In this video, Torley gives a great overview of using iTouchMusic Pad for iPod Touch & iPhone with Ableton Live.

Best quote: “Get really funky to the rhythm!”

iTM Pad is an iPhone MIDI trackpad that you can use to control all different parameters,
filters, effects of your synth software remotely.

Details below.

via Torley:

I love it when a tool doesn’t just look kewl, it’s easy to get started with — and within minutes, you’re being creative and productive! I was on the market for a XY pad MIDI controller, and looked at contenders like the Korg nanoPAD, whose sibling, the nanoKONTROL, has been a valuable addition to my home studio. But then I recalled options exist for the iPod Touch, which I have, and they seemed like such a novel way to add usefulness to an already-fun gadget that does so many multimedia things well.

Several searches later, I was on the iTunes App Store looking at iTouchMidi Pad by Silicon Studios, and reading the few-but-strong reviews, I bought it. It was mere moments afterward that I was firing up drum loops in Ableton Live, having a lot of fun mapping iTM Pad to various settings and mangling sounds. The logical conclusion, since clear demos of things like this can be hard to come by, was to make a video review:

The iTM Pad works with other DAW hosts and even tho I’m familiar with it now, there’s a whole lot to explore. Amazing how such a simple toy can bring so much joy. It’s worth noting since there are multiple buttons to control different sets of MIDI controllers, you can switch between them to add even more convenience. I often heart controlling in two dimensions over linear sliders or knobs because the possible combinations are multiplied manyfold! (Were it not for restrictive patents and such silliness, I wish there were more commercial 3D controllers; Roland’s D-Beam is fun but I don’t wanna buy a whole synth around it.)

I give high notes to iTM Pad and look forward to trying out the other apps in their line as my urges arise — of particular interest is iTM Tilt, which makes use of the accelerometer. If you’re looking for iPhone/iPod Touch MIDI controllers, give these a go — you can try the iTM MidiLab demo showcase for free.

A demo of controlling GForce Oddity with the iPhone using ITM Midilab.

This is pretty cool – but somebody tell me again why we want to use $200 phones to do something you could do a lot better with a cheap ass MIDI controller?

ITM Midilab is an interesting tool – but I’m still waiting for some iPhone music software that wows me.