Music Box Composer
$5.99
2.62for iPhone, iPad and more
Age Rating
Music Box Composer Screenshots
About Music Box Composer
Create your own Music Box music, and easily share your compositions with others.
Designed to aid composing your own music prior to punching the paper strips for Music Boxes, MBC allows you to compose, preview, play, save and share your creations via Email or iTunes file transfer.
A small but growing library of Music Box Strips can be viewed here, via webplayer or loading into MBC on device:
http://www.jellybiscuits.com/?page_id=763
Demo of composing, printing, punching an playing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWxkoHcPbS0
- Supports 15, 20, 30 and 33 note music boxes.
- Share your compositions with others via Email.
- Multiple undo
- Disable Notes for temporary changes
- Ripple edits
- Save and Load (access the save location via iTunes File Sharing)
- Sounds sampled from physical Music Boxes
- Save strip to PDF/JPG file.
The physical Music Boxes with the paper punch strips and are great fun - what was missing was an easy way to preview either transpositions or original creations. This aims to fill that gap but it's also a fun music creation tool in it's own right.
Rated as a Killer App by Apps4iDevice.
Note that there is a desktop version of MBC available from the Mac App Store, as well as desktop versions for other OS's from the Jellybiscuits site.
Designed to aid composing your own music prior to punching the paper strips for Music Boxes, MBC allows you to compose, preview, play, save and share your creations via Email or iTunes file transfer.
A small but growing library of Music Box Strips can be viewed here, via webplayer or loading into MBC on device:
http://www.jellybiscuits.com/?page_id=763
Demo of composing, printing, punching an playing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWxkoHcPbS0
- Supports 15, 20, 30 and 33 note music boxes.
- Share your compositions with others via Email.
- Multiple undo
- Disable Notes for temporary changes
- Ripple edits
- Save and Load (access the save location via iTunes File Sharing)
- Sounds sampled from physical Music Boxes
- Save strip to PDF/JPG file.
The physical Music Boxes with the paper punch strips and are great fun - what was missing was an easy way to preview either transpositions or original creations. This aims to fill that gap but it's also a fun music creation tool in it's own right.
Rated as a Killer App by Apps4iDevice.
Note that there is a desktop version of MBC available from the Mac App Store, as well as desktop versions for other OS's from the Jellybiscuits site.
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What's New in the Latest Version 2.62
Last updated on Nov 14, 2017
Old Versions
This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
Now supporting access to the MBC saved files via the 'Files' App on iOS11
Now supporting access to the MBC saved files via the 'Files' App on iOS11
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Version History
2.62
Nov 14, 2017
This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
Now supporting access to the MBC saved files via the 'Files' App on iOS11
Now supporting access to the MBC saved files via the 'Files' App on iOS11
2.61
Nov 6, 2017
Opening the App from a music strip URL should once again load the strip, functionality lost in the recent update for iOS11.
Keyboard entry was being triggered incorrectly in one region of the lower editing strip.
Keyboard entry was being triggered incorrectly in one region of the lower editing strip.
2.60
Oct 9, 2017
Updated for iOS 11
2.50
Dec 8, 2014
Support for the 33 note music box has been added.
Dragging a note off the strip to delete has been reinstated.
Converting between strip sizes has been improved.
Fonts updated for more complete character support.
Miscellaneous bug fixes.
Dragging a note off the strip to delete has been reinstated.
Converting between strip sizes has been improved.
Fonts updated for more complete character support.
Miscellaneous bug fixes.
2.40
Nov 19, 2014
* Midi Import - via the Tools flyout. Set your desired strip size prior to importing, and copy the .mid files to your device first, via iTunes.
* Apply time button (Tools flyout) to rescale time by current speed
* Printed graphics modified for easier punching
* Double tap the selection button to select all notes.
* Tutorial was broken in the last mobile build.
* Apply time button (Tools flyout) to rescale time by current speed
* Printed graphics modified for easier punching
* Double tap the selection button to select all notes.
* Tutorial was broken in the last mobile build.
2.30
Oct 2, 2014
Update for iOS 8 - fixes orientation bug.
2.21
Jun 30, 2014
Works on iPad 1 again
Loading strips with odd line endings no longer ends up with all notes disabled.
Loading strips with odd line endings no longer ends up with all notes disabled.
2.20
Apr 26, 2014
- MIDI file export, in the utility flyout: look for the created file in iTunes File Sharing.
- PDF export as well as JPG - it is saved with the JPG, and the offer to email after creating now will attach the PDF file.
- '30 Note Mapping Fix' option added; the printed note values on the commercially available 30 note strips were being matched, but those notes were incorrect: this fixes that. The notes played are the same, just the note labels and the layout of the Piano mode.
- New 'Auto Advance when adding via piano note' added - this advances the timeline by the current snap amount when adding a note via the piano.
- Extra piano keys added at each end of the piano strip to aid moving forward and back in time (moves by the current snap increment) for a more fluid composing workflow using the piano.
- Fixed bug where after using the piano keyboard any button required two clicks to activate.
- PDF export as well as JPG - it is saved with the JPG, and the offer to email after creating now will attach the PDF file.
- '30 Note Mapping Fix' option added; the printed note values on the commercially available 30 note strips were being matched, but those notes were incorrect: this fixes that. The notes played are the same, just the note labels and the layout of the Piano mode.
- New 'Auto Advance when adding via piano note' added - this advances the timeline by the current snap amount when adding a note via the piano.
- Extra piano keys added at each end of the piano strip to aid moving forward and back in time (moves by the current snap increment) for a more fluid composing workflow using the piano.
- Fixed bug where after using the piano keyboard any button required two clicks to activate.
2.11
Dec 9, 2012
- Add mode without Move mode was always acting as if the Move mode was active - now it'll add notes regardless of whether you touch near an existing note.
- Fix for autoload text and cancel buttons very (very) slowly moving off screen.
- Piano mode now shows notes at active time when dragging timeline, even if a note is selected
- Warning dialog about sharps and illegal notes when exporting to JPG.
- Display of current note in the magnifying glass has been moved to the top rather than bottom.
- Performance hit when showing illegal notes fixed.
- Audio system partially rewritten for smoother playback.
- Cancelling a record to wav then restarting wasn't stopping the next record correctly.
- Touch and slide side to side on the tempo widget to more easily set.
- Shared strips weren't using the name set in the sharing dialog.
- The load strips UI now sorts the strips alphabetically *ignoring* case.
- Fix for autoload text and cancel buttons very (very) slowly moving off screen.
- Piano mode now shows notes at active time when dragging timeline, even if a note is selected
- Warning dialog about sharps and illegal notes when exporting to JPG.
- Display of current note in the magnifying glass has been moved to the top rather than bottom.
- Performance hit when showing illegal notes fixed.
- Audio system partially rewritten for smoother playback.
- Cancelling a record to wav then restarting wasn't stopping the next record correctly.
- Touch and slide side to side on the tempo widget to more easily set.
- Shared strips weren't using the name set in the sharing dialog.
- The load strips UI now sorts the strips alphabetically *ignoring* case.
2.1
Nov 21, 2012
What's new in 2.1:
Piano mode - toggle this mode on to display a virtual keyboard which both displays which note is being added or moved by touch, and also allows you to add/modify/delete notes via the keyboard.
Multi-selection mode has been overhauled: quick-tap with the Move mode active to select/deselect notes. The 'Selection' mode has been altered to select by rectangle, rather than start/end time range. Also, creating a selection rectangle from left to right will add any notes in the rectangle to the current selection, creating from right to left will remove any notes in the rectangle from the current selection. Clear your selection with the 'Clear Selection' button.
The magnify mode now displays the note pitch near the bottom of the magnifying circle as you drag your notes around.
Undo system has been updated to store and restore selections, along with some bug-fixes.
A performance bug introduced in 2.0.1 has been fixed.
Piano mode - toggle this mode on to display a virtual keyboard which both displays which note is being added or moved by touch, and also allows you to add/modify/delete notes via the keyboard.
Multi-selection mode has been overhauled: quick-tap with the Move mode active to select/deselect notes. The 'Selection' mode has been altered to select by rectangle, rather than start/end time range. Also, creating a selection rectangle from left to right will add any notes in the rectangle to the current selection, creating from right to left will remove any notes in the rectangle from the current selection. Clear your selection with the 'Clear Selection' button.
The magnify mode now displays the note pitch near the bottom of the magnifying circle as you drag your notes around.
Undo system has been updated to store and restore selections, along with some bug-fixes.
A performance bug introduced in 2.0.1 has been fixed.
2.0.1
Nov 7, 2012
While in play mode and adding notes at the same time, it wouldn't take into account the newly added notes for the loop/end point.
Some graphical glitches fixed - extended strip grid was displayed lighter on 20 and 30 note strips, and there was a color flash when changing strip type.
Two button icons have been updated, with the 'Help' icon more prominently displayed.
Help for the 'Options' dialog was overlapping or misaligned for some elements.
Other minor bug fixes.
Some graphical glitches fixed - extended strip grid was displayed lighter on 20 and 30 note strips, and there was a color flash when changing strip type.
Two button icons have been updated, with the 'Help' icon more prominently displayed.
Help for the 'Options' dialog was overlapping or misaligned for some elements.
Other minor bug fixes.
2.0
Oct 30, 2012
Music Box 2.0:
New! Support for 20 and 30 note strips added, with new recordings from physical 20 and 30 note music boxes: switch between strip types in the Options dialog.
Extendable strips - extend the strip length as much as you need for a single strip, with extended strips exporting to JPG as up to 10 individual strips in a single image file. Access via the new '+' and '-' buttons to the right of the strip, so they are there when you need them.
New sample strips installed - 'Romeo & Juliet' and 'Swan Lake'.
Fixes/Improvements:
Delete strip button added to strips in the Loader.
Using 2 fingers to pan no longer sometimes adds notes - 2 finger panning should now be a reliable part of your music box composer workflow.
Fixed display of illegal music box notes (where a note cannot be followed by the same note without a quarter note delay)
Illegal notes were incorrectly only displayed if sharp notes were allowed.
With loop off, the current timeline is now left at the end of the strip rather than being returned somewhere.
Loading with more than 7 strips is not as jumpy.
The copy operation no longer clears the copy buffer if there are no notes selected.
Changes:
Strips now export to JPG rather than PNG. Pre-editing of strip BG disabled due to memory limitations - edit the exported strips to customise.
New! Support for 20 and 30 note strips added, with new recordings from physical 20 and 30 note music boxes: switch between strip types in the Options dialog.
Extendable strips - extend the strip length as much as you need for a single strip, with extended strips exporting to JPG as up to 10 individual strips in a single image file. Access via the new '+' and '-' buttons to the right of the strip, so they are there when you need them.
New sample strips installed - 'Romeo & Juliet' and 'Swan Lake'.
Fixes/Improvements:
Delete strip button added to strips in the Loader.
Using 2 fingers to pan no longer sometimes adds notes - 2 finger panning should now be a reliable part of your music box composer workflow.
Fixed display of illegal music box notes (where a note cannot be followed by the same note without a quarter note delay)
Illegal notes were incorrectly only displayed if sharp notes were allowed.
With loop off, the current timeline is now left at the end of the strip rather than being returned somewhere.
Loading with more than 7 strips is not as jumpy.
The copy operation no longer clears the copy buffer if there are no notes selected.
Changes:
Strips now export to JPG rather than PNG. Pre-editing of strip BG disabled due to memory limitations - edit the exported strips to customise.
1.7
Aug 26, 2012
Save strip to PNG file. You can then print this as a punch guide for the physical music boxes (print at a 47% scaling on light card - 180gsm - and it can be played directly once cut out and punched). Offers to email after creation, or copy through iTunes. Customise the base file so your creations are always generated with your personalised strip image.
Bug fixes to the help text display.
Scrub bar could end up behind buttons when in Small Screen Mode.
Bug fixes to the help text display.
Scrub bar could end up behind buttons when in Small Screen Mode.
1.6
Aug 7, 2012
Undo bug: sharp/non-sharp status change was not being undone/redone.
1.5
Aug 1, 2012
Features:
Share via Twitter, Facebook and Email integration. Send your creations to friends, family, or anyone - posts include a link to a Webplayer Music Box so non-mobile users can play your music, or opens in Music Box Composer if available on a mobile device. Share as play-only, or allow-editing as a quick way to send from one MBC to another MBC.
Redesigned UI with 5 colour themes to choose from.
Quick Tutorial - available from the help page.
New Virtual Player Mode, where you can play your music on a virtual cylinder based music box, or play shared compositions. Turn handle by touch to play (or mouse in web player) or use the play button.
Bug Fixes:
Stopping play when follow time was off caused a block of notes to be played at once.
Paste no longer can paste beyond the end of the Strip
Ripple paste with selection active behavior changed: notes in the selection area are also rippled out of the way.
Inactive notes are not played when 'play all notes on add' is turned on.
Zoom window no longer follows timeline when playing, so you can add notes in play mode without losing the zoom.
Changing between allowing and not allowing sharps no longer removes the sharp information, the notes are simply displayed and played as non sharp (and are back to sharps if you turn allow sharps back on).
Share via Twitter, Facebook and Email integration. Send your creations to friends, family, or anyone - posts include a link to a Webplayer Music Box so non-mobile users can play your music, or opens in Music Box Composer if available on a mobile device. Share as play-only, or allow-editing as a quick way to send from one MBC to another MBC.
Redesigned UI with 5 colour themes to choose from.
Quick Tutorial - available from the help page.
New Virtual Player Mode, where you can play your music on a virtual cylinder based music box, or play shared compositions. Turn handle by touch to play (or mouse in web player) or use the play button.
Bug Fixes:
Stopping play when follow time was off caused a block of notes to be played at once.
Paste no longer can paste beyond the end of the Strip
Ripple paste with selection active behavior changed: notes in the selection area are also rippled out of the way.
Inactive notes are not played when 'play all notes on add' is turned on.
Zoom window no longer follows timeline when playing, so you can add notes in play mode without losing the zoom.
Changing between allowing and not allowing sharps no longer removes the sharp information, the notes are simply displayed and played as non sharp (and are back to sharps if you turn allow sharps back on).
1.2
May 8, 2012
Huge update for MBC.
Highlights:
- Sharps are available for the relevant notes - these are 'music box illegal', you can control whether they are available in the Options dialog (defaults to available).
- Copy/Paste of notes via a selection range, or paste to current time no selection active.
- 'Small Screen Layout', for working on Phones (now a Universal App) - set which you want in the Options dialog.
- Save to .wav - the red record button will save the current strip using the current strip name to a .wav file which is accessible via iTunes sharing.
- New options dialog to set preferences for MBC
- Help system added to main UI screen and options dialog - touch the ?, and then touch the button or region you would like more information about.
- Now a Universal App.
Improvements:
- Note creating workflow has been enhanced, with more audible feedback as you edit.
- Copy/Paste added, copies selected notes and optionally pastes with ripple for inserts. Use the selection range to copy an area including white space.
- Selection area indicator with handles for convenient editing.
- You can now add/move/select/etc. notes in the middle zoomed area in Tablet mode
- Snap can now be set to half, quarter eight and sixteenth note interval in the options, defaulting to eigth, one more than the last version meaning less jumping in and out of snap mode.
- Region selection now displays a selection area while dragging in Select mode
- 2 Finger panning - also touch a second finger while adding/moving a note to pan the strip on the go.
- SaveAs now available and Load, SaveAs and Save buttons have been moved to a button flyout.
- Loading warns about current strip not being saved
- Playback speed is now saved and loaded with a strip
- 'Phone' mode with Small Screen layout, switch is in the new 'Options' controls.
- record button - plays through once and saves a .wav file to the iTunes shared directory.
- when no modes active you can drag to scroll - and a simple tap turns on the add + move modes
- Add Note mode now defaults to Add + Move mode when turning on Add, tap Move separately to turn off.
- Selecting a note (i.e. move tool or select with tap) now plays the sound
- Load screen allows previewing saved strips before loading
- Play now just plays to note range, rather than large amounts of blank space. A start end play range setting is in the works.
- A 'Spanish Song' strip is now preinstalled with mbc.
- Tap scrub bar handle to trigger play.
- Moving/Ripple edit of notes with snap on no longer snaps all selected notes - the offset itself is snapped, and then applied to each note maintaining non-snap offsets between notes.
Bugfixes:
- Trying to move a note in the region of a recently deleted note could grab the deleted note instead of the visible note making it difficult to grab the note you wanted to. (It's not actually deleted until the undo system no longer needs it - now it should be more effectively hidden).
- Combined Add/Move mode now shows a note as selected on touch begin when it is being moved
- Moving a note with Snap on could cause other non-snapped notes to become snapped.
- Erase all is now undoable
- Ripple edit could shift notes off the range of the paper strip
Other:
- new icon and updated splash
- Name on device is now 'MusicBox', rather than 'mBxComposer' which ended up truncated.
Highlights:
- Sharps are available for the relevant notes - these are 'music box illegal', you can control whether they are available in the Options dialog (defaults to available).
- Copy/Paste of notes via a selection range, or paste to current time no selection active.
- 'Small Screen Layout', for working on Phones (now a Universal App) - set which you want in the Options dialog.
- Save to .wav - the red record button will save the current strip using the current strip name to a .wav file which is accessible via iTunes sharing.
- New options dialog to set preferences for MBC
- Help system added to main UI screen and options dialog - touch the ?, and then touch the button or region you would like more information about.
- Now a Universal App.
Improvements:
- Note creating workflow has been enhanced, with more audible feedback as you edit.
- Copy/Paste added, copies selected notes and optionally pastes with ripple for inserts. Use the selection range to copy an area including white space.
- Selection area indicator with handles for convenient editing.
- You can now add/move/select/etc. notes in the middle zoomed area in Tablet mode
- Snap can now be set to half, quarter eight and sixteenth note interval in the options, defaulting to eigth, one more than the last version meaning less jumping in and out of snap mode.
- Region selection now displays a selection area while dragging in Select mode
- 2 Finger panning - also touch a second finger while adding/moving a note to pan the strip on the go.
- SaveAs now available and Load, SaveAs and Save buttons have been moved to a button flyout.
- Loading warns about current strip not being saved
- Playback speed is now saved and loaded with a strip
- 'Phone' mode with Small Screen layout, switch is in the new 'Options' controls.
- record button - plays through once and saves a .wav file to the iTunes shared directory.
- when no modes active you can drag to scroll - and a simple tap turns on the add + move modes
- Add Note mode now defaults to Add + Move mode when turning on Add, tap Move separately to turn off.
- Selecting a note (i.e. move tool or select with tap) now plays the sound
- Load screen allows previewing saved strips before loading
- Play now just plays to note range, rather than large amounts of blank space. A start end play range setting is in the works.
- A 'Spanish Song' strip is now preinstalled with mbc.
- Tap scrub bar handle to trigger play.
- Moving/Ripple edit of notes with snap on no longer snaps all selected notes - the offset itself is snapped, and then applied to each note maintaining non-snap offsets between notes.
Bugfixes:
- Trying to move a note in the region of a recently deleted note could grab the deleted note instead of the visible note making it difficult to grab the note you wanted to. (It's not actually deleted until the undo system no longer needs it - now it should be more effectively hidden).
- Combined Add/Move mode now shows a note as selected on touch begin when it is being moved
- Moving a note with Snap on could cause other non-snapped notes to become snapped.
- Erase all is now undoable
- Ripple edit could shift notes off the range of the paper strip
Other:
- new icon and updated splash
- Name on device is now 'MusicBox', rather than 'mBxComposer' which ended up truncated.
1.1
Apr 11, 2012
- Deleted notes are no longer saved to file, reappearing when you reopen the file.
- Strip name now displays up to 80 characters, scaling down the name as needed.
- 9 file limit removed from load screen - now an unlimited scrolling list.
- undo/redo buttons now highlight for a fraction of a second to indicate the button has been triggered
- redo wasn't always working for redoing move
- undo system improved for combined add/move mode
- Strip name now displays up to 80 characters, scaling down the name as needed.
- 9 file limit removed from load screen - now an unlimited scrolling list.
- undo/redo buttons now highlight for a fraction of a second to indicate the button has been triggered
- redo wasn't always working for redoing move
- undo system improved for combined add/move mode
1.0
Mar 30, 2012
Music Box Composer FAQ
Click here to learn how to download Music Box Composer in restricted country or region.
Check the following list to see the minimum requirements of Music Box Composer.
iPhone
Requires iOS 8.0 or later.
iPad
Requires iPadOS 8.0 or later.
iPod touch
Requires iOS 8.0 or later.
Music Box Composer supports English
