BandLab — Full Operations Manual

PART ONE — MOBILE APP (Android / iOS)

Everything below covers BandLab on your phone or tablet.

1. Mobile — Creating a Project

• Open BandLab app → tap "+" at the bottom center → "Create" → choose:
  • Mix Editor: Full multitrack editor — the main production workspace. This is where beats and songs are built.
  • Looper: Loop-based recording — record layers one at a time, building up a performance. Good for live-loop style creation.
  • Song: AI-assisted songwriting mode. Not for production — more for lyric and melody ideas.
• Mix Editor opens with an empty timeline. Default tempo 120 BPM (tap the BPM display to change). Default time signature 4/4.

2. Mobile — Adding Tracks

• Tap "+" on the left side to add tracks:
• Voice/Mic Track: Records through the phone mic or connected USB/Bluetooth mic. Tap the red Record button → perform → Stop. Ideal for vocals, beatboxing, voice memos, field recording, sampling ambient sounds. Uses phone mic by default — connect an external mic via USB-C for higher quality.
• MIDI/Instrument Track: Choose from built-in instruments:
  • Synth: Multiple types — analog-style (warm pads, fat basses), FM (bells, metallic), wavetable (evolving textures). Preset browser with hundreds of patches organized by category.
  • Piano: Grand piano, electric piano (Rhodes, Wurlitzer), vintage piano. Velocity-responsive — play softer for quiet, harder for loud.
  • Guitar: Acoustic steel-string, acoustic nylon, electric clean, electric crunch, electric lead. Each with unique character and articulation.
  • Bass: Fingered, picked, slap, synth bass, sub bass. Essential low-end foundation.
  • Drums: Acoustic kit (rock, jazz, pop), electronic kit, 808 kit, lo-fi kit, trap kit, percussion. Each kit has kick, snare, hi-hat, toms, cymbals mapped to the on-screen pads or piano keys.
• Import Track: Import WAV or MP3 files from device storage. Audio drops onto the timeline and can be trimmed, moved, and looped.

3. Mobile — BandLab Sounds Library

• Tap "Sounds" at the bottom of the editor → browse by genre:
• Hip-Hop, Trap, Lo-Fi, Pop, R&B, EDM, House, Techno, Rock, Metal, Reggae, Afrobeats, Latin, Jazz, Classical, Ambient, Cinematic — every genre covered.
• Each loop is royalty-free — use in any production, publish, monetize. No licensing issues.
• Loops are pre-tempo-matched — drag into timeline → auto-aligns with project BPM. No manual stretching needed.
• Filter by instrument type: Drums, Bass, Melody, Chords, Vocals, FX, Pads, One-Shots.
• Layer loops from different packs for unique combinations nobody else has assembled.
• Membership unlocks the premium library — exclusive packs, more loops, early access to new content.
• Pro move: Don't just use loops as-is. Drag them in → chop them → rearrange pieces → layer with original recordings → flip them into something new. Loops are raw material, not finished products.

4. Mobile — Recording

• Voice recording: Add Voice track → tap red Record button → perform → Stop. Uses phone mic by default.
• External mic: Connect USB-C or Bluetooth microphone for higher quality capture. BandLab detects most USB audio interfaces.
• Multi-take: Record multiple takes on the same section. BandLab keeps each take. Compare and select the best one.
• Import: Tap Import → browse device storage → select WAV/MP3. Dropped onto timeline.
• Sampling: Record any sound through the mic — voice, instruments, room ambience, vinyl, anything. The recording becomes a clip on the timeline that can be trimmed, looped, and effected.

5. Mobile — Effects

• Tap the FX button on any track to open the effects chain:
• EQ: 3-band parametric. Cut low-end rumble on vocals. Boost presence on guitars. Reduce muddiness (200-400 Hz) on bass.
• Compressor: Tame dynamic peaks, add punch and consistency. Threshold sets where compression starts. Ratio sets how much. Attack/release control the speed.
• Reverb: Room, Hall, Plate, Spring, Chamber. Pre-delay, decay time, mix (wet/dry). Adds space and depth. Short rooms for drums, long halls for vocals, plates for snare.
• Delay: Echo with time, feedback (number of repeats), and mix. Tempo-syncable — 1/4 note delay, 1/8 note, dotted, triplet. Stereo width control.
• Distortion: From subtle warmth to heavy overdrive. Multiple types — tube, transistor, fuzz, bitcrush. Adds harmonics and grit.
• Auto-Tune (Vocal Pitch Correction): Set the key and scale → BandLab corrects pitch in real time as audio plays. Speed control: fast correction = the robotic "T-Pain effect." Slow correction = natural, subtle tuning. This is free. Most apps charge for this feature.
• Chorus: Thickens sounds by adding slightly detuned copies. Width and depth controls. Makes thin recordings sound full and wide.
• Noise Gate: Silences audio below a volume threshold. Removes background noise between vocal phrases or drum hits.

6. Mobile — Quantize & Transpose

Quantize

• MIDI notes snap to grid when placed or moved. Set grid resolution in the editor: 1/4, 1/8, 1/16.
• Audio clips: no auto-quantize. Manually trim and position clips with snap enabled.
• BandLab Sounds loops arrive pre-quantized and tempo-matched — on-grid by design.

Transpose

• MIDI: select notes in piano roll → drag up/down for semitone shifting.
• Audio: pitch-shift clips in clip properties. Match samples to track key.
• Instrument key lock: set key and scale on the on-screen keyboard → only playable notes are those in the scale. Prevents wrong notes.

7. Mobile — Looping

• Clip looping: Drag the right edge of any clip to repeat it. Drums loop 32 bars, bass 16 — drag each to length needed.
• Transport loop: Set loop markers on the timeline ruler. Everything between repeats during playback.
• BandLab Sounds: Pre-matched loops repeat seamlessly when extended. Designed for looping.
• Independent tracks: Each track's clips are fully independent. Short clips on one track, long on another. Absence of clips = silence.
• Making tracks stop: Don't extend clips beyond the stop point. Use volume automation (draw to zero) for smooth fades.

8. Mobile — Mixing

• Volume slider and pan per track. Visual level meters.
• Effects chain per track (see Section 5).
• Master volume at the right — keep below 0 dB to prevent clipping.
• Automation: Draw volume changes on the timeline. Fade ins, fade outs, dynamic builds and drops.

PART TWO — PC BROWSER

Everything below covers BandLab in the web browser on desktop/laptop.

9. PC — Getting Started

• Go to bandlab.com → log in → click "Create" → Mix Editor opens in the browser.
• No download. No installation. Works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari. The entire DAW runs in the browser.
• Same account, same projects as mobile. Everything syncs through the cloud. A project started on mobile appears in the browser immediately.

10. PC — Features & Differences

• Same feature set as mobile: Unlimited tracks, same instruments, same effects, same Sounds library, same publishing.
• Larger screen advantage: Wider timeline view, more tracks visible, larger mixer, more precise mouse editing. Everything is more detailed on a 24"+ monitor vs a phone screen.
• Web MIDI: Connect MPK Mini IV via USB → Chrome and Edge detect it through the Web MIDI API. Keys play instruments, pads trigger drums. Real hardware control in a browser. This does NOT work in Firefox or Safari — Chrome or Edge required for MIDI.
• Mouse editing precision: Click to place notes, drag to move with pixel accuracy, right-click for context menus. Much faster than touch for detailed MIDI editing.
• Keyboard shortcuts: Space Play/Stop · R Record · Ctrl+Z Undo · Ctrl+C/V Copy/Paste · Delete Remove. Full keyboard workflow.

11. PC — Forking & Remixing

• Find any public track by another BandLab user → click "Fork."
• BandLab copies their stems into a new project in the account. The original creator gets automatic credit.
• Now add tracks — vocals, new instruments, rearrangements, effects. Remix without coordination.
• Viral collaboration: A producer posts an instrumental. 50 vocalists fork it and add vocals. The best versions get shared. Collaboration at scale without scheduling a single studio session.
• Fork is non-destructive — the original track is never altered. Each fork is an independent copy.

12. Social Platform & Publishing

BandLab is a DAW AND a music social network. This is what separates it from every other free DAW.

• One-click publish: Tap/click "Publish" → track is instantly live on the BandLab profile. Fans can stream, like, comment, share. Zero upload process — audio is already in the cloud.
• Profile page: Functions like a streaming page. All published tracks visible. Bio, profile image, follower count, play counts. Share the profile URL anywhere as a music portfolio.
• Collections: Organize tracks into albums, EPs, singles, playlists on the profile.
• Discover feed: BandLab's algorithm surfaces trending tracks and genre-based discovery. New listeners find music organically.
• Time-stamped comments: Listeners comment on specific moments in a track — "the bass drop at 1:23 is insane." More engaging than generic comments.

13. Exporting (Both Platforms)

• Download: WAV (lossless) or MP3 (compressed). Available from the project menu on both mobile and PC.
• Publish: One-click to BandLab profile. No file download needed by listeners — they stream directly.
• Stems: Solo individual tracks → download each separately as WAV. Import into Cubase, Ableton, or any desktop DAW for professional mixing.
• Share link: Every published track gets a unique URL. Share on any platform.
• Making tracks play/stop in export: Solo/mute tracks → only active tracks render in the download.

14. Pro Tips — The Kokumo Method

• BandLab is the fastest path to published music. Beat on phone → publish → 30 seconds later it's live. No distributor. No upload process. Instant release for rough ideas, demos, experiments.
• Use BandLab for sketches, Cubase/Ableton for masters. Quick ideas go here. Get feedback from followers. Strong ideas graduate to professional DAWs for proper mixing and mastering.
• The Sounds library is a starting point. Drag in a loop → chop it → layer with original elements → flip into something new. Use loops as raw material, not finished products.
• Forking is free collaboration. Find producers making dope instrumentals → fork → add vocals or remixes. Credit is automatic. Build connections without cold DMs.
• Cross-platform continuity. Phone → browser → same project. Cloud saves everything. No file transfers.
• Auto-Tune is free. Most apps charge for pitch correction. BandLab includes it. Use for creative effect or subtle correction on vocals.
• Web MIDI in Chrome. Plug in the MPK Mini IV → Chrome detects it → play BandLab instruments with hardware keys and pads. A browser-based DAW controlled by real hardware. The future.