Android Audio Apps that don't require access to Play Store

[mixe]

Sometimes you can't, or don't want to, associate a Google account to an Android device, but you would still like to use that device to create music.

Do you know any music creation apps for Android that don't require access to Play Store?

That includes
- apps released by their developers as .APK files
- apps available on F-Droid (or other decent 3rd-party app stores)

You can browse apps packaged by F-Droid here: https://f-droid.org/packages
The mobile companion app allows you to browse the "Multimedia" category alone, so it may be easier that way.

Please add in the replies your suggestions/opinions.

[ufug]

Last time I looked, F-Droid didn't have much for making music besides utilities. They have some metronomes, tuners, memo recorders etc. No hidden gems.

You can get all the functional/popular DAW apps on Amazon (Caustic, G-Stomper, Audio Evolution). And a gazillion instruments. But is Amazon any less bad than Google for you?

I'm on LineageOS and tried to make a go of it without the Gapps, but it was (for me) an exercise in disappointment. Hope you have better luck.

[sysrqer]

Sunvox I think

[dormirj]

i've made a quick search and SunVox does look pretty amazing, the devs even have a lot of other very interesting projects, like an emulation of the ANS, but visiting their site the android download link just lead me to the playstore - so this seems sadly a no, or did i miss something?

[glowrak guy]

Do you know any music creation apps for Android that don't require access to Play Store?

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/ca ... droid-apps

I posted earlier, in some detail, but it vanished...

[mixe]

Thanks everybody for the effort!

@ufug, re: g-apps I had the same experience, and no, Amazon wouldn't be better than Google

@dormirj & @sysrqer: unfortunately Sunvox is "free for most of the systems, except the Android and iOS"

@glowrak guy: it seems all IK Multimedia apps are only available through the Play Store (which I'm trying to avoid as I don't have a Google account)

[forestandgarden]

F-Droid is having at least 2 apps - Aurora Store and Yalp Store - that aim at faking play accounts and getting stuff from google play itself.

F-Droid apps I've been using myself, apart from a metronome and a sight reading trainer, are Slider Synth and Drum On, which in its recent version, can background & remain playing, which allows layering various sound emitting apps at the same time. Here's a fun one to add, although it's not FLOSS, and I don't vouch for it: tanpura-droid com.swarsystems.is <-- search with either term, and pick your favorite play store free app crawler site, or try with the 2 apps mentioned above

[carlos6mp]

I would prefer Sunvox for that purpose.

[Basslint]

I think your best bet is using JavaScript-based apps via a browser.

[wholehalf]

Helio Workstation https://helio.fm/ is available on F-Droid and is cross platform, there are also Linux, Windows and MacOS versions available.

[danboid]

I can't imagine its much fun to use without having a (bluetooth) keyboard but you can also download Milkytracker for Android:

https://anddev.at.ua/load/applications/ ... 5/3-1-0-13

[milkii]

One non-Free app that changed my Samsung phone Android life was https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/ ... dassistant which gives per app volume. I side-loaded from some random APK site. Can have quiet music behind audiobooks now.

[forestandgarden]

JavaScript based browser app as suggested by Basslint:

https://beepbox.miraheze.org/wiki/Jummbox , with dozens of clones of the same, also listed and actively maintained, opensource original in the same wiki. Most versions include an offline version.

Fun little tracker, can run on relatively low spec devices, depending on versions and song complexity, newer versions on the other hand, include sample playing, so you could bring in recorded bits perhaps.

The conceptual coolness is that, as you compose, the (tail of the) url is becoming the song file, and songs can be shared in that way.

In my experience, playback may glitch at first, but will stabilize, find out your browser's and device's limits.

This is an example of something that I quickly made, then mailed to a guest, for her to jam to in her tent, with her travel guitar-lele.

[asbak]

Sometimes you can't, or don't want to, associate a Google account to an Android device, but you would still like to use that device to create music.

It's futile trying to escape the attentions of the Borg on any Android device - whether or not it's got Playstore and all the other obvious viruses, but if you really want to go that route then the obvious workaround is to rip the APK's using a Google connected device, copying them to your "non playstore" device and installing them that way.

[RyanH]

Zenbeats is good. You can get it from Aurora Store.

You can't do much out of the box, but if you create an account with them - which just requires an email address - and then sign in to the app, you can do a lot, like make a full song, do some mixing tasks (i.e. EQ), and save it. You can also export full songs as WAV files, but not individual tracks. The way I get around that is to mute all other tracks but the one I want and then export the song.

It comes with some instruments (drums, bass, guitar, synths) and more than one way to compose (i.e. manually inputting notes in a piano roll, playing along using a virtual keyboard). If you have a USB hub, you can plug it into your phone and then add an audio interface for guitar and headphones, or plug in an actual midi keyboard. Zenbeats recognized all my devices immediately, with no configuration. HOWEVER, the more stuff you try do do, the more likely the app is to crash.

Paying for it gives even more functionality, like access to more FX plugins and the ability to export "stems" (individual tracks). But of course this requires Google Play. (I emailed them to ask if there was any other way to buy it. There is: for more $, buy the version for use on all devices via the Microsoft store, which will unlock it on the phone. I didn't want to do this, though.)

Cheers.