Every feature of the app, one by one. These are the same texts as the guide inside the app, under Settings → “Guide and tutorials”: there every topic also has “Show me how”, which walks you through the real screens.
One minute to learn where things are. It starts by itself the first time; from here you can see it again whenever you like.
1The libraryYour songs and albums live here. Tap one to open it: there's already one in there, made with the app, to listen to.
2ListenThis is the song screen. Press Play and hear how it's built: yours will be built the same way.
3The five tabsAt the bottom: Library for songs, Grid to write notes, Record to make them with your voice, Mixer for sounds and effects, and Settings. They all work on the open song.
4Record with your voiceChoose what you're doing at the mic (percussion, bass, melody or voice), press REC and the app turns what you did into notes.
5The gridTurn the phone sideways. Tap a cell to write or remove a hit. Hold an icon to read its name.
6The guideHere in Settings you'll find “Guide and tutorials”, also behind the question mark in Library: every feature explained, each with “Show me how”.
Your first song
The whole journey, from a beat made with your mouth to a file you can open in Reaper. Each step moves on by itself when you do it.
1Open a songTap the demo song (Oltre l'ombra), or create a “New song”.
2ListenPress Play and hear how it sounds: it's made the way you'll make yours.
3Beatbox a beatIn Record choose “Percussion”, press REC and wait for the count-in. Then do two bars of “boom-tsk” into the mic. Each pass of the loop is a take.
4Fix the hitsThe app has put a marker on every hit. Tap one to change it to kick, snare or hi-hat. Then press “Use this pattern”.
5Adjust by handNow you see your beat on the grid. Tap a cell to add or remove a hit. Play starts from the bar you're looking at.
6Hum a bass lineGo back to Record, choose “Bass” and hum four notes. It doesn't matter if you sing them high: it brings them down by itself.
7Pick the soundsIn the mixer every track has an instrument and an effect. Tap “Instrument” and change it while it plays: you hear the difference right away.
8Take it outTap “Export”: you get the mix, the separate stems and the MIDI, with the BPM in the name. From there it opens in Reaper and you can sing over it.
9Hand it to the players“Parts for the band” gives one sheet each: tab for string players, sheet music for the others, drums on a single staff. As a PDF, ready to print.
10DoneThat's your first song. From now on the loop is always the same: record, fix, export.
How the app is laid out
Five tabs at the bottom, one open song at a time, and an arrow to go back.
1The tabsLibrary, Grid, Record, Mixer and Settings. Grid, Record and Mixer work on the open song; if you haven't picked one yet, they ask which.
2The library is homeThe app opens here. Inside a song you'll find Chords, Lyrics, Observations and Export; the Library tab takes you back to the last place you were.
3Going backAt the top left there's the arrow with the name of where you're going back to. Android's Back gesture does the same: it closes the open panel first, then the screen.
4Icon namesMany buttons are just an icon. Hold it for half a second: the name appears, and the button doesn't fire.
A new song
Empty, or starting from a copy of the demo song (Oltre l'ombra).
1New songIn Library, Songs tab, tap “New song”.
2Where to startChoose “Empty song” or the copy of the demo (Oltre l'ombra). The song opens right away.
3Give it a nameAt first it's called “New song”. To rename it, tap the pencil under the song (see “Name, artist and details”).
A quick idea
The mic straight away, no tempo or name to pick: so you don't lose a tune that just came to you.
1An ideaIn Library tap the red “An idea” button: the mic starts as soon as you're in. You can also hold the app icon on your phone and choose “Record an idea”.
2Sing, tap, playWhen you're finished tap “Done”. “Throw it away” discards it; leaving any other way keeps it.
3It becomes a songThe idea becomes a new song with an audio track, and the app works out the tempo from what you did. From there you can transcribe it (see “Transcribing a block again”).
Library and songs
The song screen
You get there by tapping a song in Library.
1PlayPress Play to listen to the song. The first time it loads the sounds.
2LoopWith “Loop” the song starts over from the top until you press Stop.
3The overviewBelow you see the instruments over time. Tap a header to collapse or expand a family; tap a row to open the grid right on that instrument and that bar.
4The toolsChords, Lyrics, Observations and Export. A dot on Observations means there's something to read. The pills with the disc open the albums the song is in.
5Make it a songWith a melody, “Make it a song” creates a copy with suggested chords, bass and drums in the style you tap, sections with an intro and an ending sized to the tempo, an instrumental break after the first chorus, the last chorus fuller and a step up and transitions, and opens it. The shape comes first: “Short”, “Classic” or “With a bridge”. It's a draft: check the chords. The original stays as it is. As soon as you transcribe a melody into a song that is still just an idea, the same offer appears by itself above the grid.
Listening slower
To learn a part: the song at three quarters or half speed, at the same pitch.
1Pick the speedOn the song screen, next to Play, tap 75% or 50%. If it is playing, it restarts slower right away; 100% brings it back.
2Recordings tooAudio tracks are stretched without changing pitch: the first time takes a few seconds, and they may sound a little less natural. The saved song doesn't change: it is only how you listen.
Name, artist and details
The song's name and the details that end up inside exported files.
1The pencilIn Library, under the song, tap the pencil (“Edit”).
2The fieldsName, artist, album, year, track and notes. They end up in the WAV and MP3 tags.
3SavingTap “Save” at the top. Closing any other way also saves (Back, opening another song): only “Cancel” throws the changes away.
Searching
With lots of songs, the search at the top of the Library.
1TypeType part of the name: it finds songs by name, artist and album, and in the Albums tab albums by title and artist.
Sorting and labels
Finding one song among many: by name, or by label.
1SortAbove the song list pick “Recent” (last touched first) or “A–Z” (by name).
2Add labelsTap a song's pencil and write the labels in the “Labels” field, separated by commas: mood, genre, “to finish”. Closing saves them.
3FilterThe labels in use show up above the list: tap one to see only its songs, “All” to get the whole list back. Search finds them too.
Duplicating a song
A copy to experiment on without touching the original.
1DuplicateUnder the song tap the two-pages icon (“Duplicate”). The copy appears in the list; it doesn't open by itself.
Versions
Snapshots of the song: keep it as it is now, and if you don't like what comes next, go back there.
1VersionsIn Library, under the song, tap the clock (“Versions”).
2Keep it as it is nowIf you like, type a name, for example “before the new chorus”, and tap “Keep it as it is now”. Without a name it uses date and time.
3Going back to a versionIn the list tap “Restore” and confirm. First the app takes a snapshot of the current state as “before restoring”: you lose nothing.
Deleting and restoring
A deleted song stays in the bin for thirty days.
1DeleteUnder the song tap the bin and then “Really delete”.
2The binAt the bottom of the song list there's the row of recently deleted songs: tap it to open it.
3Restore or delete forever“Restore” puts it back in the library; “Delete forever” erases it. “Empty the bin” also tells you how much space it frees.
Backup and new phone
A zip file with the whole song: notes, recordings and mix.
1Export the projectUnder the song tap the Export icon: out comes a zip file with the name and BPM, to save wherever you like.
2Import projectOn the other phone, in Library, tap “Import project” and choose the zip. The song appears in the list.
3If it's already thereIf the very same song is already there, the app tells you and doesn't duplicate it. If it has changed, it comes in as a proposal next to the original and you can merge it (see “Compare and merge”).
4The whole libraryAt the bottom of the songs, “Copy the whole library” puts every song with its recordings and mixer, and the albums with their covers, in a single file. On the new phone “Import” brings it back: it adds what is missing, and songs already there stay as they are.
Albums
A record: songs in running order, cover, total length.
1The Albums tabIn Library tap “Albums”.
2New albumTap “New album”: it opens right away. Type the title at the top, then artist and year.
3The running order“Add a song” and tap the ones to include. The arrows change the order, × takes the song off the record (the song stays). The box on the left leaves it out of measuring and export. Below you see the length and whether it fits on a vinyl side or a CD.
4The coverTap the frame or “Choose an image”, frame it by dragging and zooming, then “Save”. You'll see it blurred behind the album's songs.
5Reuse a partTap a song and then one of its clips: it's copied to the end of the open song, and the grid opens.
Exporting an album
The whole record at once, at the same perceived loudness.
1Open the albumIn Library, Albums tab, open the record.
2Loudness matchingTap “Measure”: the app listens to each track and works out a common offset, so no song is much louder than the others.
3Batch exportChoose whether to add the stems and tap “Export the album”. The files go to Download/Motivetto, in the album's folder, with running order and lyrics.
4Parts for the whole record“Export the parts” writes one sheet per instrument for every song. If needed, it asks you just once whether each player reads tab or sheet music.
Compare and merge
Two versions of the same song, one difference at a time: you choose what to keep.
1CompareUnder the song tap “Compare with…” and choose the other one. On a proposal (for example an AI's answer) there's “Merge” directly.
2What to keepEach difference is a card: “Take this one” or “Leave mine”. Your choices are saved as you make them: you can leave and finish tomorrow.
3Hear before choosing“As it is” and “With this” play just that part, both ways. You hear it with one bar before and one after; “Track alone” or “In the mix” chooses whether the changed track plays alone or with the others. “Listen to the result” plays everything with the choices made.
4Bring it inTap the button at the bottom, “Bring in the chosen entries”. A finished proposal goes to the bin; two real songs both stay.
5Undoing the mergeBack in Library you'll find “Undo the merge”: it puts both songs back as they were.
If the app closes while recording
Takes and ideas are saved while you record them.
1The noticeIf the app closed mid-recording, at the top of the Library you'll find a notice with what was saved.
2What to do with it“Reopen them in Record” for takes, “Keep the idea” for a capture, “Delete” if you don't need them.
Recording
A beat with your mouth
Make kick, snare and hi-hat with your voice: the app recognizes them and writes them down.
1PercussionIn Record, under “What the microphone should listen for”, tap “Percussion”.
2The tempoTap the tempo with your finger on “Tap tempo”, or type the BPM. The “bars” slider sets how long a take is.
3RECPress REC: two bars of count-in, then do your “boom-tsk”. The loop goes round and each pass is a take, up to five. Stop to finish.
4Pick the takeTap “take 1”, “take 2”… to hear them again. The app has already picked one.
5Use this patternCheck the hits (see “Fixing the hits”) and tap “Use this pattern”: the beat goes into the grid.
Fixing the hits
After recording you see the waveform, with a marker on every hit found.
1Changing a hitTap a marker: below appear kick, snare, hi-hat, breath and “Remove”.
2Adding a hitTap an empty spot on the waveform. Dashed markers are faint hits: the “Drop the faint ones” button removes them all at once.
3Threshold and sensitivityIf it finds too many hits, raise the “threshold”; if it misses some, raise the “sensitivity”. “cells” sets how fine the grid is, “Straight” or “Triplets” how you played.
4Hear them togetherPlays your voice together with the hits found: if they clash, they're out of place.
5Use this patternWhen it sounds right, tap “Use this pattern”.
Sung bass and melody
Hum a line: the app turns it into notes.
1Bass or MelodyIn Record tap “Bass” (low humming) or “Melody” (voice or whistle).
2RECPress REC and sing after the count-in. You can sing the bass high: the app brings it down by itself.
3Check the notesYou see the notes found, the key and how many octaves they were shifted. “Snap to the scale” moves off-key notes onto the scale; “Keep bends and slides” keeps the movement between one note and the next; “Keep how loud you sang inside each note” makes the instrument swell or fade where your voice does.
4Use this patternTap “Use this pattern”: the notes go into the grid, where you can fix them.
See the note while you sing
In Record, with Melody or Bass, the note you sing shows up while you sing it.
1Pick Melody or BassIn Record tap “Melody” or “Bass”: the line is there only for pitched parts.
2Record and watchPress REC: already during the count-in, at the bottom you see the note you are singing, in big letters, and a line rising and falling with your voice over the rows of the scale.
Tempo and take length
Before recording: how fast, and for how many bars.
1Tap tempoTap “Tap tempo” in rhythm, at least four times. If your tapping is uneven, it tells you.
2BPM by handTap the number and type, or use − and +. It changes the tempo of the whole song.
3BarsThe “bars” slider goes from 1 to 16: it's the length of one pass of the loop, that is, of one take.
4If you went fasterIf you played at a different tempo from the click, a red line appears: “Write it at…” keeps the song's tempo, “Move the song to…” adopts yours.
Where the take goes
When the song already has something in it, before recording you choose where the take ends up.
1Where“From the start”, “After” (after the last bar) or “From bar…”, which picks the bar with − and +.
2On which rows“Its rows” replaces whatever it finds in those bars; “Its own rows” adds new rows, which play together with the existing ones.
Playing over the song
Record while hearing the song instead of just the click.
1Wired headphonesYou need wired or USB headphones: from the speaker the song would end up in the recording.
2Over the songTap “Over the song”: the line below says which bars you'll hear. If you're redoing a part that's already there, “Without drums” (or bass, melody) silences it while you record.
3RECPress REC: the song plays for the length of the take, and each pass is a take.
Combining takes
Several takes in a row in a single transcription: for example the verse from take 1 and the chorus from take 3.
1RecordRecord at least two takes.
2Combine takesTap “Combine takes”.
3The orderTap the takes in the order you want them: each gets a number. Tap one again to take it out of the line.
4The joinsIf the same note sits on both sides of a join, choose “Tied” or “Repeated”. Then tap “Use takes…”.
Transcribing an audio file
Audio you already have, like a voice memo or a loop, instead of a recording.
1What's in itIn Record first choose “Percussion”, “Bass” or “Melody”.
2Import audioTap “Import audio” and choose the file. The app says how many bars it got out of it at that BPM.
3Tempo and meterIf the app counts a different tempo it offers “Use this tempo”, and the same for the meter. Tap them if they sound right.
4UseFix it like a normal take and tap “Use this pattern”.
Transcribing a block again
A recorded idea, an audio track or a take already used can be transcribed again.
1TimelineIn Grid switch to the “Timeline” view.
2Pick the blockTap the block of the audio track or of the part.
3TranscribeIn the command row tap “Transcribe” (or “Transcribe again”): Record opens with that audio already loaded.
4UseFix it and tap “Use this pattern”: the notes go back under the audio they came from.
Guide vocal
Sing the whole song with the lyrics in front of you, as a reference. You record the final vocal later on the computer.
1VoiceIn Record tap “Voice”.
2The lyricsWrite the lyrics section by section in the boxes: while you sing you see the current section and the name of the next.
3Record the guideWith wired headphones tap “Record the guide”: the whole song plays and you sing over it. Stop when you're done.
Grid
The grid
Turn the phone sideways. Each row is an instrument, each cell a slice of a bar.
1Opening itTap “Grid”. If you haven't picked a song yet, it asks which.
2Writing a hitTap an empty cell on a drum row to write a hit; tap it again to remove it.
3BarsThe ‹ › arrows next to “bar” change bar.
4PlayPlay starts from the bar you're looking at, and the grid follows the playhead. Stop takes you back to where you started.
5Undo and RedoThe two curved arrows at the top undo and redo any change to the song.
Loop, click and Follow
The buttons next to Play.
1LoopRepeats the bar you're looking at, or the stretch chosen on the Timeline ruler. “Back to the start” goes to bar 1.
2ClickTurns on the metronome while playing; it never ends up in the export.
3FollowIf you change bar by hand while it plays, the grid stops following: “Follow” appears to lock it back on.
Writing notes
On bass, melody and chord rows a cell holds a note.
1WritingTap an empty cell: it writes a note and selects it (white border). Tap a filled cell to select it.
2LengthThe note bar appears above the grid: − and + shorten and lengthen it, ↦ holds it until the next beat.
3Pitch−12 −1 +1 +12 move the note by an octave or a semitone. To pick the exact note use the keyboard.
4RemovingDouble-tap a filled cell to remove it.
The keyboard
Write notes by playing them, one after another.
1KeyboardTap the keyboard icon. With a note selected the keys appear; without one, the drum pads.
2The penThe yellow border in the grid is where the next note will go. Tap a cell to move it.
3PlayEach key or pad writes at the pen and moves it one cell forward. + and − change octave; keys outside the key are dimmed, but you can still play them.
4Suggested chordsThe “After…” row suggests chords that sound good after the last one: tap one to see it on the keys.
Writing chords
Several notes together in the same cell.
1Open the keyboardSelect a note and open the keyboard.
2ChordTurn on “Chord”: now the keys toggle on and off instead of writing, and you see the chord's name.
3WriteTap “Write”: the chord goes to the pen and the pen moves on. “Clear” starts over. On a cell that already has a chord, Chord mode turns on by itself.
Writing with a MIDI keyboard
A real keyboard plugged into the phone writes into the grid like the on-screen one.
1Plug it inConnect the MIDI keyboard to the phone with a cable (USB-C or an OTG adapter), then open the grid keyboard: its name shows up at the top. Tap “Connect”.
2Play to writeEach key you press writes the note at the pen and moves it on, with the strength you pressed it with. Several keys together write a chord. “Disconnect” lets it go.
The neck
For bass and guitar, notes on the neck instead of on keys.
1NeckIn the keyboard panel choose “Neck” or “Keys”. Bass and guitar start on the neck.
2Tuning and fretsChange the tuning (4 or 5 strings, Drop D, guitar, ukulele), the half of the neck (0-12 or 12-22) and “Left-handed”.
3Chords on the neckIn Chord mode you tap the strings as if placing your fingers; × is a muted string. If the shape is too wide for one hand, it tells you.
Adding a part
A new row: a percussion, an instrument or an audio track.
1KeyboardIn Grid open the keyboard.
2Add a partTap “Add a part” and choose: percussion, recorded track, bass, melody or chords.
3The soundFor a percussion choose which one; for an instrument, which sound. The new row appears with the pen on it.
Changing sound from the grid
Without going through the mixer.
1KeyboardSelect a note of the part and open the keyboard.
2SoundTap the button with the speaker and the sound's name, then another sound: it changes right away.
Selecting several cells
Copy, paste or change several notes at once.
1HoldHold a cell for half a second: the phone vibrates and the selection bar appears.
2SelectNow each tap adds or removes a cell. “Choose…” takes the whole track, the whole bar, or the hits like this one.
3Copy and paste“Copy”, then tap the cell to paste into (even in another bar) and “Paste”. “Clear” erases the selected cells.
4Roll, Pitch, Volume, Bend, P.M.Roll repeats the hit 2 to 4 times in the cell; Pitch shifts by semitones or octaves; Volume makes it softer or louder; Bend bends the notes; P.M. palm-mutes them, short and dark like a metal chug, and the tab writes it. Tap it again to open them.
5DoneTap the check mark (“Done”) to go back to writing.
Bends and vibrato
Bend a note, like a pulled string.
1Select the noteTap a note in the grid.
2BendIn the note bar tap the bend icon.
3The shapeHalf step, whole step, bend and release, dip, vibrato or straight note. “once”, “each beat”… repeat it. You hear it right away.
4Drawing it✎ opens a strip: drag your finger to draw the curve. “Steps” or “Glide” change how it moves.
Finer cells
16 or 32 cells per bar (12 or 24 in 3/4 and 6/8).
1ChooseNext to the bar number tap 16 or 32. It applies only to that bar; going back to fewer cells, hits that don't fit are lost and the app tells you.
Blocks in the Timeline
The Timeline view shows the song as blocks: a block is a piece of a part, repeated as many times as you like.
1TimelineAt the top choose “Timeline”.
2Select a blockTap a block (white border). Drag it to move it: it snaps to the bars.
3Block commandsArrows to move it by a bar, ◂1 and 1▸ by a cell, swap with neighbors, one more or one fewer repeat, Mute, Duplicate, Delete.
4Bars for the whole songOn the right, add or remove two bars where you are, for all tracks at once.
Looping a section
Set a loop to work on one part.
1TimelineIn Grid choose the “Timeline” view.
2The rulerTap a bar on the ruler at the top: the loop starts there. Tap a later bar to extend it; tap the loop's last bar to remove it.
3PlayPlay plays only that stretch, and “Loop” shows from where to where.
Sections
Verse, chorus, bridge: name the parts of the song and move them whole.
1TimelineIn the “Timeline” view go to the bar where the section starts.
2New section hereTap the section icon and choose a name (Intro, Verse, Chorus…) or type one. The icons next to it shorten, lengthen or remove it.
3The Sections viewIn “Sections” each section is a card: tap the title to hear it, ↑ ↓ to move it, then “Duplicate”, “Rename”, “Delete”. All tracks follow. “Export” takes just that section to the export: a WAV or a video of the chorus, without the whole song.
4Another keyOn a card, −½ and +½ move just that section by a semitone: the last chorus a step up. Drums stay where they are, and the card says how far it has moved.
5Versions“Versions” redoes the section: drums and bass “Fuller”, “Lighter”, “Half time”, “With a fill”; chords “Long”, “Strum”, “Arpeggio”, or “Substituted” with their relatives; the melody with a “Second voice” above, a “Third below”, a voice “On the chord” or “Octave up”, on its own row. Tap one to hear it, drums and bass and the chord patterns again for another take, then “Keep this”; the song changes only there.
6Transition“Transition” adds effects at the section change: “Rise” climbs through the bar before and peaks on the first beat, with an impact; “Reverse cymbal” and “Sweep” grow without an impact; “Drop” lets the energy fall. At the top of the view, “Add transitions” puts them across the whole song. They show up as drum rows.
Changing tempo and meter
A rallentando, a chorus in 3/4.
1TimelineIn the “Timeline” view go to the bar where it changes.
2TempoTap the tempo icon: − and + change the BPM from that bar on. At bar 1 you change the tempo of the whole song.
3MeterChoose 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 5/4, 7/8 or type another, for example 17/8. ↺ goes back to the previous tempo.
Curves
Volume, pan, reverb or filter changing over time.
1TimelineIn Grid choose the “Timeline” view.
2Pick the trackTap a block of the track: the curve goes there. With no block selected it goes on the first track.
3CurvesTap “Curves” and choose volume, pan, reverb or filter.
4DrawDrag your finger on the strip under the track; ↺ clears the curve. In the mixer the track shows “AUT”.
The map
The whole song at a glance, to jump wherever you want.
1MapIn Grid tap the map icon, at the top right.
2JumpTap an instrument at the point you want to go to. Two fingers to zoom; “Whole song” goes back to seeing everything.
An audio track
A file recorded elsewhere, as a track of the song.
1KeyboardIn Grid open the keyboard.
2Recorded trackTap “Add a part” and then “recorded track”.
3Pick a fileTap “Pick a file”. The app guesses what's in it, but you decide; choose the bar it starts from and tap “Bring it in”.
Karaoke
The lyrics full screen, syllable by syllable.
1KaraokeIn Grid tap the mouth icon.
2SingPress Play: the current line fills with color as it goes, the next one is below. You write the lyrics in “Lyrics”.
3PractiseUnder the lyrics: “75%” and “50%” slow the song down at the same pitch; “Loop this section” loops the one that is playing until you tap it again. Leaving the karaoke goes back to full speed.
Inside the song
Generate from text
Type what you want and the app prepares it.
1TypeOn the song screen type, for example, “rock drums 120 bpm 4 bars”. Below you see what it understood.
2GenerateTap “Generate”: it replaces the drums, sets the tempo and opens the grid. It doesn't touch anything else, and Undo goes back.
Chords
The chord progression, bar by bar.
1Pick the barOn the song screen tap “Chords”, then a bar in the strip.
2Pick the chordTap a chord: it goes into the bar and moves on to the next by itself. “After…, these work well” suggests the next one, “Sevenths” adds the seventh, “Empty” clears the bar.
3Suggest from the bassIf there's a bass, “Suggest from the bass” (or from bass and melody) writes a progression that fits over it.
4Rhythm and soundChoose “Long”, “Strum” or “Arpeggio”; below, the chords' instrument.
A band under the melody
Bass and drums under what you sang, in two steps.
1Open the bandOn the song screen tap “Band”. It is there when the song has a melody.
2Check the chords“Suggest from the melody” writes one chord per bar. Listen and change the ones that clash: from the melody alone some always need fixing.
3Pick the styleTap a family — pop, rock, metal, punk, funk, latin, electronic, blues — then the subgenre: the bass, following the chords, the drums and, where the style has one, the guitar come in, each with its own level and effects. Only what is missing is added: what you played stays. To hear them first: “Listen before choosing”, then tap the styles; take the right one with “Use”.
Key and transposing
Change key, or shift the whole song.
1KeyIn Chords, “Key” changes the palette and the song's key, without moving the notes.
2Transpose“Transpose the whole song” −1 and +1 shift all notes by a semitone. Audio tracks stay where they are, and the app tells you.
Lyrics on the meter
Write the words on the melody's notes.
1LyricsOn the song screen tap “Lyrics”. If there are several melodies, choose which one to write on.
2WriteEach phrase has its notes above it: in bold the ones that want a stressed syllable, underlined the highest, which want an open vowel. The counter says how many syllables are needed and turns red if it doesn't match.
3Try it by singing“Loop it” on a section plays it over and over while you write: you try the line by singing it instead of counting syllables, and the note and syllable playing light up on the line. “Stop the loop” stops it, and leaving the lyrics stops it too.
The rhyme scheme
Pick how the lines of a section rhyme, and the app suggests the words.
1Pick the schemeAbove the lines of each section: “Free”, AABB (in pairs), ABAB (alternate), ABBA (first with last), XAXA (only second and fourth), AAAA (all the same). With “Free” the app looks at what you wrote and, if it recognises one, suggests it.
2Words that rhymeUnder a line that must rhyme with another, “Rhymes for…” shows up: tap it to see the words, most common first. Tapping one puts it at the end of the line, or in place of the last word.
3The line that doesn't fitIf a line doesn't rhyme with the one the scheme wants, a red exclamation mark takes the place of the letter. “Assonances too” counts words with the same vowels as rhymes.
Several versions of a line
Keep a line aside and try writing it another way: choose later, by singing them.
1Keep it asideUnder a written line tap “+ Keep aside and write another”. The line stays there to rework, and the previous version goes underneath, with its syllable count.
2Choose the one to sing“Sing this” puts a kept version in place of the line, and the line goes aside in its place. The × throws a version away.
Lyrics with an AI
Have an AI write the lyrics, respecting the meter.
1Ask for the lyricsIn Lyrics tap “Ask an AI for the lyrics”: out comes a file to send to your AI. The lyrics come in the “Lyrics language” chosen for the song, not necessarily the app's; asking from “Observations” you choose it there.
2The answerTap “Import or paste the answer” and load the file or paste the text. The app checks line by line whether it can be sung. Lyrics written elsewhere with headings, [Verse], [Chorus], work too: each part goes on its section.
3WriteTap “Write the lines that fit”. For missing lines ask the AI again and import again: the answers add up.
Observations
Things the app notices in the song: off-key notes, muted tracks, everything at the same volume…
1ObservationsOn the song screen tap “Observations”.
2Try or ignoreEach observation has a button to fix it (for example “Snap to the key”) and “Ignore”. Undo goes back.
Asking an AI
An AI that continues the song, writes the drums or suggests a bridge, and its answer coming back in.
1The questionIn Observations, under “Ask an AI”, choose a question (How to continue, A more intense chorus, Write the drums…) and edit it if you like.
2Generate and shareTap “Generate and share” and send the file to your AI. Leave “Include the project JSON” on if you want it to reply with the modified song.
3The answerCopy the AI's answer and in Library tap “Paste the AI's answer”. It comes in as a proposal, next to the original. An ABC answer works too, when the AI changed only the melody or the chords: it finds its own song.
4MergeUnder the proposal tap “Merge” and choose what to keep (see “Compare and merge”).
Mixer and sounds
The mixer
One card per track: volume, pan, mute and solo.
1The tracksIn Mixer each track has its own card. At the top choose which song you're mixing.
2M and SM silences the track, S plays it alone. Changes land on the next bar, so you don't hear clicks.
3One track aloneHold the name: only that track plays until you let go. Double-tap the name to hear it alone from the start.
4Volume and panDrag “vol” and “pan”. With four tracks or more, a new track comes in at −12 dB so it doesn't clip.
Changing instrument
The sound of a part, even while it plays.
1InstrumentOn the track's card tap “Instrument”.
2ChooseTap a sound: sampled instruments first, then synthesized ones. It changes from the next note, without stopping.
3Kit“Kit” chooses which pack the track's sounds come from. For drums there are always the two electronic kits too, 808 and 909, computed by the app: pick one on a row and the whole kit follows.
Effects
A color per track, set with a single slider.
1EffectOn the track's card tap “Effect”.
2Preset and intensityChoose a preset (Warm, Distorted, Room, Echo…) and adjust “intensity”.
3AdvancedThree-band equalizer, compressor, sidechain (the track ducks on every kick), chorus, delay, and how much goes into the reverb.
Undo per track
Go back on one track without touching the others.
1Undo and RedoThe arrows on the card undo and redo only that track's changes: volume, pan, instrument, effect, delay.
2ResetThe reset icon puts the track back as it was when you added it. This can be undone too.
Delay and removing an instrument
At the bottom of the track's card.
1Comes in later− and + shift the track by five milliseconds at a time, up to 100: for a part that comes in a touch early or late.
2Remove the instrumentTap “Remove the instrument” and confirm: it disappears with its notes. You get it back with Undo in the grid.
Master and reverb
At the bottom of the mixer, for the whole song.
1MasterThe overall volume and “Master limiter”, which keeps the mix from distorting.
2ReverbOne space for the whole song: Room, Plate, Hall or Church, and the “tail”. How much goes on each track you decide in the advanced effects.
Teaching your sounds
Let the app hear how you do kick, snare and hi-hat: it recognizes them much better.
1Your soundsIn Settings tap “Your sounds”. From the mixer, on a drum track, there's “How do you do it?”.
2TeachTap “Teach”, then “Record”, and make the sound five or six times. If the app says they're consistent, tap “Keep these”.
3At least twoYou need at least two taught sounds. The app warns you if two are too alike.
4Take them with you“Export your sounds” saves them to a file; “Import from a file” brings them back, for example on a new phone.
Importing sounds
More instruments and drum kits: SoundFonts, SFZ, sample archives.
1SoundsIn Settings tap “Sounds”.
2Where to find themUnder “Where to find them” there are free sound sites: “Copy address”, download from the browser and come back here. Check the license.
3ImportTap “Import” and choose the file (zip, 7z, rar, sf2, sfz or a sample). In a SoundFont choose the instruments to keep; files the app doesn't understand it lets you hear, and you decide.
4Using themIn the mixer, under “Instrument” or “Kit”, the new sounds appear.
Exporting
Exporting the song
The mix, the separate tracks and the MIDI, ready for Reaper.
1ExportOn the song screen tap “Export”.
2What comes outThe WAV mix is always there. You choose: separate stems (even without effects), MIDI (even one per track), MP3, the backing without the melody to sing over, the files to remake it with a song generator on a computer (ACE-Step, MuLaCover, with instructions), and a copy in Download/Motivetto.
3ExportTap “Export” and keep the app open while it works. Then choose where to send the files; below you see the peak and perceived loudness (LUFS). A credits file comes with them: which sounds the song uses, under which licence, and the line to paste if one needs crediting.
A video for social media
The song as a vertical video, for Instagram or TikTok.
1Make the videoOn the export screen tap “Video for social media (MP4)”. The app exports the mix and draws on it the title, the section, the lyric line being sung and a circle following the volume. If the album has a cover, it becomes the background.
2Share itWhen it is ready the share sheet opens. It takes a while: the video is drawn frame by frame, and the phone stays awake until it is done.
Parts for the band
One sheet each: tab or sheet music, as a PDF.
1Parts for the bandIn Export tap “Parts for the band”.
2Who playsFor each part choose the instrument (guitar, bass, keys, voice…). Keys come out on two staves; trumpet, sax and horn in their transposition; a string pad split between violins, violas and cellos. “Tablature” or “Sheet music” exports that part; “Look at the score” shows it to you.
3Every part“Every part” makes a zip with one sheet each.
Bringing in a part
A MIDI file, or a tab written by hand.
1Bring in a partIn Parts for the band tap “Bring in a part”.
2MIDI or tabChoose a MIDI file, or type or paste a tab in the box (16 characters per bar). Below you see what it will do with it.
3Bring it inIf the song already has something, choose where it goes, then tap “Bring it in”: the grid opens.
Settings
Calibrating latency
The phone hears the mic a little late: measuring it once makes your recordings land in time.
1CalibrationIn Settings tap “Latency calibration”.
2Get readySilence and the phone still. With wired headphones: take them off, rest the earbuds near the mic and turn the volume all the way up.
3MeasureTap “Measure”: eight pulses, and the bar should jump eight times. If the measurement is unstable, do it again.
4Nudge everythingIf you always sing a little early, “Nudge everything” corrects it by hand, up to 200 ms.
Microphone check
See whether the mic comes through clean.
1Microphone checkIn Settings tap “Microphone check”.
2Enable the microphoneTap “Enable the microphone” and speak: you see the level, and whether the phone has turned off voice processing, which ruins attacks.
Tuner
Thirty seconds before recording an instrument.
1TunerIn Settings tap “Tuner”: the mic starts right away.
2TuneChoose guitar, bass or ukulele and play a string. Green and “In tune” means within 5 cents.
Language
Italian or English.
1Follows the phoneThe app uses the phone's language: to change it, change the system language.
Motivetto