I make songs late at night with tea on my desk and my cat sleeping on my MIDI keyboard. I’m not fancy. I just like beats that feel good and vocals that sit right. Over the last year, I tested a bunch of beginner music apps on my Mac, my old Windows laptop, and my phone. I messed up a lot. I also finished tracks. Here’s what worked for me, with real stuff I made.
Quick note: I’m Kayla. I record in a tiny room. I use cheap headphones and a USB mic. If that’s you too, you’re fine.
Before we dive in, you can peek at a longer cheat-sheet I put together here: Good Music Software for Beginners: What I Actually Use. It lists every DAW that got me from blank screen to finished song.
For even more inspiration, the MusicRadar's Best Free DAWs 2025 roundup breaks down this year’s standout zero-cost workstations and how they fit different learning curves.
My quick picks (no fluff)
- Mac or iPad: GarageBand
- Phone (Android or iOS): BandLab or Koala Sampler
- Windows (free): Waveform Free or LMMS
- Paid, but simple to learn: Ableton Live Intro or FL Studio (Producer)
- Budget all-rounder that grows with you: Reaper
If you want to window-shop a longer roster of no-budget tools, TechRadar's Best Free Music-Making Software of 2025 compares dozens of cross-platform picks—from browser DAWs to desktop heavyweights—that pair nicely with the options below.
For simply playing back bounced mixes on a clean, lightweight interface, I keep a copy of DeLiPlayer around because it loads fast and lets me spot mix issues away from the DAW.
Now the fun part—what I did, what I loved, and what bugged me.
GarageBand (Mac and iOS) — Easy, friendly, and shockingly good
What I made:
- I built a lo-fi beat in 30 minutes on my iPad using Live Loops. I dropped the “Chill” drum loop, added Smart Piano, and layered a dusty pad from Alchemy. I recorded a shaker with my iPad mic while sitting on the couch. It sounded warm and cozy.
- I also recorded my niece singing “Happy Birthday.” I used the Compressor preset “Narration Vocal” and it fixed the volume jumps without me thinking too hard.
Why it’s great:
- The Drummer tracks feel human. I used the “Slow Jam” drummer for a ballad, and it followed my chords like it knew me.
- Smart instruments help your fingers. I can’t play piano well, but Smart Piano made me sound like I can.
What bugged me:
- Editing tiny notes on an iPhone made me squint. On iPad or Mac, it’s fine.
- The included guitar amps are solid, but they can hiss on some presets. I swapped to a cleaner amp.
One more thing: I moved a project from GarageBand to Logic on my Mac. It carried over clean. That made me brave.
BandLab (Web and Mobile) — Free and social, and yes, it works
What I made:
- On my phone, I recorded a rough rap verse in my car (parked!). I used AutoPitch “Gentle” so it didn’t sound like a robot. Then I stacked two takes and panned them left and right. It came out sturdy.
- I uploaded a guitar riff and used the built-in Mastering “Clean” style. It gave me a quick demo I could share.
Why it’s great:
- It’s free. It runs in a browser. It’s on your phone. No excuses.
- The Looper packs help when you’re stuck. I made a house groove with the “Deep House” Looper, then replaced parts later.
If vocals are your main event, I also rounded up what I found to be the best free vocal recording software and how each one handled real-world takes.
What bugged me:
- Internet hiccups can ruin your flow. I learned to hit Save a lot.
- Effects are good, but not deep. For learning, that’s fine. For mixing, you may want more.
Small tip: Turn on monitoring with headphones only. Speakers will feed back, and you’ll hear a ghost echo. Spooky, but not cute.
Soundtrap (Web) — I used it to work with a friend far away
What I made:
- My friend in Chicago added bass while I tracked vocals at home. We used the chat inside the project and the Patterns Beatmaker. We finished a clean pop demo in a day.
- I tried the built-in Auto-Tune on a chorus. On “Light” it just nudged notes. Handy.
Why it’s great:
- Real-time collaboration feels like Google Docs for music. You see changes live.
- Loops and beat tools make the first draft easy.
What bugged me:
- The free plan is tight. The paid plan opens more sounds. I used a trial to finish our song.
- On old laptops, the browser can lag with lots of tracks. I froze tracks to keep it smooth.
Still, nothing replaces jamming face-to-face in a real room with real humans. If you’d rather meet nearby producers, rappers, or singers than trade files over the cloud, swing by Fuck Local, a geo-based bulletin board where you can spot music-minded neighbors and set up in-person writing sessions without endless doom-scrolling.
For folks in Southern California—especially around North County San Diego—you can also scan community classifieds such as Backpage Encinitas to catch last-minute “drummer needed tonight” posts, gear-swap offers, and rehearsal-space leads that save you from taping flyers around town.
FL Studio (Windows/Mac) — The piano roll is the star
What I made:
- I built a trap beat with the Step Sequencer in 15 minutes. I painted rolls in the piano roll and used Gross Beat for a stutter fill. It slapped.
- Later, at my friend’s place, we recorded a hook in the Producer Edition and used Edison to clean breaths. It worked fast.
Why it’s great:
- The piano roll makes drums and melodies feel like drawing. It’s fun.
- Lifetime updates. I bought once, and I keep getting new stuff. That feels fair.
What bugged me:
- So many windows. I clicked the wrong one a lot until I set a layout.
- If you plan to record vocals, go with Producer or higher. The lower one is better for beats only.
Tiny trick: In the mixer, set your buffer lower when you record. Raise it again when you mix. My laptop stopped crackling.
Ableton Live Intro — Clip magic for ideas
What I made:
- I recorded four drum ideas, four bass lines, and a few chord clips in Session View. Then I launched scenes and picked the best combo in real time. It felt like a game.
- I used Drum Rack with a free 808 kit and mapped my small pad controller. Groove for days.
Why it’s great:
- Session View teaches you song flow without fear. You try stuff. You keep what hits.
- Warp makes bad timing good timing. I fixed a late clap with two clicks.
What bugged me:
- Intro has track limits. I hit them once. It forced me to bounce stems, which, okay, made me commit.
- The look is plain. Some love it. I warmed up to it after a week.
Reaper — Cheap, fast, and not scary once you make a template
What I made:
- I recorded an acoustic cover with two mics. I used ReaEQ to cut mud at 200 Hz and ReaComp to tame peaks. Clean and honest.
- I also cut a podcast episode with crossfades and markers. It rendered in minutes.
Why it’s great:
- It runs on old machines like a champ. My 2015 laptop sighed in relief.
- You can map the spacebar, add color themes, and set track templates. After I set a “Vocal Chain” preset, my sessions felt pro.
What bugged me:
- The first hour felt cold. Too many menus. A YouTube setup video saved me.
- Stock plugins look plain, but they sound fine. I use them a lot.
Note: You can try it free for a while. The license is low cost. It’s fair.
Waveform Free (Tracktion) — A real, no-cost DAW for Windows and more
What I made:
- A simple house track on my old Windows laptop. I used the Micro Drum Sampler and the Pattern Generator. I added a sidechain compressor for that classic pump. It worked.
Why it’s great:
- It’s actually free. Not a fake free.
- Clean layout with a smart browser for sounds.
What bugged me:
- Some plugins didn’t show until I rescanned. Not hard, just odd.
- The workflow is a little different. After an hour, I got it.
LMMS — Free and good for MIDI beats
What I made:
- A chiptune loop