iPad Music Production Update

Although several interesting tablet computers have been released this year, it’s still the iPad that leads the way when it comes to music production (and App depth generally). The Apple tablet isn’t looking like relinquishing its lead either, with plenty of new Apps for musicians emerging with each passing month…

Touching the MOOG

Moog, the company that bears the name of the legendary synth guru Bob Moog, have just released an iPad app called AniMoog. Moog perhaps represents the very essence of analog hardware synthesis, so it’s perhaps no surprise that their initial venturings into the App world are coming under intense scrutiny (they previously released a signal processor App, Filtatron).

Peter Kirn’s recent editorial on both the AniMoog and the issue of the iPad as a live performance device has stirred up a lot of debate, such that Marc Doty (who was featured in a promo video for the AniMoog) felt compelled to respond.

The experience of touchscreen music performance is in its infancy for both musicians and audiences; it seems clear that it is certainly a valid and welcome breakthrough for musicans as a way of developing new forms of musical expression, interacting in ways that aren’t possible with purely physical instruments.

However, the benefit for audiences is less clear, and it seems there is some way to go before a touchscreen performance can be a truly satisfying experience for the observer. I look forward to seeing how artists continue to develop new and more engaging ways of incorporating touchscreens into their performances – and they certainly will, of that there is no doubt.

More Big Name iPad Music Apps

Many giants of the music hardware world are now stepping into the App arena – Korg have already released very impressive touchscreen emulations in the (virtual) form of the iElectribe and the iMS-20.

Yamaha’s Tenori-On was lauded as an innovative performance device when it was first launched – although its rather hefty price tag kept it out of the range of most musicians’ budget. Yamaha have since gone on to provide a much more cost-effective alternative (even if you have to buy the iPad to run it on) in the form of their TNR-i app…