
Posted 10:29 AM 8/11/08
I bought it, and taught myself to play the tones from Close Encounters. Then I went to the "globe" map where you can listen to other people playing, most of which is just people fumbling around and sucking, except like the 10th person I stumbled upon was ALSO playing the Close Encounters theme, and then later I stumbled upon a guy playing the Zelda theme with only a few wrong notes. Pretty funny and awesome.
Ribs
FiveLiters
Posted 11:10 AM 8/11/08
@Curves: Ditto,though I kept thinking Leisure Suit Larry.
FiveLiters
kswiss19
Posted 3:26 PM 8/11/08
i wish i was rich now cuz id so buy an iphone just for that app.
kswiss19
kswiss19
Posted 3:25 PM 8/11/08
@godwhacker: u dont no anything about hippies. ur thinking of a stereotype.
kswiss19
kswiss19
Posted 3:24 PM 8/11/08
@cschmitz: i think hes referring to getting an iphone.
kswiss19
kswiss19
Posted 3:23 PM 8/11/08
@unkpku has a really long fucking screenname because i saw s...: u dont no anything about music man. that song is 1 of the greatest rock songs ever and is considered to be 1 of rocks anthems. so dont talk.
kswiss19
cschmitz
Posted 5:45 PM 8/11/08
@kswiss19: Ah, that makes more sense. woops :P
cschmitz
Zargon
Posted 12:41 PM 10/11/08
Now I want to learn how to play the guitar... or possibly iPhone.
Oh wait, I don't like the iPhone. Damn. (Although this app made me want one alot)
Zargon
invictus2006
Posted 2:32 AM 11/11/08
@Ribs: Yeah, I kinda learnt amazing grace and the Zelda tune on Friday. This seems to be the only app that I can still mess around with even after the 5 minutes of usage.
invictus2006
G-Ram
Posted 2:21 AM 11/11/08
@Chromeo: It's only a buck. And it IS easy to learn.
I was playing Over the Rainbow within 10 minutes, and had it pretty much memorized in an hour or so. Also picked up the Imperial March in about an hour.
Truly the best dollar I've EVER spent.
G-Ram