APPS
Mini meme
● Cubasis 3
Don’t want to leave the house without anything less than a full-fat digital audio workstation in your pants? You’ll want Cubasis 3 on your phone (or tablet), then. The app provides limitless scope for crafting your next No1, whether you want to tap out notes on a piano roll, drag around loops, or pretend you’re Kraftwerk by twisting virtual knobs. Just be mindful this one’s deep. R520 / Android ● R830 / iOS
● KORG Kaossilator
It’s probably not escaped your notice that your phone is mostly a slab of glass. This doesn’t lend itself to traditional synth setups, since they’re packed full of knobs and sliders. So Korg’s app is mostly an expressive touch-panel that you drag a finger across to unleash thumping beats, whumping bass and ear-splitting leads. Just the thing to ‘UNCH UNCH UNCH’ into the night. R285 / Android ● R330 / iOS
JABBY ROAD STUDIOS
Prod away at your phone with these great music-making apps, and maybe one day the world will get to hear all those thumping tunes in your head
● PixiTracker
If even Kaossilator strikes you as staid, PixiTracker will strum your idiosyncratic itch. The oddball setup has you select a pixel-art icon, choose a note and place it on a sequencer grid. Lay enough notes down and you’ll have a tune – and if you need visual accompaniment, tap the TV button to watch Space Invaders bob around atop an audio waveform representing your musical genius. R52 / Android, iOS
● Fugue Machine
Described by its creator as ‘Bach in a box’, Fugue Machine is no dusty relic. Instead, this is a thoroughly modern sequencer that borrows from the layered compositional techniques found in classical music. You tap out notes on a piano roll and then run multiple playheads over the same set of notes. By tweaking each one’s speed, pitch, start point and direction, you end up with hypnotic juxtapositions. R250 / iOS
● Sequence
Groovebox
If you want something simpler for creating grooves on the move, this is a handheld beatmaker that lets you tap out drums, bass and lead lines on pads and dinky keyboards. It’s accessible stuff for newcomers, but explore a bit and you’ll unearth features for tweaking samples, editing notes and slathering tracks in cavernous reverb like you’re auditioning to join Slowdive. Free (IAP) / Android
● AudioKit L7
Should you not be keen on virtual instruments and instead crave making music with your face (or a guitar), AudioKit L7 provides you with a live looper where you can build a song across 16 tracks. It’s super easy to use but versatile, letting you tap loops to turn them on and off, add effects, or export your efforts as a ZIP full of WAVs so they can be the beginning of your next worldwide smash. R50 / iOS 31
