Contrary to popular belief, you can actually compose music on smartphones. You don’t need a powerful computer with studio-level audio editing apps to get started with music creation. There are plenty of apps that allow you to create beats, record your vocals, add tunes from music packs, and edit tracks on an intuitive launchpad. So if you are someone who wants to compose music on smartphones then follow along. Here, we have curated the 10 best music composer apps for Android and iOS.
Best Music Composer Apps for Android and iOS (November 2020)
Here are the top music composer apps for both Android and iOS. We have tried to select the apps which are free to use and ones that offer a user-friendly experience for beginners, intermediate users, and advanced users. You can click on the link below to easily move to the relevant app.
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What is a Music Composer App?
A music composer app lets you create music through your smartphone. You can record your voice, create new beats, create sound effects with synthesizers, play with instruments, and a lot more. Most importantly, you can edit soundtracks on a multi-track launchpad.
There are a number of such apps on both Android and iOS and most of them are free to use. Once you have crossed the beginner phase, you can use advanced tools and add MIDI devices for better sound production. You can find the best music composer app for both beginners and advanced users from the list below.
Top Music Composer Apps for Android and iOS
1. Music Maker JAM — Overall the Best
If you are looking for a full-fledged music composer app then Music Maker Jam is the best app on Android and iOS. No matter what your music level is, you can get started with this app. YOu can create music, mix tracks, create beats, combine musical chunks, and do a lot more. There are over 100 music styles and an 8-channel mixer that will give you plenty of room to channel your creativity.
The app also allows you to record external voice, so you can use the feature to record your singing, rapping, or other kinds of sounds and add them to your song. After you have finished recording your song, you can download your music and share it with the world. As for the music genre, the app supports Trap, EDM, Hip-Hop, House, Pop, Rock, Dubstep, Jazz, and more. I would say Music Maker JAM is simply the best app for music creators out there.
Key Features: Create beats and mix tracks, Supports a lot of music genre, 300 mix packs, 8-channel mixer, Record your voice
Install: Android / iOS (Free, offers in-app purchases)
2. GarageBand — Best for iPhone Users
We can’t talk about music-making on iOS without including Apple’s own Garageband. It’s an all-in-one app to create music. It has smart digital musical instruments, sound effects, loops, a multi-track mixer, and a recording studio. You can plug and play real musical instruments such as guitar and bass on your iOS device, then add stompbox effects to your playing.
The bottom line is that Garageband can do virtually almost anything that a real-life traditional recording studio could do and more. Simply put, if you use an iPhone then GarageBand is the best music composer app that you can go for. The best part is that the app is free on the App Store.
Key Features: Multi-track mixer, record instruments and vocals, Play keyboard, guitar, drums, etc., Studio-class sound effects
Install: iOS (Free)
3. Walk Band — Editor’s Choice on Android
Walk Band is one of the best music composer apps that you can find on Android. It’s feature-packed and brings almost all the music features like synthesizers, musical instruments, studio-quality recording, and more. You can, in fact, choose up to 50 musical instruments within the app. Walk Band has also been awarded as Editor’s Choice on the Google Play Store.
Talking about the instruments, you have access to a piano, keyboard, drum pad, and guitar that works in both solo and chord mode. In addition, what makes it a complete music composer app is the fact that you can connect USB MIDI peripheral keyboard to your smartphone, and Walk Band will detect it. That’s amazing, right?
Not to mention, you can also record your voice and mix it with a synthesizer, edit the track, and so on. Basically, you are sorted on almost all the fronts with Walk Band.
Key Features: Packs synthesizers, musical instruments like piano, keyboard; Connect USB MIDI device, Record your voice
Install: Android (Free, offers in-app purchases)
4. FL Studio Mobile — Desktop Features on Mobile
FL Studio is a multi-track recording studio available on both iOS and Android devices. It comes with 133 high-quality instruments, drum kits, and sliced-loop beats, each with configurable settings. There are also tons of effects such as Limiter, Reverb, Delay, EQ, Amp, and Mix; plus 99 track sequencers and intuitive editing options.
The sessions come with multiple undo and redo for all editable screen. And the app allows you to import and export MIDI files which is great. Apart from that, FL Studio offers a high-quality audio engine that makes sure that the app consumes the battery juice as efficiently as possible.
Keep in mind, as it’s a powerful music creation app, many of the tools depend on your device processing power. Considering all the points, I would say FL Studio Mobile is a feature-rich music composer app and you should definitely give it a try.
Key Features: 133 high-quality instruments, create loops and beats, Musical effects like reverb, delay and more; Multi-track editing UI
Install: Android / iOS ($14.99)
5. GroovePad — Become a DJ
If you love creating and mixing beats then GroovePad is the best music composer app on Android and iOS. You can develop raw music using beats and rhythms. Keep in mind, there are no instruments on this app, but plenty of sound effects and editing tools. Further, you can compose music by mixing various kinds of sounds, rhythms, tunes, and beats.
The best part is that you can record your voice and add the track to the music. As for the library of music, it has got Bass, Hip Hop, Metal, Drums, and DJ beats. You also get a live music editor tool for sounds and loops. To conclude, if you are someone who likes EDM, pop-music, and Hip Hop then I would recommend GroovePad without any hesitation.
Key Features: Create beats and mix tracks, record your voice; Features reverb, flanger, delay, filter; Supports various music genre
Install: Android / iOS (Free, offers in-app purchases)
6. Figure — Another Great iOS App
If you are an iPhone user then Figure might be what you are looking for. It’s a versatile music studio app which is great for users who are more into all sorts of music genres. You can play a range of instruments, record them, mix the track with effects and create a sound of your own. There are also features such as loop sequencer, sampler, beatmaker, mixer, soundboards, and more.
In tandem, the app is really good at producing music and in an intuitive interface. The app comes with more than 200 sample projects which are enough to get anyone started. Once you are ready, you can record your own songs with your own drum beats or synthesizer or any other instrument that you want to use.
It also brings support for audio effects including chorus, flanger, distorter, bitcrusher, and more. If you have already recorded your music and just want to apply the final touch, you can directly import it into the app and start editing the track. All in all, Figure is a great music composer app on iOS and you should not miss it.
Key Features: Supports multiple instruments, creates beats and apply effects, Features flanger, bitcrusher, distorted effects; Import audio and edit tracks
Install: iOS (Free)
7. BandLab — Create and Share Music
BandLab is a promising music composer app on Android and iOS that can help you create music from scratch. I would say in terms of music editing and launchpad, it’s almost perfect and stands with the top apps on this list. BandLab allows you to record, edit, and create multi-track music with many kinds of creative effects like beats, vocals, loops, and most importantly hundreds of sound packs.
If you love preloaded sound packs, let me tell you BandLab has a similar library and it does not cost a dime. As for the kind of music you can create, well, if you have a strong liking for EDM, dubstep, house, rock, hip-hop, and such genres then BandLab can be a trailblazer in your musical journey.
On top of that, BandLab runs a social network of musicians as well where you can publish your tracks, connect with other fellow beatmakers, and create something new for your audience. To put it straight, BandLab is quite ambitious in its prospect and you should definitely give it a try.
Key Features: Edit and create multi-track music, Apply beats, vocals, loops; Advanced music editing tool, Social network of musicians
8. Audio Evolution Mobile Studio — Best for Advanced Users
Audio Evolution Mobile Studio is a complete digital audio workstation that is made for advanced users. It offers a multi-track recording studio with a similar approach to Walk Band. You can record external audio such as your vocals, or live musical instrument playing, using your device’s microphone or additional external microphones for a better result. In addition to the built-in piano roll, you can use an external MIDI keyboard to record your song as well.
Audio Evolution also comes with a MIDI sequencer and the ability to import audio. There are also features like samples, loops, unlimited undo and redo, etc. Summing up, if you want to mix and edit tracks using advanced tools then Audio Evolution Mobile Studio is the perfect music composer app on Android and iOS.
Key Features: Multi-track editing, Record external instruments, Connect MIDI devices, Features loops and reverb, Import audio
Install: Android / iOS ($8.99)
9. Caustic 3 — Old Yet Powerful
Caustic 3 has not been updated for the last three years, but it still continues to be a preferred pick for music composers. It is a virtual rack mount of synthesizer – or machines as the developer calls it. You slide between machines by sliding the sidebar up and down, or you can pick one to play with by opening the machine pad.
Each machine comes with a virtual keyboard to create tons of effects, parametric equalizers, and sequencers to modify the songs. The app is a heaven for electronic musicians, but for traditional ones, it’s a bit overwhelming. All in all, I would say, Caustic 3 is a great composer app on Android and iOS and you can’t afford to miss this app.
Key Features: Virtual Synthesizers, Create sound effects, Best for electronic musicians, Has full-fledged machine pad
Install: Android (Free) / iOS ($9.99)
10. MuseScore — Best for Music Notation
MuseScore is not a music composer app per se, but it can help you find music notes of whatever instrument you are playing. It supports a variety of instruments such as piano, trumpet, guitar, harmonica, and more. The best part about MuseScore is that it houses one of the largest sheets of music collection on the internet.
You can browse more than 1 million pieces of free sheet music based on piano, guitar and other instruments. You can also browse the sheet by music genre: timeless classic, anime music, video games, Christian music and more. I would say, if you want an app where you can find music notes for a particular tune then MuseScore is the best pick.
Key Features: Virtual Synthesizers, Create sound effects, Best for electronic musicians, Has full-fledged machine pad
Install: Android / iOS (Free, offers in-app purchases)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is There an App That Writes Music as You Play?
Yes, ScoreCloud Studio (Free) allows you to turn your music into sheet music as you play the music. That said, the app is only available on PC and Mac.
Q. Which App is Best for Composing Music?
If you want the best app for composing music then I would recommend Music Maker JAM for Android users and GarageBand for iOS users.
Q. How Do You Compose Music on Android?
You need an app to compose music on Android. We have curated the best apps above so go through the list and pick one. After that, either you can import your recording or add new beats to start music production on your Android device.
Q. Is There an App that Listens to Music and Tells You the Notes?
Note Recognizer (Free, offers in-app purchases) on Android and Magic Stave (Free) on iOS let you find the notes of music that you are playing.
Q. Is There An App That Can Identify Chords in a Song?
Yes, Uberchord (Free, offers in-app purchases) on iOS and Reverse Chord Finder (Free) on Android let you identify chords in a song.
Q. What is Uberchord?
Uberchord is an intuitive app available on iOS that helps you learn guitar based on your progress and music level. It listens to your music and adapts to personal progress. You can learn chords, rhythm, strumming, and more. Apart from that, Uberchord can also identify chords in a song.
Discover New Music Composer Apps for Android and iOS
So these are the best music composer apps that you can find on Android and iOS. Since there are various kinds of music, we have tried to cover all the music spectrum. No matter if you are into synthesizers or just want to create melodies, you will find all the music composer apps on this list. Anyway, that is all from us. If you want a music app for some special instrument then comment down below and let us know.
