A COLLABORATIVE POST BY SAM BUSEKRUS
ASSISTANT EDITOR, BOOM BOX POST
I went around the office and asked everyone what their go to free apps for IOS were and got some really cool recommendations. I’ve listed the coolest ones and I hope that you find these useful if you’re on the go or need something quick and easy!
Nebulous Theremin Synth
“I really like Nebulous Theremin Synth. It has only one real function, but it does it well. It’s a iOS synth meant to mimic the sounds of a theremin. You have the ability to alter the waveform and delay in the settings and you control the pitch and volume by dragging your finger across the screen. It sounds great and I’ve had a lot of fun making strange psychedelic ambience sweeteners using it.” -Tess
Decibel x
“There are PLENTY of different metering applications out on the market to download, both free and for purchase, and they are extremely valuable tools for just about anyone. An SPL meter, or sound level meter, is basically a device that uses a microphone to measure the average level of noise. Being our ears are one of our most important tools, it is essential to protect them and be conscientious of the noise pollution we are exposed to in our day-to-day lives. SPL metering apps conveniently use the microphone in your smart device in the same way an SPL meter functions. I like to use Decibel X because it is very user friendly and gives you a noise level chart to show you if the levels are harmful or not.” -BriElle
SOUND METER
“Sound Meter is a solid, free, no frills SPL meter app. While cell phone microphones are limited, this app does a halfway decent job of giving you a rough idea of the loudness of anything in range of your phone. Major bonus points to the app developers for the basic “0” calibration they offer. Couple this with an upgraded microphone and you’ve got a solid budget SPL meter in your pocket.” -Jacob
Simple bpm detector
“There are a lot of useful tools for people to use who work with music to analyze the tempo or “Beat Per Minuet” of a song. Some BPM apps analyze the tempo by listen to a track and producing an average reading, while other apps allow you to tap the screen to the beat of a song to generate the average BMP reading. This can be helpful when cutting sound effects in music montages, editing music tracks, etc. The app I like to use is Simple BPM Detector. This app is one that analyzes the BPM of the song for you within a few seconds. Check it out!” -BriElle
AudioKit Synth One Synthesizer
“Synth One created by AudioKit is a hybrid analog/FM polyphonic synthesizer created for iOS devices. It is simple and intuitive to use that includes over 300 presets created by professional sound designers. It is also open source so you can modify the app. There is also MIDI support so you can hook up a MIDI keyboard to play. It is really useful for creating interesting synth sounds. I think that is sounds just as good or maybe even better than many other paid IOS apps.” -Peter
jbl tools
“JBL Tools is an audio swiss army knife, combining several different functions into on package. Several tools such as the ‘Speaker,’ ‘Calculations’ and ‘Polarity Checker’ are made for people designing or setting up speakers, and are extremely valuable tools. My favorite though is the RTA, which is the most accurate spectrum analyzer I’ve found for android. It does lack calibration and and display options, but the freeze RTA display function is definitely useful.” -Jacob