This app turned me into the music creator that GarageBand never could

Date:
Sun, 28 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Description:
Homescreen Heroes: BandLab is a free music-making app for recording vocals, making beats, and mixing demos

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Over the years, there's been
one iPhone app that keeps drawing me back. Its called GarageBand, and since its iOS release in 2011, it has consistently managed to keep its claws stuck into me. Theres something about being able to generate good-sounding music with just a few loops that keeps me dreaming of being a music creator!

But, as good as GarageBand is, its not the only kid on the block, and Ive recently been wondering what the alternatives are. Theres Splash, WalkBand, and FL Studio Mobile, to name only a few, but Ive recently landed on BandLab as my favorite GarageBand alternative. BandLab is a free music-making app and one of the quickest ways to turn ideas into release-ready tracks. Its feature-rich, comprehensive, and easy-to-use, all with a nifty (albeit ad-heavy) interface, and it's simple and intuitive to use. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Homescreen heroes This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn't live without. Read them all here . The BandLab app has enough depth to deliver professional results while also being playful enough to have that GarageBand experimental feel. And as youd imagine, there are a host of AI music generation tools to get your teeth
stuck into as well. This is 2026 after all! (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Creating music is a breeze The first step involves creating music. This can be done by uploading an audio file or adding a track. I started from scratch and laid down a drum beat, which I subsequently edited. Creation and editing tools are fast, intuitive, and easy to find, so even though I was new to BandLab, I was able to find my way around without any problem at all. You may like Sonos users are vibe coding alternatives to the app, with some cool results AI writing's latest patterns and how I avoid them I used the ChatGPT gig finder prompt to find bands playing near me

From there, I entered Studio mode and started laying down multiple tracks, including voice, drum, bass, and guitar. Each instrument comes with its own interface, but with enough consistency between them to not overcomplicate navigation.

Without any formal training, I was able to add effects, crop clips, and perform auto-pitching. With over 300 sound presets, premade drum kits, and 100K+ loop and layer sounds, I effortlessly created a professional-sounding mix. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

If at any time I needed to change the settings of my project, I could do so using the Project Settings tab. It's possible to change the tempo, time signature, and project key. Underneath these, there are the app's studio settings, such as changing the input device, which is your phone by default, or whether or not you want a count-in not.

From there, the library of projects becomes your friend. With it, you can manage albums, bands, playlists, and more. Its also the easiest way to duplicate tracks for creating multiple edits of the same song. (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Collaborate and share One of the best collaboration tools centers around creating music as a band rather than individually. Any project youve already created can be assigned to a band, or if you create a new project, then it can be done at the point of creation. Either way,
sharing your project lets other band members contribute to the creation process. What to read next The best music streaming services today Apple Music's Discovery Station helps users find new artists based on listening habits 5 iPhone apps I can't live without (and that you need to try yourself)

With your music created, its time to share it. With BandLab, publishing, sharing, and social media tools are built into the very heart of the app experience. Through it, you can easily connect and collaborate with like-minded creators on the BandLab social music platform.

BandLab is much bigger than just your world of music. The Home tab provides access to a vibrant feed of music and videos from other artists. This helped me discover new artists as well as genres of music that I never considered exploring. (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Go big with BandLab Premium Getting a BandLab membership unlocks exclusive creation features with AI tools. One premium feature that is well worth the monthly cost is AutoMix, which instantly adjusts a tracks volume and panning for a clean, polished
mix. All you have to do is pick a genre, and you get a balanced, polished mix in seconds.

BandLab Pro is available for $180 / 149 per year, or if you want the complete unlocked experience, then youll need a BandLab Max membership, which costs $360 / 199 per year.

Download BandLab and get creating on iOS and Android . Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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