Apple releases Music Memos: record and develop song ideas on your iPhone

Music Memos is more than just a recording app.
Music Memos is more than just a recording app.

Apple has added to its roster of music making software by releasing Music Memos, a new iPhone app that enables you to capture and develop song ideas.

Music Memos is a free app that's optimised for guitar and piano and is designed for songwriters who want to be able to capture their ideas whenever and wherever they have them. Inspired by the Voice Memos app in iOS, it enables you to record any instrument you like, and your memos can be named, tagged and rated.

This isn't simply a recording app, though: Music Memos can analyse the rhythm and chords of acoustic guitar and piano recordings and automatically generate drum and bass parts. You can customise how your virtual backing band plays until you get the feel that your song requires.

Basic chord notation is also included, and Memos can be backed up to the iCloud so that they can be developed further in GarageBand or Logic Pro X. You can also email your ideas or share them via Apple Music Connect.

Music Memos is available now as a free download from the Apple App Store.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.