Yes, the list of cool (and uncool) iPhone Music apps continues to grow even faster than anyone expected. Here are my top 10 music apps for the iPhone/Touch, in no particular order. Not all of them are useful, but they sure are fun!

1: Remote (Apple)
OK, this one’s obvious, but if you haven’t taken advantage of the ability to control your iTunes library from across the room, or indeed the house (or however far away your wifi network will go!), you are missing out. Simple. And useful.

2: Oblique Strategies (Far Out Labs)
Ever stuck in the studio wondering what to do next? Well, Brian Eno and Peter Shmidt originally designed these random cards to inspire you to great things, in any aspect of your life, and now they are available for the iPhone. Stuck for an idea? Dial up a card which could say something like “What are you really thinking about now? Incorporate.”, or “What would your closest friend do?” Oblique, indeed!

3: ProRemote/ProTransport (Far Out Labs)
Now, this one’s serious, and not cheap, but it does provide Pro Tools and Logic users with remote control over their application. Brilliant for musicians who want to press record from behind their drums/piano/whatever. You could even let a singer control their own mix in the live room. There’s lots of possibilities with this. There are essentially 3 versions; ProTransport which allows simple record/play/rewind/rtz type functions for €5.99; ProRemote Lite (€31.99) which allows simple level changing as well as transport control, and ProRemote (€109.99) which has more extensive controls. Not for the faint-walleted, but if you need this sort of control and have an iPhone or a Touch, it’s a good ‘un.

4: 4Tracks (LittleCodeShop)
It is what it says it is. If you need a 4 Track on your iPhone, then buy this. The quality isn’t great through the iPhone mic, so an authentic 4 track experience then!

5: Thereminator (Yonac)
Instant B-movie soundtracks are yours with this virtual theremin. I love it to bits. Especially useful in quiet pubs where you can freak out other punters. Wicked!

6: Simplify (Simplify Media)
This beauty allows you to access your home iTunes library when you’re on the go. Just load up the software on the iPhone/Touch and on you home machine, and hey presto; once you have a quick enough connection at both ends (preferably wifi rather than 3G I imagine, though I’ve never tried it with 3G), you can browse and listen to all your music on the go, not just the stuff on your measly iPhone drive. Basically, it’s the app Apple should’ve made, but won’t as it would effect their sales too much if people don’t need to keep buying bigger iPods. What’s more, it features artist and lyric tabs, which makes me wonder why this isn’t a standard feature in iTunes 8. This one is a must have, and it’s free!

7: ITM Suite (Silicon Studios)
These are for the serious geeks, but they are quite brilliant. MIDI control over your iPhone of any software that receives MIDI. Various types of software controllers are available, including a keyboard, a mixer frontend, and even one that turn accelerometer information into MIDI. If you want bespoke control of your DAW or anything else for that matter (imagine the possibilities with Max/MSP!), then you want these puppies. Prices vary from free to €4.99.

8: Karajan (Holger Meyer)
A high-spec ear-trainer for the iPhone. If you’ve got your grade 8s coming up, buy it.

9: Band
A very silly but fun collection of virtual instruments, including piano, guitar, bass and drums. None of them can be played very convincingly, but it’s a bit of crack, nonetheless. Warning: don’t buy this if you expect it to replace your mobile Pro Tools rig.

10: MiniSynth
A proper subtractive synth on your iPhone. If you are a beginner, trying to figure out how subtractive synthesis works, you could do a lot worse than buy this.

There’s lots more great apps out there, so sorry if I left a favourite out. Of course there’s lots of crap too (how many metronomes could one person possibly need?), but the future is bright for iPhone music apps.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 45 104510u31e47 ppm4731 11 4510 3111e pm and is filed under Macintosh, Music, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.