The problem
Song ideas arrive away from the writing desk and get scattered across unrelated notes and recordings.
Kordra Capture
Available on the App StoreA free, local-first iPhone app for text ideas, voice notes and Song Seeds, with a considered handoff into Kordra Studio.
Available free on the App Store for iPhone running iOS 18 or later. No account, subscription or in-app purchase.
- My role
- Founder, Designer and Developer
- Platform
- Native iPhone application
- Built with
- Swift, SwiftUI, AVFoundation, App Intents
My approach
Give each idea a local home, with lightweight context and an intentional route into a larger song project.
The result
A free iPhone app available on the App Store, with text and voice capture, Song Seeds and portable sharing.
The decisions
behind the product.
A songwriter can have a useful thought anywhere. The tool needs to be ready before the thought has gone.
Make capture the first job
Text and voice are quick entry points. Songwriting context can be added when it helps, without becoming a form to finish first.
Keep related ideas together
Song Seeds group fragments into an ordered collection while preserving each original capture.
Design the handoff carefully
Shareable packages and the local Outbox distinguish a prepared export from a confirmed import into another app.
From thinking to making.
Native iPhone interaction
SwiftUI interfaces keep capture, search and Song Seeds within easy reach, alongside App Intents and a text/audio Share Extension.
Reliable local recording
AVFoundation recording and resilient staging give audio a durable local home before it moves into the saved collection.
Portable ideas
Standard exports and structured handoff packages allow deliberate sharing while keeping the original on the device.
What came out of it.
A focused companion
Text capture, voice recording, Song Seeds and local sharing are implemented in the iPhone app.
Clear product roles
Capture collects ideas. Studio develops the song. The shared handoff respects the role of each product.
App Store release
Available free on the App Store, taking the product from concept through native implementation and public distribution.
Constraints, lessons and next steps
The constraints
- Capture stays free and local, with no account, subscription or generative-AI workflow.
- Studio owns the editable song project. Capture transfers ideas rather than editing Studio’s files.
What I learnt
- The product evolved around Song Seeds and a Studio-first handoff, keeping full song editing in the desktop writing room.
- Designing across iPhone and Mac requires a clear ownership model as well as a clear interface.
- A smaller product can be the most useful way into a wider product family.