Apps and the gadgets that run them are probably one of man's greatest inventions. Smartphone apps will teach you how to cook your favorite dinner dish, drive an eighteen-wheeler, and even play with virtual and augmented reality (read Pokémon Go). This is in part due to the advanced gadgets that have become commonplace in recent years, including smartphones, tablets, and related gear.
One of the more interesting areas for app development has been music production. If you are one of those people who grew up dreaming about cooking up beats inspired by a Dr. Dre single or an Eminem album, app developers and device manufacturers have not forsaken you.
There are tons of tools and apps that anyone from novices to experienced music producers can use to create and polish tunes. Check out this sample of some of the best tools in the game.
1. Korg Cliphit
This egg-shaped device won't let you make any Grammy-winning hits from home but it will let you hone your drum skills at the kitchen table. The Korg Cliphit uses a set of sensory clips that attach to most types of surfaces. Hitting this surface with your hands or drumsticks with the clips attached transforms the surface into an instant beat-producing platform.
The Cliphit is a great gadget for those looking to practice drums or simply have fun. It is also quite easy to set up and use, which means anyone can use the gadget straight out of the box.
2. GarageBand
GarageBand is no stranger to the music-making scene. This powerful app allows anyone to use its large sound library consisting of instruments, guitar presets, virtual drummers, and voice presets to produce and share music. GarageBand even allows you to set up your favorite bass guitar or microphone and mix them up with virtual drum tracks for realistic tracks.
GarageBand also features an assortment of synth sounds and a creative synth control system that will let you play with different sounds for custom output. You can learn, record, and share your tracks with a global audience – straight from your garage.
GarageBand is currently available for Mac desktops and iOS devices.
3. Korg Gadget
Korg Gadget is an iOS app that is popularly used by pro and semi-pro music producers to create music on their iPhones and iPads. Like GarageBand, Gadget incorporates a large collection of instruments and sounds, including drum machine sounds and synthesizers. It also includes mixing tools, a huge collection of tones, and a sequencer, which lets you create full tracks within minutes.
While the Gadget is currently exclusive to iOS devices, Korg recently announced that the app will soon be available on Mac desktops. Users will be able to sync their projects across their mobile and desktop workstations.
4. Roli Blocks
The Roli Blocks is basically a hand-held music production studio that will let you make professional music with only an iPad or iPhone. This revolutionary gadget will transform you into a pro version of Steve Aoki with a few intuitive gestures on its touch-sensitive surface.
The basic system consists of a Lightpad Block, the NOISE app for iOS, the Live Block and the Loop Block, though the app and Lightpad Block are usually enough to make music. Users make beats and melodies by simply sliding, striking, and pressing fingers against the touch-sensitive surface of the Lightpad Block.
Users can make new sounds or chose sounds from a library of over 100 pre-recorded tunes from within the NOISE app.
With an open-door policy for app developers and additional features still in the works for this gadget, the possibilities are virtually endless.
5. DM1 - The Drum Machine
Fingerlab's assortment of music-making apps consists of an impressive assortment of inventive tools for every type of enthusiast, and DM1 is no exception. This app consists of a rich assortment of drum sounds that can be easily and creatively controlled from an iPad to make beats. DM1 is especially important for musicians looking to get ideas out of their heads and into production during the early stages of conception.
It's also a fun tool for messing around with when you have an iPad, a pair of headphones, and the need to blow off some steam.
If you are looking to go beyond these apps and tools and build your own recording studio, this guide from Psyrox may come in handy.
Still, if you are a professional producer, artist or just another undiscovered musical genius, these tools and apps will help you translate the musical tunes in your head into tracks that anyone can listen to. Who knows – your Block-produced track might be the next urban hit.