Can you make music on an iPhone SE 2020? | Music Production

Can you make electronic music with an Apple iPhone SE (2nd gen)? Let’s unbox it and make some noise!! It's a $399 phone enough to make music? Let's find out!

Timestamps:

00:00 Unboxing
00:23 Setting up AUM and Xequence 2
01:00 Sequencing in Xequence 2
02:28 Recording in Xequence 2
02:48 Adding drum loops
03:27 Sidechain compression
04:16 Sequencing with Fugue Machine
05:55 Disabling instruments in AUM
06:25 Bluetooth MIDI: ROLI LUMI
07:19 Is the iPhone SE enough for music production

Many producers use Garageband on iOS but I prefer Garageband alternatives like an app called AUM.
With AUM you will need a way to sequence MIDI, you can use an external device as I've shown you in other videos (Arturia Keystep Pro), or you can use another app that works as a sequencer.
In this video, I'm using Xequence 2. It's my first time using this sequencer but it's very intuitive and very easy to set up! I wish I tried it earlier because it's a very powerful companion of AUM. You can also use plugins that act as a sequencer, like Fugue Machine (as seen in the video), which is a lot of fun!

It's been super fun to use an iPhone instead of an iPad for music production. It has its cons tho, for one, the screen is really small and sometimes is hard to see what are you doing. I also found out that some PRO apps are only available for iPad, like FabFilter apps. But I have to say. I've been really impressed with the level of quality of the iPhone SE 2020. It can handle a lot of processing power and you can definitely make beats an iPhone only. It's best if you have an audio interface, especially if you are planning on recording guitars.

So far I've never done an entire song on iPad or iPhone. I always record the tracks on AUM separately and import them into Ableton Live on my computer, where I finish the song, mix it, and master it. This has been working really nicely for me, and it allows me to come up with ideas with my iPhone or iPad, and then polish them, and create the final song with Ableton.

To record the audio into the video I had to use an audio interface with my iPhone SE 2nd gen. I'm using an old Focusrite 2i4 (2nd gen) that still works really well!

Let me know if you enjoy making music with iOS devices and your workflow, I'd love to hear about your creative choices! Happy music production! Stay creative!



If you liked this video you may like:
iPad Pro: AUM with the new Arturia Keystep Pro as a sequencer https://youtu.be/TBiLmj-Y0HY
Making a song on Ableton Push 2 https://youtu.be/k4ZO_EqrlKw
ROLI LUMI unboxing https://youtu.be/u7QbbKEgZK8
Synthwave with ROLI LUMI and Ableton Live https://youtu.be/viSlDONnIwk



iOS music production software apps and AUv3 plugins I use on iPad and iPhone (not affiliated links) :
Mixer: ➡ AUM https://apps.apple.com/app/aum-audio-mixer/id1055636344
Sequencer (MIDI Workstation): ➡ Xequence 2 https://apps.apple.com/app/xequence-2/id1464669442
Shimmer plugin: ➡ BLEASS Shimmer: https://apps.apple.com/app/bleass-shimmer-auv3-plugin/id1512190577
VA Synth: ➡ BLEASS Alpha Synthesizer https://apps.apple.com/app/bleass-alpha-synthesizer/id1476042892
Drum Machine: ➡ EG Pulse https://apps.apple.com/app/eg-pulse/id1478285477
Compressor: ➡ RoughRider3 https://apps.apple.com/app/roughrider3/id1496058931
Tape FX: ➡ FREE! ➡ Tape Cassette 2 https://apps.apple.com/app/tape-cassette-2/id1507434173
Wavetable Synth: ➡ SynthMaster One https://apps.apple.com/app/synthmaster-one/id1254353266
Dub Delay Effect: ➡ Dubstation 2 https://apps.apple.com/app/dubstation-2/id1253069666
Piano: ➡ AudioKit Retro Piano https://apps.apple.com/app/audiokit-retro-piano-auv3/id1514017716
(iPad only) VA Synth: ➡ Continua https://apps.apple.com/app/continua/id1487732556

If you want to use an audio interface with your iOS device you will need a Lightning To Usb Camera Adapter https://is.gd/NM3Z6p (affiliated link). One port is for the USB data, and the other is to charge your device while using it.
Beware that some iPads (and potentially new iPhones ) can come with USB3 ports. This is only for lightning ports