Instead of scrolling through Facebook, or chasing Pokémon did you realise that you could be creating morphing soundscapes, pad like chords or arpeggiated bass lines? Here at dBs Insider, we've been testing out free synth apps on the Google Play store and listed below are the ones that we can't put down...

1. Synth - Projectsas Apps

Synth is capable of producing some very interesting sounds. It didn't take long to grasp the layout and how to access all the features. One of the first things that you'll spot with the app is that the designer has decided to do away with the keyboard interface and instead the scale has been spread across the coloured space at the top of the screen.

This is great as phones can be a bit small to accurately hit all the keys you want to. We were able to quickly put together a broad range of sounds using the built in FX and there are four waveforms to choose from each of which will change the sound more drastically than expected.

While the main use of this app may be a time killer you will find some very interesting sounds which you can save for later use, be it in a track or just some more fiddling around. Overall, this app is easy to use and because of that, very fun and creative.

2. Ethereal Dialpad - Adam Smith

We weren't too sure what to expect from this slightly bizarre looking app when we started playing around. The sound engine is fairly limited with no option for changing the waves, two FX, timbre, envelope, octave span for the screen and pitch quantiser options.

 
3. Blip Synthesiser - Tak Ota

Blip is the only app of its kind on this list that takes the form of a sequencer than just a synth. The Blip synth-engine is fairly basic with ADSR and FM options but most of your time will be spent creating different sequences rather than playing around with the type of sound you are using.

You get 12, eight-step sequencers which have their own individual scale and tempo options. You can select one after another creating extensive sequences. Our reason for picking this app was that you can spend plenty of time building a "set" with build-ups, interesting chords and melodies, lots of time can be spent putting something together and is very rewarding when playing it back.

The only problems we encountered with the synth was that we didn't with the others was that there was sometimes a bit of lag between switching sequences, which is evident in the audio, but Blip might run more effectively on other Android phone models depending on their power and OS version.  

 4. DRC Polyphonic Synthesiser - Imaginado

This was easily the most advanced synth app that made the list, despite its huge range of features it was very easy to navigate and you are clued-up with its functions in no time. There are two keyboard layouts with zoom options to help you hit the notes you want.

5. Saucillator - soundandfeury

Saucillator is similar to Synth in its execution and the way you interface with it. However, it has a different way of generating sound all together. While Synth only had four waveforms to choose from, here you can add a number of different waveforms together in the 'timbre' section.

These waveforms include sine, saw, square, pulse as well as some of there own custom wave shapes called Electric Eel and Starslide. By blending these waveforms together and adding in a bit of delay, the sounds generated become very thick and textured.

One other very handy feature to this app is its looper function, allowing to loop up grooves and play over a bass line or melody. This app also has a recorder section so you are able to record you jams and export them to your computer should you wish to flesh out ideas in your DAW.

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