It’s simple, powerful, and comes with a host of sounds and loops that you can use for inspiration or for making an entire track. The venerable Garageband continues to be a viable option for music makers on the move, especially for those who are just getting into the production game. One for producers who want to get in deep with their productions. A more streamlined (and aesthetically pleasing) interface, Audio Unit plugin and ROLI NOISE app compatibility, plus touch-optimised tools for editing, recording and mixing make Cubasis one of the most powerful digital audio workstations the iOS platform has seen. Cubasis 2Ĭubasis 2 is the iOS version of the Cubase DAW beloved by the audio post and sound engineering world, and it’s been adapted to the needs of music producers.

It emulates the synthesis as well as the control interface on the hardware unit, so it’s also a fantastic way to wrap your head around more intermediate synthesis and design. This beloved analogue synthesiser from Moog has made its way to iOS and it brings legendary sounds at a fraction of the price (a brand new Minimoog can be had for around US$3500). One of the best new music production and sound design tools on iOS this year. It’s also got in-app purchases that extend the capabilities of Reason Compact along with sound packs to expand the sonic palette of the synth. It includes a chord generator, an arpeggiator, adjustable synth engine controls and envelopes, effects, as well as a sequencer for drawing bars of synth parts that you can then transfer to your laptop, whether it’s running Reason or as a recording in another digital audio workstation. This app makes synth sound design easy and intuitive by giving you a sleek interface and a sound engine based on the Europa instrument from the popular Reason DAW. So if you’ve been thinking ot taking a step in this direction, here we check out four impressive iOS apps for producing music.

Producer Steve Lacy’s DAW of choice is Garageband on his iPhone, a set-up he used to make a beat for a rap album that received a Grammy nod.Īrtists are taking note, too: producer Steve Lacy made a track entirely on his iPhone for Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning album Damn. Artists are taking note, too: producer Steve Lacy made a track entirely on his iPhone for Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning album Damn. IOS music production is still niche, but it’s slowly gaining ground as more intuitive, mature and capable apps hit the market. And yet here we are in 2018, carrying an entire music production studio and promotions / distributions system in our pockets and backpacks. I’d have laughed if you told me 10 years ago that you’d be able to produce, record, mix and distribute an entire track using a phone.

What apps are good for making music