Tabletop, by Retronyms, is a fantastic tool for sound designers looking to work in an environment that simulates the “real thing” while allowing the functionality of electronic expandability. The main goal of tabletop is to provide a studio-like experience for those designing, mixing, and recording sound. Everything from a light loop for...

Music Studio Lite is a free music-making tool that can be used to make unique rhythms, loops, or even songs, depending upon the skill of the user. The app has several available features and extensive in-app help documentation available. The best way to learn Music Studio Lite would probably be through experimentation, using the help as-needed...

Among a slew of free and cheap DJ tools available to the iPad user, Vibe Music Mixer is a solid, stable selection at a great price: free! Vibe offers tools for the beginning user through the more advanced user. Some key areas are ease of use, functionality, and performance features. Vibe Music Mixer is fun to play with, but learning it intuitively...

Synth is a great way to learn about using a synthesizer to make and produce music. The basic version of this app, available for free from iTunes, allows you to experiment with several different synthesized sounds, adjusting the octave, pitch, and modulation. Different filters for delay amount, time, feedback, and distortion are also available....