Apr 23, 2020 Create full arrangements with ScoreCloud 4 for PC or Mac, or create sheet music on the go with theScoreCloud Express app. These paid versions offer 14-day free trials so you can test them out.
Whether you’re a young student and started making music as a leisure activity or planning to become the next Dan Reynolds, it’s always best to begin with free online music maker software.
So, if you’re looking to create your own music or band, look no further than your smartphone.
However, if you don’t know how to make your own music online, then you don’t need to worry about it anymore as we’ve done all the heavy lifting to help you pick the best free music maker software.
- Mac App Store is the simplest way to find and download apps for your Mac. To download apps from the Mac App Store, you need a Mac with OS X 10.6.6 or later.
- Roland Zenbeats is a music creation app that keeps you in an effortless artistic flow. Get started on any device or platform. With its collection of both modern and legendary sounds, Zenbeats brings Roland’s history of innovation into a new, accessible format.
Let’s jump right into the wonderful world of music-making apps:
Music Maker Apps for Creating Your Own Band and Music:
1. GarageBand
The most obvious choice for the top spot, this free online music maker has been a favorite for many years.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or ready to take your music-making to the next level, GarageBand has got you covered.
Apple’s long-standing music-making app offers a wide range of Touch Instruments & Multi-Touch gestures to help you play guitars, keyboards, create beats with DJ-style effects, and much more.
It gives you access to the various, audio recordings, Apple Loops, and musical instruments with professional mixing effects & sound packs — so you can create your own music anywhere, anytime.
2. BandLab – Music Making Studio
With more than 9 million users, BandLab is the world’s most popular free online music studio to create your own songs and mashups.
With BandLab’s multi-track editor, you can record, produce, edit and remix any fine-tune to perfection while on the go.
BandLab also lets you connect with fellow DJs and artists — so you can start a band with established musicians, rappers, guitarists, and more.
3. Music Maker JAM
Even if you are not a fan of music-making apps, then Music Maker JAM will definitely make you one.
This music mix app with its tons of studio-quality loops allows you to create & share amazing music with the world.
Being a part of this music creation community, you can get access to more than ten free packs with over 2000 loops that can help you produce your own album right on your smartphone.
So, what are you waiting for? Download Music Maker JAM and be a music creator today!
4. n-Track Studio 9
n-Track 9 is an online music studio that lets you record & share an unlimited number of tunes and MIDI tracks (max 11 tracks without in-app purchases) with the Songtree community.
It offers a wide range of creative tools including Piano Roll, Guitar Amp, Screen Drumkit, VocalTune, Surround mixing, Beat doctor, 2d & 3d Sonograms, and much more!
So, if you’re looking to make a name for yourself in the music production industry, then this free online music maker could be the perfect option for you.
5. Groovebox
Groovebox is a beautifully designed music-making app that comes with an inspiring synth, presets, and world-class touchable instruments.
With this free music maker software, you can instantly create, remix and record your own tunes and melodies.
So, what are you waiting for? Download Groovebox today and tune your iPhone or iPad into an online music studio.
6. Audacity
Audacity is a free, open-source music making software that offers an amazing set of editing features and real-time effects to help you make your own music.
The music production software is available for free download on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems.
Audacity is one of the most used multi-track audio editors with you can instantly record live audio through a microphone or mixer.
7. Tracktion T7
Tracktion T7 is a free digital audio workstation (DAW) for recording, producing and sharing your own music.
Tracktion T7 offers unlimited free audio and MIDI tracks with a wide range of powerful editing and recording features like clip layer effect, automation pattern, LFO modifier, freeze point technology, and more – so you can easily record, edit, and produce your own beats with ease.
This free DAW is available for download on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.
8. Music Memos
Music Memos, developed by Apple Inc. is one of the best music-making apps for music writers to capture & organize your new song ideas.
Music Memos helps you record piano, acoustic guitar, voice, or any other musical instrument in high-quality on your iPhone & iPad.
It also allows you to take your song ideas into GarageBand on your iPhone device – so you can use an additional instrument to make yourself sound like a Pro!
9. Cubasis 2
Cubasis, developed by Steinberg, is an iOS-based online music studio that lets you record, edit, mix, and produce an extensive collection of songs with ease.
It features amazing touch-optimized tools like real-time pitch-shifting and time-stretching, spin FX, mini sampler, virtual analog synthesizer, and much more!
Cubasis with its wide range of built-in instrument sounds and performance features ranks among the best music-making apps in the world right now.
10. FL Studio Mobile
The beautifully designed user interface has made FL Studio Mobile the world’s most popular free music maker software in the world.
FL Studio Mobile offers a vast number of built-in features like advanced sound creation, touch controllers, high-quality synthesizers, mix effects, and more – so you can take your music to the next level.
It might come last in the list of best music-making apps, but it is definitely worth a try.
Final Verdict
The apps listed above are some of the best music-making apps on the basis of ease and popularity.
You can get all of these online music studios for free; use them and make your own music anywhere, anytime.
So, what are you waiting for? Pick your favorite & create your own album right on your phone.
I recently went down the rabbit hole revisiting all the 8-bit games and I discovered a newfound love for 8bit art and music. After I finished the list of 8bit art maker apps, I wondered if there were any apps to make 8bit music? If you wish to create 8bit versions of your favorite songs, compose music on phone, or create your own chiptunes then check out the list of best 8-bit music maker apps. Let’s check them out.
8-bit Music Maker Apps
1. RetroBoy Plugin
For Audacity
While you can use Audacity and other advanced software to recreate 8-bit music, it is still very intimidating for new users who don’t have much experience with music-making, that’s why I’ll focus on apps that are easy to use and require minimum prior knowledge about music software. However, if you’re familiar with Audacity, you can install this plugin and easily create 8bit music on your existing setup.
Get RetroBoy Plugin
2. Magical 8bit Plug
for FL Studio
FruityLoops or better known as FL Studio is a really popular DAW that allows you to create music sequences. Magical 8bit Plug is a plugin developed by Yokemura that lets you create 8bit music. The plugin offers seven different waveforms such as square, triangle, pure random, 25% pulse, etc. You can use this plugin to simulate the waveforms precisely and even add noise to your sequence to bring out authenticity. The plugin is entirely free and you can use it with multiple VSTs.
Get Magical 8bit Plug (free)
3. Tonepad
For iOS
If you like making your own custom ringtones then this app is for you. Based on the chiptune tracker, it features a 16×16 grid where you can activate each note to create a tone. The interface is kept minimal so that you can use it without any intimidation. Just tap on the grid to hear the melody. You can recreate old Nokia ringtones or music from Super Mario, you decide. The app is free but to save tones you’ll have to upgrade to the paid version which costs $0.99.
Related: How to Transfer Music from Android to iPhone without iTunes
Install Tonepad (iOS)
4. Nanoloop
For Android and iOS
Nanoloop is built for sequencing, sampling, and composing music in one single app. It is highly customizable which makes it a little bit intimidating for new users. You can create a melody in 8 channels and set 8 different patterns in one channel. It also has all the waveforms used in 8-bit games along with the option to add your custom samples combining both to create a fusion style tune. The app has a full song editor which makes trimming and joining easy. Nanoloop is paid and available for both Android and iOS for $3.99.
Install Nanoloop (Android | iOS)
5. Piconica
For Android
If you were to create 8-bit music on your Android smartphone, Piconica is the first app you should try. It is a little different from other apps in the list as it doesn’t use the grid and tracker system. However, you can still create some sick melodies with the keyboard layout. It has square and triangle waves with different cycles which means you can get the same tones with a keypress. The keyboard has 96 keys which you can use with one or two rows. After recording a melody you can save the files on the local storage in WAV file format. Piconica is a great mobile solution to create 8-bit chiptunes.
Install Piconica (Android)
6. Musiclab.Chromeexperiments
For web
Let’s start with a basic app, Musiclab is for all the beginners who want to dabble in music. It has a web interface that makes it truly portable and you can use it on any web browser. The interface is extremely simple, making it suitable for kids and noobs like myself. You just have to click on any of the notes on the grid to activate that part, do this across the grid and then hit the play button and viola, music. You can change instruments without affecting the progress which includes piano, strings, bass, synth, etc. Export the project as a MIDI or a WAV file and save it on your computer with one click. Music lab is great for creating simple 8-bit style music, online.
Related: How to Offline Music on Android Watch without Phone
Check out Music Lab
Mac Apps For Creating Music Tracks
7. BeepBox
For web
Mac Apps For Creating Music Playlists
The next app, Beepbox is a serious chiptune tracker the works on the web browser. It offers you a fully customizable grid where you can adjust the keys, tempo, reverb, and rhythm. It has all the waveform instruments used in the original games which means you can recreate all your classic game melodies. Apart from retro presets like a square wave, triangle wave, sawtooth wave, etc, you also get support for newer instruments like keyboard, idiophone, guitars, bass, strings, and distortion presets. You can export your project as a .json, .wav, or .mid file. Beepbox is absolutely free and you’ll create authentic 8-bit music in no time with it.
Check out BeepBox
8. Bosca Ceoil
For Windows and Mac
This next application is a flash-based solution to creating chiptunes. Bosca Ceoil has a grid and tracker interface which makes it easy to create chiptunes. Just like Beepbox, it has different instruments, option to change octaves, tempo, etc. Along with MIDI, you get 12 additional instrument types which are going to be more than enough. To get started with your first tune, just select an instrument, and tap a note on the grid, and play it on a loop. You can then export the tunes in MIDI, WAV, XM, and MML formats. Choose Bosca Ceoil if you want an easy to use the 8-bit tracker for your computer.
Must Read: Best Music Apps for Windows 10
Check Out Bosca Ceoil
9. FamiTracker
for Windows
Unlike the previous one, FamiTracker gives you more functionality. Although it looks complicated, it is easy to get used to if you’ve worked on trackers before. To start composing a tune, you just have to select a pulse and press the key on your keyboard to put it on the note. It also supports MIDI devices so that you can easily import the sound samples and custom instruments from those devices. The application is free and lets you create music for NES and Famicom systems.
Also Read: 6 Places to find background music for YouTube
Check out FamiTracker
Closing Words
These were some of the best apps which you can use to create high-quality chiptunes. I tried to include the apps which are both easy to use and functional, for example, Music Lab is the simplest app to create tunes. Beepbox and Bosca Ceoil are a little more advanced in terms of features but offer a similar interface. If you were to ask for an advanced tool then FamiTracker would do the job. Which apps do you use to create 8-Bit Music, let me know in the comments below and share some tunes on Twitter?