Apps for music lovers

Discovr Music

Discovr Music is a great way to find new music related to the stuff you already love. You start by typing in an artist you like (or selecting one that appears in your music library) and the app branches out similar or related artists. Click on one of them and another web branches out, showing artists related to them. If an artist relates to an artist already on the app, the web joins up, allowing you to see connections to artists you already know.

For : iOS
Price : AU$1.99
From : App Store

Seline

Let the soft, ephemeral sound of Seline wash over you as you paint ambient music by numbers. The instrument has been designed to complement a touch interface, with all the controls sitting next to the fingers that need them. It’s also almost impossible to play out of tune. You have a choice of 25 different voices and nine drones, so you can make sure that no matter what mood your yoga party is going for, you’ll provide the right atmosphere.

For : iOS
Price : US$2.99
From : App Store

Spotify

Having launched in Australia a few months ago, Spotify is the music streaming service. It gives you a massive library of music to choose from, meaning that most people may not have to purchase an album again. The Spotify app allows Premium users (a free,48-hour trial is available) to either stream music or pre-cache (over Wi-Fi) their favourite playlists. We love the social aspect of being able to see what your Facebook buddies are listening to. The Android app was borderline rubbish, but at time of print, they’d released a major update which is quite fantastic.

For : iOS, Android
Price : AU$11.99 per month
From : Spotify

Figure

Rather than mimicking old synths/drum machines/samplers, Figure uses a novel interface designed perfectly for the iPhone. The magic lies in the context-sensitive touchpad, which works for your drums, bass and lead. Everything is kept in time by the rhythm wheels (unless you don’t want it to) and once you’ve got a basic sound, you can go further by hitting up the ‘Tweaks’ tab at the bottom. The interface makes it one of the best apps for beginners, but it also provides enough power for you to grow beyond the basics.

For : iOS
Price : AU$0.99
From : App Store

AmpliTube iRig

Guitar players need not miss out on the musical benefits of mobile devices. The AmpliTube iRig provides a means to hook your guitar or bass up to your iOS device with a wealth of effects to apply. There’s delay, noise reduction and distortion out of the box, plus more effects as in-app purchases — as well as the ability to record your jams. It also includes a metronome and guitar tuner, and if you’re feeling flush, you can even purchase an eight-track recorder.

For : iOS
Price : AU$49.95
From : Apple Store

SoundCloud

SoundCloud is a well-established music-sharing service used by musicians the world over. It’s included here as it’s a great way to upload any new sounds you’ve created and recorded on your phone, but (primarily) it’s a fantastic way to stay on the bleeding edge of music releases. A ton of our favourite artists have SonicCloud accounts, so flipping through your feed is a brilliant way to hear the freshest beats out there.

For : iOS, Android
Price : Free
From : SoundCloud

DM1 – The Drum Machine

This is my favourite drum machine. The combination of an intuitive interface and a host of effects make it the kind of app that a first-time user can pick up and get lost in for hours. And hours. There’s a certain hypnotic charm to looped drums that this app helped us discover. However, it sorely lacks the ability to live record when mixing, or load up one’s own samples. The ease of use makes it great for tinkering, though, which is what we use it for anyway.

For : iPad
Price : AU$8.49
From : App Store

Poweramp

With all these streaming, discovery and creation apps, it’s easy to forget about all the music you have sitting in your collection. Poweramp is my preferred app to listen to my music. It not only supports a whole ton of formats, it also has a great-looking, skinnable, gesture-based interface, along with a graphic equaliser. It also comes with widgets, includes lock screen controls and pauses/resumes when you unplug/plug in your headphones — even when the app isn’t open. Brilliant.

For : Android
Price : AU$4.99
From : Google Play

Hokusai Audio Editor

If, like us, you’re into field recordings, then you need a good wave editor to complete your mobile workflow. It’s no good if you’re trying to capture the gentle sounds of rain on the roof when an impatient truck driver beeps his way out of a traffic jam. Of course, you can also use the app to record your instrument of choice (clearly, you’re more talented than us), and clean up any mistakes, add effects and export in your preferred format. Better yet, you can even import sounds from Dropbox.

For : iOS
Price : Free
From : App Store

Caustic2

A powerful, if intimidating, rack-mount simulator-style music creation app that combines synths, samplers and effects. It’s classic old school synth tech here, which doesn’t work in its favour when it comes to ease of use. If you’re well-versed in attack and delay, however, you’ll relish having something like this in your pocket, ready to catch the melody that just flew into your head. The app is free, but if you want to save or export (WAV, OGG, MIDI), you’ll need to fork out $7.99.

For : Android
Price : Free/$7.99
From : Google Play