MikiStrange’s New Top Ten

Good to have a new top ten on the blog again. Here's Miki's top apps:

It’s been a while since I wrote my last Top Ten and I wanted to again for two reasons. Firstly I wanted to see if the way I work has changed and secondly I wanted to see how the apps on my iPhone have progressed. So here goes starting from the top.

1. Chordbot. For me it’s the most useful and most used of my apps. I can get instant satisfaction from my chord progressions. The ability now to copy the result into other apps makes it a perfect backing tool for all kinds of projects. I’m also a fan of the export MIDI via email. I’ve already proved that I can get the file from my iPhone to my Sony PSP running Beaterator and also into FL Studio on my PC. It’s just the perfect tool for getting a track started.


2. Twang. If Chordbot is great for stringing progressions together then Twang is one of two apps I use for finding those chords. It’s a very simple app and very easy to use. Just set your key and strum using a very intuitive interface.


3. AppliChord Mini. This is the other app I use to get my chord sequences together. Again, it’s a very simple app which means that you’re encouraged to compose rather than mess with settings.


4. Duet. If I need to work out a melody of lead line for a track then this app lets me do just that. Drop in a chord sequence for the guitar, work out the strum pattern and then manually play the keyboard over the top. It’s a great way to play with new scales and modes before committing to recording anything.


5. Multitrack Daw. I’d almost given up on this app as not being able to do what I wanted. I’m glad I gave it a second chance as it’s perfect for pasting in loops and beats from other apps. I probably still have bits of it to learn and I’m sure that once I’ve read the manual I’ll be happier still.


6. iSequence. I still use this for making short loops to copy and paste because I like the preset sounds and it’s quick to get an idea down. I suggested to the dev a while ago that adding the ability to export a pattern at a time rather than the whole song would be really useful but nothing as yet (hint hint). The iPad version seems to go from strength to strength but I haven’t got an iPad so it’s a useful app but not all it could be.


7. AudioView. Because sometimes you need an app that can communicate with all other apps when you want to copy and paste something. This is the difference between absolute frustration and a huge grin. So useful it’s untrue.


8. NanoStudio. Why so far down the list. Well, it’s because I haven’t had time to get into it properly. It can do so much and do it so well that I can’t do it justice at the moment, and I know, I really should. I’ll find the time one day but at the moment just standing on the sidelines as I do I’m happy enough.


9. Guitar Toolkit. I know it doesn’t make music but as someone who uses apps for composition to be transported to my PC it’s really useful when adding guitar parts to tracks. I don’t know anything anywhere that does what it does and does it better. The iPhone seems the perfect platform for this gem. It’s always where I want and always works beautifully. It’s a model app.


10. AG-7 MidiGuitar. OK, I’m taking a chance here. I haven’t used this app yet but I had to have it as it seems to be the best solution for a casual guitarist like myself. Basically it turns your iPhone into a MIDI guitar which then sends your strumming to a piece of software on your computer which acts as a MIDI plugin for your DAW. It’ll probably have latency issues and stuff but simply moving the resulting input along your DAWs timeline will give you a decent basis for something that isn’t a computerised strum. A fine idea indeed.


I really interesting collection Miki, and a few apps I'd forgotten about.