Music Apps

Music Apps provide a largely personal creative outlet that has very few bounds. The iPad is my tool of choice here, largely in part been because of the sheer number of reasonably priced apps available it. Listed below are my favourite ones.

Animoog (iPad version)

As has been said many times before, no synth collection would be complete without a copy of Animoog on the iPad. It’s a highly expressive synth that takes full advantage of the touch interface, but can also be connected to any midi source. With the inclusion of extra in-app purchases for more presets and functionality for the app, you’ll be hard pressed to try it all any time soon. Remember, this link is for the iPad version, not the iPhone Version.

Synthscaper

Synthscaper is an amazing synth by Igor Vasiliev, and it truly one of a kind. Within 10 minutes I had not only fallen in Love with the UI, but also the sounds it created. If you into exploring sounds, then this app will help you find hitherto never before heard sounds. Comes highly recommended to anyone looking for something new and interesting.

iVCS3

Back in the late 60’s, Electronic Music Studios created a synth that made weird and wonderful sounds. These popped up in various BBC sci\fi shows and with musicians such as Jean Michel Jarre, who were all looking for something a little bit off the wall. Had the US distributor not stiffed Peter Zinovieff’s company back in the early 70’s, then maybe Moog would have had a serious contender. Apesoft’s iVCS3 is a very good emulation of the EMS VCS3, with extras.

Tardigrain

Tardigrain is a granular synth app. It has an interface you’ll either love or hate, but personally I think it works very well, getting the job done with very little to get in the way. Allows you to explore sounds on a very personal level by using either pre recorded sound or something you import.

AUM

No collection should be without AUM. It’s a mixing desk for multiple app streams, and a nice routing solution like Audiobus.

Cubasis

There are quite a few DAW’s out there, but the one that works for me is Cubasis. Recently updated to version 3, it has been under constant development since it’s introduction back in 2013.

Shoom

Shoom night be another off the wall synth, but that doesn’t preclude the fact that it can make some gorgeous sounds.

Borderlands

Borderlands was one of my first granular synths, and a while back it got a bit of a facelift. The developer does say that he will be getting round to adding some extras in the next year or two.

Scape

Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers collaborated on the creation of Scape, to bring us something that is unique and interesting, with a heavy dose of weird. Well worth it, for those that like drones.

Hokusai

After I got my iPad 2, I went round looking for an app that could offer some or all of the features of Audacity on my Mac. It took some time to find Hokusai, but in the end I located this little gem.

Moog Model 15

Moog produced many heavyweight synths over the decades, but the Model 15 has always had a special place in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to own or use it. This is a faithful rendition of the original.

TC-11

If you like to play with sound on a very personal level, then TC-11 is the synth for you. It is unique in that very few other synths use the touch interface quite like this one does. Not the cheapest, but worth it. The more you dig in the more you find.

Digital D1

The mission of Audiokit, was to create instruments that gave something back to the masses. Out of that collaboration came this gem of a synth. Unlike their free cousin apps, Digital D1 comes in at a reasonable £4.99. It has some in-app purchases, but these are also reasonably priced.

Korg Gadget 2

I have most of the Korg apps, but Gadget is an all round amazing app.