- Free
- Intermediate
- Free
- Intermediate
- Free
- Intermediate
- $4.99
- Beginner
- $13.99
- Expert
- Free
- Beginner
- $29.99
- Expert
- Free
- Beginner
- Free
- Intermediate
- $39.99
- Expert
How to Choose the Best Music-Making App for You
Looking to start producing your own music, or want to remix songs but aren’t sure which app to use?
Remember the days when you had to practice your finger picking, scales, or do-re-mi’s for hours on end just to get them right? Although the practice sure helps, making music these days is a lot simpler, and can be done from your bed. Yes, really. Just grab your phone and get ready to create, because music apps will have you making awesome music in just a few taps.
Instrument Specific
When choosing a music creation app, you first need to know what it is you want. There are tons out there, all serving different purposes. Are you looking to focus on a certain instrument, say drums, or piano?
If you’re a drummer, try out DM1 - The Drum Machine iPhone app. The app is created by Fingerlab, a company that’s extremely innovative in the area of touchscreen music creation. The app is fun to play around with, or you can use it to make some seriously good hits. It has some really great built-in sounds and is pretty straightforward to use. It’s also a good option for more experienced players and musicians. Magic Piano is also an instrument-focused favorite, specifically for learning piano. The app is developed by Smule, and is available for both iPhone and Android. It lets you play along to any of your favorite songs, and you get to feel like one of the band members. The coolest part is that you can do a duet with singers from Smule’s other popular app, Sing! Karaoke. Create hits with friends, siblings, or complete strangers, and see that music really does connect the world.
If You’re Looking to Produce
There are also music creation apps for production, that allow you to tie many different pieces together, rather than focusing on one particular instrument or sound. You may have heard of GarageBand, one of the most well-known of these types of apps. GarageBand is only available on Apple products, so you can enjoy it on your MacBook, iPhone, or iPod, and create voice-overs, songs, or any other kind of recording with its many useful features. It can be used by amateurs or skilled producers, though it’s probably best for producers somewhere in the middle of this range. If you’re looking for a slightly more complex production app, check out Ninja Jamm. It takes quite a bit longer to learn than other apps like GarageBand, but if you’re ready to put in some time, you can make some really great beats. To use the app, you need to buy pre-recorded samples from artists. Once you have them, you can start creating, editing, remixing, pulling apart and connecting different sounds.
More professional production apps offer several more features and allow you to do a lot more with specific sounds. If this is what you’re looking for, go for an app like Animoog or FL Studio Mobile. Animoog is a polyphonic synthesizer that costs $29.99. It’s price is on the higher end of the spectrum, but only because it offers real value. If you want a true synth experience, it’s the product for you. For around the same price, you can create with KORG Gadget. This one’s an app for committed music creators. It also takes quite a bit of time to get familiar with, but once you do, you’re set. Think of a sound you want to create, and using the app you can make it happen.
Best for DJing
DJing is definitely an art, and for that reason, there are a plethora of DJ-specific apps. One of the best ones is Music Maker JAM. This app has been around for quite some time, starting out as desktop software. In just a few steps, you’ll be mixing instruments, adding in vocals, fading in and out, and a whole lot more. What’s really great is that there’s a community of DJ’s that use it, so you feel that you’re part of something much bigger.
As the last recommendation, we bring you one of the best-known music creation apps, Figure. It’s a product of one of the most highly regarded music and tech companies, Propellerhead Software. Many of the world’s top musicians use the company's tools and apps. It’s easy to use, quick to learn, and is intuitive. Even if you have no idea what you’re doing, somehow everything ends up sounding fantastic with this app.
Testing 1, 2, 1, 2
Now that you have the app, all that’s left is to create your musical masterpiece. Whether it's on a single instrument, a production, or a remix, there’s a music creation app out there for you. Tell your fans to get ready, because you’re on your way!
