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7 Music Production Apps for Android

By Mark Spacey

With Android now a hugely popular operating system with a high level of market penetration, a large number of apps have appeared claiming to cater for users who want to make music on their tablet or mobile device. As ever, some are better than others, so check out seven of the best available below.

niko twenty ReLoop Loop Sequencer

With its intuitive drag and drop interface, this is a fantastic and accessible loop sequencer. You can preview your loop in real time to give you a sneak preview of how your creation is coming along. Once complete, you can export the finished product as a .wav file. Disappointingly, you can only use 3 different effects per track and the quality of the effects available could be a little higher.

PocketBand Lite

This is a fantastic app and with a bit of practice, it allows you to craft tracks and samples which could easily be mistaken for professional creations. You are given the power to mix drums, synths, and audio recordings plus an effects suite is available. As it operates in the cloud, be sure that you are connected to Wi-Fi if possible or have a sturdy mobile data connection (and data plan).

Samalyse TapeMachine Recorder

A basic yet very useful recording app, which allows you to easily capture those moments of inspiration, when you are out and about (or lounging on your couch at home). Once you have your recording down, a full range of editing tools are available such as tempo adjustment, looping options, and so on. It would be nice to see Bluetooth microphone functionality included in a future update.

NodeBeat

This is a great little app which allows users to create beats and songs by placing and manipulating nodes (i.e. lines and dots) via an easy to use visual interface. Once your creation is complete, you can save it as an audio file and share it as you wish. No knowledge of music theory is required so don’t be afraid to give it a go. A sleep mode would be a useful addition so that the display doesn’t zap your battery power when you’re listening rather than creating.

Spectral – Images Into Sound

Here’s something a bit different: an app that converts a photo into a spectrogram (that’s a visual representation of music for the non-nerds amongst us!) by combining and mapping it with the chosen track or sample. Serious artists are likely to be intrigued by the possibilities of combining their music with photography and other artwork. Casual users can have a lot of fun seeing how photos of their friends are transformed by their favorite music tracks!

Ethereal Dialpad

This spacey app is a touch sensitive synthesizer which allows users to create music by tracing patterns on their device screen. You can certainly use it as a tool for genuine music making but it also works wonderfully as a relaxing meditation tool! Additional Dialpad plug-ins are available to keep the experience original and inspiring. An onboard loop and record function would really boost its serious music making credentials.

Niko Twenty Electrum Drum Machine/Sampler

Interface-wise this app holds true to the design principles of the original sequencers in the 1980s and this is no bad thing. A powerful drum machine lies within and seamless Soundcloud integration makes sharing your creations effortless. Plug-ins based on classic Roland drum machines are included to keep the 80s vibe well and truly alive. As a serious music making tool that is used by industry professionals, it will require some investment of time to get satisfying results.

Mark works as a music sample producer at Dance Midi Samples, After producing many music sample packs, Mark now shares is years of experience with others through guides and tutorials while offering free midi samples for the next generation of producers.

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