Moog, makers of the venerable Minimoog analog synthesizer, is taking its sonic palette and cramming it into a 99-cent iPad app called Animoog. We just took it for a quick test drive, and it faithfully recreates Moog's signature sonic tones and includes endless options for tweaking that sound, such as a prominent X/Y pad that lets you physically manipulate the sound's wave form. It also has requisite options for recording your performance, saving sonic manipulations, and even hooking up a MIDI keyboard.
Design-wise, this app takes cues from Apple's own GarageBand, the iOS app nLog Synth Pro (which provides synth fans with a Moog-esque experience), and its own real-life synthesizers — keys are at the bottom, settings are at the top. Animoog also took inspiration from GarageBand's smart keyboard with custom keyboard scales. In addition to a standard keyboard layout, Animoog offers offers a wide variety of preset scales and modes, making it much easier to stay on key.
Animoog's 99-cent introductory price lasts for 30 days, and Moog's other iOS app Filtatron has been dropped to 99 cents to match. If you're an iPad music-maker, check out the video below to get a sense of Animoog's flexibility.