Today’s recording equipment is more portable than it has ever been. Got a laptop and an audio interface? Grab a microphone and you've got a mobile studio. But if even that’s not portable enough for you, you can get even more mobile by recording on your smartphone or tablet.
Since we like exploring different types of DAW recording software here on the Sage Audio blog, we thought we’d expand the concept a bit and look at what recording software is available for mobile devices.
GarageBand for iOS
If you are using an iPad, iPhone or iPod for recording, GarageBand for iOS may be the way to go. The app functions fairly similarly to the Mac OS version of GarageBand, and even if you haven’t used that software, the iOS version is intuitive enough to pick up quickly.
In addition to providing a recording platform, the service comes with a ton of virtual instruments, so you don’t need anything more than your phone or tablet. You can store the songs you make easily in iCloud, and can even have real time, recordable jam sessions with up to three friends via WiFi or Bluetooth.
If you prefer to work with real instruments, Behringer just introduced a new iSTUDIO docking station for iPad that allows you to connect instruments, microphones, MIDI instruments and even turntables to a convenient package that wraps around your iPad.
Audio Evolution Mobile
While there are other multitrack recording apps available for iOS, GarageBand has all of the features most mobile recorders will need. The Android market, however, is more wide open.
Audio Evolution Mobile is the Android app most comparable to GarageBand, and offers many of the same multitrack recording features. The biggest difference is that it doesn’t include virtual instruments or USB recording.
But, you can record and export in almost any file format, and the app has plenty of effects available, including EQ, reverb, delay, tremolo, flanger and even highpass and lowpass features.
PocketBand Pro
If you need virtual instruments on your Android, you may want to go with PocketBand Pro, which comes with synth instruments, drums, samples, analog modulators and more. The app allows up to 32 loops per song and up to 16 channels. You can apply effects to tracks and also export to mp3.
Like GarageBand, you can save work to the cloud to work across multiple devices. Impressively, you can also import files to the app from multiple services, including your music library, SD card or even Dropbox, which is great for sampling.
J4T for Android
For dead simple, straightforward recording, the J4T is a good very basic four-track recorder. The app is just for recording, so no virtual instruments are included, though it does include a handy loop function.
Another great feature is that even though it only has four tracks, you can mix those four down to one to free up additional tracks (though this may cause latency issues) - just like your cassette four track. It also has a few affects you can add to tracks such as distortion and delay, though there is no reverb yet available.
So, Why A Membership?
Let’s face it — trying to create professional mixes without the correct knowledge, tools, services, and network is like playing a concert with a broken instrument to an audience of no one.
That’s where the Sage Audio membership comes in — the membership gives you everything you need to create professional mixes consistently.
The membership is the secret to your success — it’s the difference between the 1,929,999,999 of poor-sounding mixes and the .00000002% of mixes that make people say 'WOW!"
There are 7 unique value-points included in your Sage Audio membership.
Let’s go over each one so you can decide if the membership is right for you.
1. Sage Audio University
- SAU Flagship Mixing Course: 23-video in-depth mixing course that reveals the little-known secrets of mixing and matches the needs of the new music industry.
- SAU Flagship Mastering Course: 19-video in-depth modern mastering course that dives into every nuance of making professional-sounding masters.
- SAU Pre-Mastering Course: Concise pre-mastering course that details the latest industry standards for preparing your mixes for mastering.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from budding mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout each course.
- Each SAU course includes Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website and social channels.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
2. Private 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio private 1-on-1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us for advanced mixing feedback, in-depth discussions, and customized guidance that's tailored to your specific needs.
- Unlimited private access to us for advanced mixing feedback, where we provide detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Unlimited private access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve every aspect of your mixes and masters.
- Customized guidance that’s tailored specifically to your needs.
- Fast communication so you can improve your skills quickly.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited professional mixing feedback directly from us so you can consistently improve your skills and create professional mixes.
- Mixing feedback is invaluable, and the Sage Audio membership gives you continual direct access to us for real-world feedback so you can improve every aspect of each of your mixes while you're in the process of mixing.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
4. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
5. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with additional real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 71 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
7. 800+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into categories so you can easily take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your skills at your own pace.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >