I had a phone conversation recently with a friend who was planning a concert where he would be using one or possibly two iPads to perform all the music — backing track playback, synthesizers, effects, and more. As we talked, I realized just how dependent I’ve become upon my iOS devices as part of my music-making arsenal, and how powerful iOS music apps have become in just a few short years. I use a lot of apps, but here are some that I consider to be essential for my music making:
- forScore — This is my sheet music/score/chart app. I use it for literally every performance that I do. I’ve tried a lot of the different chart apps, and some work very well, but forScore is the one that works best for me.
- Metronome+ — As with sheet music apps, there are tons of metronomes out there, but I find Metronome+ to be best suited for what I do. I use it pretty much every day for practice. If I’m working with complex rhythms, Tempo Advance or Subdivide get the nod.
- Various remote control apps — DAW Remote, PreSonus’s just-released Studio One Remote, DP Control, V-Control, Cubase iC Pro, and more, I rely on remote control apps to help me run my computer DAWs when I’m recording by myself.
- Recording apps — Steinberg Cubasis is my choice for an iOS DAW. I also use PreSonus Capture for live multitracking and Four Track for capturing quick ideas, especially on my iPhone.
- H9 Remote, TonePrint Editor, and TonePrint — I love my Eventide H9 Max pedal and the fact that I can edit and control all of its settings from my iPad. I’m also a big fan of the entire line of TC Electronic TonePrint pedals, which use the iPad TonePrint Editor app and iPhone TonePrint app.
- Loopy HD — This is my choice for a fast, easy, fun audio looping program and scratch pad.
- Amps and effects — Between IK Multimedia’s Amplitube (version 4 is incredible) and BIAS Amp, I’ve got all the tone I need.
- Tempo Slow — This is a great app for slowing down parts when learning songs and transcribing.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick look at some of my must-have apps — there are several categories still to discuss, including synths, groove/drum, effects, notation, and more. We’ll get to those in a future column. Until then, remember that your iPad and iPhone are inspiring music-making tools when loaded with the right apps; put them to work!