Unfortunately, there’s no ‘try before you buy’ service, and some of these are more expensive than the average iOS apps (still they’re all cheap compared to desktop piano libraries!).
So, what’s the best piano app for iOS? We asked Stefan Ginsler, a pianist and iOS consultant, to check out some of the most popular ones and report back.
The Apps
– CMP – „CMP Grand Piano“ by Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte
– Colossus – „Colossus Piano“ by Christian Schoenebeck d/b/a Crudebyte
– Ivory (Korg Module) – Ivory IAP in „KORG Module“ by KORG INC.
– iGrand Piano – „iGrand Piano for iPad“ by IK Multimedia
– Ravenscroft 275 – „Ravenscroft 275 Piano“ by UVItouch
The Video Test
After all, actions speak louder than words, so check out the video test with the following playlists (click on the dropdown menu on the top left of the video to expand the list)…
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrsUWMvTXL8g6UAXQV3ev6JFXZUvGOSoF
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrsUWMvTXL8iuyy6XIQ7STb5QfXyf5rjf
His Picks
Sound: 1. Ravenscroft, 2. iGrand, 3. Ivory, 4. CMP, 5. Colossus (too harsh and metallic)
Dynamic/Velocity: 1. Colossus, 2. Ivory, 3. iGrand, 4. Ravenscroft
Feeling: 1. Ravenscroft, 2. iGrand, 3. Ivory, 4. CMP, 5. Colossus
Disk Space: 1. iGrand Piano (692.9MB), 2. Ravenscroft 275 (841MB), 3. Ivory (1.38GB), 4. KCMP (1.74GB), 5. Colossus (14.3GB)
Conclusion
As of now, Summer 2017, the newly released UVI’s Ravenscroft 275 (read our Ravenscroft 275 feature) is the best piano app for iOS (hopefully they will improve on its velocity feature, right UVI?).
The second pick would be iGrand Piano (the piano app Stefan was always using until now for recording, live performances, workshops).
Do you agree with his conclusion? What is your favorite iOS app? Share your thoughts in the comments below…
In collaboration with Stefan Gisler, #iosartist, coach for tablet and smartphones for musicians and music teachers, www.stefangisler.com – www.tabletlernen.ch/workshops
