iPhone/iPad iOS music making app round-up: Week 60
Hot things to touch
We're still eagerly awaiting the arrival of Propellerhead's Figure, but plenty of other new and updated apps have already made it through Apple's approval process and are available to buy now.
Also make sure you check out The best iPhone/iPad music making apps in the world today.
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: Mike Gao Polyplayground
Compatibility: iPad (requires iOS 3.2 or later)
Mike Gao Polyplayground, £4.99
There is a synth built into this app, but it’s designed primarily as a MIDI controller. Its chord buttons are based on an isomorphic layout, which means that they’re all in the same key, while the Horizontal/Vertical buttons enable you to change the pitch space.
Compatibility: iPad (requires iOS 5.0 or later)
Boulanger Labs csGrain, £6.99
A live audio multi-effects processor that you can use to “create new sounds and new musical textures by transforming your voice, your instrument, or your favourite songs from your iTunes library”. It features a stereo granular sound processor and ten additional audio effects.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (requires iOS 5.0 or later)
Julien Bayle Digital Collisions, £2.99
The latest in a long line of generative music apps: this one is based on physics collision algorithms. Touch the screen to create particles, then watch as they take on lives of their own, bumping into walls and each other. Sound shaping options can be accessed via the Menu button.
Compatibility: iPad (requires iOS 3.2 or later)
VirSyn Addictive Synth, £3.99
An update for this highly regarded iPad synth. There’s now a spectral noise generator with dynamic filter structure, a new reverb unit, support for the new iPad’s Retina display, 32 new presets and additional MIDI controllers. The price listed above is the current discounted one.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (requires iOS 5.0 or later)
SS Series Smart Studio A, £10.49
A self-contained music production app that offers a 4-track recording studio, drum machine with step sequencer and digital sampler. The latter two devices come with their own soundbanks.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (requires iOS 4.2 or later)
Iglesia Intermedia SpaceLab
A monophonic synth that can be played in four ways: keyboard, graph, guitar and wind controller. SpaceLab is a fully programmable instrument that also comes with three effects and an arpeggiator.
Compatibility: iPad (requires iOS 5.0 or later)
Kelfar Technologies WorldScales
If equal-tempered scales are proving too restrictive, WorldScales is here to help. It’s an app that enables you to tune each note in an octave individually (+/- 100 cents) and comes with 35 sample-based instruments. Many of the presets employ lesser-known scales, and MIDI In functionality means you can plug in a keyboard.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (requires iOS 5.0 or later)
Synthetic Bits Little MIDI Machine 3.0, Free
Everyone’s favourite free analogue-style MIDI step sequencer now has Virtual MIDI and background audio support, meaning that you can use it to trigger other iOS apps. Various other things have been added too, including MIDI Input support and the excitingly named supersequence feature.
Liked this? Now read: The best iPhone/iPad music making apps in the world today
I’m the Group Content Manager for MusicRadar, specialising in all things tech. 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, 20 of which I’ve also spent writing about music technology.