App Of The Day: MadPad

iOS music developer Smule's latest app is about making sweet, percussive music from people's video clips.

US developer Smule has made a succession of innovative iOS music apps in the last couple of years, including I Am T-Pain, Leaf Trombone, Magic Piano and Glee Karaoke. Its latest app has just come out, blending music, video and social features.

It's called MadPad, and there are separate versions available for iPhone (£0.69) and iPad (£1.99). Its subtitle is "Remix Your Life", which encapsulates the app pretty well. "Turn everyday sights and sounds like your car, an empty soda can, or your friends into the ultimate percussive instrument. Who would have thought everyday life could be so musical?"

How does this work? You record 'video soundboards' of 12 clips at a time, and then play them by tapping on thumbnails of the videos. Cue much Max Headroom-style fun and frolics.

Performances can be recorded and shared via email or YouTube, but the real fun comes from the user-generated content aspect of MadPad. Sets of sounds can be shared with the wider MadPad community, and other people's sets can be downloaded to experiment with. Popular examples already include a 1991 Honda Accord being turned into... Well, you can hear the results below.

Smule is clearly hoping the best MadPad remixes will go viral, boosting sales of the app itself. At first glance, that looks like a good bet.