Best MIDI Controller Apps for iOS: Control your Synths from your iPhone or iPad
Turn your iPad or iPhone into a custom MIDI Controller
Best MIDI Controller Apps for iOS: Control your Synths from your iPhone or iPad · Source: Hexler
MIDI controller apps are one of the quickest and cheapest ways to add a custom controller to your setup. Whether you want to control other apps, hardware synths, DAW software, DJ gear, or even lighting—there’s an app for that! We check out some of the best MIDI controller apps for iOS.
Best MIDI Controller Apps for iOS
Advantages of MIDI controller apps
Need more knobs and sliders to control your synths and/or DAW software? One option would be to invest in a hardware MIDI controller. But there is another way that offers many advantages. The biggest one: if you have an iPhone or iPad, you already own the hardware!
Another advantage of using apps for MIDI control is that many of them can easily adapt to the specific needs of your setup or various control scenarios. When Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007, one of the most groundbreaking innovations was that Apple had done away with nearly all physical buttons and replaced them with a giant touchscreen that displays custom sets of controls for various tasks. Today, we take this for granted, but back then, it was a revolution.
Some of the best MIDI controller apps for iOS work much in the same way. Instead of a fixed set of knobs and sliders, they offer a modular interface that you can easily customize to your specific needs.
In this article, we focus on MIDI controller apps for iOS and iPadOS. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any options available if you’re on Android, including some of the apps presented below.
TouchOSC: Still one of the most versatile MIDI Controller Apps
A true veteran among customizable MIDI controller apps, TouchOSC ($19.99) has been around for many years. TouchOSC lets you create customized control surfaces for MIDI and OSC that are perfectly tailored to your setup and requirements. You can choose from a wide variety of shapes and colors for the controls. The app supports wired and wireless MIDI, MIDI over USB, and OSC over UDP & TCP. It also offers one of the most extensive choices of platforms: in addition to iOS, TouchOSC runs on Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux, with the ability to sync multiple instances over the network. This makes TouchOSC one of the most comprehensive solutions for turning your smartphone or tablet into a custom MIDI controller.
GeoShred Control: Free MPE Controller App from Jordan Rudess
When it comes to expressive ways to control synths, Jordan Rudess is never far away. An early adopter of MPE keyboards such as the Haken Continuum and ROLI Seaboard, the Dream Theater keyboardist has also designed a bunch of innovative music-making apps with his company Wizdom Music. GeoShred Control is a free MPE controller app based on the interface from GeoShred ($24.99), a physical modeling instrument for the iPad and iPhone. While GeoShred Control lacks the sound engine, it offers the same innovative control surface. Primarily designed for playing MPE-compatible software and hardware synths, the app enables expressive polyphonic control via multi-touch and 3D touch. It also includes a versatile arpeggiator.
- GeoShred Control in the App Store
- Product page
- MPE, Polyphonic Aftertouch & MIDI 2.0: Are You Using the Correct Expression?
Arpeggionome Pro: Creative Matrix Arpeggiator
Arpeggionome Pro ($9.99) is a matrix arpeggiator app for iPadOS that lets you quickly create and perform creative patterns. The matrix layout is great for transposing and manipulating patterns in real time. Arpeggionome Pro also supports the built-in accelerometer of the iPad, allowing you to control the volume, pitch, or another parameter by tilting the tablet. A powerful performance arpeggiator on your iPad!
Ribn: 8 Ribbon Controllers with Automation
Developed by YouTuber once upon a synth, Ribn ($3.99) is a simple but very effective MIDI controller app that runs on iPads and iPhones. It offers up to eight ribbon controllers or faders that can be configured to send MIDI CC messages of your choice. This is a great way to add custom faders to your rig without investing in additional hardware. Ribbons can be removed or added as needed, so you always see exactly what you need. And here’s the best thing: Ribn also lets you record controller movements and play them back in a loop, essentially acting as a powerful modulator with eight complex LFOs.
Velocity Keyboard: Flexible On-Screen Keyboard with Velocity, Aftertouch, and MPE
Velocity Keyboard by Blue Mangoo ($9.99) uses a unique velocity-sensing algorithm to track touch force, enabling functions such as velocity and polyphonic aftertouch. The on-screen keyboard can be customized as needed: In addition to a conventional keyboard view, which can also be limited to a scale of your choice, Velocity Keyboard offers a guitar-like string layout and drum pads.
In addition to MIDI notes, velocity, and pressure, the app detects the vertical finger positions, enabling expressive per-note MPE control. There are also four freely assignable CC knobs.
MIDI Interfaces for iPad and iPhone
Now that you’ve downloaded all these fantastic MIDI controller apps, how do you connect your iPad or iPhone to your hardware synths or computer to use it as a controller?
In some cases, you can get by with a wireless Bluetooth connection. For example, if you’re on a Mac, you can connect your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth to transmit MIDI data in both directions. If you only need to control a single hardware instrument, a Bluetooth MIDI adapter such as the CME WIDI Master* can be a great option. It plugs into the MIDI jacks of your synth and communicates wirelessly with your iPhone or iPad.
If you want to integrate your iPad or iPhone into a larger, wired MIDI setup, you’ll need a MIDI interface. Many current USB MIDI interfaces also work with smart devices. Tip: Make sure that the interface is USB class compliant. The best options are newer MIDI interfaces equipped with a USB-C connector, as they can be connected directly to the device without the need for an adapter. Older iOS devices with a Lightning connector require a Camera Connection Kit or another Lightning-to-USB adapter.
Tip: You can find an overview of current MIDI interfaces in our buyer’s guide to MIDI tools.
iPad and iPhone Mounts
If you use an iPad or iPhone as a MIDI controller, nothing beats a sturdy mount – especially on stage! Companies such as K&M, Hercules Stands, Adam Hall, and Millennium make a wide variety of smartphone and tablet holders*, many of which can be attached to a microphone or keyboard stand.
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