Whether or not you consider yourself a musician, you may already own the most important musical tool of the 21st century – if you’ve got an iPhone or an iPad, you’ve got the potential to make some earth shattering music. Apple introduced this idea to the general public when they debuted GarageBand for the iPad in 2011, later including support for the iPhone. This fantastic app got people thinking about making music with their iPad, but there’s a much bigger picture behind iOS music production.
A healthy enthusiasm for music creation on the iPhone and iPad has existed for many years, spawning a lively ecosystem of apps. Powerful synthesizers are exploding across the App Store with some of the best including Animoog, Sunrizer Synth, iMini, Magellan, Alchemy Synth Mobile, and Nave. Virtual amp and effect solutions like Amplitube, JamUp Pro, and AmpKit are inspiring a new generation of guitar players to new heights. Full fledged iPad music workstations like NanoStudio, BeatMaker 2, and MultiTrack DAW have allowed music hobbyists to create high quality tracks. Professionals have even jumped into the mix with high quality production tools like Auria and Cubasis, resulting in high level musical products. Once you investigate the music category of the App Store you can find tools to inspire musical creation in any style.
With a wealth of tools available, are people actually tapping this potential and making serious music with their iPads or iPhones? You bet – there’s a thriving community of people making major artistic statements armed only with their iOS devices. Hip Hop artists Gorillaz used a variety of apps to put together their recent album The Fall exclusively on an iPad. Independent artist Smite Matter released Technopolis Lost, a wide reaching collection of ambient music created using only his iPhone and iPad. Audio hosting site SoundCloud is overflowing with music created on iOS devices, with numerous groups dedicated to the iPhone, the iPad, and different music apps. The amount of music created on iOS devices is already stunning and it’s only growing.
The revolution has begun and it’s centered around the device sitting in your pocket – your iPhone or iPad can open the door into a new world of musical expression. Even if you’ve never touched an instrument before, head to the app store and download some music apps today. If you need help moving from idea to song, you can find plenty of iPad music app tutorials and reviews online. You’ll be amazed at the accessible nature of music making on iOS devices and before you know it, you’ll be lost in your own creativity.