Minisynth from Yonac Software is an extremely powerful synth for iPad – it was one of the first ones I picked up.  The interface is beautiful and easy to use and the keys are nice and big.  Since I installed this bad boy, I’ve been thrilled with the quality of sound manipulation available – it’s phull on PHAT.

Now Apple is getting ready to add midi to  the iPad, which means that we’ll be able to control the powerful music machines, like Minisynth with a standard midi controller keyboard – thus eliminating the need for a PC or laptop in performance.  The next version of Minisyth will interface with the iPad’s new midi capabilities.

To demonstrate just how far you can take this, Yonac has released the following video showing the next version of Minisynth, jamming with the next version of iOS for the iPad.  The performance also benefits from another Yonac app, Minidrums, which I have not yet tried.

But in this video, my heart has been stolen.  So many years ago, when I was just at the earliest moments of my music education, I came across Pink Floyd’s A Saucerful of Secrets, the title track from their second album.  The song is a cacophonous arrangement of sound effects and rhythms through it’s first half, but resolves into a beautiful progression played by the late Rick Wright on Hammond.  The juxtaposition enhances the effect, but even on its own, the progression is a haunting thing of epic beauty.  That finale of the Floyd’s early masterpiece forms the basis of the synth jam you see below.  I have also attached a video of the original, as performed by Gilmour, Mason, Waters and Wright at Pompeii in 1970.  Watch them in whatever order you see fit.

(h/t the amazing Synthopia)