Hands-free recording
and playback for the recording studio.the practice room.chamber groups.the band room.private lessons.master classes.the recording studio.the audition tape.the woodshed.warming up.wherever you play.

Stop fumbling for the record, stop, and play buttons. PracticePlay listens for music and plays it back automatically, so you can focus on actively hearing yourself and improving your sound and technique.

Designed for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

What musicians are saying
I can’t think of a more helpful app for both teaching and performing. The ability to truly hear exactly what you sound like is the greatest benefit of all.
Ryan Gardner  ·  Professor of Trumpet, University of Colorado Boulder
PracticePlay is a dream come true—an intuitive tool with hands-free recording and automatic playback for reflective, efficient, and meaningful deep practice.
Wiff Rudd  ·  Professor of Trumpet, Baylor University
I record three times as much now. I don't even think about it.
Beta tester  ·  Placeholder attribution
It’s not just that it works. It’s that I forget it’s there until it plays back what I just played.
Beta tester  ·  Placeholder attribution
The first time I heard myself without walking over to my phone, the whole practice room felt different.
Beta tester  ·  Placeholder attribution
Features

PracticePlay listens for music, captures it cleanly, and gets out of the way.

01

Listens for music—ignores everything else.

HVAC, voices, doors, fans. None of it triggers a recording.

Triggered by music
02

Records the moment you start playing.

No pressing record. No countdown.

03

Replays automatically when you stop.

Hear what just happened. Play again.

04

Adjust playback speed and pitch.

Half-speed when you need to hear what your fingers actually did.

0.5× 2.0×
05

Saves sessions to your Library.

Every recording is grouped by session and stored on-device—come back to last Tuesday's run-through whenever you want.

06

Works with any mic or speaker.

Practice with the built-in mic — or add an external mic and studio speakers for a more professional setup.

07

Share recordings, straight from the app.

Send a passage to your teacher, a bandmate, or anyone else—straight from the recording. Messages, Mail, AirDrop, anywhere.

Messages  ·  Mail  ·  AirDrop
Use cases

Whatever the environment, it just works: play, listen, adjust, play again.

ambient · practice room
01Solo

Solo practice in the woodshed.

The phone sits ten feet away on the music stand. You play. It records. You stop. You hear yourself. You play again. The fastest version of the loop you've always been told to do.

ambient · ensemble rehearsal
02Chamber & ensemble

Chamber music and ensemble rehearsals.

The app sits in the back of the room and earns its place by knowing when not to act. The whole group hears what they just played—something individual players almost never get to do during rehearsal.

ambient · studio lesson
03Lessons & masterclasses

Lessons and masterclasses.

Capture a student's playing alongside the teacher's spoken feedback in real time. Both come back together on playback, so the student can hear what they did and what they were told.

ambient · empty hall
04Auditions

Audition takes in an empty concert hall—or bedroom.

Run takes back-to-back without walking to the phone—slate, play, listen back, adjust, run another. Hear exactly what the panel will hear, before they hear it.

Pricing
One-time purchase
$9.99

Try it for free. When you’re ready, the full app is yours forever.

No subscriptions. No accounts. No ads. Pay once and use it on every Apple device you own.

Coming soonApp Store
  • Download and try it for free
  • Use across iPhone, iPad, and Mac
  • Works fully offline
  • No accounts
  • No subscription
Mailing list

Be the first to know when it ships.

Sign up for the PracticePlay mailing list. We'll email when the app launches, and occasionally after that.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. We never share your address.

FAQ

Common questions, plain answers. If yours isn’t here, write us at hello@practiceplay.app.

01Do I have to train it to recognize when I start and stop?
No. The app already detects when music starts and stops on its own—there’s nothing to teach it.
02Does it work with a Bluetooth pedal, foot switch, or watch remote?
You don’t need one. The trigger is the music itself!
03Do I need any extra hardware to use it?
No. No pedal, no Bluetooth button, no special mic (unless you want to use one). Just the device in your pocket. PracticePlay listens for the music—the trigger is what you’re already doing.
04Are my recordings private?
Yes. Recordings stay on your device—they’re never uploaded to a server, shared with any service, or used to train any model. PracticePlay has no account system, so there’s nothing to log into. You can delete any recording at any time, and only you can share one.
05Does it phone home, or send anything to a server?
Sound detection runs entirely on your device, deciding when to start and stop a recording is local. The app does send anonymous usage analytics (which screens get used, which actions are taken, what crashes) so we can keep improving it, but no audio, no personal information, and nothing identifiable ever leaves your device.
06Does it work without an internet connection?
Yes. All detection and playback runs locally on your device.
07What instruments does it work with?
It should work with all common instruments: brass, woodwinds, strings, piano, percussion, and voice! Having trouble? Contact us at hello@practiceplay.app.
08Will it pick up my AC, voices in the hallway, or someone else playing nearby?
Only music triggers a recording, and only the absence of music ends one; fans, HVAC, conversations, and hallway noise won’t start a recording or keep one going past your last note. While a recording is active, though, the mic captures whatever’s in the room.
09Can I use an external microphone?
Absolutely. PracticePlay works with the built-in mic or external mics like the Shure MV88+.
10Can I share my recordings?
Yes. From any recording, share via Messages, Mail, AirDrop, or any other iOS/macOS share extension.
11What devices does it run on?
PracticePlay runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. One purchase works on all three! Currently not supported on Android or Windows PCs.