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 Thursday at 12:20 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.

[miles'tone]

Audio Evolution was the best when I used it a few years ago. I used it to edit together the music for a school concert I was involved in.

User friendly and good quality, probably even better now.

 

https://www.extreamsd.com/

Edited yesterday at 12:27 by miles'tone

[Stub Mandrel]

The new Fender Studio app?

[Paul S]

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

 

Would this team up with a Behringer U-Phoria UM-2 interface, do you think?  I haven't a single clue how to use this stuff, nor do I understand the terminology.

[Cato]

18 minutes ago, Paul S said:

 

Would this team up with a Behringer U-Phoria UM-2 interface, do you think?  I haven't a single clue how to use this stuff, nor do I understand the terminology.

 

It should do. 

 

This should work for most focusrite style interfaces.

 

 

 

Fender sell a much neater gizmo, specially designed for the job, which I suspect is where they hope to make money on the free app, at least until they start charging a subscription fee a few months down the line...

 

https://uk.fender.com/products/fender-link-i-o

Edited 23 hours ago by Cato

[mcnach]

16 minutes ago, Paul S said:

 

Would this team up with a Behringer U-Phoria UM-2 interface, do you think?  I haven't a single clue how to use this stuff, nor do I understand the terminology.

 

Yes, that should be good to go. If you want to power it directly from the USB port of your phone/tablet you may need to change the settings but that's all. My phone (Nokia XR20) needed to be told to supply power, but my tablet (Nokia T21) just did it by default.

 

 

[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

 

I've only did a quick test last night and it works well, and the price is good too

Thank you!

 

 

[mcnach]

5 hours ago, miles'tone said:

Audio Evolution was the best when I used it a few years ago. I used it to edit together the music for a school concert I was involved in.

User friendly and good quality, probably even better now.

 

https://www.extreamsd.com/

 

Looks good, I'm already almost set on using the Fender Studio app, but I'll give this one a try too, thank you!

[Paul S]

40 minutes ago, Cato said:

 

It should do. 

 

This should work for most focusrite style interfaces.

 

Fender sell a much neater gizmo, specially designed for the job, which I suspect is where they hope to make money on the free app, at least until they start charging a subscription fee a few months down the line...

 

https://uk.fender.com/products/fender-link-i-o

 

34 minutes ago, mcnach said:

 

Yes, that should be good to go. If you want to power it directly from the USB port of your phone/tablet you may need to change the settings but that's all. My phone (Nokia XR20) needed to be told to supply power, but my tablet (Nokia T21) just did it by default.

 

 

 

Thanks!  I've just splashed out on a new USB B to Micro lead - think I might be able to cobble the rest together - see if it will work with Android tablet or phone.  If not, as you say, the Fender Link IO is cheap enough.

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, Paul S said:

 

Would this team up with a Behringer U-Phoria UM-2 interface, do you think?  I haven't a single clue how to use this stuff, nor do I understand the terminology.

 

I guess so... my knowledge is limited, but I'm assuming the Fender app does what I've seen Garageband do.

 

I'd like to find something less mind blowing than Reaper.

[tauzero]

Just ordered one of these from AliDistress:

 

 

to give it a whirl with Fender Studio and anything else that takes my fancy. £14 (prices may go up as well as down).

[miles'tone]

Wow that Fender app and input device look great. Less faff wins everytime for me!

[mcnach]

18 hours ago, Paul S said:

 

 

Thanks!  I've just splashed out on a new USB B to Micro lead - think I might be able to cobble the rest together - see if it will work with Android tablet or phone.  If not, as you say, the Fender Link IO is cheap enough.

 

The Link IO looks similar to the iRig, which is only around £30 I think? I had the iRig a few years ago, it did a good job. I've also seen something from TC Helicon called GO Guitar, which is the same idea, but it's £18 on Amazon. You probably won't need any of them, as the Behringer interface should do the job, but if you end up wanting to try that option there are cheaper units than the Fender, which is nice.

 

 

[lowdown]

On 06/06/2025 at 13:24, miles'tone said:

Audio Evolution was the best when I used it a few years ago. I used it to edit together the music for a school concert I was involved in.

User friendly and good quality, probably even better now.

 

https://www.extreamsd.com/

 

 

One of my boys has this on his Tablet and it's very good. I think he paid a tenner for it, although he doesn't use it much now because he got Cubase and also Cubasis for when he is up and about.

Also, he can exchange projects between Cubasis and Cubase.

 

If you want Midi recording, both Cubasis and Audio Evolution are capable of this. I'm not sure the Fender App does Midi recording, but then again it is free and the other two are not.

Maybe they plan to introduce it in a future update.