Tap and tune directly from your handheld, with two new Planet Waves apps for iPhone and iPod Touch: the ProTune tuner application ($5.99) and the ProTempo metronome application ($4.99).

The ProTune app turns the iPhone or iPod Touch into a portable instrument tuner, providing pitch measurement and dedicated modes for guitar, bass, violin, banjo, and other stringed instruments. Get in tune by using the iPhone's built-in microphone or an external mic, or by connecting your instrument directly to the iPhone. Three types of display interfaces -- Strobe, Needle, and Digital -- are provided for you to choose from.

Whether it's used for practicing, composing or recording, the ProTempo metronome app will help you stay on the beat. This app employs a touch-screen Tap Feature that lets you select a basic click-based tempo instantly, or create and save your own customized rhythm patterns, by tapping the screen. You can even browse the included sound samples and then assign them to tempo markers for meter, accents, and subdivisions -- you can make a downbeat sound like a clink rather than a ping, if you like.

Both applications, developed in conjunction with Audiofile Engineering, are available now from the iTunes Store. For more details, please visit planetwaves.com/iphone.