The line between “phone” and “instrument” is getting seriously blurry. As of 18 November 2025, your iPhone or iPad can stand in for a bank of hardware faders, a LinnStrument‑style MPE controller, a MIDI looper, and even a hybrid MIDI/CV modulation brain for your entire studio.
Yesterday (17 November), Gearnews published a fresh buyer’s guide titled “Best MIDI Controller Apps for iOS: Control your Synths from your iPhone or iPad”, spotlighting a handful of standout controller apps and the interfaces you need to hook them up. [1] At almost the same time, developers like FAC and NovoNotes are pushing the format even further with deep modulation and free MPE‑ready controllers. [2]
This article pulls those threads together into a news-style, up-to-date overview of the iOS MIDI controller landscape — what’s just landed, what still leads the pack, and how to choose the right app for your rig today.
Why MIDI Controller Apps Matter More Than Ever in 2025
If you already own an iPhone or iPad, you’re sitting on a high‑resolution multitouch surface that’s often more expressive than a cheap hardware controller. Gearnews points out three big advantages MIDI controller apps have over boxes of knobs and sliders: [3]
- You already own the hardware – no extra desk space, no extra USB port.
- Interfaces are fully customizable – layouts can change per project or per song.
- Multi-platform workflows – many of the best apps now also run on macOS, Windows, Linux or even Apple Vision Pro, not just iOS. [4]
At the platform level, iOS 18 has also matured into a serious creative OS, with deeper customization of Control Center, redesigned Photos and new Apple Intelligence features that make mobile workflows smoother and more integrated. [5]
Put simply: in 2025 you can build an entire performance or studio control rig out of software – and it travels in your backpack.
The Core Picks from Gearnews’ 2025 Round-Up
Gearnews’ new guide (published 17 November 2025) focuses on apps that turn iOS devices into flexible, touch‑driven MIDI controllers, rather than full synths or DAWs. [6] Here are the key players they highlight, plus extra context from developers and the App Store.
1. TouchOSC – Still the Most Versatile Modular Controller
TouchOSC is the granddaddy of custom touchscreen controllers, but its current-generation app is anything but dated.
- Modular control surface toolkit: you design your own layouts – faders, XY pads, buttons, encoders, multi‑touch regions and more. [7]
- Deep connectivity: sends and receives multiple MIDI and OSC message streams over wired and wireless connections, including MIDI over USB, Wi‑Fi and networked sessions. [8]
- Cross-platform: runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux, with synchronized editing across devices – handy if you want one layout mirrored on multiple iPads on stage. [9]
Best use cases:
Live electronic sets, complex studio templates, custom mixers for DAWs like Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Reaper or Bitwig.
News angle for 2025: TouchOSC is still being actively updated and is one of the few controller apps that genuinely takes advantage of iOS 18’s long-term performance and networking improvements.
2. GeoShred Control – Free MPE Controller from Jordan Rudess
Designed by Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess and his team at moForte/Wizdom Music, GeoShred Control gives you a guitar‑inspired, highly expressive playing surface that outputs standard MIDI and full MPE. [10]
Key points:
- Free, stand‑alone MIDI/MPE controller – no internal sound engine, just performance control.
- Isomorphic & diatonic layouts with intelligent pitch rounding, letting you glide between fretless and scale‑locked playing. [11]
- Full MIDI/MPE support over Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth and virtual MIDI, plus presets for various synths. [12]
Best use cases:
Performing MPE‑aware synths (hardware or software), guitar‑style solos and slides, microtonal or world‑scale explorations, and expressive leads you can’t pull off on a standard MIDI keyboard.
3. Arpeggionome Pro – Matrix Arpeggiator as a Performance Instrument
Arpeggionome Pro treats arpeggios like a live instrument rather than a background pattern. [13]
- Matrix-controlled arpeggiator: you draw and manipulate patterns in a grid, then move vertically to change speed and horizontally to shift pitch. [14]
- Motion control: it uses the iPad’s accelerometer for tremolo and vibrato, effectively turning your tablet into a performance controller. [15]
- Solid MIDI implementation with support for Ableton Link, Audiobus and Inter‑App Audio, allowing it to drive other iOS synths, desktop instruments, or hardware via a MIDI interface. [16]
Best use cases:
Instant pattern generation for techno, synthwave, ambient or live improvisation; using the iPad as a “brain” for vintage monosynths that only accept simple MIDI note input.
4. Ribn – Ribbon Controllers with Looping Automation
Created by YouTuber once upon a synth, Ribn is a minimalist but powerful app that gives you up to eight virtual ribbon controllers (or faders). [17]
- Each ribbon sends a configurable MIDI CC, so you can map it to any parameter on your synth or DAW.
- Ribbons can be shown or hidden to keep only what you need on screen. [18]
- The killer feature: record and loop your controller moves, turning Ribn into an eight‑lane modulation sequencer that behaves like a bank of complex LFOs. [19]
Best use cases:
Hands‑on control of filter sweeps, FX sends, macros and morphs – especially when you want motion that repeats musically without manual automation drawing.
5. Velocity Keyboard – Expressive Keys, Strings and Drum Pads
Blue Mangoo’s Velocity Keyboard aims to solve a big problem: iOS screens don’t have real velocity or aftertouch. The app tackles this with a custom touch‑based velocity algorithm and flexible layouts. [20]
- Four layouts: classic keyboard, string‑style rows, scale layout and drum pads. [21]
- Polyphonic aftertouch and MPE‑friendly design: touch position, movement and pressure-like data can be translated into MIDI CCs or aftertouch. [22]
- Runs as both a standalone app and AUv3 MIDI plugin, so you can drop it directly into iOS hosts and control multiple instruments. [23]
Best use cases:
Controlling expression-heavy virtual instruments like SWAM winds and strings, or adding nuanced dynamics to orchestral and cinematic libraries from an iPad.
New for Late 2025: Deeper Modulation and Free MPE Controllers
Beyond the Gearnews list, a few fresh 2025 releases and updates are especially relevant as of 18 November 2025.
FAC Polyflo – Hybrid MIDI/CV Modulation Brain (iOS, macOS, Vision Pro)
Released in October 2025, FAC Polyflo by Fred Anton Corvest is a modulation and sequencing environment rather than a traditional controller surface. [24]
Highlights:
- Runs as AUv3 FX and AUv3 MIDI plugin, plus standalone, on iPhone, iPad, macOS and Apple Vision Pro. [25]
- Two powerful LFO generators with classic and spline-based waveforms, cross‑modulation, sync, and advanced control over randomness and shape. [26]
- Six independent FLO processors that combine and reshape signals using math, logic and comparators, each with its own output bus. [27]
- Outputs MIDI and analog CV simultaneously, and can convert MIDI notes and CCs to control voltage, making it a serious MIDI‑to‑CV tool for Eurorack and other hardware. [28]
Why it matters: Polyflo blurs the line between “controller app” and modular environment, letting your iOS device become the central modulation hub for both hardware and software rigs.
NovoNotes Labz “MIDI Controller” – Free MPE Pads for Desktop DAWs
In 2025, NovoNotes launched a free MPE‑ready MIDI Controller mini‑app inside their iOS app NovoNotes Duo, as part of their experimental Labz series. [29]
Key features:
- Turns your smartphone or tablet into an MPE‑capable controller for your desktop DAW.
- Pad-based, low-latency interface optimized for expressive control. [30]
- Verified to work particularly well with Ableton Live, with connections over USB for Mac and Wi‑Fi/rtpMIDI for Windows. [31]
- Completely free, with no planned paid tiers – ideal if you want to try MPE without investing in a hardware controller. [32]
Why it matters: Labz MIDI Controller is arguably the headline “freebie” in the controller world for late 2025, paralleling deals like free SynthMaster 2 for iPad earlier this month on the instrument side. [33]
sqsl Nashville – Harmonic MIDI Controller for Theory‑Driven Workflows
Coverage on Matrixsynth in September 2025 highlighted sqsl Nashville, a MIDI chord generator/controller app for iPad and M1+ Macs. [34]
- Helps you explore harmonies, scales, modes and chord progressions within heptatonic scales.
- Intended more as a “music theory surface” than a drum-pad style controller.
Best use cases:
Songwriting, reharmonization, and teaching/learning harmony, especially when paired with DAWs or soft synths.
How to Connect Your iPhone or iPad to Hardware and DAWs
Gearnews devotes a whole section to MIDI interfaces and mounts, which is crucial context if you want your apps to talk to synths and computers reliably. [35]
1. Connectivity Options
- Bluetooth MIDI
- Great for quick setups and small rigs.
- Works directly between iOS and macOS, and with hardware instruments via Bluetooth MIDI adapters such as CME’s WIDI range. [36]
- USB / USB‑C MIDI interfaces
- For more complex setups, a class‑compliant USB MIDI interface with USB‑C is usually the cleanest solution.
- Gearnews mentions devices like iConnectivity’s mioXC and CME’s wired MIDI interfaces as current examples that work well with iPad and iPhone. [37]
- Network / Wi‑Fi MIDI
2. Mounting Your Device for Stage and Studio
If you’re gigging with your iOS device, a solid mount is vital. Gearnews highlights modern tablet/smartphone holders from brands like K&M, Hercules, Adam Hall and Millenium that attach to mic or keyboard stands and are sized specifically for iPads and larger phones. [40]
How to Choose the Right iOS MIDI Controller App in 2025
With at least 36 dedicated iOS controller apps listed on catalogues like Synthyfrog alone, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. [41] Here’s a quick decision framework:
- Do you need full custom layouts?
- Yes → Start with TouchOSC.
- No → Look to focused tools (Ribn, Velocity Keyboard, GeoShred Control).
- Are you doing expressive/MPE performance?
- Do you want advanced modulation and automation?
- Need generative harmony help?
- Budget and platform considerations:
- Many of these apps are under $20, with heavy‑hitters like GeoShred Control and NovoNotes MIDI Controller available free or as low‑cost entry points. [49]
Looking Ahead: iOS, Vision Pro and the Future of Mobile Controllers
The most interesting theme in late 2025 is that controller apps are no longer just “poor man’s hardware.”
- Polyflo’s support for Vision Pro points to a future where modulation and control happen in spatial 3D interfaces, not just flat screens. [50]
- NovoNotes explicitly markets Labz as “work in progress” innovation, signalling a fast-moving landscape where features and capabilities will evolve quickly — especially around MPE and hybrid mobile/desktop workflows. [51]
- Apple’s ongoing work on iOS 18 (and beyond) continues to refine performance, connectivity and personalization, which indirectly benefits every serious music app on the platform. [52]
For producers and performers, that means your phone or tablet can now be the most expressive, flexible and future‑proof controller you own — especially if you pick the right app for your workflow.
Quick FAQ
Is an iPad or iPhone really good enough to replace a hardware controller?
For many workflows, yes. Between apps like TouchOSC, GeoShred Control and Velocity Keyboard, you can cover faders, pads, keys, XY surfaces, MPE and more. The main reasons to stick with hardware are tactile feel and zero‑latency, but modern iOS devices come surprisingly close when set up correctly. [53]
Do these apps work with desktop DAWs like Ableton, Logic or Cubase?
Absolutely. Most support network MIDI, USB MIDI or Bluetooth and work well with major DAWs on macOS and Windows (sometimes with helpers like rtpMIDI on Windows). NovoNotes Duo’s MIDI Controller is explicitly aimed at desktop integration. [54]
What’s the best free MIDI controller app right now?
If you’re focused on MPE performance into a desktop DAW, NovoNotes’ Labz MIDI Controller is a stand‑out free option. For iOS‑only setups, GeoShred Control is free to download, highly expressive and upgradeable if you later want its full instrument engine. [55]
References
1. www.gearnews.com, 2. synthanatomy.com, 3. www.gearnews.com, 4. hexler.net, 5. support.apple.com, 6. www.gearnews.com, 7. hexler.net, 8. apps.apple.com, 9. www.gearnews.com, 10. www.gearnews.com, 11. apps.apple.com, 12. apps.apple.com, 13. www.gearnews.com, 14. apps.apple.com, 15. apps.apple.com, 16. apps.apple.com, 17. www.gearnews.com, 18. www.gearnews.com, 19. www.gearnews.com, 20. www.gearnews.com, 21. apps.apple.com, 22. apps.apple.com, 23. apps.apple.com, 24. synthanatomy.com, 25. synthanatomy.com, 26. synthanatomy.com, 27. synthanatomy.com, 28. synthanatomy.com, 29. novo-notes.com, 30. novo-notes.com, 31. novo-notes.com, 32. novo-notes.com, 33. www.musicradar.com, 34. www.matrixsynth.com, 35. www.gearnews.com, 36. www.gearnews.com, 37. www.gearnews.com, 38. apps.apple.com, 39. novo-notes.com, 40. www.gearnews.com, 41. synthyfrog.com, 42. apps.apple.com, 43. apps.apple.com, 44. novo-notes.com, 45. www.gearnews.com, 46. synthanatomy.com, 47. apps.apple.com, 48. www.matrixsynth.com, 49. www.gearnews.com, 50. synthanatomy.com, 51. novo-notes.com, 52. support.apple.com, 53. www.gearnews.com, 54. novo-notes.com, 55. novo-notes.com
