Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Superbooth 2026
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
More
  • Superbooth 2026
  • Kate Bush Army Dreamers
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Theory of Feels
  1. Tech
  2. Software & Apps

iPhone/iPad iOS music making app round-up: Week 21

News
By Ben Rogerson published 27 January 2011

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Taking control

Taking control

This week, more evidence that iOS is becoming a serious player in the controller world, with three new apps that let you get hands-on with software that’s running on your computer. The iPad might not kill the hardware controller as we know it, but it’s certainly presenting it with a serious challenge.

Also make sure you check out these regularly updated features:

The best iPhone music making apps

The best iPad music making apps

If you've got a new iOS app, make sure you let us know about it by emailing musicradar.pressreleases@futurenet.com with all the details.

NEXT: Studio Devil Guitar Amp

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
Studio Devil Guitar Amp, £2.99

Studio Devil Guitar Amp, £2.99

Studio Devil has brought its tube amp emulating expertise to the iOS platform. There are three amp styles and three cabinets, and you can tweak Gain, Level, Bass and Treble controls. It’s not as feature-packed as some of its rivals, but Guitar Amp might just give you the tone you’ve been looking for.

Buy now from the App Store

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
One More Muse Control (OSC + MIDI), Free

One More Muse Control (OSC + MIDI), Free

A flexible controller app that enables you to create your own interfaces. The developer admits that if you’ve never used wireless MIDI or OSC before there could be a bit of a learning curve to climb, but once you’ve scaled it, this free app could come in very handy indeed.

Buy now from the App Store

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Onoko International Limited Pad MIDI, £0.59

Onoko International Limited Pad MIDI, £0.59

Yet another controller app - this one works with your Mac music software. There are 16 assignable and re-nameable pads, an 88-note keyboard and adjustable MIDI channel and velocity. Just don’t fall into the same trap as one reviewer on the App Store who moaned that the app itself wasn’t producing any sound…

Buy now from the App Store

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Harmony Systems gbTouch, £2.99

Harmony Systems gbTouch, £2.99

Years ago, M-Audio released a dedicated hardware controller for GarageBand - now you can buy a three quid iPad app that does pretty much the same job. It enables you to navigate your way around Apple’s entry-level DAW, meaning you’ll be able to cut down on your mouse and keyboard time.

Buy now from the App Store

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Laan Labs Tap DJ, £1.19

Laan Labs Tap DJ, £1.19

A twin-deck DJing app that offers mixing, scratching, iPod library access, mix recording, EQ, FX, cue points, sampling, voice recording and more. One unusual feature is the implementation of the GyroScratch technology: twist your iDevice to scratch.

Buy now from the App Store

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
Christian Sander Synse, £1.19

Christian Sander Synse, £1.19

Another of those apps that appears to be as much about the experience of using it as it is the music you make with it, Synse lets you sequence audio and visuals at the same time. Arrangements can be made simply by tapping, and three content ‘sets’ are supplied for you to play with.

Buy now from the App Store

Liked this? Now read: The best iPhone music making apps and The best iPad music making apps

Connect with MusicRadar: via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson
Social Links Navigation
Deputy Editor

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

Latest in Software & Apps
Ableton Live 12.3
Tech Ableton Live 12.4 is out now, with Link Audio and updated Erosion, Delay and Chorus-Ensemble devices
 
 
Splice/YouTube
Plugins Thinking of making your next music tech purchase on a rent-to-own plan? Read this first
 
 
Neural DSP Darklgass Ultra
Bass Guitars Neural DSP unveils the Darkglass Ultimate plugin – a fully featured digital platform for studio-quality bass tone
 
 
iZotope RX 12 Advanced
Tech iZotope upgrades RX with a film-focused stem separation module and improved machine learning
 
 
jimmy jam
Artists Jimmy Jam on sampling, AI and his new EastWest drum machine plugin
 
 
A laptop on top of some music gear with Ableton Live 12 DAW displayed on it. To the left is a drum kit with some headphones and microphones on it.
Digital Audio Workstation I’m telling every producer I know to upgrade to Ableton Live Lite 12 today thanks to a 25% discount on all versions of this 4.5 star rated DAW
 
 
Latest in News
Sadler Vaden takes a slide solo on a Rickenbacker
Artists “It’s a funny thing to imagine but it changes how you play”: Sadler Vaden's approach to slide guitar
 
 
US musician and record producer Teddy Riley performs on stage during the 2025 BET Awards at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on June 9, 2025. (Photo by Michael Tran / AFP)
Artists Teddy Riley on how he sampled a single bar of a Bill Withers song and turned it into an R&B smash
 
 
Warm Audio Reamper: the all-in-one routing solution for reamping and adding effects to recorded tracks.
Guitars “Track a performance through your favorite tube amp while simultaneously capturing a dry signal as a safety”: Warm Audio’s Reamper is an analogue “creative routing hub” that could be the recording tool you’ve been waiting for
 
 
The Marshall 60th Anniversary Jimi Hendrix Collection features a Marshall 1959 Super Lead half-stack, and a special edition Dunlop Fuzz Face.
Guitars “We built the amps, Hendrix made them scream”: Marshall celebrates 60 years of Jimi Hendrix with “cosmic” anniversary collection including hand-wired amp, Fuzz Face and more
 
 
Superbooth 2026
Tech Stochastic sequences to a ‘render farm’ of drums: 8 great Eurorack releases from Superbooth 2026
 
 
Sphere lights up on December 08, 2024 in Las Vegas
Gigs & Festivals “We just couldn’t make it work”: Adam Jones reveals that Tool were meant to open the Sphere in 2023
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...