ShowRecorder

The best app to multitrack record a digital mixer on iPhone and iPad

Last checked

Short answer. It depends on what you want at the end of the night.

  • Every channel as its own file, at no cost: ShowRecorder's Free tier.
  • Editing and mixing on the device: Cubasis 3, or Auria on an iPad. They are full DAWs; ShowRecorder isn't.
  • Free and simple: Manytrack Recorder, MultiTrack DAW or GarageBand.
  • A whole show with no laptop, files named after the mixer's channels: ShowRecorder with Pro, on an XR18, MR18, X32 or M32.

ShowRecorder is the app this site makes, so read our picks with that in mind. Every fact about the other apps comes from the app's own App Store page (US store) or its maker's site, read on 2026-11-07, and each row links its source. Where a maker doesn't say something, the table says "Not stated": we could not find it on their page, which doesn't mean the app can't do it. Prices change, so the table says free, paid or in-app purchase rather than an amount. Check the maker's page before you buy.

All of these apps record from a USB audio interface, and a digital mixer with multitrack USB is one. Whether your mixer sends multitrack audio over USB to a phone or tablet at all is a separate question, answered mixer by mixer in the mixer recording guides.

The apps, side by side

What each iPhone and iPad app does for multitrack recording from a USB mixer, as of 2026-11-07
AppPrice modelA file per channelChannels at onceRuns onChannel names from the mixerEditing on the device
ShowRecorder (the app this site makes)Eric Dahl. Source, checked 2026-11-07Free records every channel. Pro is a one-time in-app purchase, $4.99 in the US at its launch price.Yes. One mono WAV file per channel, on the Free tier too.Every channel a class-compliant USB mixer sends. All 18 XR18 channels recorded on an iPhone (owner test, 2026-11-06) and verified on a Mac; a full-length show through a hub is still being tested.iPhone and iPad. Its listing also shows a Mac with Apple silicon (an iPad app, not verified for macOS) and Apple Vision, plus a native Mac app in a public TestFlight beta.With Pro, from an XR18 or MR18 and an X32 or M32 (Mixer Link); Free numbers the files. The X32 has been tested only against an emulator so far.No. It records; you edit in a DAW afterward.
Manytrack RecorderLutz Latta. Source, checked 2026-11-07Free. No in-app purchases listed.Not stated. It saves .wav or .caf files.All channels the device exposes, "eg 16 or 32 channels from digital sound mixers".iPhone, iPad, Mac with Apple silicon (an iPad app, not verified for macOS) and Apple Vision.Not statedNot stated. It plays all channels back to the device.
Cubasis 3Steinberg. Source, checked 2026-11-07Paid, with in-app purchases.Not stated. It is a DAW with unlimited audio tracks.24 assignable physical inputs and outputs; how many record at once is not stated.iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision.Not statedYes. A full DAW: audio and MIDI editors, mixer, effects, export to Cubase.
AUMKymatica. Source, checked 2026-11-07Paid. Its in-app purchases are tips.Yes. Its manual says each recording-enabled channel is recorded as a separate file.Not stated as a number. It supports multi-channel audio interfaces and unlimited mixer channels.iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple Vision.Not statedMixing and routing, yes. An audio editor is not stated.
GarageBandApple. Source, checked 2026-11-07Free.Each armed track takes its own input channel (Apple's guide).Not stated. Up to 32 tracks in a song; multitrack recording needs an audio interface.iPhone and iPad.Not statedYes. Arrange, trim and mix up to 32 tracks.
MultiTrack DAWHarmonicdog. Source, checked 2026-11-07Free, with in-app purchases. Recording is free; the unlock adds MIDI editing, time stretch and automation.Not stated. Its listing says up to 32 inputs on 32 tracks, and it exports stems.Up to 32 inputs at once, all 32 tracks free.iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision.Not statedYes. Editing, crossfades, mixing with plug-ins.
AuriaWaveMachine Labs. Source, checked 2026-11-07Paid, with in-app purchases.Not stated. Its listing says up to 24 tracks recorded at once, and it exports AAF sessions.Up to 24 tracks of simultaneous recording from a USB audio interface.iPad and Apple Vision.Not statedYes. Waveform editor, mixer with channel strips, plug-ins, automation.
StudioMiniOtreus. Source, checked 2026-11-07Free, with in-app purchases.Not statedNot statediPhone and iPad.Not statedPunch-in and a simple mixer. Its listing says it isn't trying to replace a desktop DAW.
MultiTrackRecorderCHOKAKU KENKYUSHO. Source, checked 2026-11-07Free, with in-app purchases. Multi-channel recording needs a paid monthly or yearly plan.Yes. It generates a separate file for each channel, WAV or M4A.Up to 16 channels at once.iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.Not statedNo. Its listing says it records only and does not mix.

Which app for which job

Cheapest

Six of the nine apps are free to download. Manytrack Recorder is free with no in-app purchases listed, and records every channel the mixer sends, though its listing doesn't say whether each channel gets its own file. MultiTrack DAW is free with all 32 tracks and up to 32 inputs at once; its paid unlock adds MIDI editing, time stretching and automation. GarageBand is free and records up to 32 tracks in a song with an audio interface, but Apple doesn't state how many inputs it records at once. ShowRecorder (the app this site makes) records every channel as its own file on its Free tier; Pro, with the channel names, is a one-time in-app purchase. StudioMini and MultiTrackRecorder are free to download too, with in-app purchases; MultiTrackRecorder needs a paid monthly or yearly plan for multi-channel recording.

Every channel as a separate file

ShowRecorder saves one mono WAV file per channel, for every channel a class-compliant mixer sends. All 18 channels of a Behringer XR18 have been recorded on an iPhone (owner test, 2026-11-06) and verified on a Mac; a full-length show through a hub is still being tested. AUM's manual says each recording-enabled channel is saved as a separate file. MultiTrackRecorder saves a separate file for each of up to 16 channels, with a paid monthly or yearly plan.

The three DAWs don't say whether each input becomes its own file. MultiTrack DAW lists up to 32 inputs on 32 tracks and exports stems. Auria lists up to 24 tracks recorded at once, enough for an XR18's 18 channels but not all 32 of an X32, and exports AAF sessions. Cubasis 3 lists 24 assignable physical inputs and outputs, and doesn't say how many record at once.

Editing on the device

Pick Cubasis 3 or Auria here, not ShowRecorder. Both are full DAWs with editors, mixers and plug-ins, and Auria exports AAF sessions to desktop DAWs. Auria runs on the iPad only; Cubasis 3 runs on the iPhone too. MultiTrack DAW and GarageBand edit and mix as well. ShowRecorder records the files, and you edit them in a DAW afterward, on the device or a computer.

No laptop at a gig

Every app here runs on an iPhone or iPad, so none of them needs a laptop. What differs is what you take home. ShowRecorder is built to record a whole show: a file per channel, named after the channel on the mixer through Mixer Link on an XR18, MR18, X32 or M32 with Pro. ShowRecorder's X32 support has been tested only against an emulator so far, not a real console. On other mixers the files are numbered. Record a gig without a laptop walks through the setup, and the comparison page puts ShowRecorder next to Manytrack, Auria, a laptop and X-Live.

Download on the App Store

Runs on a USB-C iPhone (iPhone 15 or later) on iOS 26, or a USB-C iPad on iPadOS 26. Mac: join the TestFlight beta.

Sources

Every page below was read on 2026-11-07. ShowRecorder's own facts come from its tested-hardware list and the mixer research in its public repository.

Your mixer not listed, or not tested? Ask us

Frequently asked questions

What is the best app to multitrack record a digital mixer on an iPhone?

It depends on the job. For a file per channel at no cost, ShowRecorder (the app this site makes). For editing and mixing on the device, Cubasis 3, or Auria on an iPad. For free and simple, Manytrack Recorder, MultiTrack DAW or GarageBand. Each app's facts come from its App Store page or the maker's site, checked 2026-11-07.

Which iPhone apps save a separate file for each mixer channel?

ShowRecorder saves one mono WAV per channel. MultiTrackRecorder says it makes a separate file for each channel, up to 16, with a paid monthly or yearly plan. AUM's manual says each recording-enabled channel is a separate file. MultiTrack DAW and Auria record several inputs at once, and Cubasis 3 lists 24 assignable inputs, but none of the three listings says each input becomes its own file. Manytrack Recorder's listing doesn't say how it saves channels.

Is there a free app to record every channel of a mixer on an iPhone or iPad?

Yes. Manytrack Recorder is free and records all the channels the mixer sends. MultiTrack DAW is free with all 32 tracks and up to 32 inputs at once. ShowRecorder's Free tier records every channel, one file each. GarageBand is free, but Apple doesn't state how many inputs it records at once.

Which app is best for editing a multitrack recording on an iPad?

Cubasis 3 or Auria. Both are full DAWs with editors, mixers and plug-ins, and Auria exports AAF sessions to desktop DAWs. ShowRecorder only records: edit its files in a DAW afterward.

Is this comparison neutral?

ShowRecorder is the app this site makes, so we have an interest. To keep it fair, every fact about another app comes from that app's own App Store page or maker's site, with a link and the date we read it, and the page says when another app is the better pick. A cell that says "Not stated" means we could not find it, not that the app lacks it.