There's been a huge number of apps released for every facet of human life. But one of the things that has stolen the show is apps for creating music. Here's a run down of some of the best apps for creating music on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch:
Best App For Guitarists - Guitar Toolkit
Guitar Toolkit from Agile Partners boasts a massive range of clever features for both seasoned touring guitarists and those just learning their very first riffs alike. Included within the iPhone app is an incredibly accurate tuner, a metronome, a hugely extensive and easy-to-use chord finder, a handy string-by-string graphic tuner, and a host of tweakable settings - like the option to change the app to cater for 12 string guitars and left handers.
Best App For Recording - Fourtrack
Fourtrack from Sonoma Wireworks is a multitrack recording app for the iPhone. Working like a modern all-in one mixing desk and recorder, the app allows you to record, bounce, and add effects to tracks, as well as mixing and exporting whole tunes, or exporting individual tracks from the app for outside editing. It's a great tool for laying down demos, but the quality of the recoding is such that with enough care and patience, professional-standard recordings can be achieved. For an example, check out 'Love Is The Thing' from the band 'The 88' - recorded entirely on an iPhone!
Best App For Pianists - Pianist
Pianist was one of the original music apps for the iPhone, and through constant updates has remained one of the best. A great interface, multitrack recording options, a built in metronome and a realistic piano sound with a host of customisable features make this a great app for getting down ideas, jamming with friends, or even recording parts of a larger project.
Best App For Looping - Everyday Looper
Everyday Looper, despite its rather simplistic appearance, is actually and incredibly powerful smartphone app and one that can be an asset to any musician's mobile instrument library. Despite its lack of initial tutorial, with a little perseverance, Everyday Looper can be used to create everything from funky vocal compositions to epic guitar or keyboard soundscapes. A search on youtube can yeald some amazingly effective uses of this app. Of particular note is Johnny Rodriguez's cover of 'We Cry' by The Script.
Best App For Experimentation - Tonepad
Tonepad is the perfect answer to musicians who have hit a creative wall and needs some inspiration for melodies or musical ideas, or if they just want to have a bit of creative fun. The app features a clean minimalist user interface with a 16x16 matrix - with time represented on one axis and pitch on another. Notes are turned 'on' or 'off' on the matrix by touching them. The result is often a hypnotic and soothing soundscape that can be constantly changed and evolved by further additions or subtractions from the matrix.
These are just a sample of some of the great apps for musicians available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and the addition of OS4 and the iPhone 4's new capabilities means there is probably still plenty more where they came from: For a few more - see this article.
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