music making goes mobile

Full music production from sampling and synthesizing to broadcast quality export is now possible for iPhone and iPod touch users...
 
For a while I've been experimenting with music software / apps on my iPod Touch. Initially I was a bit disappointed with the results due to the intrinsic limitations of such a small device, and the Apple-imposed system of 'sandboxing' apps i.e. each app and its data files being semi-isolated in its own storage area.

Up until recently, this meant the only way for apps to interact and share music data being a tedious bounce from app to app using a computer as a stepping stone via wifi or USB. But now almost overnight there have been developments, especially with a new technology permitted by Apple called 'audio copy and paste' which enables you to transfer loops, beats, samples etc from one app to the other.

A raft of new and updated apps are now beginning to exploit this feature. For instance, you can now make a beat in one app, transfer into another to add further effects then send it to a sequencer and mix it down in another along with other loops. The finished result can then be emailed as an mp3 for review or sent via wifi as a wav file to your laptop or desktop computer.

I am in the process of producing some demo tracks to illustrate all this to you, and no doubt others are on to this too.

Imagine, if you are on a bus or plane, you can keep producing instead of being bored, and for those with little money, it's a very affordable and fun option. These apps are not just gimmicks or toys to pass the time away with; live performances can be done with these apps too in a convincing and effective way.

Such is the rate of progress in this new music-making area that by the time you read this the list on the right will probably be out of date!

And of course the iPod Touch's new big brother the iPad is already beginning to open up even more mobile music horizons e.g. first off the iPad apps blocks is the Korg iElectribe, a virtual version of the original dance dj's favourite synthesizer.

Thanks to all the developers who have supplied us with apps to experiment with – fuller reviews will appear here very soon! Meanwhile we are compiling some featured apps lists (see menu for links).

We will keep you up to date with future developments along with chances to hear for yourselves what some of these amazing apps are capable of.

mini reviews

For integrated music-making, I recommend the following apps available at the online Apple Store. These work well together and are interaction-enabled via the audio copy & paste feature:

Thumbjam – for organic sounds.

Dopplerpad – make beats and heavy bass / synth-lines.

FourTrack – as the name says, record on up to four tracks then mix it all down with and export.

Looptastic Producer – mix your loops dj style or sequence.

StudioTrack – Sonoma Wireworks upgraded version of FourTrack, powerful and clean sounding, facilitates audio copy and paste etc.

Soundgrid – I also highly recommend this amazing matrix sequencer which has an excellent extra feature, namely directly upload of finished tracks to your Soundcloud account.

As well as audio copy and paste, another exciting development, Soundcloud, is also emerging as another way to share tracks between apps.

There are apps where you can record vocals and export in the same way.

Now for futuremusics.com's current top favourite electronica app!

We at www.futuremusics.com are more than happy that Blip Interactive have finally released "Nanostudio"!!!!

I've been using ipodtouches and now an Ipad for over 2 years. As a Dj and producer, I immediately gravitated toward the music apps and while most were fun and some a little more serious, it has to be said that none were so user friendly and certainly not able to deliver a finished track worthy of release.

There are different reasons for choosing an app, my personal hopes was that one day, someone would create an app that would "do it all". That day arrived once Nanostudio was released.

I cannot tell you how happy I am with Nanostudio! Previously, I was using a combination of Reason, Acid, Absynth and Wave studio to do my tracks on PC. The PC died on me and I started relying on apps to create, though serious limitations were the in all apps and I didn't feel happy with sharing any tracks made on them.

People have been waiting for an app to deliver finished products, because like me, some people just do not want to use laptops or pcs anymore! It is more convinient for me to do everything on my iPad now without relying on another device.

In this regard, soundcloud upload of finished tracks is literally the only missing factor with Nanostudio, then once this is implemented then it is truly a standalone app. I do not see the need to import more sounds into Nanostudio as it comes complete with so much to choose from and mess with.

• The filters and effects can twist and morph them enough into original synth and basslines that have integrity of their own.

• The drum banks are excellent though a couple more could be added at some stage.Perhaps Indian percussion loops?

• The sequencer is amazing, takes a short while to get to grips with but it looks like it does pretty much the same thing as Acid and Fruity loops.

• The sound quality of all the presets is very high, as are recordings of vocal samples via iPad microphone.

• The overall feel and speed of the app is incredible.

• The resolution of graphics holds well on iPad and is satisfactory.

My personal preference is for dubstep and underground experimental bass music with ambience thrown in for good measure, and my experiments  have proved very exciting thus far.

So much can be said, but let it be known that if you want a complete production system for your iPhone/ iPad then look no further,

Nanostudio does it all - literally! It is not a toy, it is a production system for professionals though even persons who just want to mess with it will be surprised at the results and likely create respectable sounds and tracks with it, this developing a taste for production in general.

Lastly, it is obvious that the standard for production apps has been dramatically raised by the release of Nanostudio, so expect copies and other attempts by other developers.

Competition in this regard is good for everyone, as the Apple devices are now going beyond gimmickry, especial with the release of some noteworthy art creation apps.

There it is! The next level of music apps has been reached by Blip Interactive. Make no mistake, the price is affordable and justified. You can spend a few hundred dollars on pc software, but why not instead buy an iPad and install Nanostudio, thus being able to take your studio anywhere on the planet!

Well done Blip Interactive! I no longer look anxiously at the music apps section in the app store! The developer is committed to refining the app further and continue to add features, unlike other apps, Nanostudio will continue to evolve as our needs do.

Ok, you've read the review! Now go to the app store!!!

Here are a few more tasters of the latest apps I've tried:

Aurora Sound – After trying out different matrix sequencers, finally one turned up with huge potential- Aurora sound.

Visually attractive and easy to get to grips with, aurora takes you on a journey of sound and light.
You can pretty much do a complete track on it with drums, synths, samples, bass etc.. But the best thing is that there is a large arsenal of effects to fatten everything up! You could do dubstep, trance, house to maximum effect.

What is needed in this day and age is easy and affordable software or apps that you can do complete tracks on. Up until recently, hardly any apps could achieve complete results. I have spent a good few happy hours playing with Aurora and i'm sure that serious results can be had with it.

Another possibility is that one could perform tracks live using different settings to see which gets the best result. Thankfully 4pockets.com, the developers were kind enough to provide reverb and delay too as without these, electronica is primitive!

I look forward to seeing more from the developers – who by the way have just released an HD version which has many more essential features. Don't be put off by the price of the new version, I have seen the you tube videos and it looks even better than the original.

We at futuremusics.com will be giving a full review very shortly explaining why Aurora sound HD is the best music making app to come out so far by a long shot.

Sonorasaurus Rex – the big brother to Sonorasaurus, a dj app I fell in love with during my iPod Touch days, now available exclusively for the iPad. The app has been much improved with a powerful and stable bpm counter, crisper effects, HD graphics and other visuals. The faders are excellent too. Highly recommended as a serious dj tool for beginners and professionals alike.

Proloop– want to make the trippiest loops and beats? This one's for you then, I love it!!!!

Aphonium – synthesis of audio and visual genereative art, can help unblock your creativity for those stuck moments.

Cue.play.dj – most user -friendly of all the dj apps, powerful faders and eq, cue buttons accurate. You can preset the bpm of each track and once beats matched they hold sweet for the longest time.

Tremor – 4 decks for the ambitious and risk-taking dj. Worth checking out, I'll use it for ambient mixes...you can even mix in live radio streams via wifi!!!

Bassline – make dirty reverb bass and audio paste it into other apps that support audio copy/paste.

Korg iElectribe – the sickest digital synth sequencer for the iPad, loads of loops representing most genres, fx are awesome!!!!!

Electrify – In direct competition to korg electribe, electrify is a genius music app! For those serious about live sequencing, this one is a must. Powerful effects and very user friendly, all genres can be made with this one.

iSequence – immediately propels itself to number 2 on our list simply because its the best pattern sequencer available for the iPad. Loads of rich sounds and effects, plus a keyboard which you can use to record melodies, baselines etc..makes this an indespensable piece of the puzzle. You can record, export via pasteboard, review in audioview then audio copy/ paste onto other apps such as looptastic HD or thumbjam
I immediately got to work making my own loops then piecing them together on looptastic HD for final mix downs. Very satisfying indeed!

chipPad – an extremely simple but effective sequencer that can also be used as a live tool for electronica performances. It's elegant in it's design and outputs excellent sound quality. It comes with great loops and samples to start you off but you can import your own. Overall, a great start with many features planned for updates. Get it and ride this wave, it's very
promising.

nanoloop – I'm not a conventional producer or dj, without a doubt I'm always trying to push apps to their limits...but Nanoloop seemed at first to be a gimmick which is why I didn't bother with getting it for a while. Then on impulse I decided to try it.
First impressions were that I could get some nice dubstep wobble bass, but after an interesting session, I discovered that by pushing the app further with delays, lfo and pitch that you can go far far beyond basic effect usage. That's more than fine with me!!!!

futuremusics' essential iTouch apps list

		Nanostudio click icon for iTunes page $14.99*
		Rebirth click icon for iTunes page $6.99*
		iSequence click icon for iTunes page $6.99*
		Looptastic Producer HD click icon for iTunes page $14.99*
		Dopplerpad click icon for iTunes page $9.99*
		Electrify click icon for iTunes page $14.99*
		Thumbjam click icon for iTunes page $14.99*
		Proloop click icon for iTunes page $4.99*

* iStore prices change frequently, please check before purchasing

sound & light...

NEW! We now have an audiovisual page! We at futuremusics are following the cutting edge trends of the electronica music scene and share the vision that clubgoers are seeing the need for a little "extra something" to enhance their experience.

We've seen the lazers, strobes and dancers for many years now, it's played out. Things like live art, yoga, tai chi, meditation, large projections are gradually being incorporated into the live experience. People want to go home with the wow factor.

The visual aspect is rapidly developing in the iPad / iPhone app industry. With apps such as Aphonium, Vericorders showcase (like Vegas video / audio editing software) and Brian Eno's Bloom, the mobile device user can have the best of three worlds – audio as they can hear what they are doing, visual as they can see the response with reactive apps and of course touch, because of the touch sensitive screen (now sometimes with added tactile feedback via the devices' built-in vibrate function).

So, we are very happy to push forward with this exciting direction as it becomes distilled and refined by the post-rave sector!

WANTED!

Developers – tell us about your apps and let us review them for these pages. We are interested in ALL types of music apps. Also we would love to hear the stories behind the apps. Please get in touch via our Contact page.