We’re dusting off another long-lost App Store gem, and looking at how to bring it back to your iPhone. This time, it’s TonePad, a magical, immediate way to create music.
TonePad Pro in 2009.
What was TonePad?
A music app inspired by the Yamaha Tenori-on, a grid-based instrument designed by Japanese artist Toshio Iwai. TonePad was a much simplified take, but no less charming.
You got a 16×16 grid of dots, which you tapped to add notes, while the looping playhead brought your ideas to life. Sound output was delicate. Loops could be flipped, edited, saved, and in the Pro version exported as ringtones. And if you were stuck for ideas, a randomizer button could get you started.
Why did we love TonePad?
Because it made music accessible to anyone. If even the thought of playing an instrument terrified you, this app gave you a way in. It was simple, immediate and approachable. And, best of all, it was almost impossible to make something that didn’t sound harmonious, due to the app’s cleverly constrained design. TonePad really was the definition of a perfect single-idea app, executed flawlessly.
TonePad 2 running on a modern iPhone.
Where is it now?
The original TonePad launched in 2009, with free (ad-supported) and Pro editions. In 2020, it received a surprise major update, making the interface suitable for modern devices, while keeping the same intuitive, effortless experience intact. That version still runs if you downloaded it at the time and have an app like iMazing to sideload it. But, sadly, it’s otherwise long gone from the App Store.
How can you bring back TonePad?
Several modern apps explore the same ‘matrix synth’ idea…
Xynthesizr.
Beatwave (free + IAP) is almost as old as TonePad, and expanded on the concept with multi-track support. It’s therefore close in spirit and looks to TonePad, but the $50/£49 annual fee and occasional bugs (like silent playback after ads appear) sour the experience.
Auxy Studio (free + IAP) is in the same space as TonePad if you squint a bit. It’s more of a sequencer than a matrix synth, and not as immediate as TonePad. But once you set up a looping track, you’re in a similar creative playground.
Xynthesizr ($7/£7) is by far the best modern TonePad alternative. There are way more settings, but out of the box it’s the same simple looping grid. (Hint: synth presets/saved songs live under ^ > PRST/VEL.) But when you do want to explore further, you can shape sounds, send portions of compositions to other iPhone synths, and even randomly generate notes based on Conway’s Game of Life.