Although the Android OS is an influential vehicle for many of the today’s devices, the many features that go along with it tend to be overshadowed by the reign of Apple. While the applications of Apple are often cited as being the “go-to” for working musicians, the Android selection really matches up just fine.
Being that musicians don’t get enough respect for their work, I found that it would be appropriate to put the two together. If you’ve had enough of pop culture putting Apple in your face, then hopefully you’ll find this list of Android apps for musicians to boost your confidence.
1. Mobile Metronome
If there is one type of music app that saturates the market, it would certainly be metronome apps. After a while you have to question just what can possibly be done to make one distinct from the other. With Mobile Metronome, you will certainly see just how these distinctions are possible. The tempo range is pretty standard, going from 10 to 230 bpm, but few deliver a beats per measure range consecutively going from 2 to 20 – perfect for all of you progressive rock guys out there trying to learn that song in 17/16.
According to App Brain, Mobile Metronome has undergone a number of change and upgrades, and these will probably keep coming as long as the developer keeps going with it.
2. MusicGrid
If you’re looking to draw up some quick ideas with sequence-based sounds, then MusicGrid could be the simple go to. Nothing fancy here really – just a good way to draw up whatever you need to do. The app is based off a 16×11 notch grid that act as both pitch and rhythmic markings. The notches across specify rhythmic placement while the notches up and down control pentatonic pitches.
Music Grid is more or less a “toy”, but it can be a source for inspirational ideas if you’re willing to give it a chance.
3. TouchDAW
TouchDAW satisfies all of your basic needs for MIDI, as it is a MIDI and DAW control app. The app supports everything from ProTools, REAPER, Samplitude, Studio One and many others. It is also directly integrable with Apple’s Network MIDI system as well as Windows and ipMIDI. It should be known that this is simply a MIDI controller, and will not play any audio on its own.
That being said, you can used TouchDAW for MIDI mixing, keyboard, and everything else that is general purpose.
The developers of TouchDAW also let you try before you buy at the price of $4.99.
4. Uloops Studio Pro
Uloops Studio Pro also acts a mixer, but also comes with a list of features that can not all be possibly listed here. In the basic sense, Uloops lets you build tracks with various drum sounds and synths (up to twelve channel mix) with the possibility of recording what you want. Other features include a seven-octave piano with dozens of patches to choose from (many with their own filters for synth use), chrous, delay and flanger effects, and many more.
If you’re looking to do some quick studio-type work and don’t quite have the resources to pull off actual studio time, then Uloops Studio Pro could be a good temporary replacement just to get some of your work off of the ground.
5. RecForge
With RecForge, you can record mp3, wav or ogg files of your music, and have the ability to edit what you want and don’t want. It should be known that there is a free version of this app, but it only lets you record three minutes of material at a time, which leaves its effectiveness into question. With the paid version you get everything you would need for basic recording, and you can also share what you have recorded over various social networks.
As a recording device, the interface is pretty simple to use, which prevents any mysteries from happening or barriers to get in the way of letting you record what you want, when you want.
