Recording the ultimate incarnation of the song your soul has been forging in a fully equipped sound studio is certainly one part of the music making experience, but musicians and songwriters spend more of their time experimenting with their craft and looking for the beauty hidden in the vibrations of their instruments. Just because these jams are rough drafts of a final copy doesn't make them less important, but it can be cripplingly expensive to rent a studio for practice. Instead of letting the music you make fade into the universe, amplify the power of your practices with Apple's free Music Memos application.
Easy as 1, 2, 3
When you start up Music Memos, the interface comes at you in an easy to use and understand format with the glaringly obvious record button in the middle of the screen. Everything else is handled by the digital magic hidden in the programming. Apple's tech will parse through the digitization of the audio recording and identify key signatures, tempos, and more with a suitable level of accuracy for what is effectively a musician's doodle pad.
You don't even have to plan which sections you're going to record ahead of time, giving you the freedom to play through a jam session at the pace the music makes for you. Music Memos can detect whether you're just chatting in between takes or in the middle of your next chart topper, turning the recording functionality on and off as needed. You'll see the auto mode toggle in the top left of the screen.
Extra Features
Music Memos is a focused application with little in the ways of extras to confuse less tech savvy users or interfere with its functionality. You do get the one thing that every musician needs before they start playing: a tuner! You'll see the tuning fork icon in the top right of the screen.
Some Ensemble-y Required
Because of Music Memos' purpose as a quick and simple recording tool, you'll have to use supplemental programs or applications if you want to do more intensive editing. You won't be able to split tracks into their various layers or play around with the structure of the recording without an additional program like GarageBand.
For the ease of use, beautifully free price tag, and serviceable quality of its recordings, Music Memos should be added to every musician's iPhone, even if as a backup plan.
