The Buyer’s Guide For The iPad Dance Producer

As we’re in an iOS mood, here are some ideas for a starter-studio setup for a dance producer with an iPad. For more iOS guides check out our essential guide and buyer’s guide to iOS apps…

Speakers/headphones

We’ve listed a couple of mobile speaker options and also some great headphones that we’ve looked at recently…

Yamaha HPH-MT8
Price £170
Contact www.yamahaproaudio.com

We say: ”These phones stand up to models that cost a lot more and really are a great buy.”

Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
Price €599
Contact www.beyerdynamic.com

We say: “If you want streamlined listening and great quality, these are as good as it gets.”

Fender Focal Passport Studio
Price £420
Contact www.fender.com

We say: “A great set of monitors you can transport around to different band members’ houses.”

IK iLoud Micro
Price £279 pair
Contact www.ikmultimedia.com

We say: “The best desktop speakers you can get, simple as, and great for bands on tour.”

Instruments

Some of the DAWs below will give you many of the sounds you require, but here are four more to give you extra sonic muscle…

Propellerhead Thor
Price $14.99

We say: ”With a name like Thor and the developers behind Reason, you’d expect this mobile synth to sound amazing and it certainly does.”

Native Instruments iMaschine 2
Price £9.99

We say: ”A great and simple environment in which to create loops, rather than entire songs.”

Korg Gadget
Price £19.99 via iTunes

We say: ”We always go on about how good Gadget is… because it’s so damn good! All the EDM synths and drum machines you need in one app.”

Yonac Magellan
Price £4.99

We say: ”Of all the synths we’ve included in our Best Of 16 in this Essential Guide, this is arguably the most dance orientated.”

Accessories

The four very different extras you don’t necessarily need, but which could make your dance-production life a lot easier…

Secret Base Design Music I/O
Price $9.99 via musicioapp.com

We say: ”If you’re looking for a way to unify your iOS and OS X platforms, this is the best solution around.”

RØDE i-XY
Price £135
Contact via Source on 020 8962 5080 or www.rode.com

We say: ”Two mics in one for a wider capture and a great RØDE sound make this a great iOS option.”

Korg PlugKey
Price £69
Contact www.korg.com

We say: “Turns your iPad or iPhone into a sound module/instrument. A great way to welcome your iOS device to your studio.”

IK Multimedia iRig Keys MINI
Price £79
Contact www.ikmultimedia.com

We say: ”As good as the iPad is at playing music, sometimes you do want the feedback from a proper keyboard and this is a great solution.”

DAW

Yes, you can get some pretty amazing complete DAWs for the iPad (see Essential Guide) but here are four for four-on-the-floor…

Novation Launchpad
Price Free plus IAPs via iTunes

We say: ”The original app for making electronic music is still a great way to put your loops, beats and entire songs together.”

Apple GarageBand
Price Free via iTunes

We say: ”With the addition of Alchemy, GarageBand now has a lot more synth for the money, so will appeal more to dance heads. Outstanding and feature-packed.”

UVI BeatHawk 2
Price £9.99 plus IAPs via iTunes

We say: ”The strength of Beathawk (see our Essential Guide overview) is how easily it makes ideas a reality. For the price, it’s a steal.”

Ampify Groovebox
Price Free plus IAPs via iTunes

We say: ”Groovebox looks set to be a big contender for Ampify, and is great for realising ideas and inspiring new ones… fast.”