Smartphones aren't going to stop anyone from making music with "real" instruments any time soon, but they can literally put a production studio in your pocket.
There's a plethora of music making apps available for download, but not all of them are great. So to help you get started, we've rounded up a few of our favourite ways to make some noise.
Please note that the majority of these apps are iOS exclusive, as audio latency issues associated with Android have meant that most developers haven't ported their apps over to Google's operating system.
Around half of the apps we've listed are free to download, but offered additional sound packs as paid in-app purchases.
Samplebot
Available on: iPhone
Samplebot is a fun little music app built around sampling. You're presented with 15 bays to record samples in (three of which are used as a kick, snare, and high hat for drum beats), and a track timeline to arrange them in.
While the idea is to use your iPhone's microphone to record samples, you can also sample music you've already got on your device. Which could be great if you miss the old Kanye and want to chop up some soul.
Auxy Studio
Available on: iPhone
Auxy Studio is an elegant piece of sequencing software that makes easy to sketch out and arrange loops; writing a beat or a melody is as simple as placing blocks on a grid.
Instruments are locked to the scale you want to work with, which means you can quickly put together great sounding tunes without the need for much music theory knowledge. The app also lets you group your loops into "scenes", which then form the building blocks of a song.
There is however a bit of a catch: you only get 11 sounds to work without of the box. If you want more, you'll need to subscribe to a service called Auxy Premium, billed at $6.99 per month. While your $6.99 gets you access to almost 5000 different sound banks, paying every month might be a bit steep if you just want to dabble from time to time.
Bandimal
Available on: iPhone
Bandimal is a freaking adorable music app specifically designed for kids. As such, it's super simple: make a band of animals and make music.
Each of the nine animals featured has its own unique sound (the alpaca and whale are both bass instruments, while the jellyfish and snake are lead synths, for example) and an eight-step sequencer to compose with.
You're locked to a pentatonic scale and fixed note lengths, but this means almost anything you or your kids write will sound great.
More importantly, Bandimal is just plain cute.
Seaboard 5D
Available on: iPhone
Seaboard 5D is essentially a free app version of Roli's super-pricey "reimagined keyboard": the Seaboard.
The 5D in the app name refers to Roli's "5D Touch" technology. In addition to striking key like a traditional piano, you're able to bend notes by moving your fingers from side to side, modulate by wiggling up and down, press into the screen for a deeper sound, and lift to change a sound's resonance.
Needless to say, these gestures mean you can create unique, expressive sounds. You will however need an iPhone with a 3D Touch display (6s and up) to take advantage of all of these features.
While a two octave Seaboard starts at $499, the Seaboard app is free. Obviously you don't get the same kind of tactile experience as a physical keyboard, it's a neat way to see what it's about.
Notably, the Seaboard 5D app can also be used as a MIDI controller for other devices.
Noise
Noise is another app from Roli, and while it's designed as a companion for the company's range of Block hardware, it also works as a standalone beat-making environment for building and layering loops.
Notably, Noise is one of the few good music making apps that's also available on Android, but it's only compatible with a few devices, such as the Pixel and Pixel 2.
iMaschine 2
Available on: iPhone
iMaschine 2 is based on Native Instrument's popular Maschine groove boxes; they’re kind of drum machines on steroids. While being relegated to app-form creates some limitations (the main being you've only got four tracks to work with), it's nonetheless one of the most powerful musical tools available on iPhone.
This does however mean it's also one of the most complicated; it will take your time to get around everything iMaschine 2 has to offer.
Priced at $14.99, iMaschine 2 is the priciest app on this list, but that's still easier to swallow than the $400 or so an entry level Maschine will set you back.
Alex Choros
Related Articles
