simple multitrack recording software for Android

[mcnach]

Looking for recommendations for a simple multitrack recording app, for a tablet running Android.

 

It doesn't have to be free, I do not mind paying for an app if it does what I need, but I'm NOT a fan of subscription models so I'd rather avoid those but I'd still consider them (it depends on the actual monthly fee to some extent). 

 

Cubasis LE looks nice and familiar, £25 outright buy, but the reviews are very mixed about its reliability.

BandLab looks decent, but the free version has so many ads that I gave up testing more than a few minutes, and you can't just buy it, it's a subscription model. I don't recall the price but I remember thinking it was more than I was willing to pay per month.

I tried another "Wave..." something, but it had the same issue with the ads making testing very tedious (waiting 30 seconds watching a video at seemingly every other click on the menu) and the subscription not attractive enough without having being able to test it well.

 

The closest software I know must be n-track, which looks like it can still be bought outright for around £30, but I am interested to see if there's anything else out there.

 

My needs are very simple, this is just to quickly record ideas/sketch songs, no no need for deep mixing capabilities or FX etc... simple record, volume and gain, pan and if there's some basic EQ I'm happy.

[Wombat]

I have cubasis which I got for £12 when there was a sale. I can’t say it’s ’unreliable’ but I’ve only really use it to ‘note down’ ideas for songs. I just bought a cable, not an interface, so can only record one track at a time.

So, for me, ‘it does what I expect without any problems’.

The added bonus is that it works very much like Cubase that I use on PC.

[Leonard Smalls]

Is Audacity available for Android?

[Boodang]

Maybe too simple for your needs and they don't make it anymore but cheap second hand and just records what ever you put through it and syncs to the app. It's not a looper. 

[MichaelDean]

Fender Studio is new and free. I've had a little play and it seems pretty decent. Lots of drum loops to play with. You get some guitar amp sims too, so you can just plug straight into an audio interface, then audio interface into the tablet without needing other hardware.

 

https://uk.fender.com/pages/fender-studio

[mcnach]

On 04/06/2025 at 09:11, Wombat said:

I have cubasis which I got for £12 when there was a sale. I can’t say it’s ’unreliable’ but I’ve only really use it to ‘note down’ ideas for songs. I just bought a cable, not an interface, so can only record one track at a time.

So, for me, ‘it does what I expect without any problems’.

The added bonus is that it works very much like Cubase that I use on PC.

 

 

Recording one track at a time is fine for my purposes, and I used to use Cubase years ago (I switched to Reaper) so the basic functions I'm probably already familiar enough with.

 

Do you know if you can import a project from Cubase LE? Or export to Cubase LE? Not a biggie, but a guy I work with a lot uses Cubase and I was wondering whether the Android Cubasis could be used to share stuff directly (again, without an VSTs etc, simple tracks recorded as they are). I might never use that, as I'd probably just sit at the computer as usual, but I'm curious about the possibility.

 

I saw too many reviews about Cubasis crashing and freezing, that's why I was a bit hesitant. 

 

 

[mcnach]

On 04/06/2025 at 09:15, Leonard Smalls said:

Is Audacity available for Android?

 

unfortunately not

[mcnach]

On 04/06/2025 at 11:31, Boodang said:

Maybe too simple for your needs and they don't make it anymore but cheap second hand and just records what ever you put through it and syncs to the app. It's not a looper. 

 

 

Interesting little gadget, but not what I'm after. Still, thank you, it's always good to know what else is out there!

 

[mcnach]

On 04/06/2025 at 11:50, MichaelDean said:

Fender Studio is new and free. I've had a little play and it seems pretty decent. Lots of drum loops to play with. You get some guitar amp sims too, so you can just plug straight into an audio interface, then audio interface into the tablet without needing other hardware.

 

https://uk.fender.com/pages/fender-studio

 

 

That's interesting, it does seem to do what I want very easily. All the other stuff... I'm not interested, in principle, but could be interesting to explore, thank you!

 

This is part of my portable home rig: Using a M-Vave Tank-G as the core of it. This is a little multiFX that runs on a built-in rechargeable battery (or USB-C) and acts as a sound card too, DI, etc etc. It's designed for guitar, which it does nicely, but I set up a couple of presets for bass that work quite well. So guitar/bass into the Tank-G, and Tank-G into tablet for recording. I often plug the Tank-G into a small bluetooth speaker (Headrush FRFR-GO), and it is a nice sounding tiny rig. 

[Cato]

On 04/06/2025 at 11:50, MichaelDean said:

Fender Studio is new and free. I've had a little play and it seems pretty decent. Lots of drum loops to play with. You get some guitar amp sims too, so you can just plug straight into an audio interface, then audio interface into the tablet without needing other hardware.

 

https://uk.fender.com/pages/fender-studio

 

This one has caught my eye, seems iike a pretty simple plug in & record type set up, especially compared to some of the PC DAWs I've used with various degrees of success.

 

I'm planning on giving it a proper test drive when I get back from holiday in a couple of weeks.

Edited 14 hours ago by Cato

[Wombat]

It’s got options so you can import/export. Not sure they are made to ‘interface’ with Cubase specifically. I’ve imported midi files then replaced e.g. the bass.