Mobile music making is big business, with iOS and Android devices easily capable of producing as pro-sounding tunes as desktop counterparts. Over the following pages we round up 100 essential apps for all aspects of music production…

When it first became apparent that music production would be a happy side effect of the smartphone and the mobile tech explosion, both traditional music equipment firms and startup developers were quick to jump on the bandwagon. Almost in an instant, the NAMM show in California - the start-of-year-extravaganza of all new gear releases - became a mobile phone convention. The promise of both music making by touch and ability to do it on often pocket-sized devices drew us all in. But it wasn’t all plain sailing from there, and we didn’t all jump ship.

One of the initial problems was compatibility between all of the apps - DAW apps working with synth or instrument apps, for example. Another was that the touch experience didn’t always match the promise; it wasn’t always as tactile as using a MIDI controller with a laptop, for example. Then of course there was the power… or lack of it. Early mobile phones and tablets just didn’t have the oomph to run much of the number crunching required for sophisticated music processing. Early apps were therefore restricted in audio processing, track counts and effect usage.

Happily, many of these initial teething problems have now been overcome. We have standards like Audio Units3 and Inter App Audio - see p18 for more - where apps effectively run within other apps and you can, if you put your mind to it, almost mirror your desktop studio in your mobile device. And perhaps this ability to imitate your desktop setup is what excites us most here at Computer Music. We still don’t think that mobile music making offers all the flexibility of a decent, hardware and software hybrid studio based around a powerful computer, but mobile apps, DAWs, instruments and accessories have come on in leaps and bounds to provide a great extension of your studio; a fantastic reason to get out in the fresh air and enjoy this most wondrous of music production pastimes. And these apps and their hosts do allow you to touch those notes in ways that most desktop machines and DAWs still rarely succeed in (Bitwig and other touch DAW fans, yes we know!).

To celebrate the, if you like, coming of age of the mobile studio, over the next 18 pages we’ll look at several aspects of iOS and Android music-making and reveal the jewels within them, from synths to drum machiness, full DAWs to frankly out-there apps. So come with us and enter a world that might just get you out there too, making grooves on the move.

Key guide

MAIN FORMAT iPHONE/iPAD/AN

Some iOS apps are only available on the iPhone or iPad, plus we list the ones (sadly less) available on Google Play/Android.

AUDIO UNITS V3 AUV3

Audio Units v3 is the format - rather like desktop Audio Units or VST - which allows compatible iOS plugins to run within iOS DAWs just like (almost) your desktop instrument and synth plugins run in your desktop DAW. AU iOS DAWs include Steinberg’s Cubasis (above), WaveMachine Labs Auria Pro, Apple’s GarageBand and many more - check our Top 12 DAW roundup on p36 for more.

ABLETON LINK AL

Ableton Link allows various pieces of hardware and software to stay in time playing together when connected wirelessly. It includes Akai hardware, Reason and Bitwig desktop software and various apps. Launch a melody clip in your desktop Live project and play beats in time with an app, for example.

AUDIO BUS AB

Now at v3, Audio Bus allows you to route various compatible apps together within the umbrella AB app so you can route MIDI, for example to trigger different apps and then record that data in your DAW. You can combine apps, chain effects, record performances and sequence anything. The thinking is that you can set entire projects up as an AB project and it’s also compatible with Audio Unit apps too. You might also see apps that are Tabletop compatible which is similar, although AB is more popular.

INTER APP AUDIOIAA

This was one of the first linking formats used to allow apps in iOS to communicate with one another. It is still supported by various apps but Audio Units v3 has the backing of Apple now so IAA support looks like it’s dwindling.

PRESETS & POLYPHONY

NUMBER OF PRESETS AND VOICES

For many of the instruments listed in our top apps we also list the number of preset sounds (either stated or counted by us) found on it and the polyphony of the app ie how many notes can be played at the same time. A monophonic synth can play only one note; a four-voice synth can play four notes and so on. Sometimes a synth might not be based around the idea of having presets in which case we list them as ‘N/S’ (not stated); similarly the polyphony might also not be obvious or in the specs of an app so will be listed as ‘N/S’.

OTHER BIG FEATURES AND PRICE

SEQUENCER, ARPEGGIATOR ETC

Finally, we also list other major features of an app so with a synth, for example, we will list whether it has a sequencer or arpeggiator. You can usually find a detailed breakdown of all the features in an app under the main description in the App Store. App prices might also vary but we’ve generally listed those found at the App Store at the time of writing.

The 13 greatest mobile synths

The synths are often the stars of any show, especially so a mobile one. Here we have several categories including emulations, oddities and these, the 13 most powerful mobile synths out there. Load ’em up, take ’em out…

01 AUDIOKIT SYNTH ONE £FREE

AUV3 (COMING)/AB/AL/IAA | iPAD/iPHONE | 300+PRESETS, 6-VOICE, SEQUENCER

This synth is, as they say “completely free, fully functional, and ad-free - the ultimate free iPad music instrument app”. Synth One was designed as an open source tool for users to take and develop how they please but actually stands up as not only one of the best freebies out there but one of the best synths full stop. It has a character all of its own, a unique and flexible UI and a great overall sound. Of all the apps in our 100, download this one now!

audiokitpro.com

02 BEEP STREET SUNRIZER$9.99

AUV3/AB | iPAD/iPHONE | 380+PRESETS, 6-20-VOICE, PHRASE SEQUENCER

Virtual analogue synths are becoming as common to mobile music making as they are on your desktop but if you were to ask for just one, this could well be it. It features ‘True SuperSaw sound emulation’ - that’s the kind of fat trance lead capability as made ubiquitous by the Roland JP-8000 and used on dozens (hundreds!) of dance and trance tunes over the years - so you know this synth wears its EDM credentials without any embarrassment. Add in flexible effects, modulation and an arpeggiator, and this could well be seen as the Massive of mobile in years to come.

beepstreet.com

03 ICEGEAR INSTRUMENTS LAPLACE$7.99

AUV3/ AB/AL/IAA | iPAD/iPHONE 64 | PRESETS, 24-VOICE, ARPEGGIATOR

This is a little different to most other synth offerings here as it uses physical modelling to create sounds which could imitate strings, plucked instruments, metallic sounds and the like. As with classic hardware like Yamaha’s VL1, physical modelling is best explored when you push its parameters into other sonic realms and that is the case here. Indeed IceGear suggest “it is designed not to reproduce real acoustic instruments but to create new synthesizer sounds in different new ways”. And in that sense will offer completely new sonic journeys, so if you want something a little different this could be eight bucks very well spent.

icegear.net

04 GREEN OAK CRYSTAL$4.99

AB/IAA | iPAD | N/S PRESETS, N/S-VOICES, SEQUENCER

The original Crystal synth is one of the legends of the freeware world, an instrument that will not die and has many thousands of users worldwide. It is looking a bit clunky these days (although still sounds great) and thankfully this iOS update not only refreshes the UI but does the original justice in terms of its sound and ease of use. You can get some lovely evolving sounds, dreamy pads and analogue classics and the touch control really does add a new dimension in playing and programming. And at just $499, why not do a favour back to the developer that has given us such a great freebie over the last couple of decades? greenoak.com

LaPlace is ‘the place’ to be and the synth to use if you want real or imaginary sounds.

A full modular synth experience on your iPhone or iPad.. Who’d have thought…

05 MIRACK $9.99

AUV3/AL/AB/IAA | iPAD/iPHONE | 500+ MODULES, SEQ AND OTHER MODULES

Thought you wouldn’t be able to get a full mobile modular synth experience? Think again. miRack has 500 modules created by modular experts like Mutable Instruments. It also features multichannel audio and will support interfaces by the likes of Expert Sleepers so will integrate with hardware Eurorack gear.

mifki.com

06 KLEVGRAND ENKL$5.99

AUV3/IAA,/AB | iPAD | 93 PRESETS, MONOPHONIC, CHIPTUNE-STYLE ARPEGGIATOR

Klevgrand have scored some major successes over the years with a variety of desktop plugins and this maintains their ethos of producing great quality plugins at very attractive prices. It might well be a monophonic synth, but don’t think that it’s in any way ‘just’ intended for bass, as it does a great job of creating huge leads, glitched-up noise, percussive hits and chiptune effects. There’s a flexible oscillator section, EQ and delay and a welcoming interface that makes the synth look and feel a lot simpler and easier to use than it sounds (a good thing!). A proper bargain too…

klevgrand.se

07 KV331 AUDIO SYNTHMASTER ONE IOS$19.99

AUV3/IAA,/AB/AL | iPAD/iPHONE | i650+PRESETS, 16-VOICE, SEQUENCER

KV331 Audio’s synths are regular end-of-year gear winners and this brings some of their glamour and rich sound to iOS. Featuring a semi-modular architecture, 11 effects and wavetable synthesis, this is about as fully-featured as most desktop synths get. It’s expensive compared to some others but a) there are often deals to be had, b) the iPhone-only version costs a penny, and c) it’s about the richest synth experience you can get. A beaut!