Musicians today have dozens of tools at their disposal that can help them enhance their creativity: from hardware to software, it seems we have endless possibilities to create, yet sometimes the best solutions are literally at our fingertips.
Today I’ll explore what I believe are some of the best apps for musicians. Tools that can help increase productivity and have all the necessary creative tools with you at all times.
Let’s dive in!
Songwriter’s pad
This app was developed to help songwriters optimize the creative process by giving them access to all the resources they need to create the best lyrics. It has an intuitive user interface that makes songwriting easier and faster.
It features an idea generator to help you find inspiration and overcome writer’s block, thanks to its emotion-based sentences and words generator. Look up for the right words to create the best rhyme for your new song, and never lose the thread, thanks to the Thesaurus add-on. Songwriter’s pad also allows you to write chords to your lyrics with chord notation.
If you have an idea for a song, you can quickly record it on the go. Or if you already have the melody, Songwriter’s pad allows you to import the backing track and practice your brand-new lyrics.
Songwriter’s pad is available for iOS devices in the App Store and Android devices in the Google Play Store. You can sync your lyrics between different devices to stay organized and never lose your work. The Mac and Windows version is being rebuilt to include Chrome browser support.
Price
Songwriter’s pad is $9.99; on Android, you get two songs for free before upgrading to Pro. The app offers in-app purchases to different subscription plans:
- SP FREE with 25 MB storage monthly for free.
- SP Solo with 250 MB storage monthly for $1.99.
- SP Solo Pro includes 750 MB storage monthly for $3.99.
- SP Co-Writers includes 2 GB storage monthly for $9.99.
- SP Team Writers offers unlimited storage monthly for $19.99.
Pros
- Smooth lyric editing.
- Chord notation.
- Create, edit and re-arrange song blocks.
- Dropbox cloud backup.
- It allows you to record and import audio.
- You can print your lyrics.
- Displays lyrics in full-screen mode.
Cons
- English-only Thesaurus.
- The app has many bugs and glitches. Users report it crashes a lot.
- The user interface looks outdated.
Suggester: Chords and Scales
Suggester is the best app for studying music composition, scales, and chords. It allows you to write songs and chord progressions that fit together. Even if you don’t know much about music theory, Suggester is the best way to do it. Plus, it’s extremely entertaining!
To start writing a song, select a scale and Suggester will show you a chord progression, listen to it and start writing. If you’re not familiar with music scales, you can choose the chords you like first, and Suggester will provide you with the scale and chores that will work well with the ones you started with.
Whenever you lack inspiration, you can look through the traditional chord progressions for new ideas. You can re-arrange your chords by dragging and dropping, and once a composition is ready, you can export the song in text or as a MIDI file to other apps or an external MIDI port.
Suggester comes with 22+ scales, chord types, and instruments such as piano, guitar, strings, and organ.
Price
The app is available for Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows. In the Apple store and Windows store, you can download Suggester for free and upgrade to the full version for $16.99; in the Google Play store, it costs $13.99.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Compatible with Ableton Link.
- Simple drag-and-drop interface.
- Work both forward and backward.
- Export songs as audio, MIDI, or text.
- Choose between the English notation and the fixed-do notation.
- Learn about scales and chords while writing music.
Cons
- It does crash every now and then, though the developers always listen to feedback and update the platform.
GuitarTuna
Every musician needs a tuner, and even better if you can have it in your pocket, on your mobile, and for free. GuitarTuna is a top-rated app for iOS and Android to fine-tune your guitar easily at home, in the practice room, or wherever you go.
GuitarTuna offers accurate tuning for 15 instruments. Inside the app, you’ll also find games to learn chords, a chord library, pitch calibration, a metronome, a chromatic tuner, and alternative tunings such as drop D, drop A, half step down, and more.
You can tune in auto mode with your smartphone’s built-in microphone or manual mode to tune by ear your guitar (up to 2 strings), bass (up to 5 strings), ukulele, and other string instruments.
With GuitarTuna, you can search for songs, chords, and lyrics to learn and play popular songs, with a music library that’s growing every week.
Price
GuitarTuna is free to download and offers a Pro subscription plan for unlimited access. Prices may vary by country.
- GuitarTuna Pro Subscription $4.99.
- GuitarTuna Play Monthly $8.99.
- GuitarTuna Play Yearly $39.99.
Pros
- Easy to use interface.
- Perfect for both beginners and professionals.
- More than 100 different tuning options.
- Games and chord library.
- Chromatic tuner.
- Left-hand mode.
Cons
- Custom tuning and chromatic tuner require a subscription to Play.
- It can work slowly on older smartphones.
- If you just need a tuner, the app might feel overwhelming.
Spire: Music Recorder
Sometimes the only app we need as a musician is a recording app. There’s nothing wrong with using the one built-in in our smartphones, but the people from iZotope bring us Spire, a music recorder and studio available on our iOS and Android devices.
Turn your iPhone into your portable vocal booth, import your beats or backtrack and start recording the music. Spire will scan your voice or instrument and automatically set your levels and tone. You can edit, mix, and send your vocals to your audio engineer or share them on social media.
The Spire app for iOS is also the controller app for the Spire Studio hardware. The Android app works only as a controller, so the Spire Studio hardware is required.
Price
Spire is available for free on both Android and iOS. However, the Android version only works as a controller for the Spire Studio wireless recorder, which costs $299.
Pros
- Portable recording studio (iOS only).
- Automatic level and tone adjustments.
- Friendly interface.
- Supports sharing and collaborative projects.
- Free.
Cons
- Not available for Android or desktop.
- Spire Studio hardware is expensive.
The Metronome by Soundbrenner
This metronome app is a simple app available for iOS and Android that allows you to set your tempo to perform or record professionally. You can change the time signature, subdivision, sound, and visuals.
With Metronome, you can save your songs and organize them in setlists to be ready for live performance. It’s the perfect companion for Soundbrenner wearables, but it works incredibly well as a standalone metronome too.
It’s a straightforward tool for everyone looking for a simple metronome app; a must for every musician.
Price
The metronome is free to download, but it offers a subscription program if you want to upgrade. These prices can vary per country.
- $4.99 monthly subscription.
- $59.99 per year.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Customizable.
- Save and organize your rhythms in setlists.
- Compatible with Ableton Link.
- Bluetooth foot pedal support.
Cons
- Sometimes the flashing bars are delayed to the sound output.
- The latest updates have caused stability issues.
GarageBand
GarageBand is the well-known Apple’s exclusive DAW. It has a mobile app to create music on your iOS device whenever inspiration strikes. GarageBand makes music composition easier thanks to professional the built-in instruments, a broad sound library, and loops to create backtracks and beats.
You can connect your instruments to record without your computer, but don’t worry if you don’t have any instruments. The touchscreen from your device will allow it to turn your mobile into a virtual instrument or drum machine.
You can import your GarageBand projects from the desktop version to continue arranging on your iPad or iPhone. Working on different devices is possible with iCloud drive sync.
GarageBand also provides lessons to improve your music skills, so it’s a great app for beginners.
Price
GarageBand is free to download for all iOS devices and Mac.
Pros
- Portable DAW.
- Live loop.
- Compatible with iCloud drive.
- Music lessons.
Cons
- Some features from the desktop version are missing.
- Only available for iOS.
BandLab
BandLab is an app available for iOS, Android, and browsers. With BandLab, you can make music, mix, master, release your tracks and connect with fans and other creators. It’s more than a DAW mobile app and more than a social media app: BandLab is a music community.
BandLab features a digital workstation with up to 12-track right on your pocket or any device that can access the browser version. You’ll have unlimited access to the cloud storage to work from any device and collaborate with other musicians.
BandLab also offers a mastering service; it’s simple but useful for many independent artists looking to get their music with professional quality. When you’re ready to sell your music, you can do it with BandLab Albums and keep 100% of your album sales.
Price
BandLab is free for all systems.
Pros
- Free.
- Its friendly interface is easy to use for beginners and professionals.
- It has a growing community of musicians and fans.
- Free mastering service.
- Free promotion and distribution service.
- Cross-platform.
Cons
- Not many virtual instruments.
- Limited sound effects.
- Limited to 12-track.
Amuse Music Distribution
Amuse is an app for music distribution. It allows releasing music on all major streaming platforms and collecting royalties while leaving 100% of rights and earnings to you. Amuse simplifies the distribution process, letting you upload songs and albums directly from your iCloud o Dropbox account using your mobile device.
With Amuse, you can publish your releases at the perfect time, and upgrading to Amuse Pro will help you with royalty splits, fast lane releases and support, and uploading music on TikTok and Instagram. Amuse Pro also offers extra features for teams and agents who work with multiple artists.
Amuse Music Distribution is available for iOS and Android.
Price
Amuse offers three plans:
- With the Free plan, you can distribute to the basic services, 12 releases per year, and a time-release of four weeks.
- The Boost plan is $24.99 annually and includes the basic services plus TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Unlimited annual releases with a release time of 14 days and 72 hours fast lane for priority support.
- Amuse Pro is $59.99 per year, with the same services as the Boost plan but a time release of 10 days and a 24 hours fast lane for priority support.
Pros
- Release your music for free on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube, and more.
- Upload songs from iCloud and Dropbox.
- Keep 100% of your royalties and rights.
- Collect royalties.
- No contracts.
Cons
- It could take time to see your album live.
- User report songs being denied distribution without reason and causing delays in their releases.
Bandsintown
Bandsintown is a free mobile app where artists post their upcoming concerts and festivals to let fans know when they’ll be performing nearby. You can buy tickets for shows, follow your favourite artists and receive a notification when they have the next tour.
With Bandsintown, you can discover other artists based on your musical preferences. Check when they will be in your city and read reviews from their fans to decide if it’s worth going to their live show.
For artists, it’s easy to add a show from the dashboard, specify the type of gig, assign location, date, and other details, like the name of the tour or festival, the poster of the event, the setlist, and the streaming link if you’re playing in a Livestream event. Your fans will receive the notification as soon as you publish the gig. From that moment, anyone can buy your show tickets!
Price
Bandsintown is Free, but it offers in-app purchases of show tickets.
Pros
- Add shows & live streams.
- Connect and message with fans.
- Post links to streaming platforms.
- Watch live streams.
- Receive notifications when tickets are on sale.
Cons
- The manager section for artists is only available on the web browser.
- For some users, there are issues with the calendar syncing.
- The recommendation algorithm could be better.
Band Pencil
Band Pencil is an online platform that helps artist manage their music business. It helps solo artists, bands, or agencies organize tours and gigs, create client contracts and invoices, and track earnings. It is supported on mobile and tablet browsers.
Band Pencil accepts all major payment options with no extra fees and fast and easy transactions for your clients.
Price
Band Pencil offers three plans:
- Standard: for $19.99 monthly, you have unlimited use of the platform for one account and up to five bands or services.
- Premium: for $34.99 monthly, you get three accounts, unlimited bands or services, custom branding, and audit reports.
- Ultimate: for $59.99 per month, you get everything in Premium, accounts for five users, Auto book members, schedule emails, and performer contracts.
All plans include a 14-day free trial.
Pros
- Manage your band or solo project.
- Easy payments.
Cons
- It can be challenging to understand every feature if you are new to the administrative process.
- No mobile app.
- It might be expensive for independent artists who are just starting.
Final thoughts
Apps can greatly help simplify your creative processes and streamline your workflow. However, remember that it all comes down to finding the time and inspiration to make music.
Spending too much time on your smartphone might not be the best solution to enhance your creativity, but we’re all different, so if having a portable studio in your pocket resonates with your lifestyle, now you know you have plenty of options to make music on the go.
Good luck, and stay creative!