Instapaper, djay, Nanostudio 2 and other awesome apps of the week

This week we dim the lights (with HomeRun), fire up the music (with Djay 3.0) and settle in with a nice long read (Instapaper). Also, Nanostudio 2, which I couldn’t fit into that cozy scene, is awesome nonetheless.

djay – DJ App & Mixer

Algoriddim just scrapped its confusing legacy lineup of eight different DJ and VJ apps, combining them all into one: djay 3.0. The app is now also free, with a subscription to get the pro features. The app itself is pretty wild, with a whole new UI. It integrates with Spotify, supports Ableton Link to stay in time with your other music apps, and integrates with many hardware controllers.

It also packs loopers, samplers, a four-deck mode and lots more. Subscriptions cost $5 per month or $40 per year. (If you previously bought a version of the app, you can get the first year for $10.)

Price: Free with pro subscription

Download: djay – DJ App & Mixer from the App Store (iOS)

Instapaper

Everyone’s favorite GDPR-shy read-later app Instapaper gets a solid update, in the form of iPad Pro 2018 support, keyboard shortcuts (finally) for reading, searching, and navigating, plus a true black theme for the iPhones X.

I recently got tempted back to Instapaper after it shut out European users for half a year, on the basis that there’s just nothing else like it. I feel like an iOS-based fiction author forced to use Microsoft Word to edit their final proofs. That is, I feel bitter, dirty, and guilty.

Price: Free

Download: Instapaper from the App Store (iOS)

HomeRun

I know almost nothing about baseball, other than that it is great for supplying all kinds of life metaphors; that you are supposed to think about it when engaged in coitus with someone who’s just too hot. Also, unlike basketball, you don’t have to be super tall to play.

HomeRun has nothing to do with baseball. It’s a great iPhone app that pairs with your Apple Watch, and lets you control your HomeKit-connected devices. You might switch on the popcorn maker to get ready for the game (of baseball), or you may dim the lights a and play some cliched seduction music as a prelude to coitus. It has everything.

Price: $2.99

Download: HomeRun from the App Store (iOS)

NanoStudio 2

NanoStudio is new Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) a sequel six years in the making. Right now you can’t actually record audio tracks — just snippets of audio to make loops — so you’re limited to MIDI and samples.

But the interface is a dream, and NanoStudio 1 diehards swear by the super-intuitive interface that seems designed to help make everything easier. It’s also one of the best-looking DAWs anywhere, not just on iOS.

Price: $29.99

Download: NanoStudio 2 from the App Store (iOS)