Tech: Android: Creative Essentials

Android gets slated occasionally for not having the same wealth of creative apps that iOS devices deliver for musicians and artists, but the fact is there's a good fewapps on the Android Market that can quench your mobile creative requirements. Whether you are a musician, artist, writer or whatever there is probably something on there for every need. Obviously this list isn't an exhaustive one, but I reckon I've found a few essentials everyone should check out.


For the Musician
DaTuner - Simple, fast tuner for any instrument. (free one is limited slightly)
UtimateGuitar Tabs - Guitar bass and drum music resource (no free one)
AudioTool Sketch - 64 beat pattern Sequencer, with 7 programmable patterns per instrument; with bass synth, 2x beat sequencers and a mixer. Potential for some great jams (no free version)
SoundCloud - Awesome site for both hosting your own music, and hearing great new music. A lot of major artists now upload to Soundcloud as a kind of sounding board. (free app)

For the Studio
Humatic TouchDAW - Amazing DAW controller which connects to your platform of choice over WiFi with your Phone or Tablet. My full overview/review is here. (Limited free version also available)

For the Artist
Photoshop Touch - Nearly fully featured Photoshop app. Limited to 1600x1600 resolution, but still the highest resolution image tool on any portable device smaller than a laptop. (Tablet only, no free version)

For taking Notes
Notes - This little app is probably the best note taking app I've seen on any mobile platform. It's still in the early stages, but still works a treat. Typing is smooth and fast, unlike many other apps, and you can export your notes as .txt documents (directly to dropbox if you have that installed too) for editing and further graphical enhancement on your main computer. (free app)