iMaschine is a beat making app developed by Native Instruments.  It’s an iOS emulation of Maschine, which is a popular groove production suite.  The app comes with 25 kits and over 400 individual samples.  Lay down beats using velocity sensitive drum pads and various effects.  You can also record your own samples directly within iMaschine.  Expand your sound library with additional sound sets from the app store.  Import your own 16-bit WAV files through iTunes and export your mix as an audio file. Effects include: Delay, Chorus, Filter and Flanger

iMaschine primarily makes use of its drum pads, but there is a built-in keyboard for those who want it.  The stock sounds are good and if you own Maschine (the hardware controller and desktop software) you can import your iMaschine project sessions directly into it.

I would like to see a few more features from this app, but at $5 it is still a great buy.  I’m looking forward to more updates and new samples.

iSequence is a beat making app for your iPad. It has an 8-track sequencer, on board effects, and 160 instruments to choose from. Instruments range from a collection of acoustic kits to leads, pads, and more. You can also expand your sound library via the app store with additional sound sets for $1.99. Available effects include Filter, Reverb, Flanger, Delay, Ring Modulator, Equalizer, LO-FI crusher, live looper, Distortion.

iSequence has a seamless workflow and creating beats is a breeze – this is where the app shines the brightest. It’s extremely easy to navigate through. The stock sounds are decent as well. You can export your work as MIDI and WAV files.

There are some features I would like to see in an update like an ‘undo’ function and more efficient ways of bouncing down selections to free up track space, but all in all, this is a quality app worth having.

Did I mention iSequence is on sale? You can purchase the app for $4.99 (for a limited time only).

DM1 is a classic drum machine for your iPad.  It is comprised of a traditional step sequencer, a drum pad section, a mixer,  an arranger, and X/Y FX pads.  You can manually input grooves via the seqencer or record a performance using the drum pad section.  Automatic quantization makes it easy to create beats on the fly.  No need to record a groove, stop playback, hit quantize, then start playback up and keep working.  Simply lay down a groove and keep building without ever breaking stride.

The mixer gives you control over the final polish of your mix, but you also have manipulative control over the individual samples.  On board effects include: Overdrive, Delay, Phaser, Robotizer, Filter and Compressor.

It’s lacking some necessary features like audio copy/paste and MIDI support but FingerLab (the developer) is promising to include these sort of things in future updates.

All FingerLab music apps are on sale for $.99 making the DM1 a great buy.  The sale ends January 27th so be sure to check out the DM1 and other FingerLab products.

iKlip is a microphone stand adapter for your iPad.  It gives you the ability to attach your iPad to your mic stand for optimal viewing.  This is ideal for someone looking to use their iPad in live performance situations. With iKlip you can maximize your ability to do things like play an instrument and work with your iPad simultaneously.  It is lightweight but well constructed and the ergonomic, multi-angle design allows you to get your iPad in the perfect position.

In terms of music production and performance, the iPad can be used in many different ways; as a beat maker, virtual instrument, mixer, effects processor, virtual controller and so on.  The multitude of uses for the iPad make attaching it to a mic stand (regardless of whether you’re using a microphone or not) extremely handy.

iKlip is compatible with iPad and iPad2 and cost $40.

StudioTrack is a multi-track recorder and mixer for your iPad.  It allows you to record and import audio files that can then be mixed using its on board effects processors.  You’ll get a Compressor, Parametric EQ, Tempo-synced Delay, and Reverb available for each track.  StudioTrack allows for a maximum of 8 tracks with a flexible ‘bounce’ feature to consolidate certain tracks and create more track space within the app.  An audio pasteboard feature is cool as it makes this app compatible with over 70 other apps.  Also, WIFI sync allows you to import any mix or individual track to a computer, which is always nice.

Potentially you could record into StudioTrack using your iPad microphone, which would be okay if you were just laying down a quick idea like a simple guitar riff, but I wouldn’t expect to get great recording results.  Your best bet would be to get an iMic or Guitar Jack depending on what you’re recording.  Supposedly, a future StudioTrack update is going to contain some modeled guitar amps and effects, which would give the app a big boost in terms of functionality.

There are several things this app is missing like an arrangement view for laying out and looping arrangements.  It also needs a ‘bounce to MP3′ feature for easier file sharing online, amongst other things.

Where StudioTrack shines is in the area of effects processors.  I really like that you get a Compressor/ Limiter and Parametric EQ to fatten up your mixes.  However, with no arrangement view, no virtual instruments, and a hefty price tag ($20) this app is a questionable purchase.  Hopefully the soon-to-come guitar effects and amps are really good making Studio Track well worth the money.

Propellerhead’s Rebirth has been a popular desktop production tool for many years, so I knew it was just a matter of time before it made its way to the iPad.  Rebirth is a beat making app built around the popular TB-303 and TR 808 and 809 drum machines.  The groove engine behind all three of these modules is a programmable step sequencer with various effects.  You’ll get a Compressor, Tempo-synced Delay, Distortion, a Pattern Controlled filter, and Mixing section for polishing your creations.

The stock sounds are good, and the app affords the user a lot of tweakable flexibility.  Rebirth is compatible with other popular apps like the Korg Electribe and the IMS-20.  Easy file sharing is supported and using WIFI sync you can link your iPad with another iPad to make use of both or rock out with another friend.  The app also allows you to record different fader movements to give your songs that extra attention to detail.

All in all, Rebirth is a solid beat making application for the iPad, but I have received a lot of bad feedback about the app’s instability issues.  My hope is that Propellerhead can correct the problem because Rebirth is a great program and now it only cost $7.  If you’re into producing electronic music this is an app you’ll want to have on deck.

OscilloScoop is a unique beat making app for the iPad.  It comes with 6 beat sets and the ability to save presets from your creations.  The thing that makes OscilloScoop unique is its visual interface and sound engine.  Three spinning crowns allow for the manipulation of tone/pitch, filter, and volume.  As the crowns spin you can morph these effects by sliding your fingers vertically across them.

If you need to fine tune your song then shift your iPad into landscape orientation and the app turns into a traditional step sequencer allowing for more detailed editing.

I wouldn’t regard OscilloScoop as a serious music making app for professionals, there is just not enough to it.  If you plan on getting any longevity out of OscilloScoop you’ll need to purchase additional beat sets from the app store. However, for $.99, this is a cool app even the kids will enjoy.  Its simple to use and visually stimulating.

Electrify is a virtual Groovebox for your iPad.  It makes use of sampling and step sequencing to create music.  The on board sample library contains more than six hundred samples and gives you the ability to import your own as well.  Export your songs in high quality .WAV format.  Electrify also comes with 8 effects processors and 7 editable parameters for each step in your sequence allowing for detailed editing and tweaking.  Audio copy and paste functions make it compatible with other music making apps as well.

If you’re a serious producer looking to make good use of your iPad, then Electrify is an app I highly recommend you check out.  The Korg iElectribe (its competitive counterpart) gets all of the attention because of Korg’s reputation, and rightfully so, the iElectribe is a great app, but I would probably rate Electrify higher, because the sounds and samples are a bit more Hip Hop friendly.

Electriy will set you back $14.99, but it’s easily worth money.  You’ll get a huge sample library and an intuitive step sequencer – enough said.

Notion is a musical scoring and creation app for your iPad.    It gives you the ability to produce, manipulate, and playback scores.  Its sampled instruments were recorded by The London Symphony Orchestra and you can expand this library via app-store purchase.  The stock sounds are decent giving you access to several instruments to work with including guitar, electric bass, piano, and various orchestral pieces.

The notation editor in Notion is fairly easy to use and navigate, but lacks some important features like engraving and stem direction.  Notion won’t replace your go-to desktop software for this sort of thing, but it does provide a mobile solution for those who need it.

One of the things I like most about Notion are the host of articulations you get for each instrument and how it easy it is to change the articulation of a note on your score.  If you’re working with a guitar score, adding bends, whammies, vibrato etc. is a breeze.  Another added benefit of using Notion if you are a novice composer or producer is the fact that you’ll undoubtedly start learning how to work with sheet music.

Notion comes with a built-in mixer, reverb and distortion effects, and you can share your work with other Notion users for collaborative efforts.  At $14.99 it’s a little on the expensive side, but it’s still a quality app with a lot to offer.  Library expansion packs range from $.99 to $4.99.

VirSyn Addictive Synth is a wavetable synthesizer with extensive sound shaping capabilities.  Its six oscillator engine can be tweaked and morphed through LFO’s, envelopes, and filters to create some impressive sounds – anything from squelching leads to atmospherics.

To get the most out of this app you will need to hook up a MIDI keyboard via the iPad Camera Connection Kit.  The on-screen keyboard responds to touch well, but is small, so a MIDI keyboard makes a big difference.  If the sound design aspect of Addictive Synth seems a bit intimidating it also comes with 128 sound presets and 32 arpeggio presets to get you going.  All of these presets sounds are tweak-able as well.

The arpeggiator works great and is easy to manipulate.  Achieving good results is easy with the 32 step sequencer and its stock presets.   It’s also nice that you can save and share your presets with other people.

This is a solid app for the iPad.  It makes use of vital functions like audio pasteboard for exchange with other apps, allows you to export loops as audio or MIDI files, and preset sharing is done thru iTunes.  If you’re an electronic producer looking for a music app that delivers a nice sound then you can’t go wrong with Addictive Synth.  At $9.99 it’s well worth considering.