In our latest video, available over on our YouTube channel, we took a look at apps and tools that are designed to help musicians use their iPhones and iPads to work on their craft and record high-quality music while wherever they are.

This is a bit of a niche video, but it is suitable for new musicians and those who want to find tools to better take advantage of their mobile devices.


Apple's GarageBand is the first app you'll want to delve into if you're new to making music on the iPhone, as it's loaded with different instruments for you to experiment with.

Music Memos, an app that's always gone under the radar, is super useful for recording song lyrics or making notes on your compositions. There's a one-tap record button so it's easy to get started, and Music Memos will record the exact notes you're playing so you can come back to your work in the future.

For actually recording high-quality audio that's similar to what you'd get in a studio, the iPhone's microphone just isn't good enough. You're going to want an accessory like iZotope's Spire Studio, which is basically a miniature recording studio that can go anywhere. It's not cheap at $349, but it can capture great sound.

There are tons of other apps and tools out there, so if you're a musician who records with an iPhone or iPad, make sure to let us know which accessories and apps you prefer to use in the comments.

Top Rated Comments

roguedaemon Avatar
93 months ago
Music Memos is such an amazing app, it’s just so annoying that Apple hasn’t updated it, among other things, to the iPhone X display. Absolutely ridiculous.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
93 months ago
You know what an awesome audio I/O on an iPhone would be? A 1/8" audio jack! Oh, wait.
Most use an external DAC rather than DI audio. ;)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrsaxomaphone Avatar
93 months ago
Since the iPhone lost the headphone jack it’s practically useless in a recording environment. Yes you could run another interface like a spire or class compliant device but why would you? Just pull out your notebook and instantly it’s a better machine. Just this morning I wanted to record a stereo sound with a mic on my phone whilst listening to a click to keep in time. GarageBand would totally do it. Except the latency between monitoring with Bluetooth headphones and a rode iXy mic plugged into the lightning port was useles.

My iPhone 6s would’ve nailed it!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3LL5P4WN Avatar
93 months ago
I was hoping this article was how to bootleg concerts better. I am disappoint.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rpcclark Avatar
93 months ago
I was hoping this article was how to bootleg concerts better. I am disappoint.
Have you checked out these? https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HLUE2ZM/A/apogee-sennheiser-ambeo-smart-headset definitely the best way to record a concert on an iPhone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KazKam Avatar
93 months ago
You know what an awesome audio I/O on an iPhone would be? A 1/8" audio jack! Oh, wait.

Edit: On a serious note though, I really like using DM1 ('https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dm1-for-iphone/id526650611?mt=8') and FunkBox ('https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/funkbox-drum-machine/id350437349?mt=8') for drum sequencing and vintage drum machine libraries.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...