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4. Get creative

Now the real fun begins: Amido's Noise.io is a fully-fledged iPhone synthesizer boasting a matrix-style sequencer for programming and a tap-tempo function for synching to other sound sources. There are 81 presets plus an editor for creating unique patches. For a 'disarmingly simple' alternative, try iPhone Synth.

A portable drum machine was another logical application for the iPhone, and what better to simulate than Roland's classic TR-909. The app version – called the IR-909 – features eight drum sample slots, four patterns, a 16-step sequencer and a bonus supply of 808, 707 and 606 sets. iZotope's easy-to-use iDrum beatbox is well worth checking out, too.

5. Practice makes perfect

Gather your friends in a circle on a rug, take out your iPhone and prepare to blow. You'll need SMule's Ocarina app which plays notes by covering the virtual holes on the touchscreen (think back to when you learned to play the recorder at school) and produces an ancient flute-type sound when you blow into the microphone.

If this product takes off, you can expect a 'No Stairway To Heaven' sign on Apple's App Store door very soon.

6. Mix it up

If you're a laptop-musician with a penchant for playing live, it's worth bearing in mind that the right app will turn your iPhone into a MIDI controller. iTouchMidi is abutton app that can be used for triggering samples from anywhere in the venue!

Another mixing option, ProRemote, mirrors Digidesign's Pro Tools interface, so if that's your DAW of choice, you can control it remotely.At an eye-watering cost of$150/£85, however, you might want to opt for the akaRemote.app, which works with Max/MSP and costs absolutely nothing.