Creative Things to Try for Free

Dr. Mac's Rants & Raves #380

Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves
Episode #380

One of the bright spots in this dark time is companies offering formerly paid services and apps at no cost for a limited time. So, here are some things to try (for free) while you’re stuck at home.

Mobile Creator Summit

The makers of two apps I use and love—Filmic (Filmic Pro) and LumaTouch (LumaFusion)—have joined forces to offer a Mobile Creator Summit, which they describe as:

A virtual gathering of the world’s best mobile video filmmakers, journalists, and storytellers to inspire, share insights, and teach new skills.

Sessions will be streamed for the next three Fridays at no cost.

Apple Pro Apps Free for 90 Days

If you’ve ever wanted to check out Apple’s pro-level media creation apps Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, but were put off by their prices ($299.99 and $199.99 respectively), Apple is now offering three-month free trials of both. Now you can use these killer apps to produce that video or audio masterpiece that’s been rattling around in your brain for free.

Visit the Logic Pro Free Trial page on Apple’s site, or the main Logic Pro page for details.

Cool Synthesizers for Your iDevices

If you like playing music, check out the Minimoog Model D Synthesizer and Korg iKaossilator, two fascinating synthesizer apps you can play on your iDevice, which are currently available for free.

Minimoog Model D Synthesizer
Minimoog Model D Synthesizer
KORG iKaossilator
KORG iKaossilator

Even if you know nothing about synthesizers, you’ll have fun making sounds with Minimoog Model D and Korg iKaossilator.

Learn Guitar with Fender Play Free for 90 Days

Learn to play guitar, bass, or ukulele free for 90 days courtesy of Fender.
Learn to play guitar, bass, or ukulele free for 90 days courtesy of Fender.

In a similar (musical) vein, my sister forwarded this excellent offer from Fender Play to me last week:

To see people through, Fender is offering three months of free online guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons with Fender Play. To ensure your unique code appears, Fender recommends accessing the page using an incognito mode or window. No credit card required.

I didn’t expect much for free, but I have been quite impressed with both the quality of the lessons and the variety of songs available as lessons.

I’m recording a cover version of the Animals’ classic 60’s hit House of the Rising Sun as bonus content for my next book, GarageBand For Dummies Second Edition. After watching the excellent Fender Play lesson on how to play the arpeggios, I’m playing them better than I ever played them before.

If you want to learn to play guitar, bass, or ukulele (or improve your skills on them), don’t miss this most excellent offer.

Thanks, sis!

Library Loans with Libby

Check out books and audiobooks from your public library with Libby.
Check out ebooks and audiobooks from your public library with Libby.

Finally, I love to read, and I especially love reading eBooks for free using the Libby app on my iDevices.

Although Libby has always been free, it makes a perfect ending for this column. This free app has been among my favorites for years. I use it to check out eBooks and audiobooks from my local public library and then enjoy them on my iDevice (for free). All you need to use Libby is a library card from a public library including Houston, Harris County, Austin, as well as most other public libraries.

There is one more thing: Please stay safe!

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