Produce Great Music Using Your iPad and a Few Apps and Accessories
By Mike Agerbo
April 18, 2017
Product Discovery
Share Facebook Tweet on Twitter Share with Email Share with LinkedIn Share with Pinterest
Not long ago, producing music required a lot of equipment that what not only bulky but also expensive. For budding musicians, rigging up a studio at home was often unattainable. Over the years, this has changed thanks to a variety of software and accessories designed for computers. While these set-ups became more compact, they were still cumbersome to move around. Today, musicians can set up anywhere thanks to tablets, mobile devices, and a variety of accessories and software. If you’re interested in producing your own music on the go, a great place to start is with an iPad. Since you’ll need something with a bit of power, the newer the model the better.
When it comes to software for music production, there are a wide variety of apps for iOS but here are a few standout apps for different purposes:
Digital Audio Workstation
A digital audio workstation, or DAW, is an essential piece of software for music production. This piece of software is where you’ll record, edit, and produce your audio files. When it comes to DAWs for iPad, the most logical place to start is GarageBand, which Apple has made available for free. GarageBand will work just fine for beginners but if you’re looking for more robust software, you might benefit from an app like Cubasis.
Synthesizers
A synthesizer is a piece of software that generates digital audio that you can use in your music projects. It can mimic a variety of instruments and sounds giving you a lot of creative freedom. If you’re interested in trying out a synthesizer, take a look at Animoog by Moog Music. It’s highly rated and worth its price tag.
Inter-App Routing System
If you’re using several apps to produce your music tracks, you’ll want to be able to use them together. To do this, you’ll need an inter-app routing system, which essentially sends live audio from one app to another. For this type of task, I recommend the Audiobus app.
In addition to software, there are a variety of hardware accessories to help you with your music production. Personally, I’ve found a lot of success with IK Multimedia products. This company produces a variety of accessories that enable you to produce great music with your iPad.
Microphones and Microphone Accessories
If you’re a vocalist, a microphone is the most important tool in your arsenal and IK Multimedia offers a variety of microphones and microphone accessories. For example, you can great vocals using the iRig Mic Handheld Condenser Mic or you can use an accessory like iRig PRE to plug in the mic you already use into your iPad.
Accessories for DJs
IK Multimedia also makes great accessories for DJs, like the iRig Mix DJ-Style Mixer. This device has the same controls you’d find in a professional DJ mixer: crossfader, cues, EQ, and volume controls. It’s a great device for rehearsing, performing, and recording while remaining very portable. The iRig Pads MIDI Groove Controller is a convenient controller that lets you play and control electronic instruments, make beats, and mix like a DJ. It’s an extremely versatile system and perfect for taking on the go.
There are a lot of other apps and accessories available to help you turn your iPad into your own sound studio. For example, IK Multimedia alone makes a host of other accessories. To get started, do a little bit of research using some of the information in this post as a jumping off point.
Software
When it comes to software for music production, there are a wide variety of apps for iOS but here are a few standout apps for different purposes:
Digital Audio Workstation
A digital audio workstation, or DAW, is an essential piece of software for music production. This piece of software is where you’ll record, edit, and produce your audio files. When it comes to DAWs for iPad, the most logical place to start is GarageBand, which Apple has made available for free. GarageBand will work just fine for beginners but if you’re looking for more robust software, you might benefit from an app like Cubasis.
Synthesizers
A synthesizer is a piece of software that generates digital audio that you can use in your music projects. It can mimic a variety of instruments and sounds giving you a lot of creative freedom. If you’re interested in trying out a synthesizer, take a look at Animoog by Moog Music. It’s highly rated and worth its price tag.
Inter-App Routing System
If you’re using several apps to produce your music tracks, you’ll want to be able to use them together. To do this, you’ll need an inter-app routing system, which essentially sends live audio from one app to another. For this type of task, I recommend the Audiobus app.
Accessories
In addition to software, there are a variety of hardware accessories to help you with your music production. Personally, I’ve found a lot of success with IK Multimedia products. This company produces a variety of accessories that enable you to produce great music with your iPad.
Microphones and Microphone Accessories
If you’re a vocalist, a microphone is the most important tool in your arsenal and IK Multimedia offers a variety of microphones and microphone accessories. For example, you can great vocals using the iRig Mic Handheld Condenser Mic or you can use an accessory like iRig PRE to plug in the mic you already use into your iPad.
Accessories for DJs
IK Multimedia also makes great accessories for DJs, like the iRig Mix DJ-Style Mixer. This device has the same controls you’d find in a professional DJ mixer: crossfader, cues, EQ, and volume controls. It’s a great device for rehearsing, performing, and recording while remaining very portable. The iRig Pads MIDI Groove Controller is a convenient controller that lets you play and control electronic instruments, make beats, and mix like a DJ. It’s an extremely versatile system and perfect for taking on the go.
There are a lot of other apps and accessories available to help you turn your iPad into your own sound studio. For example, IK Multimedia alone makes a host of other accessories. To get started, do a little bit of research using some of the information in this post as a jumping off point.