Songwriting Apps for the iPad

There are a ton of apps available to help you create music on your iPad. I have been trying them out. Just  ask my wife. I am  extremely picky about what I use. It has to do exactly what I want it to do or I move on to something else. I do that until I find what works and then I endlessly talk about what I find that works for me. These are some of the most useful apps for songwriting on the iPad. I use and recommend them all.

SongWriter HD by SimonApps is my main songwriting app. It allows me to write lyrics and chords, tab out guitar parts, and export my songs for backup. There are alot of extra cool features that give me full control over every aspect of the song. It's easy to use and great for creating lead sheets. Get it in the iTunes Store for around five bucks.

Notion by Notion Music, Inc is an app I use for full on music notation. This app is like using full-fledged music notation software like Finale and Sibelius. Seriously, this does it all. It even plays your compositions using real sampled instruments. This is for the serious composer.

Garage Band by Apple is billed as a recording app for beginners, but there is so much you can do with it that pro musicians will find it useful. First off, the virtual guitars, basses, keyboards, strings, and drums are awesome. They provide a quick way to add some tracks to a song when there are no instruments available to you. The big thing for me, though, is using Garage Band and an iRig to take advantage of the many popular amplifier set ups and effects pedals Garage Band offers. It is literally like having thousands of dollars worth of equipment on my iPad. I use more professional DAW apps for more professional recording, but Garage Band is a great place to sketch out a tune. The plus side is it's free for the iPad.

Auria by WaveMachine Labs, Inc is a full-fledged professional recording app that allows you to record and mix with studio quality results. This is the way to record and mix on your iPad.

Music Studio by Alexander Gross is a full-fledged recording studio that doesn't quite stack up to Auria, though it offers more features and possibilities than Garage Band.

These are just the apps I recommend. There are many more. Let us know what you use.