iPad Music Apps

iPad Music Apps

Pradeep 'Shifty Rat' Menon, Jul 27, 2011 1530 hrs IST

iPad apps you can make music with.

The iPad has received positive reviews from both amateur and pro musicians, who seem to have found its touchscreen interface extremely convenient to work with during live shows and even in the studio. Many music software makers have realized the potential of the iPad as a musical instrument and released tablet-friendly versions of their respective software.

We decided to take a closer look at some beginner-level music apps that readers can try out on their iPads.

Classical Guitar
Being a guitarist, this app interested me the least initially. But at the end of the apps review, this was easily the one I liked the most. The app looks simple enough when you power it up: there are six strings, and you have large buttons with chord names on them. You can strum individual strings and chords, and even play upstrokes and downstrokes - which, by the way, sound distinctly different.

iPad Music Apps

The Classical Guitar app: swipe your chord!

You can choose up to eight chords on one page. There's a drop-down list of chords to choose from, and if you so wish, you can make your own set of chords. This is especially handy when you want to play your favourite song. Since you don't have to hold any chord shapes with your left hand, even somebody with zero knowledge of guitar playing can play a song perfectly, as long as you tap the right chord at the right time. The samples used on the app are pretty realistic and of high quality. I recommend you try out this app if you're looking for a shortcut to awesome guitar playing.

Mojo Rating: 4/5

DJ Mixer Pro
Of all the apps I tried out, this one was easily the most fun. The name says it all: it's a song-mixing app. I had a bit of trouble at the beginning, but my mixing at the end of a few hours could have put David Guetta to shame. Mixing a couple of tracks (The Crystal - Sine Language feat. LMFAO and Vegas - Vandalism feat. Static Revenger) was enjoyable because, let's admit it, every kid has wanted to be a DJ at some point in his life.

iPad Music Apps

The DJ Mixer Pro app.

With this app, you can emulate vinyl scratching as well. Since I was on a roll with the app, I looked at some YouTube videos on Mixer Pro tips and tricks. Turns out, this app is almost as good as an old-school pair of turntables, and you can even record as you mix on the fly. This is a great way to keep yourself amused for hours as you play DJ in your room - sure beats playing with yourself.

Mojo Rating: 4.5/5

GarageBand
The GarageBand app is a great way of introducing home recording to a new user. It takes the most obvious functions of professional recording software and simplifies it to the level of an iPad user. The app lets you use preset instruments such as a guitar, piano, drums, bass, as well as a sampler. Just like the Classical Guitar app, you don't really need a music background to write songs. The keys section is easily the most impressive, and the fact that the iPad also records the velocity of your hits makes your playing dynamic and realistic. Playing on the tiny keys was a bit of an effort with my stubby fingers, but nothing a couple of hours of practice couldn't fix. I soon played some classical pieces, and it was as much fun as an actual grand piano.

iPad Music Apps

The keys section in GarageBand.

The drums and guitars were pretty awesome too. On the drums, you have a bunch of loops and drumkits to mess with. The guitar offers you swipe-to-play chords and the amps section even lets you pick a custom amp tone for your guitar licks. The best part about picking the amps is: they're not simple presets - you can actually tweak the settings on these classic amp models.

iPad Music Apps

The playlist \ mixer section of GarageBand.

GarageBand also lets you record vocals and instrumental parts in real-time. Each instrument you play gets added to a playlist. Moreover, the playlist page also has a mixer that lets you mix levels and gives you a pro sound! Ok, not really, but with GarageBand, who are you kidding?! Take the app in the right spirit and it can be a whole lotta fun. I have to add, though, that a creative person can easily write some sick tunes with this app. It definitely does it all.

Mojo Rating: 4/5

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iPad Music Apps

iPad apps you can make music with.

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