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mix and match parts from other Loops as you play, for a lot of flexibility. You can even decide if your new part comes in at the same key and scale as what you’re already playing, or if it will change the existing settings to match its own. Audio export can be done to a WAV file for export via iTunes, or shared with other apps via AudioCopy/Paste, or uploaded to SoundCloud for sharing on the web. You can also download Shared loops from other users from a separate menu in the Loop List. Loops can be imported from other apps as well, if you’re of a mind to create your own. iKaossilator is very quick to learn, sounds really good, and makes it easy and fun to build songs—either completed little sketches or building blocks to export and use in your DAW. Sure, there’s no event-level editing available and you can’t tweak patches or effects, but the selection of sounds is sufficient for most types of dance music and the resulting compositions can be quite inspiring. There are a lot of “instant composition” apps for iOS now, but iKaossilator is one I actually find myself using and enjoying a lot; it’s a little more spendy than other apps out there, but I think you get what you pay for.

Moog Filtatron
$7.99; www.moogmusic.com

Filtatron was Moog’s first iOS app, and it’s been somewhat overlooked in the rush to glow over Animoog (reviewed January 2012), which is a shame as this little app does a lot of very cool things, not all of them having to do with filtering. Filtatron isn’t just a software emulation of Moog’s famous ladder filter, capable of processing external audio as an effects processor. It’s also a very playable and configurable monophonic synthesizer that can provide sound from an internal oscillator or a recorded WAV sample, with built-in effects and a fair amount of realtime control; you can record your performances and export them for use in other DAWs or share them with other apps. Filtatron runs on any iOS device; its graphics are optimized for the iPad but its layout is no different on the larger screen. It runs in Portrait mode only, and its user interface is split over six different screens. This is both good and bad; it means you have to jump around a lot to get from function to function, but all the controls on each screen are easy to grab and use rather than being too tiny to be practical. I wouldn’t mind seeing a dedicated iPad Filtatron someday that had room for the most commonly used features on one screen, with a section that tabbed for less-used functions, as on Animoog. Starting at the beginning, there’s a Main screen with controls for input levels of the three available input sources: Line Input, Sampler, and VCO. The VCO has mixable sawtooth and square waves, and can be set to drone constantly or to follow a simple envelope. The VCF is a blendable lowpass/highpass 4-pole filter with cutoff and resonance controls, and sounds fantastic; it’s well worth the price of the app on its own. You can tap tempo to clock certain parts of the synth architecture, blend filtered and unfiltered audio with the Mix knob, and use the Separation control to offset the cutoff frequency between the left and right outputs to create stereo effects. There’s a syncable 5-waveform LFO, an envelope follower for audio input, and an FX page for the amp/overdrive and delay (with its own LFO and sync). Two XY touchpads let you simultaneously control two of six sets of control parameters: VCO level and frequency, envelope follower speed and amount, or amp drive and feedback on the bottom, and VCF cutoff and resonance, LFO rate and amount, or Delay time and feedback on top. A lock icon lets you lock the VCO pad to a chromatic scale. The Sampler screen lets you load or import samples (16/44.1 WAV files), record your own audio, set loop points, and play samples back at variable speed forwards or backwards. This lets you process pretty much anything through Filtatron, and is one of my favorite features. Other screens include a place to load and save presets and a surprisingly deep set of help features, including a very well-written glossary of synthesis terms that makes Filtatron a better educational app than some other apps that are only intended to educate! Getting audio in and out of Filtatron is a cinch. The app supports Sonoma Audio Copy/Paste, you can email recorded sounds to yourself or others, and there’s even a built-in FTP server so you can transfer files directly to another computer without iTunes. Put it all together, and you get a very organic-sounding and flexible analog emulation synthesizer whose sound definitely evokes that particular Moog character, all for a very affordable price. If the thought of adding a sprinkling of Moog magic dust to your tracks for a very affordable price appeals to you, check out Filtatron for yourself!
RECORDING January 2013

http://www.moogmusic.com

Recording - January 2013

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