SuperMegaUltraGroovy has updated Capo (http://supermegaultragroovy.com/products/Capo/), a Mac OS X application designed to help aspiring musicians learn to play their favorite tracks, to version 2.0. The upgrade is ready for Mac OS X 10.6 (“Snow Leopard”).
Capo slows down songs from iTunes without changing the pitch, letting users hear every note and chord and play along at their own pace. It allows users to adjust the speed and pitch of audio, independent of one another. Pitch adjustments can be made finely, to match an instrument’s tuning, or coarsely, to change the song’s key. In addition, users can set markers, and create loops, to aid their learning. All these settings can be saved in Capo documents, so that users can later return to where they left off.
The marker features in Capo lets you move around a song quickly. When learning a new section, markers can be placed, and quickly recalled, using the keyboard. Capo can be used by dragging songs straight from iTunes onto its icon in the Dock, or any open Capo window. Alternatively, users can employ the standard File Open panel, which includes access to the iTunes library, and search functionality.
A trial version of Capo is available immediately for download from the Capo web site. The trial limits playback of each song to five minutes, after which the audio signal will begin to degrade.
Capo can be purchased within the application’s embedded, secure store for US$49. Version 2.0 is a $19 update for registered users.