Top iApps for music production

I made this 100 and + list while preparing my YouTube video about the top 40 apps for iPad Music production of 2019. It was really hard to limit to only 40 so I listed here the entire list of iapps for music production that I prefer. I separated them in categories :

DAW
BEATMAKER
DRUM MACHINE
SYNTH
EFFECTS
UTILITIES

Hope you enjoy it!

Watch The top 40 iPad Music Production apps 2019 Video

DAW : Digital Work Station

In this category I put apps that can do the entire music production work. From the creation to the final mix. It doesn’t mean that you will do all the production steps in this one app. They often offer the option of supporting There are good chances that you will use deferent apps at different step of your production to suit your personnal style and habits.

#1 – Gadget from Korg

Great choice of synths and drum machines
Great sequencer
Works great with Gadget for MAC/Windows

#2 – Auria Pro from WaveMechanics Lab

Best alternative to ProTools for the iPad
Great for mixing and mastering
Supports AU format

#3 – ZenBeats from Roland

Simple and quick
Includes a powerful synth and great drum sounds
Supports AU format
Works great with ZenBeats for MAC/Windows

#4 – NanoStudio 2 from Blip Interactive

Simple and quick
Includes a powerful synth
Supports AU format
Works great with NanoStudio 2 for MAC/Windows

#5 – BeatMaker 3 from INTUA

Simple and quick
Includes a powerful synth
Supports AU format

#6 – Cubasis 2 from Steinberg

A mobile version of Cubase (the new Cubasis 3 came out late December 2019)
Works great with Cubase for MAC/Windows
Nice addons ( drum machine, WAVES plugins and +)
Supports AU format

#7 – GarageBand from Apple

The included DAW from Apple
Works great with Logic for MAC
Supports AU format

BEATMAKERS :

In this category you will find iapps that are offering a closed environment for creating songs. They are offering a limited amount of the sound generators that covers usually a drum machine and a couple of synths.

#8 – iMS-20 from Korg

Recreation of the MS-20
Includes 1 MS-20 synth with its sequencer
Includes 7 MS-20 synths for drums and its sequencer

#9 – iPolySix from Korg

Recreation of the iPolySix
Includes 1 PolySix synth with its sequencer
Includes 7 PolySix synths for drums and its sequencer

#10 – Electribe Wave from Korg

Electribe style groove box
Includes sample based drums and wavetable synths

#11 – EGOIST from Sugar Bytes

Great sample slicer
Includes a drum, an acid synth and an effects sequencer

#12 – EFFECTRIX from Sugar Bytes

Effect sequencer
Great to inject life in a loop sample

#13 – GROOVERIDER GR-16 from JimAudio

Groovebox in the style of the electribe
Great sounds, great synth engine

#14 – LOOPER L7 from Coda Labs and AudioKit

Audio Looper
Inspired by Boss LoopStations

#15 – BLEASS Groove Box from BLEASS

Minimal looking Groovebox
Free and Pro version
Simple and quick
Multiple sounds (instruments on the same track)

#16 – BLOCKS WAVE from Ampify (Novation)

Great sample sequencer
Free and Pro version
Simple and quick

#17 – REASON COMPACT from Reason Studio

Free and Pro version
Simple and quick
Great integration with REASON for MAC/Windows

#18 – XENON from ice Gear

Great sounds
Simple and quick

#19 – LAYR from Living Memory Software

Great sample sequencer
Free and Pro version
Simple and quick

#20 – Noise from Rolly

Great sample sequencer
Free and Pro version
Simple and quick

#21 – PURE ACID from JimAudio

Great TB acid sound
Great sequencer
Good TR sounds

DRUM MACHINES :

This category is grouping together iapps dedicated to Drum Machines. It could using samples, a synth engine to create the drum sounds or a combination of the two. These apps also have a sequencer dedicated to drum.

#22 – SeekBeats from Rodrigo Yanez

Great synth drum engine
Cool random sound generator
Performanced focus drum synth state snapshot.

#23 – DM1 from FingerLab

Sampled drum sounds
Great Sequencer
Simple and quick to structure songs

#24 – DM2 from Audionomy

Great synth drum sounds engine programmed in Pure Data
Great Sequencer
Simple and quick to structure songs

#25 – Elastics Drums from MoMinstruments

Great Drum synth Engine
Complex sequencer
Great effects
Great presets

#26 – iElectribe from Korg

Recreation of the Electribe (red)
Great sequencer with motion record
Simple and quick

#27 – Fractal Bits from Alexander Zolotov

Fractal algorithm sound generator
Great for noisy percussions
Does not have a sequencer.

#28 – Ruismaker from Bram Bos

Great synth drum engine (TR-inspired)
Great sequencer
Separate memory management for drum kits and patterns

#29 – Ruismaker Noir from Bram Bos

Great synth drum VA engine
Very analog sounding
Separate memory management for drum kits and patterns

#30 – Paterning 2 from Olympia Noise Co

Unique sequencer
Sparks new ideas

Synthesizers :

This is my biggest category! Of course I’m a synth guy. You can find in this list the synth I have on my iPad. They are covering a wide style of synthesis and design approach. Bottom line, they sound great!

VA-Virtual Analog Synthesizers

#31 – iMono/Poly from Korg

Great recreation of the classic Mono/Poly from Korg
AU compatible

#32 – Odyssei from Korg

Great recreation of the classic Odyssey from ARP
AU compatible

#33 – Model D from MOOG

Great recreation of the classic MiniMoog Model D from MOOG
AU compatible

#34 – iMini from Arturia

Great recreation of the classic MiniMoog Model D from MOOG
Compatible with TableTop

#35 – iSEM from Arturia

Great recreation of the classic SEM from Oberheim
Compatible with TableTop

#36 – DRC from Imaginando

Great Virtual analog sound
Minimal UI
Can easily transfer sounds from the iOS to android to desktop version

#37 – Cassini from Ice Gear

Complex and complete synth
Great arpeggiator

#38 – SynthOne from AudioKit

Great sound
Great arpeggiator
Free!

#39 – Poison 202 from JimAudio

Sounds like a Roland JP-8000
Great with X-mod and Ring mod and sync sounds

#40 – Zeeon from BeepStreet

Great TB sound and cool overall analog round sound
Great arpeggiator/ Step Sequencer

#41 – Kauldron from Yonac

Inspired by MiniMoog from MOOG
Nice round sound
Great random “spawn” sound design feature

#42 – Thor from Reason Studio

Mobile version of Reason’s Thor synth
Great multi synthesis engine
Semi-modular

#43 – Phase 84 from Retronym

Phase distortion synthesis
Great step sequencer

#44 – Shockwave from Numerical Audio

Phase distortion synthesis
Unique design
Cool sound

#45 – Cyclop from Sugar Bytes

Digital synthesis
Massive modulation possibilities

#46 – Aparillo from Sugar Bytes

Digital synthesis
Very cinematic sounding
Unique motion control design

#47 – SpaceCraft from

Granular synthesis
Convert samples into cinematic landscapes

#48 – Nave from Waldorf

WaveTable synthesis
Convert samples into WaveTable

#49 – Scythe Synth from

WaveTable synthesis
Convert samples into WaveTable

#50 – Lagrange Synth from

FM Physical Modeling and + synthesis
Very complete OSC section

#51 – Pure Synth from Gospel Musician

Great ROMPLER
4 layer digital synthesis engine (Roland JV Style)

#52 – Digital D1 from AudioKit

Great ROMPLER/ VA / LA inspired synthesis
Great arpeggiator/Step Sequencer

#53 – Syntronik from IK Multimedia

Great ROMPLER
Samples from many great classics

#54 – FM Player from AudioKit

Great ROMPLER of FM sounds
Great arpeggiator/Step Sequencer

#55 – SampleTank from IK Multimedia

Great ROMPLER
Samples from many great classics

#56 – AniMoog from MOOG

Unique synthesis engine
Great motion control
Great sound

#57 – Model 15 from MOOG

Modular VA synthesis engine
Great arpeggiator/step sequencer
Great sound

#58 – RippleMaker from BramBos

Modular VA synthesis engine
Great arpeggiator/step sequencer
Great sound

#59 – miRack from

Modular synthesis
Great for starting in modular
Unlimited possibilities

EFFECTS :

In this category you can find iapps dedicated to effects. Most of them are Audio Unit compatible (AU) and some are standalone effect processor.

#60 – FinalTouch from Positive Grid

Dedicated to mastering
Standalone solution

#61 – Grand Finale from KlevGrand

Dedicated to mastering
Standalone solution

#62 – AudioMasterPro from Future Moments

Dedicated to mastering
Standalone solution

#63 – Bleass Filter

Cool analog sounding filter
Au compatible

#64 – Bleass SideKick

Great SideChain pumping compressor
Kick generator
Au compatible

#65 – Bleass Reverb

Great reverb
Minimal UI
Au compatible

#66 – BlackHole from Eventide

Great twisted reverb
Au compatible

#67 – MangledVerb from Eventide

Great twisted reverb with distortion
Au compatible

#68 – MicroPitch from Eventide

Great twisted pitch processor
Au compatible

#69 – UltraTap from Eventide

Great 4 delays effect processor
Au compatible

#70 – Rotary from Eventide

Great rotary speaker effect (leslie)
Au compatible

#71 – Qvox from Eventide

Great 4 pitchshifter processor
Au compatible

#72 – Wider Touch from infected Mushroom and Polyverse

FREE Widener without phase cancellation plugin effects
Au compatible

#73 – #79 – Pro Bundle from FabFilter

FabFilter Pro-R, Pro-Q 3, Pro-MB, Pro-C2, Pro-G, Pro-L2, Pro-DS
Au compatible

#80 – Turnado from SugaBytes

Great audio mangler
Multiple effects controlled in real time
Standalone

#81 – WOW from SugaBytes

Great audio mangler
Multiple effects controlled in real time
Standalone

#82 – Filtatron from MOOG

MOOGERFOOGER
Great analog sound
Standalone

#83 – Replicant from Audio Damage

Great buffer an stutter effect
Standalone

UTILITIES :

This category is grouping together iapps that are great to have but do not directly fall into the music production activities.

#84 – Fugue Machine

Nice way to create interlaced melodies and riff
AU compatible

#85 – OSCILAB

Creative way to invent riffs and melodies
Standalone solution

#86 – SOUNDPRISM from Audinaka

Cool controller and simple synth
Standalone solution

#87 – AUDIOBUS

Link audio apps between them

#87 – AUDIOSHARE from Kymatica

Audio editor
File management

#88 – TouchOSC from Hexler

An environment to create controls for OSC compatible apps
Load or create your own layout and control messages

#89 – Lemur from Liine

An environment to create controls for any apps or MIDI hardware
Load or create your own layout and control messages

#88 – Hey Metronome from AudioKit

Voice activated Metronome
Wide list of metronome sounds, even drum sounds.

#89 – Auditor from Living Memory Soft

Audio Editor
Standalone solution

#90 – AudioTools from Studio six Digital

The best iOS app dedicated to measuring audio
Includes RTA, SPL and lots more
Great for room calibration