With the original iPod being a music player, it’s fitting that many great apps now exist that enable you to create audio on your device. Our selection includes tools for musicians and the best little-known musical toys. --Craig Grannell
LoftLab · $0.99
Yamaha’s stunning Tenori-on has influenced a number of iPhone apps, the best of which is TonePad Pro. While LoftLab’s creation doesn’t offer the scope of Yamaha’s instrument, it does provide you with an extremely fun and usable grid-based synth where your input almost always results in harmonious audio. Dig deeper and you’ll discover handy editing and sharing features--compositions can be flipped, randomized, saved, uploaded, and also exported for use as ringtones.
Get sucked into TonePad Pro and never leave the house again.
Normalware · $1.99
On the surface, it’s a toy: tap your screen and a cartoon robot makes electronic farting noises--which is amusing for about a minute. But double-tap the tiny settings button at the bottom-right of the screen and you unleash a powerful and configurable synth. These settings, combined with the app’s multitouch abilities, ensure that a burping robot can be transformed into a tool for serious musicians, as shown in Jordan Rudess’s video on the Bebot website.
Zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, one!
Newforestar Co,Ltd · $1.99
Rather like Bebot, NESynth hides a synth with some serious clout under a toy-like exterior. Depending on your chosen level of ‘geek’, you can play using a standard piano keyboard or a virtual NES controller. A number of NES-like sounds (including effects) are on offer, pitch-bend can be activated by tilting your device, and an optional arpeggiator is also included. Again, check out the website to see what’s possible when the app’s mastered.
Perfect for the retro-gaming music geek.
Hopefully Useful Software · $4.99
Most iPhone drum machines are throwaway efforts, but EasyBeats provides a welcome balance of fun, usability, depth, and extensibility. You can bash pads to play ‘live’, lay down steps over four loopable bars, and tweak the velocity of each step. There’s a free version, but Pro’s save support, WAV loop export, and the ability to import samples to create your own unique drumkits are well worth the cash. There’s even a built-in three-minute video demo.
EasyBeats Pro is a great drum machine--usable, fun, and extensible.
SID Player Pro · $1.99
Your device happily plays modern computer audio formats such as MP3, but back in the day, systems had proprietary sound chips and formats, used to create chip-tunes. SID Player Pro brings the Commodore 64’s catalogue of 37800 SID tunes to your device, and enables you to ‘favorite’ those compositions that give you a fuzzy, nostalgic glow. The same developer also created Pokey Player (for Atari 8-bit tunes) and Module Player (for Amiga music).
SID maestros Hubbard, Galway, Brennan, Huelsbeck--we salute you!
Bjango · $1.99
Although primarily designed as a tool for DJs, Beats has the potential to assist any musician. The app has three distinct sections: Tempo enables you to tap out a beat to discover a tune’s tempo; Metronome provides a looping clicker, controlled via a great-looking scrollwheel; and Key is a useful piano-based mixing aid. The app’s settings enable you to amend the metronome’s time signature and sound, and to disable your device’s screen lock to keep the beat going.
Tap out a tempo with Beats--an invaluable tool for musicians.
Sound Trends LLC · Free
Looptastic Gold is an entry point into the Looptastic world, a place of drag-and-drop DJ larks. Select a loop set and drag loops to a zone to play them. The higher the loop, the louder it plays, and a crossfader enables you to disable one of the side zones for transitions. In-app purchases provide access to more loops than you could ever need, but the 60 built-in ones should satisfy most people.
Want to DJ? Lack talent/decks/records? Looptastic's the app for you!
Zach Gage · $1.99
Zach Gage’s synthPond is a spatial synth--rather than prod a virtual keyboard, you place nodes in a ‘pond’ that affect other nodes as audio is generated. Press-holding a node provides access to settings, enabling you to amend the node’s properties. The game-like nature of synthPond and its ambient, generative audio is reminiscent of Eno’s Bloom app, but Gage’s creation is cheaper, more directly controllable, and tends to produce more pleasing results.
Generate unique ambient music with synthPond.
Yanez · Free
TweakyBeat is a cheeky, fun, utterly old-school app for sketching beats. The interface is clearly modeled on the Mac OS from many years ago, and the synth itself is purely monophonic. As with the best iPhone musical apps, you can get up and running with TweakyBeat in seconds, but there’s depth for those who want it: sounds can be er—tweaked, eight patterns can be laid down and switched between, and entire sessions can be saved.
TweakyBeat: iPhone drum-machine app meets Mac OS 7.
Glu · $2.99
Although the App Store lists it as a game, Beat It! is in fact a hybrid app. Over the course of many levels, you listen to drum patterns and replicate them as quickly as possible using an on-screen sequencer. Complete a level set and its kit is opened for ‘free play’, akin to a simplified EasyBeats. Beat It!, then, is a game, drum-machine teaching aid, and a performance tool--and the graphic design is wonderful.
Our top tip for Beat It!: wear headphones, or you've no chance.
swatkins01
February 01, 2011 at 6:51am
Has the option to print the article disappeared or am I just missing it?
brigosx
January 31, 2011 at 12:55pm
Working with shifts? Is sometimes a bit hard to remember all your duties? You would like to buy a tool for making this job for you without spending lot of money? If the answer to all these questions is YES then Duties Watcher is the app for you. Born from the same necessity to make our working life easier. You may find at the App Store.
With it's smart scheduler Duties Watcher is the app!!! You will never regret buying this awesome product.
July2009
May 19, 2010 at 8:12pm
Here are top 20 of our favorite free iPad apps to get you started from the App Store.
http://www.aneesoft.com/tutorials/ipad/best-20-free-ipad-apps.html
kylerwalker
May 12, 2010 at 3:15pm
every math teacher would love the ipolygon app.but i like the doodle cart app sauce lifter pinball dreams and cluck it
tb
May 07, 2010 at 7:12pm
We just released an iPhone app that allows users to keep a photographic food diary and email their day's log to anyone (themselves, a personal trainer, nutritionist, diet buddy, etc.) It's called dietSNAPS. You can check it out at http://www.dietSNAPS.com.
