Music Production Notes: Wala Nang Iba from Cassette Tape to Apple’s Music Memo App (†)

by ZOS!MO

Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

When lockdown started in 2020, I was in the middle of writing a couple of songs for Zenaida, San-San Onglatco’s American Film Institute thesis film. I had written a couple of songs and since I don’t write sheet music, I played guitar and sang song ideas and snippets into my iPhone using the Memo app. 

I’ve been using the Memo app to record audio for interviews (for work) until one day, I noticed a similar app called Music Memo. When I clicked on it, I discovered that besides allowing you to record sound, it figures out the chords, structure, and tempo, and lets you edit (cut and paste) sections of the recording. Most of all, you can add customizable drumbeats and bass guitar. For the latter, you get a choice between an electric and an upright bass. 

I was already familiar with these features having used GarageBand, Apple’s free DAW (digital audio workstation) available on the iPhone, but the Music Memo app’s spartan tools made it easier for me to focus more on songwriting and worry about music production later. 

Excited to try out the app, I dug up a song I’d written in the 90s called “Wala Nang Iba,” preserved in a moldy cassette tape. It was originally faster and longer but for this version, I only recorded a verse and a chorus. I was surprised at how the drums and bass tracks turned out. The app’s AI musicians sound like real people. I would eventually use this to record other song ideas and demos.

I finished mixing the short song on Logic Pro X and since it was still the pandemic and I had a lot of free time like everyone, I created a video as well.

Here’s the video and lyrics (with translation)

Wala Nang Iba

(music and lyrics: ZOS!MO)

Inaakit ako ng bughaw na langit 

na lumipad sa sariwa niyang hangin. 

At doon ako’y magpalutang-lutang. 

Walang ibang aalalahanin.

Kailangan kong tumakas. Galit sila sa akin.

Kailangang ngayon na. Wala nang ibang panahon.

(English Translation)

The blue sky is inviting me

to fly, and float on its fresh air

without a care.

I need to escape. They hate me.

I need to do it now. There’s no other time.

† Apple has discontinued Music Memo but if you were able to download it before, you can still use it. 

Here’s the teaser video from Zenaida the Film:

About the Author:

ZOS!MO is an award-winning fictionist, musician, and playwright based in Los Angeles. You can listen to his Tagalog single, Pahinga, on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Tidal, and other streaming platforms.