iReal Pro App Reviews

This is nearly the greatest practice app ever made. I bought the desktop version. Move over Jamey Aebersold, at least a little bit (cant beat the real thing, especially if its Ron Carter or someone). But for $20, this is a steal! The flexibilty of it is incredible - change the tempo, key, time signature, yeah thats basic stuff, but the ability to change to so many different styles and then customize each is fantastic. The mixer is key (although I wish there was a guitar comping option), but pull the bass back and practice your bass solos. The comping is great too, its not the same rhythm each bar and they have some formula to randomize it, I guess, its really neat. Creating your own song is a bit clunky. The editing window is kind of narrow, until your Save and it goes to half screen size. The input of chords is simple (although you have to follow their guidelines - D-7, not Dm7, or D-7b5 not D-7(b5)). But inputing them will get easier and be quick, Im sure. I will wish you could type the tempo in, instead of have to use the slider in 5 bpm increments. I cant wait to try the MIDI export options into my DAW and other features, how about the thousands of other songs in the forums?, but after 10 minutes, Im blown away! Get it.

Ive been using this app for a couple years now. I use it almost daily for practicing Jazz Standards on guitar. Its so much fun to have a “band” behind you - its not quite the real thing but a good substitute when you dont have a bassist, drummer and pianist hanging around the house. I have tried a number of other expensive programs but for the money and the features you cant beeat this program. One thing I would love to see added is the ability to create/modify your own guitar chord voicings. I play gypsy jazz and often the chord voicings are not so modern and having the ability to tweak the current voicings would be awesome. Other than that I dont have any complaints (not really a complaint so much a desired enhancement).

The application is useful for people who use chord progressions consisting entirely of single beats. Rhythmic subdivisions (half a beat, a quarter of a beat) used to only be possible by inserting ‘special characters’. Apparently, that now is also impossible, as it seems one can insert any symbol whatsoever except musical notation. For example, I was attempting to build a chord progression in 4/4 starting with a quarter rest followed an eighth note (chord), a quarter note, another eighth note, and then another quarter note. Basic syncopated rhythms like that are impossible with this software; thus I could not in good conscience recommend it to any musician beyond their first 3-6 months of practice.