Music Of The Future

ByMike Moffit

A few months ago, alternative rock/hip hop band Gorillaz released their latest album entitled The Fall, which has gained notoriety for being one of the first commercially available albums composed, performed and produced almost entirely on an iPad while on tour. Even if you are not a fan on the band’s music, a quick cursory listen should show that the iPad is a very powerful, serious music creation device. Being a musician and gear junkie myself, I’ve found the iPad to be an incredibly valuable resource to the creative process. It brings the musician/instrument interaction to a whole new level. I can actually manipulate and touch the sounds I create, add tasteful effects to spice them up or (my favorite) completely mangle them to sound otherworldly and bizarre. There are some tremendously powerful sound sculpting and creation apps out there for those who like to experiment, as well as plenty of more traditional instrument and composition based apps. Here are a few highlights worth of checking out.

GarageBand Apple’s trademark music creation and production application goes mobile! GarageBand for iPad features tons of great playable and “smart” instruments, as well as the capability to record up to eight audio tracks—making it a no-brainer for musicians of all skill levels. You can even bounce your creations over to your Mac and use the full version of GarageBand to add more tracks and edit to your heart’s content!

Korg iElectribe Based on Korg’s legendary drum synthesizer/sequencer hardware, this is a perfect app for electronic music producers or musicians looking for some really out there beats and sounds. Deep editing possibilities make the sounds you can get out of this app nearly infinite. While you’re at it, check out Korg’s stunning iMS-20 synthesizer app!

Pianist Pro This app sports great Piano—and other—sounds, easy playability and the ability to connect to your computer as an external MIDI controller. Pianist Pro is a great app for your workstation needs.

Amplitube for iPad Plug your guitar or bass into your iPad (or iPhone/iPod touch) and prepare yourself for hours of fun as you rock out to some vintage and modern amps and effects! There are multiple versions of this app, including one that is comprised solely of Fender simulated amps and effects. You can even record your song ideas right within the app! Please note that this app requires a device such as the iRig for a physical connection between your instrument and the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.

forScore Store all of your sheet music scores in PDF form in one convenient app! forScore also features a visual metronome, auto page turn functionality and the ability to annotate your scores on the fly and email or print them right from your iPad!

Due to the myriad of available iOS music apps, it can be difficult to determine what you may need for a specific task. I’m an avid follower the blog Palm Sounds which is a great research tool for music related apps. YouTube is also great for watching user reviews and developer demos before making an app purchase. Above all, have fun with these apps!

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