HouseOfHomuth, 29.09.2014
Mixes ease-of-use with a deceptive amount of depth
A $30 purchase for a new DAW is a bit of a risk, but my early impressions of MultiTrackStudio (MTS) have been quite good. The developer is very responsive,
and there is a freeware version of MTS that you can use on Windows (limited to 3 tracks). You can even ship projects back and forth from desktop to iPad, though I think this may require a file transfer by cable (if so, would like that procedure improved).
MTS records audio tracks, and supports AudioBus, IAA, and AudioCopy/Paste, so it has the full suite of features you would ask for if your goal is to create projects using synths, drum apps, and even recorded guitar and vocals. Integration with AudioShare is phenomenal - the app makes it incredibly easy to get samples and other content in an out of that app, and from DropBox (by proxy).
The star feature of this app, and the one that drove me to try it despite the fact that I also have Auria and MT DAW, is the MIDI data editing. On the PC version, you can create MIDI tracks that power VST plugins. On iPad, you can program MIDI data with a piano roll, note score, or drum hit layout chart, and control apps with IAA (and perhaps AudioBus too). It's a little daunting for a novice at first but it does work. Even more amazing, MTS will record keyboard inputs from a MIDI controller (or the on-screen keyboard) as MIDI data. So, if that "E" note you played was supposed to be an "F", you can fix that in the data. Or if it was off by a little on the timing, you can move it or quantize the notes. This feature is available in some PC DAW's costing hundreds of dollars, but it's fairly unique to iOS DAW's, and it really helps for the creative process.
The interface is a little different than Auria or Cubasis, but virtually all of the functionality is there. The on-board effects are decent. The included instruments...not so much, but the app has an SoundFont player that creates almost infinite possibilities for instrument noises without ever leaving the app (and programming them in MIDI).
This really is an amazingly well thought-out DAW. Most of the features aren't revoluntionary, but the workflow is very smooth, and the small file footprint favors efficiency - it actually runs pretty well on my aging iPad2. Would like to see it continue to improve, but this one's a winner.
UPDATE (09/29/14): Well...it continued to improve! If 6 stars were an option, version 1.5 and the addition of the Matrix Sampler would have put it over the top! Not only can you import your own samples from .wav files, etc., but you can copy raw audio or even MIDI data from other tracks in the amp, and save them as samples. The MIDI is rendered through whatever IAA instrument you have it set up with. This makes it incredibly easy to put together a diverse array of sounds that can be triggered as sampler hits without ever leaving the app. I'm so incredibly pleased with the features and continued support of this app that I plan on buying the extension pack shortly!
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