As a music lover it is always good to stay on top of the best apps. This list is a list of the best apps you may get in the year 2014. There are still a few veteran apps in there that have been updated over the years, and there are few newer ones you may not have heard of yet.
1. Sun Studios sound of Elvis, Johnny Cash and others
There was a time in the past when using a tape machine meant that the machine introduced a delay between recording and playback. This app is based on that idea and is on the app market for a fairly low price. It is what is known as a smart audio convolution application and allows you to add filters and play with the music in or to make it your own. Other users have said it is an exceptional audio tool that any recording enthusiast or musician will enjoy.
Download it for iOS and Android
2. TC-11
This is a highly rated multi-touch synth the sound can get very complicated, but that is part of what people like about it. Once you figure out how to use it and you figure out how to make a good sound, then you have a very powerful tool at your disposal that allows you to be very creative. It is a complex piece of kit and you are going to have to pay thirty dollars for the privilege of using it, which means it is good for amateur sound designers and programmers, but like most apps it is probably going to fall short of hardened sound designer and programmer expectations.
3. Bias
This is noted as the best amp simulation on the iPad. There are thirty six amp models categorized into their own genres within the app. Going by its online reputation, if you want an amp simulator for your mobile device then this is the one to go for. It is for the guitar playing community, and it has a lot of presets. This app is commonly quoted as being even better than any AU plug-in modeler or VST on the market at the moment. This app can be a lot of fun whilst also being a very high quality.
4. Virtual ANS
This is an app version of an ANS. The ANS was created in the late 50s and is a photo electronic instrument. It was designed in the 50s by Evgeny Murzin. It stood out for allowing you to draw sound, which is great because it frees you from restrictions that acoustic instruments have at their fundamental core. The app has some great features, and just like the original device, it allows you to create music without the limits given to you by regular instruments. You set up a canvas and draw on it and the sounds correspond to what you draw. You can even import images and manipulate them to make sounds, or you can add an audio file, turn it into an image, alter the image and turn it back into audio. If you want something similar to MetaSynth but you do not want to spend hundreds of dollars, then this app may be for you.
5. iDensity
This is an app that allows you to make granular synthesis tricks. You can load a song onto the app and scrub the file. You can feed in a massive number of things and create an output that is all of your own. The interface is easy to use and is intuitive for people that have used this sort of technology before. For granular sound design it is said to be the best. You can have a lot of fun with this app.
6. Sequential
This is by a company called Sinevibes and they created Sequential as their first jump to apps for the iPad. It is a fun version of an Apple Mac plugin. It is scaled down from the Sequential AU plugin. You get twelve effect lanes and you use a sequencer to arrange your tune. You can load in a loop from their library, or you can create your own and the app will figure out a tempo for you. There are sliders for the effects and there are modulation shapes you can touch. This is a very fun way to create music. It does take a little getting used to and a little learning, but it can be fun without being repetitive as some apps of this nature are.
7. Vocoder
This is an app that changes the way your voice sounds and the way your music sounds and the principle is based on the telecommunications device of the same name that was used in the 1950s. The app allows you to play around with your music and your sounds to create fun and exciting tracks. For some reason the Android version is almost one third of what it costs for the iOS app.
Download it for iOS and Android
