iOS synths, grooveboxes and drum machine apps

ndiniz

I'm looking for some professional (paid and/or free) synthesizer, chip synths, groovebox and drum machine apps for my new iPad. My requirements are subtractive, additive, chip emulation, wavetable, FM, DIY (any, some, or all) and optionally have a mod matrix. I want to make sure that I'm getting the best stuff. Going to be buying the relatively new Logic Pro. Looking forward to your comments.

wim

Start with Logic. Don’t buy anything else for now. That’s enough to keep you going for a long time.

Hang out here and see what people talk about that peaks your interest before going off buying things. Take your time or you’ll just end up collecting way too much (good) shit that you’ll end up not using.

dendy

@ndiniz said:
I'm looking for some professional (paid and/or free) synthesizer, chip synths, groovebox and drum machine apps for my new iPad. My requirements are subtractive, additive, chip emulation, wavetable, FM, DIY (any, some, or all) and optionally have a mod matrix. I want to make sure that I'm getting the best stuff. Going to be buying the relatively new Logic Pro. Looking forward to your comments.

Regarding grooveboxes - Groove Rider GR16 is much improved “clone” of Korg Electribe 2 (it’s same workflow with TONS of improvements and new features)

Korf Electribe Wave app is also ver nice groovebox wit lot of “hardware” feeling

Novation Groovebox is relatively simple, with just minimalistic set of fetures but synths which are rhere sounds pretry good .. for me it also managed to capture that “hw groovebox” feeling

Also Korg Gadget can be considered as groovebox. A toms of interesring synths and drum machines inside.

(i am big groovebox junkie :-))

dendy

@wim said:
Start with Logic. Don’t buy anything else for now. That’s enough to keep you going for a long time.

Inwould say if he wants to do some serious sound design in synths and not just using presets and tweaking cutoff, then Logic bundled synths are absolutely unusable because of horrible UI, so at least external synths are must-have

@ndiniz

In term of synths, i am very demanding on synths in terms of sound quality and sound design posibilities, so there is really not that much synths on iOS i would suggest as top notch..

Butter Synth
(there are some stability issues in Logic, but with bouncing to wav it is definitely useable, it is like alternative of Serum/Vital for iOS)

Synthmaster 2
(UI is a bit chaotic mess but other than that great synth)

Terra Pro
(very complex and powerful synth with fantastic sound, just UI can be sometimes confusing, especially in terms of routig of signal between modules)

Baby Audio BA-1 (Yamaha CS-1 clone)
Hilda (a kind of east coast synth, not much complex but very powerfull with great sound. Definitely has “hardware” feeling)
Zeeon
Model D
Tal U-No-X
Shockwave
Sunrizer
Pure Acid (303 emulation probably better than ABS Bassline on desktop, has also 909/808 innit)
FAC Drumkit (fantstic drum synth)
RSS Ivoks (Polivox clone)

That’s all i have installed on my iPad in terms of Synths, none other synth survived for me :-))

Also for me absolute must have is miRack - clonw of VCV Rack, can work as plugin inside DAW and contains lot of great synth/fx modules (includinh whole range of Mutable Instruments modules clones)

There are great Korg clones of famous analog synths (Oddysey, Moni/Poly, Polysix, M1, Wavestatiom, MS20) but they doesn’t support AUv3 so their usability is strongly limited.
You can use them as “plugins” just inside GADGET groovebox which i mentiones in previous post.

Bruques

@dendy said:

@wim said:
Start with Logic. Don’t buy anything else for now. That’s enough to keep you going for a long time.

Inwould say if he wants to do some serious sound design in synths and not just using presets and tweaking cutoff, then Logic bundled synths are absolutely unusable because of horrible UI, so at least external synths are must-have

@ndiniz

In term of synths, i am very demanding on synths in terms of sound quality and sound design posibilities, so there is really not that much synths on iOS i would suggest as top notch..

Butter Synth
(there are some stability issues in Logic, but with bouncing to wav it is definitely useable, it is like alternative of Serum/Vital for iOS)

Synthmaster 2
(UI is a bit chaotic mess but other than that great synth)

Baby Audio BA-1 (Yamaha CS-1 clone)
Hilda (a kind of east coast synth, not much complex but very powerfull with great sound. Definitely has “hardware” feeling)
Zeeon
Model D
Tal U-No-X
Shockwave
Sunrizer
Pure Acid (303 emulation probably better than ABS Bassline on desktop, has also 909/808 innit)
FAC Drumkit (fantstic drum synth)
RSS Ivoks (Polivox clone)

That’s all i have installed on my iPad in terms of Synths, none other synth survived for me :-))

Also for me absolute must have is miRack - clonw of VCV Rack, can work as plugin inside DAW and contains lot of great synth/fx modules (includinh whole range of Mutable Instruments modules clones)

There are great Korg clones of famous analog synths (Oddysey, Moni/Poly, Polysix, M1, Wavestatiom, MS20) but they doesn’t support AUv3 so their usability is strongly limited.
You can use them as “plugins” just inside GADGET groovebox which i mentiones in previous post.

You don't like Tera Pro @dendy ? That to me is surprising.

RajahP

@wim said:
Start with Logic. Don’t buy anything else for now. That’s enough to keep you going for a long time.

Hang out here and see what people talk about that peaks your interest before going off buying things. Take your time or you’ll just end up collecting way too much (good) shit that you’ll end up not using.

Seconded wim’s suggestion.. 2 months in, and have not even scratched the surface…

Littlewoodg

@ndiniz said:
I'm looking for some professional (paid and/or free) synthesizer, chip synths, groovebox and drum machine apps for my new iPad. My requirements are subtractive, additive, chip emulation, wavetable, FM, DIY (any, some, or all) and optionally have a mod matrix. I want to make sure that I'm getting the best stuff. Going to be buying the relatively new Logic Pro. Looking forward to your comments.

you’re fortunate, some heavy hitters have stepped up with advice already. I add my absolute assent to all the above (contradictory!) notes.

I would add Elastic Drums to the lists above. Maybe you have this one?

Extraordinary groovebox. I was tempted to list features but you will be better served with a link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/elastic-drums/id817419955

re: ios synths, I admire those that set a ‘best of the best’ limit on what they use, though this is definitely not my style. I want the most possible colors in my crayola box. I find the idea of best so limiting, haha. And personal. Some times i want to play with the weirdest for example. Or simplest. GUI wise, and otherwise

at the same time you can stand on the shoulders of giants (tall comrades at least) and benefit from their deep testing dives.

dendy

@Bruques said:
You don't like Tera Pro @dendy ? That to me is surprising.

Terra is actually very good, it is not that i do ‘t like it - i just forgot to mention it - personally, I do not enjoy UI, but yeah, probably solid choice as quality allrounder synth too :-) .

But you are true. Good synth, definitely BS/SM2 league edited my post and added it :-)

I have not installed Terra or SM2 simply because for complex sound design Obsidian and Butter are perfectly covering all my needs … and the UI of Tera/SM2 is not that intuitive and easy to use than Obs/BS.

Edward_Alexander

Drambo

Bruques

@dendy said:

@Bruques said:
You don't like Tera Pro @dendy ? That to me is surprising.

Terra is actually very good, it is not that i do ‘t like it - i just forgot to mention it - personally, I do not enjoy UI, but yeah, probably solid choice as quality allrounder synth too :-) .

But you are true. Good synth, definitely BS/SM2 league edited my post and added it :-)

I have not installed Terra or SM2 simply because for complex sound design Obsidian and Butter are perfectly covering all my needs … and the UI of Tera/SM2 is not that intuitive and easy to use than Obs/BS.

Yeah it makes sense. It isn't necessary in that context. As I only play MPE instruments, it's first in my template,,then SM2, Tal-Uno-LX, Model D, various Bleass, if I wasn't MPEing probably its a different list.

geremy

For rythm, you must try Beat Scholar. It’s amazing.

HotStrange

Beat Scholar, DrumComputer, Hammerhead, and Playbeat are my favorite drum machines on iOS.

Lots of great grooveboxes as well. Drambo, GR-16, Hypertron (underrated), Ampify Groovebox, Gadget, Electribe Wave.

For synths, there are so many to choose from. Buttersynth, BA-1, Ivoks, Hilda, Animoog Z, Lowtone, Tal Uno, Factory, OPL, Alpha, Omega, id700, Synclavier Go, etc. The list goes on.

cokomairena

Best grooveboxes/noisemakers for me are:

Figure: If you want something super simple to spark your creativity (free)

Groove Rider GR-16: if you want something resembling an hardware groovebox (everything is very accesible), but augmented with oftwre capabilities (this is a demo I make of it because I loved it: )

Ableton Note: If you want something simple but different, more focused on recording performance than programing steps, but I considere it a groovebox because of the instant switch between projects.

Drambo: If you wan't the best groovebox/modular synth on earth xD, although of this list this is the only one that doesn't have instant switch between projects

dendy

@cokomairena said:

very nice jam !

RanDoM_rRay

any one messing with the SugarBytes groovebox app?.seems kinda dated, but i know SB designs fun stuff. anyone still recommend it?

FordTimeLord

Strokes is worth a look too. It’s very deep

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/strokes-audio-workstation/id6443816236

taeo

@Edward_Alexander said:

Drambo

+1, also Hammerhead and Different Drummer

taeo

@taeo said:

@Edward_Alexander said:

Drambo

+1, also Hammerhead and Different Drummer

Note, Gadget, Endlesss, Zenbeats and Nanostudio 2 are all formidable

HotStrange

@taeo said:

@taeo said:

@Edward_Alexander said:

Drambo

+1, also Hammerhead and Different Drummer

Note, Gadget, Endlesss, Zenbeats and Nanostudio 2 are all formidable

Can’t believe I forgot Note and Endless. For free Endless is a must have. Even though I haven’t fully explored it yet.

HotStrange

@FordTimeLord said:
Strokes is worth a look too. It’s very deep

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/strokes-audio-workstation/id6443816236

Strokes is one of my favorites but may be a bit much for just starting out. I’ve still only halfway wrapped my head around it and I’ve had it for months 😂

FordTimeLord

@HotStrange said:

@FordTimeLord said:
Strokes is worth a look too. It’s very deep

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/strokes-audio-workstation/id6443816236

Strokes is one of my favorites but may be a bit much for just starting out. I’ve still only halfway wrapped my head around it and I’ve had it for months 😂

Fair point 😂

Slush

The best option is on page 8 of this thread.