What cunty little apps should I put on my iPhone?

[Jackson K Pollock]

How does it benefit people to have things like Garageband on the phone?  I would have thought a laptop set-up would be about as minimal as anyone would happily go with making music.

Not having a Mac, I've struggled with laptop music production for a couple of years. While I've occassionally managed to get a reasonable set-up, I've always wanted Garageband (though never enough to be able to justify the expense of a Mac).

Being able to grab it for £2.99, I couldn't resist. I wasn't expecting much, but I can honestly say that so far it's been better than anything I've ever been able to accomplish on my PC. The i-Rig has added a whole new dimension (though it's now made me think seriously about finally splashing out on a new guitar as well, so things are starting to add up).

I also love the perveseness of being able to make music in the most unlikely situations. I've recently made pretty decent demo tracks in the park, on a coach journey, and even in the canteen at work.

I'm trying to challenge a couple of friends of mine to see if they can record a song - or even an album - using only their phone.

[Ignatius_S]

For iOS users, Appshopper.com is an incredibly useful site. Basically, it lists new apps or ones that have been updated and/or price change. Each app has its own page that shows when there have been price changes – very handy for checking if something regularly gets discounted.

... The i-Rig has added a whole new dimension (though it's now made me think seriously about finally splashing out on a new guitar as well, so things are starting to add up)....

You're enjoying it then!

... also love the perveseness of being able to make music in the most unlikely situations. I've recently made pretty decent demo tracks in the park, on a coach journey, and even in the canteen at work....

That was one thing I was going to mention – the convenience. I remember when NanoStudio was just on the iPhone (it's now universal) and people saying it was fantastic for sketching ideas out, particularly when they were nowhere near their computer.

I've found it interesting when people said an app is even better than they expected and using is far more than they thought they would. Because the user interface and experience are different, it offers something, well, different. Using GarageBand on a Mac is different to on iOS device and some people will enjoy using a touchscreen more – personally, I think you will tend to be a damn sight more creative with something you like using than something you don't enjoy as much; obvious as that sounds, it's something I think people overlook when they focus too much on specs and features.

I don't know if you've seen it, but Filtatron is super.

[olliebean]

For iOS users, Appshopper.com is an incredibly useful site. Basically, it lists new apps or ones that have been updated and/or price change. Each app has its own page that shows when there have been price changes – very handy for checking if something regularly gets discounted.

Seconded, and if you open an account there (which is free) you can maintain a wishlist and have it email you whenever anything on your wishlist is discounted. Very useful indeed :)

[Ignatius_S]

Seconded, and if you open an account there (which is free) you can maintain a wishlist and have it email you whenever anything on your wishlist is discounted. Very useful indeed :)

Despite the big tab that says 'Wishlist', I hadn't actually noticed that before - ta!