Pocket Bard

Name: Pocket Bard
Rating: 4.8 (800 reviews)
Author: Pocket Bard Inc.

Pocket Bard

Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad

800 Ratings
Age Rating

9+
Years
Category

Music
Developer

Pocket Bard Inc.
Language

EN
English
Size

104.6
MB

Pocket Bard is a fully immersive audio experience for your tabletop RPG game session. With just a tap, change your entire soundscape to match the tone of your session - from moment to moment, alter the intensity of the music and sound effects to pair perfectly with your gameplay. Terms of Service: https://www.pocketbard.app/terms-of-service.html Privacy Policy: https://www.pocketbard.app/privacy-policy.html

Ratings & Reviews

4.8

out of 5

800 Ratings

Best background music app for just about anything
04/07/2024

Kraaahfgthh
Excellent music composition, multiple different themes and excellent sound effects that you can control to emphasis a crit or creep out your players. Adds a new dimension to tabletop RPG’s (not just DnD). Also makes great background sound to help get into a more creative mindset when writing adventures, short stories or novels. Probably would work great with other forms of art also, but i can’t speak to that. Easy interface and seamless transitions between musical scores. Crazy impressed, especially after meeting the team of musicians and developers at a con and seeing how much effort and sweat went into building this app.Edit: make sure to download the fantasy starter pack after you download the app. They are both free and well worth the minimal effort required. As a side note, I hope the one guy who left a 1 star review gets a job soon and stops taking his financial woes out on a team that is offering an excellent FREE product.

Developer Response
Hi Kraaahfgth! Thank you so much for leaving this review. I wasn't at the most recent con, but it's so awesome that our team left you with such a positive impression! We love that you're finding Pocket Bard to be an intuitive and powerful audio tool to weave through out your day. We didn't initially create Pocket Bard to be used outside of gaming, but our community has taught us so much in such a short amount of time, and we couldn't be more excited to see how users like you embrace what we've made. As always, please let us know if you have any suggestions or feedback at support@pocketbard.app Happy gaming and we hope you enjoy what we have planned next!
Best background music app for just about anything
04/07/2024

Kraaahfgthh

Excellent music composition, multiple different themes and excellent sound effects that you can control to emphasis a crit or creep out your players. Adds a new dimension to tabletop RPG’s (not just DnD). Also makes great background sound to help get into a more creative mindset when writing adventures, short stories or novels. Probably would work great with other forms of art also, but i can’t speak to that. Easy interface and seamless transitions between musical scores. Crazy impressed, especially after meeting the team of musicians and developers at a con and seeing how much effort and sweat went into building this app.Edit: make sure to download the fantasy starter pack after you download the app. They are both free and well worth the minimal effort required. As a side note, I hope the one guy who left a 1 star review gets a job soon and stops taking his financial woes out on a team that is offering an excellent FREE product.
Developer Response 04/10/2024
Hi Kraaahfgth! Thank you so much for leaving this review. I wasn't at the most recent con, but it's so awesome that our team left you with such a positive impression! We love that you're finding Pocket Bard to be an intuitive and powerful audio tool to weave through out your day. We didn't initially create Pocket Bard to be used outside of gaming, but our community has taught us so much in such a short amount of time, and we couldn't be more excited to see how users like you embrace what we've made. As always, please let us know if you have any suggestions or feedback at support@pocketbard.app Happy gaming and we hope you enjoy what we have planned next!
Almost perfect!
Apr 2

Slushi_Gamz
I cannot write a review past 4 stars. This app is perfect for almost everything. The ability to have music of different intensities on an infinite loop really helps keep players engaged and immersed in your world or story! Being able to add sound effects is just a cherry on top that I didn’t realize I needed until I got this app! I personally don’t use the one shot sounds often as it’s a mild hassle to do it appropriately in a game, but the fact that it’s there is amazing. My only gripe about the sound effects is some background ambiance is not an option even in the settings menu to add yourself, which sometimes is disappointing that not every background sound is available in any location even if sometimes it wouldn’t make sense. The only reason I cannot put a 5 star review is simply because I despise subscriptions… I understand that the people need to make money, and that is no problem for an argument from me, and as of now the developers have acknowledged that they’re going to keep making more scenes to make the subscription more worth it. But I would beg of you even if it’s 5-15 dollars a scene, that I would be able to buy them individually…. I simply despise subscriptions and would rather have something I can just outright buy and own, even if that price is much higher than the subscription, as it doesn’t go away.

Developer Response
Hey Slushi_Gamz. Thanks very much for your honest feedback. We completely understand that the subscription model may not be ideal for everyone. However, we did not come to the decision to have a subscription lightly. After much careful thought and analysis, we determined that this was the only viable way for us to keep the app ad-free for all, pay server costs, support our wonderful team of developers, artists, and composers, all while continuing to make the app better on a rolling basis. And if the subscription isn't really your thing, that's ok! We'll be adding value for users thanks to the revenue generated by this model as well. In addition to the dozens of free one-shots we've released in recent months, we'll be adding tons of free music content in the near future. We like to think we're fairly transparent with our business practices, so if you have any questions about how we landed on these choices, if you'd like to learn more about the team behind the app, or if you want to continue to convo, please reach out: support@pocketbard.app. We may not always agree with everything our users think, but we genuinely want to hear from everyone so that we can better serve the TTRPG community. Thanks very much for your time, we hope you continue to enjoy Pocket Bard, and we'd love to hear from you soon!
Almost perfect!
Apr 2

Slushi_Gamz

I cannot write a review past 4 stars. This app is perfect for almost everything. The ability to have music of different intensities on an infinite loop really helps keep players engaged and immersed in your world or story! Being able to add sound effects is just a cherry on top that I didn’t realize I needed until I got this app! I personally don’t use the one shot sounds often as it’s a mild hassle to do it appropriately in a game, but the fact that it’s there is amazing. My only gripe about the sound effects is some background ambiance is not an option even in the settings menu to add yourself, which sometimes is disappointing that not every background sound is available in any location even if sometimes it wouldn’t make sense. The only reason I cannot put a 5 star review is simply because I despise subscriptions… I understand that the people need to make money, and that is no problem for an argument from me, and as of now the developers have acknowledged that they’re going to keep making more scenes to make the subscription more worth it. But I would beg of you even if it’s 5-15 dollars a scene, that I would be able to buy them individually…. I simply despise subscriptions and would rather have something I can just outright buy and own, even if that price is much higher than the subscription, as it doesn’t go away.
Developer Response Apr 3
Hey Slushi_Gamz. Thanks very much for your honest feedback. We completely understand that the subscription model may not be ideal for everyone. However, we did not come to the decision to have a subscription lightly. After much careful thought and analysis, we determined that this was the only viable way for us to keep the app ad-free for all, pay server costs, support our wonderful team of developers, artists, and composers, all while continuing to make the app better on a rolling basis. And if the subscription isn't really your thing, that's ok! We'll be adding value for users thanks to the revenue generated by this model as well. In addition to the dozens of free one-shots we've released in recent months, we'll be adding tons of free music content in the near future. We like to think we're fairly transparent with our business practices, so if you have any questions about how we landed on these choices, if you'd like to learn more about the team behind the app, or if you want to continue to convo, please reach out: support@pocketbard.app. We may not always agree with everything our users think, but we genuinely want to hear from everyone so that we can better serve the TTRPG community. Thanks very much for your time, we hope you continue to enjoy Pocket Bard, and we'd love to hear from you soon!
Great to use, BUT
12/03/2023

Magnum52633
First the good - the app is well built, fun and intuitive to use, and the sounds are great! I look forward to more soundscapes being made, and more sound packs being released. I even cannot wait to see how the devs increase functionality within individual packs, like scene specific sound categories and what not. Having the same basic categories, like ambiance and weather, across all scenes make a ton of sense and works fantastic.$7 a month is a steep price, however. I would certainly pay money for a pro version were it a one time charge. I would even enthusiastically buy sound packs piecemeal to gain permanently full access to them. $7 for one sound pack would be an easy impulse buy that I would only slightly regret, but a monthly subscription model just does not feel like the fit for a service like this. I will continue to use the app, but implore the devs to look at other monetization methods, as I feel like a subscription basis will be a consistent turn off for many potential customers.Also, devs just HAVE to get working on a tavern soundscape, how else am I supposed to start my adventures?!

Developer Response
Thanks so much for your feedback! We're happy to hear that you're having fun using the app, and we're always stoked to hear that it's easy to pick up and use.Regarding the subscription - we're actively working to increase the value by adding more songs, sounds, and overall bang for your buck! We've thought a lot about our pricing model, and currently see the subscription as the only viable way to get the app to be where we want it long term while offering an expanding library of free content. If you're interested in our reasoning, we have a detailed explanation on our Discord!And your ears must be ringing - our team is hard at work scoring and recording our Tavern Expansion :) that's our top content priority right now. -Nick
Great to use, BUT
12/03/2023

Magnum52633

First the good - the app is well built, fun and intuitive to use, and the sounds are great! I look forward to more soundscapes being made, and more sound packs being released. I even cannot wait to see how the devs increase functionality within individual packs, like scene specific sound categories and what not. Having the same basic categories, like ambiance and weather, across all scenes make a ton of sense and works fantastic.$7 a month is a steep price, however. I would certainly pay money for a pro version were it a one time charge. I would even enthusiastically buy sound packs piecemeal to gain permanently full access to them. $7 for one sound pack would be an easy impulse buy that I would only slightly regret, but a monthly subscription model just does not feel like the fit for a service like this. I will continue to use the app, but implore the devs to look at other monetization methods, as I feel like a subscription basis will be a consistent turn off for many potential customers.Also, devs just HAVE to get working on a tavern soundscape, how else am I supposed to start my adventures?!
Developer Response 12/11/2023
Thanks so much for your feedback! We're happy to hear that you're having fun using the app, and we're always stoked to hear that it's easy to pick up and use.Regarding the subscription - we're actively working to increase the value by adding more songs, sounds, and overall bang for your buck! We've thought a lot about our pricing model, and currently see the subscription as the only viable way to get the app to be where we want it long term while offering an expanding library of free content. If you're interested in our reasoning, we have a detailed explanation on our Discord!And your ears must be ringing - our team is hard at work scoring and recording our Tavern Expansion :) that's our top content priority right now. -Nick
Great apps but has some bugs
10/16/2024

Tyco0621
I love this app so let me get that out of the way. I think the idea behind it is amazing. However it has some bugs. For one the explosion one shot doesn’t work on any of the scenes for me except the original scene it comes with. I purchased the subscription so I have all the other ones. The other problem is I noticed a lot of scenes like the city and town have whisper for ambiance. Bit whisper sounds like demonic whispering. It doesn’t fit. However the tavern has the crowd sound. Which fits way better. I think the devs need to go through and replace the whispers with the crowd effect cause it makes way more sense. Unfortunately you can use the crowd effect in other scenes cause then it changes everything when you switch. Also maybe devs should come up with a way for us to create our own scenes with the sounds already available. That would be amazing and add a whole new option for customization. Cause I notice there’s lots of scenes with one shot assets I like but the explore or location sounds don’t fit.

Developer Response
Hey Tyco0621, thanks so much for this review! We'd like to apologize for your experience and our lack of clarity around what users are able to do within Pocket Bard. Specifically around your feedback concerning the Ambiences and OneShots. By going to the Play tab, tapping a location, and tapping the Edit button in the upper right corner, you are actually able to customize which Ambient and OneShot effects are available within the scene. You can take effects you don't need away, add additional effects, or even tap the "pin" icon so that these effects will be available across all locations. No ambience is locked behind any specific location other than the "location" ambience.Concerning the explosion OneShot not working across locations, we believe that we have implemented an in-app fix for this issue. Once you confirm that you are running the latest version of Pocket Bard (2.2.3) please navigate to the Content Page. If you don't see the "update" button in the upper right corner of the screen, please pull down on that page to refresh the contents. You may see the update button appear or you will see a message that says "all content is up to date." We believe that this is the root of the problem.Once you have ensured that all content is up to date and you are still experiencing this bug, please navigate to the play page, tap the edit button in the upper right corner, go to One-Shots, remove explosion, and then press and hold on the explosion button to delete the effect. Once the effect has been fully deleted, attempt to download it again and see if the issue persists. I hope you find this information helpful! Thank you so much for your support and for taking the time to let us know what we can do to improve Pocket Bard! We are in it for the long haul and will do everything possible to make our app better every day. If you'd like to follow up about this or submit any additional feedback, our door is always open. Please reach out at any time to support@pocketbard.app - Thanks again!
Great apps but has some bugs
10/16/2024

Tyco0621

I love this app so let me get that out of the way. I think the idea behind it is amazing. However it has some bugs. For one the explosion one shot doesn’t work on any of the scenes for me except the original scene it comes with. I purchased the subscription so I have all the other ones. The other problem is I noticed a lot of scenes like the city and town have whisper for ambiance. Bit whisper sounds like demonic whispering. It doesn’t fit. However the tavern has the crowd sound. Which fits way better. I think the devs need to go through and replace the whispers with the crowd effect cause it makes way more sense. Unfortunately you can use the crowd effect in other scenes cause then it changes everything when you switch. Also maybe devs should come up with a way for us to create our own scenes with the sounds already available. That would be amazing and add a whole new option for customization. Cause I notice there’s lots of scenes with one shot assets I like but the explore or location sounds don’t fit.
Developer Response 10/18/2024
Hey Tyco0621, thanks so much for this review! We'd like to apologize for your experience and our lack of clarity around what users are able to do within Pocket Bard. Specifically around your feedback concerning the Ambiences and OneShots. By going to the Play tab, tapping a location, and tapping the Edit button in the upper right corner, you are actually able to customize which Ambient and OneShot effects are available within the scene. You can take effects you don't need away, add additional effects, or even tap the "pin" icon so that these effects will be available across all locations. No ambience is locked behind any specific location other than the "location" ambience.Concerning the explosion OneShot not working across locations, we believe that we have implemented an in-app fix for this issue. Once you confirm that you are running the latest version of Pocket Bard (2.2.3) please navigate to the Content Page. If you don't see the "update" button in the upper right corner of the screen, please pull down on that page to refresh the contents. You may see the update button appear or you will see a message that says "all content is up to date." We believe that this is the root of the problem.Once you have ensured that all content is up to date and you are still experiencing this bug, please navigate to the play page, tap the edit button in the upper right corner, go to One-Shots, remove explosion, and then press and hold on the explosion button to delete the effect. Once the effect has been fully deleted, attempt to download it again and see if the issue persists. I hope you find this information helpful! Thank you so much for your support and for taking the time to let us know what we can do to improve Pocket Bard! We are in it for the long haul and will do everything possible to make our app better every day. If you'd like to follow up about this or submit any additional feedback, our door is always open. Please reach out at any time to support@pocketbard.app - Thanks again!

Various bug fixes and performance improvements

Version 3.1.8 Apr 28

Data Used to Track You

The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:
- Usage Data
Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Diagnostics
Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Purchases
- Location
- Contact Info
- Identifiers
- Usage Data

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Accessibility

Information

Seller: Pocket Bard Inc.
Size: 104.6 MB
Category: Music
Compatibility: Requires iOS 16.1 or later.

iPhone
Requires iOS 16.1 or later.

iPad
Requires iPadOS 16.1 or later.

Mac
Requires macOS 13.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.

Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
Languages: English
Age Rating: 9+

9+

Learn More

Infrequent
Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Horror/Fear Themes
Guns or Other Weapons
In-App Purchases: Yes

Pocket Bard Open Worlds $6.99

Pocket Bard Open Worlds Yearly $49.99

Learn More

Developer Website

Privacy Policy

License Agreement

You Might Also Like

View

RPG Sounds: Fantasy

Immersive RPG & D&D Sound App
View

RPG Master Sounds Mixer

DnD music tabletop soundboard
View

Demo: Songwriting Studio

Chords, Write Lyrics, Record
View

Music League

Music
View

Nintendo Music

Enjoy Nintendo game music!
View

Quiztones: EQ Ear Training

Learn to use EQ like a pro
View

Show|Ready

Music
View

Summoning Stone

Tabletop RPG Music & SFX
View

forScore

Turbocharge your sheet music
View

Whoop Triggerz Plus

Every church has music now!

Pocket Bard

Ratings & Reviews

Best background music app for just about anything

Almost perfect!

Great to use, BUT

Great apps but has some bugs

What’s New

App Privacy

Data Used to Track You

Data Linked to You

Data Not Linked to You

Accessibility

Information

You Might Also Like

RPG Sounds: Fantasy

RPG Master Sounds Mixer

Demo: Songwriting Studio

Music League

Nintendo Music

Quiztones: EQ Ear Training

Show|Ready

Summoning Stone

forScore

Whoop Triggerz Plus