AR-909 by AudioKit – The First Synth Based 909 for iOS?

AudioKit, the popular iOS development team, has just released AR-909, a synth drum machine app for iPhone and iPad inspired by the iconic Roland TR-909 (although they can’t say that, because you know… Roland!).
This is pretty exciting news for iOS beatmakers. We can consider AR-909 the first synth-based 909 for iOS – yep, you might say Rebirth came first, but it was then removed from the App Store. Plus, it’s from AudioKit, and these guys generally don’t f**k around (see our AudioKit Synth One review).

Main Features:

+ AUv3 (Use as plugin in GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis 3, BM3, etc)
+ Synth-based for total control
+ Easy to use controls. Create your own sound. Live tweaks.
+ Switch Patterns on-screen (or with MIDI) to create new creations on the fly for live performance or songwriting.
+ Small & mighty: Entire app less than 20mb (on many devices)

I took AR-909 for a spin and I really enjoyed the ride. The interface is versatile and straightforward to use, the sound engine hits and roars like a motherf***er, and there are plenty of cool presets to explore the possibilities of the app right away.

Cons? A few visual glitches here and there, while some buttons are a tad too small. Also, the app has no song mode and there’s no support for Ableton Link at the moment (MIDI Learn is coming soon). I guess we’ll see some updates in the next days and weeks. That said, this is a…

Bargain!

Intro price is only $2.99, which means… open your App Store and get it now!
Worth knowing: the app is part of AudioKit’s Limited Edition series. In their words “the idea is to make each special bonus app available you for a short period of time (2 weeks) much like a limited edition vinyl run.”

To learn more about AR-909 please visit the official web page.