Musical Instruments

Elsa Jenna Your phone is now a recording studio, a music school, and a Guitar Center. Thousands of music apps enable you to do everything from autotune your voicemail greeting to compose a symphony. But it turns out that when you talk to professional musicians about what they use to create and perform music, their […]
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Elsa Jenna

Your phone is now a recording studio, a music school, and a Guitar Center. Thousands of music apps enable you to do everything from autotune your voicemail greeting to compose a symphony. But it turns out that when you talk to professional musicians about what they use to create and perform music, their favorite mobile tools are also the simplest.

David Sparshott

JD SAMSON

Producer, DJ, member of the bands Le Tigre and MEN

Dictation Recorder

“I use it to record sounds on the street. Someone tuning their trumpet on the subway platform, perhaps? I bring that sound home, and with all its dirt and background noise, import it into my computer. Then I play with that sound by tuning it or changing the speed until I find the best use for it.”

David Sparshott

PERERA ELSEWHERE

Singer-songwriter, composer, producer

Camera

“I video myself playing chord progressions while I'm jamming if I want to remember how to play them and don't want to write a score.”

David Sparshott

DAMON ALBARN

Singer-songwriter, Blur frontman, Gorillaz founder

Notes App

“Any little idea I have goes right into the phone. Ideas for lyrics, turns of phrase that could make good song titles—I type them in so I don't forget them. Honestly, I don't know why we bother to remember anything anymore.”

David Sparshott

OPEN MIKE EAGLE

Hip hop artist

Mp3 Player

“When I first started playing gigs, I used to run my whole set's backing tracks off of my phone. It was a real gamble before I learned about airplane mode.”