FourTrack FAQ

Stereo tape recorders record two tracks at a time on a cassette. A four-track recorder allows you to record one track at a time while listening to the other three. This allows you to record a guitar part, then add a vocal part, then add a harmony, and so on. The Beatles recorded several albums using only four tracks. Four-track cassette recorders were the first affordable multi-track recorders for home musicians. Multitrack recording software, like GarageBand and Pro Tools, allow you to record many tracks, but the principle is the same. FourTrack (the iPhone app) gives you the simplicity of the old-school cassette four-track in an affordable and convenient package. With FourTrack. in your pocket, you can record music anywhere at the moment of inspiration.

FourTrack's Features

Track count: 4
Recording quality: 16 bit, 44.1 kHz
Calibrated meters: accurately monitor record and playback levels
Recording clip lights: ensure input levels do not cause distortion
Calibrated faders: accurately adjust playback level of each track
Pan control: move tracks from left to right
Timeline: seek to anywhere in your song instantly
Shuttle wheel: accurately move within your song
Slide-to-Record: prevents over-writing your tracks
Latency compensation: accurate to within 1ms
Compressor-limiter: automatically fattens sound of output mix
Song list: unlimited song count
Bounce: mix a song to track 1 and 2 of a new song. This makes room for two more tracks, while preserving the originals for syncing to desktop recording software
Duplicate Song: make a backup of a song and continue working on it in a different file
Metronome: maintain a consistent tempo by recording along with real drums (not MIDI). Select a tempo by entering a number or by tapping. Choose from seven sounds, including three beats by celebrity drummer Jason McGerr on his signature Ludwig kit recorded in his Seattle based studio, Two Sticks Audio. Other sounds (Block A, Block B, High Hat, and Pop) are samples of live drums and percussion courtesy of Discrete Drums, the original multitrack drum library. Time signatures include 3/4, 4/4, 6/8 and X/4 (which are unaccented beats that can be used to play 5 ,7, 9 and other odd meters).
WiFi sync to computer: copy recordings (.wav files) directly to a desktop computer (without pan and gain settings).
Companion Desktop Application: WiFi Sync to RiffWorks T4 (free) desktop recording software. Both RiffWorks Standard and RiffWorks T4 (free) automatically detect and import tracks directly from FourTrack (including pan and gain settings) using Bonjour on Mac and Windows. From RiffWorks T4 or RiffWorks Standard, your FourTrack songs can be mixed to .wav or .ogg, and RiffCast to RiffWorld.com for comments, online collaboration, contests, MP3 and OGG download links, and embeddable song players. More tracks, effects, and drums can be added to songs using RiffWorks T4. Upgrade to RiffWorks Standard if you would like to export from RiffWorks Standard as .wav files for use in other DAWs.

FourTrack 3.0 Adds These Features

AudioPaste: paste audio from compatible AudioCopy apps including InstantDrummer v1.1, DopplerPad v1.6, and VOX 3000 v2.0 Demo Movie of Audio Copy & Paste
PromoTracks: download individual PromoTracks from a variety of artists directly into a FourTrack song to add more tracks, mixdown with effects, export and more - See PromoTracks Guide
MasterFX: sweeten the sound of your recordings with a compressor-limiter and a 4-band parametric EQ MasterFX Demo Movie
Multiple performance tweaks, improved stability, and memory enhancements make this the best FourTrack version yet.

FourTrack's Requirements

iPhone running OS 2.0 or later with iPhone headset mic or third-party mic and headphones
iPod touch, 2nd Gen running OS 3.0 (no earlier) with a third-party mic and headphones

Why isn't the first generation iPod touch supported?

The first generation iPod touch does not have a mic input. We are working on adding support in a future update for external input devices that add a microphone or line input to to the dock connector on the iPod.

How do I know if I have a 2nd Generation iPod touch?

Please look at the pictures on this Apple support page: 2nd Generation iPod.

Can I record more than one track at a time?

No. The iPhone and iPod touch have a mono mic input, so only one stream of audio is available to record in FourTrack.

Music recorded using FourTrack

Black (original song) recorded using FourTrack on the iPhone 3GS
"Love is the Thing" by The 88s was recorded with FourTrack. Watch how they recorded it.
"FourTrack Test Track" on jasoncross.net boomtap2 on RiffWorld
"Thrice - Better Days" by tempAccount2 on YouTube
Thedreweffect on RiffWorld.com
mrhaze on RiffWorld.com
aaronneber on RiffWorld.com
franzbri on RiffWorld.com
KevinAnderson on RiffWorld.com
Piano Theme by Andy K
Beatles "Come Together" on FourTrack imported into RiffWorks.
"Lokah-MiniCut" by dazzagreenwood
"Happier" by Jeff McDougal
"FourTrack" by Jeff Macdougal
"We on the Couch!" by Asher
"FourTrack is Fun in a Car" by Nick Campbell
Also great for recording podcasts for blogs: "FourTrack PodCast" by C.K.

If you've recorded a song with FourTrack, tell us on the FourTrack Forum.

Operation

How do I record with FourTrack?

Getting Ready

Before launching FourTrack, make sure you have a microphone plugged into your iPod headset jack. The iPhone will record via the built-in microphone, but the sound will only come out of the ear piece. Using a separate head-phone mic adapter where the microphone can be placed somewhere stable away from your body will give the best results.

Setting Levels

When you first launch FourTrack, track 1 will be armed. The meter for track one will light up when you make sound. The ideal recording level is between -18dB and 0dB. You want as much of the meter to light up as possible, but you don't want the red light at the top of the track to light up. This light means the input level has clipped. Clipping causes distortion, which sounds bad. There is no input level control on the iPhone. To get a lower level, you either have to reduce the volume of the thing you are recording, or point or move the microphone away from the sound source.

Slide to Record

When you are ready to record, slide the record control to the right. Recording begins immediately. It is best to give yourself a count-in (say 1,2,3,4, or tap your foot) so that you know when the next track will start.

Stop recording and move to the next track

There are two ways to stop recording in FourTrack.

When you are recording on a fresh empty song, you can stop recording by pressing the PLAY button. This will automatically seek to the beginning of the song, and arm the next track, so that you are ready to record again. This will only arm a track that has no data on it yet. You can tell a track has data because little sound waves will appear next to the track number.
If you just want to stop and record again on the same track, you can press STOP RECORDING. This will stop the recorder and will NOT seek to the beginning. To seek to the beginning, tap the left edge of the TimeLine.

What does the red light above the meters mean?

The ideal recording level is between -18dB and 0dB. You want as much of the meter to light up as possible, but you don't want the red light at the top of the track to light up. This light means the input level has clipped. Clipping causes distortion, which sounds bad. There is no input level control on the iPhone. To get a lower level, you either have to reduce the volume of the thing you are recording, or point or move the microphone away from the sound source.

Why can't I move the fader on the armed track?

There is no way to adjust the input level on the iPhone so we disabled the fader on the armed track.

How do I delete one track?

There is currently no way to delete a specific track. However you can simply record over it again by re-arming the track and re-recording over it. You can then either record silence or record new music over it. If your previously recorded track is longer than the new recording, simply record silence over any remaining sound you would like to be erased. This does not affect any of the other recorded tracks.

Microphones and Other Inputs

Can I record with the built-in mic on my iPhone?

Yes, but while doing so, the only way to hear the sound will be through the ear piece on the phone, or through headphones. The speaker phone speakers would cause feedback while recording.

Do I need a microphone to use my iPod touch?

Yes. The iPod touch (2nd generation) has a microphone input on the headset jack, but does not have a built-in microphone.

How do I use an external microphone?

The headset jack on the iPhone and iPod touch (2nd gen.) have three contacts inside. The normal two for stereo headphones and an additional contact for the mic input. Several companies have released "headphone-mic" adapters so that you can use your high quality headphones as a headset. These add-on microphones are a good way to record with FourTrack because you can position the microphone away from the sound source and have a longer lead for your headphones.

Which headsets and microphones work with FourTrack for iPhone/iPod touch 2nd Gen?

Sonoma Tested These Headset Microphones and They Work Well:

Monster iSoniTalk Microphone Headphone Adapter for iPhone
Apple iPhone headset with mic (the headset included with the iPod Touch does not include the required mic)
Belkin A/V cable for mic input to RCA connector
Blue Mikey works very well with FourTrack on the iPhone when used with headphones. However, multitrack recording with Mikey does not work on the iPod touch because of the location of the headphone jack. Listen to the Mikey Live Music Sample 1 Recorded with FourTrack. Watch YouTube Movie: Blue Microphones Mikey, iPhone & FourTrack App used to Create Song.

See "Can I Plug.." below for other cable info.

FourTrack User(s) Reported Success Using These:

Griffin SmartTalk
Macally iVoiceIII Microphone for iPod (no longer available)

No Reports Yet of People Using These - Should Work Well:

Other Reports:

Alesis ProTrack (able to record with it, but not able to hear playback)

Offer your opinions and tips about these and other microphones in the FourTrack forum.

The microphone distorts, what should I do?

Lower the volume of the source you are recording. Point the microphone away from the source, or move it farther away. If you are using the Apple headset microphone, it could be rubbing against your clothes while you are recording causing scratching noises.

Can I plug my guitar (or fill in the blank) into FourTrack?

Yes and No.

There are adapters available that break the headset jack out to two mini-jacks, one stereo output for headphones and one mono input for a mic. These are hard to find, but you could plug a guitar into one of these using a 1/4" to mini adapter.

There are also cables available that can be purchased for the iPod that break out the mini jack to three RCA jacks. These are designed to let you connect the video signal of an iPod to a TV. On the iPhone and iPod touch (2nd gen) the yellow jack is the microphone input, instead of a video output.

You could connect a guitar to the yellow jack using a 1/4" to RCA cable connected to an RCA-RCA female connector connected to the RCA to mic connector. You would also need to connect the Red and White RCA connectors to some speakers headphones. However, the sound being recorded is not played through the output because the latency (time for the audio to go into the phone and back out) is too high. So you would only be able to hear your guitar playing in the room, not through the headphones while recording.

We will continue working on achieving lower latency through the phone and some day we may be able to do input monitoring.

See this Forum Post for a Recommendation for 4-Pin 3.5mm Minijack to 3 x RCA Composite AV Cable

Wifi Sync

How do I get my recordings off the iPhone?

Once you have recorded a song and you want to download the tracks to your computer, use Wifi-Sync to export your tracks from FourTrack for use in RiffWorks T4 free (complete with pan and gain settings), or other desktop recording software (without your pan and gain settings).

Import FourTrack Recordings with RiffWorks

Importing tracks with RiffWorks will capture your recordings, complete with pan and gain settings, so that you can edit and add to them in RiffWorks.

RiffWorks, the companion desktop application for FourTrack, is easy-to-use recording software that includes automatic track creation, loop recording, guitar-oriented effects, InstantDrummer, professionally recorded drum tracks, RiffLink online collaboration (free for a limited time), and RiffCaster song posting at RiffWorld.com. There is a free edition called RiffWorks T4 that is perfect to use with FourTrack.

RiffWorks Standard and RiffWorks T4 (free) automatically detect and import tracks directly from FourTrack (including pan and gain settings) using Bonjour on Mac and Windows. Add more tracks, effects, and drums to your FourTrack songs using RiffWorks. From RiffWorks T4 or RiffWorks Standard, your FourTrack songs can be mixed to .wav and .ogg, and RiffCast to RiffWorld.com for comments, online collaboration, contests, MP3 download links, and embeddable song players for your MySpace and web pages (example). In addition, all tracks can be exported from RiffWorks Standard as .wav files for use in any DAW.

How to WiFi Sync to RiffWorks desktop recording software:

Start Wifi Sync in FourTrack: Make sure your iPhone is connected to a Wifi network. Press on the Song tab at the bottom of the mixer. Press on the Song List arrow at the top of the screen. Press on the Wifi-Sync button at the bottom of the Song List.

A black screen will appear with an IP address that looks something like http://192.168.0.101:24601

At this point you can either import your tracks directly into RiffWorks T4 free recording software or RiffWorks Standard which has more features ($129); or use a web browser to download your tracks as .wav files to be used in most desktop recording programs (see below).

Launch RiffWorks recording software for Mac & Win, including RiffWorks T4 (free edition) and RiffWorks Standard which has more features ($129) and click RiffWorks' IMPORT button.

A window will appear asking if you want to replace the SongLayers. Click Yes.

A window will appear on your iPhone saying that a computer is trying to Connect, press OK.

A new window will appear in RiffWorks with a popup menu of the songs in FourTrack. Select the song you wish to import and click ok. The pan and gain settings from your FourTrack recording will be captured by RiffWorks.

When the import is finished, click on the Brown SongLayers brick in the Riffs view. Your tracks are ready to play, mix to wav or mp3, or RiffCast to RiffWorld.com!

Import FourTrack Recordings into a DAW other than RiffWorks

This will capture your recording so that you can use your favorite DAW other than RiffWorks. This will not capture your pan and gain settings. To capture pan and gain setting, use the RiffWorks method above.

Make sure your iPhone is connected to a Wifi network. Press on the Song tab at the bottom of the mixer. Press on the Song List arrow at the top of the screen. Press on the Wifi-Sync button at the bottom of the Song List.

A black screen will appear with an IP address that looks something like http://192.168.0.101:24601

At this point you can either use a web browser to download your tracks as .wav files to be used in most desktop recording programs. Or import your tracks directly into RiffWorks T4 free recording software or RiffWorks Standard which has more features ($129) (see above).

You need to enter this address into a web browser on a computer that is connected to the same wifi network as your phone. It is ok if your computer is connected with an ethernet cable as long as it is the same network. Eg, a home wireless router with both ethernet jacks and wifi.

A window will appear on your iPhone saying "A computer on your local network is connecting to FourTrack" Press OK to connect.

A list of your songs will appear on your computer. Each track you recorded can be downloaded as a wav file. These wav files do not contain the Pan and Gain information that you set in FourTrack, they are the actual recordings. These files can be loaded in a DAW for further editing. If you wish to keep the pan and gain settings, import with RiffWorks (see above).

Why aren't the tracks panned when I download the wav files?

These wav files do not contain the Pan and Gain information that you set in FourTrack, they are the actual recordings. These files can be loaded in a DAW for further editing. If you import them using RiffWorks Standard or RiffWorks T4 the pan and gain settings will be loaded (see above).

What do I do with these wav files?

You can load these files in a multi-track audio editor (DAW) like GarageBand, ProTools, Logic, etc.

Known Issues & Workarounds

Are there any known issues with FourTrack? Yes, as with all software, there are issues that get found after you release it. Some tips are included to workaround some issues.

Strange noise/feedback heard

There is a strange bug in Apple's audio system that seems to be caused when plugging in the microphone after launching FourTrack. Be sure to plug in your mic before launching and this problem will does not happen.

Updating FourTrack can erase your songs

This is a bug in Apple's update process. A small percentage of users will have all their songs deleted during an update. Please use WifiSync to backup your tracks before updating.

FourTrack needs more memory

We recommend force quitting both Safari and Mail to free up more memory. To force quit an application, press and then hold the sleep/wake button. When the slide to power off the screen appears, press and hold the home button for about six seconds until the application quits. Also, check out this discussion for more information: FourTrack memory forum thread

Auto-lock can cause FourTrack to glitch during playback

FourTrack disables Auto-lock during recording, but not during playback. If it is set to 1min (default) this can cause a consistent glitch or even a freeze during playback. Users are reporting success by setting Auto-Lock to Never in the Setting->General app. We are investigating disabling Auto-lock during playback to alleviate this problem.

FourTrack won't launch - Jail-broken SBSettings conflict

We have two confirmed reports that FourTrack crashes on launch on Jail-broken phones with SBSettings installed. Uninstalling SBSettings fixes the problem and FourTrack launches correctly. We do not intend to support Jail-broken apps that misbehave and cause problems that aren't there otherwise. See below...

Jailbroken iPhone Compatibility

FourTrack is not compatible with certain jailbroken applications, including SBSettings. We can not ensure compatibility with jailbroken iPhones.

More FourTrack Info

FourTrack Product Page

FourTrack User Forum

FourTrack Support

What's New in FourTrack 2.0 Released May 5, 2009

FourTrack News & Reviews

Buy FourTrack in the App Store

Buy FourTrack for $9.99 in the iTunes App Store.