Keylimba 4+

Excellent app. Some suggestions!

I downloaded this a few days ago, and man has it been fun. Really cool concept, executed brilliantly. Ever option in the settings feels like it has a purpose and the customizability here is really impressive. With just 3 dollars, it also unlocks a bunch of extra instruments, and the kinds of sounds you can produce are quite neat. This, combined with the awesome looping system, means you can have multiple instruments playing at once. Now, some suggestions I have to improve the app: 1. I think adding a “hold” option to the settings would be great. I’m not entirely sure how it would be implemented, but having a feature to extend the samples into long tones, instead of just short blips, would significantly benefit the saw and some waves, as well as the recorder sample. 2. The tuning system is really polished currently, and I think it could be enhanced by adding a chromatic option. Due to this instrument being digital, it is not limited to the practicality of a real kalimba. Having a chromatic set of notes would be extremely useful in varying up scales, to make an even more versatile experience. 3. This is just a personal preference, but I think it would be great if an option to stop the jiggling of the face at the bottom when nothing is being played. It is somewhat distracting, and kind of disrupts the calmness of the app. But that’s a light suggestion Anyway, overall great app!

Lovely

I downloaded this app in July 24, 2020 and my goodness has it grown. I also purchased the added bonus of extra instruments and I absolutely love it! The lyre/harp is one of my favorites. The only thing that bothers me would be the change in the little voice blob since the new version 6.0 makes it 3d and adds a light rim on him. I loved Keylimba for its simplicity and versatility and I get distracted really easily if there is a stark contrast in an area (like the light rim on little voice blob). I hope there’s a feature in the future that allows players to choose between the new look of blob boy or the old/first 2d version instead since I’m sure there are people who do like its new look. I’m still giving this app a 5 stars because it’s an amazing app and my bother is just an extremely minor complain and preference. I’ve always wanted a kalimba but I haven’t been able to purchase one physically so when I heard of this in July, I was starstruck. Thank you so much developer for making this amazing app :) I and many others love it so, so much. (Also, the new reverb effect makes music sound more ethereal it’s so cool!)

Developer Response ,

Hi, glad to see a long time fan of Keylimba! Update 6.2 makes the smile mostly 2D again since most people preferred it. I hope you like it!

Excellent

I own a real kalimba and have been playing it and composing music on it every day for about two years now. I found this app and thought it would be fun to mess around with if I got bored, but I didn’t expect it to be this good.
This app is the closest thing there is to a real kalimba on a virtual platform. The sound is crisp, clear, and (unlike a lot of other instrument apps) does not clip at all. It is very responsive, though it does take some getting used to as there are no actual tines to feel; but it is definitely worth getting used to. The glissandos are very smooth once you figure out how to do them. I also kind of like to shred on the kalimba, and I am pleasantly surprised at how fast I can play this virtual one without it glitching or messing up; as far as I can tell, the only reason anything on this app messes up is because of my human error, which is great!
There are no provisions for note blocking or a wah effect, but those things aren’t really needed in order to play the kalimba (but it would be really cool if it had them).
The reverb effect sounds good if you want a space-y ethereal vibe to your music.
My favorite thing about this app is that you can change the scale of the kalimba, making it very useful for composition.
Overall, I love this app, and would highly recommend it to anyone who plays the kalimba or composes.