Facebook’s R & D division, the NPE Team, has launched another experimental app centered around music. Called BARS, it’s meant to give prospective rappers a way to record their rhymes with the app’s studio-quality vocal effects and professionally created rhythms, as well as to share their videos on social media. Users can choose from the various available rhythms, and when typing in-app, BARS will automatically – suggest words that rhyme with what they type
The app has audio and visual filters and an autotune feature that allows users to create a polished product. There is also a challenge mode, in which users have to report release while using the automatically suggested word clues. As TechCrunch note, BARS seems to be another attempt at a TikTok competitor, albeit a specialized one, as each video can only be up to 60 seconds long. The app even has a similar user interface with a vertical video interface with two tabs.
Late last year, the NPE team released the experimental app Collab, which allows users to collaborate on music videos without having to meet in person. The team told TechCrunch that the pandemic played a role in the creation of both programs. “I know that access to expensive recording studios and production equipment for prospective rappers can be restricted. In addition, the global pandemic has closed live performances where we often create and share our work,” team member DJ Iyler told the publication. .
Facebook has introduced BARS as a closed beta for iPhones, with its first videos uploaded by team members. It is currently available in the App Store, and interested rappers can now download it to retain their username and sign up for the waiting list.