Music does miracles, and this happens not only during listening to songs but also during its creation. Probably, each of us tried to play music at least once in his life, using improvised items such as table, bottles, and spoons, well, or chanting fictional melody. Most people for many years do not even realize that they have the ability to compose music. Moreover, they do not know it can bring a lot of happiness and pleasure.
Well, maybe this is your main purpose in life, and all you need is focus now on it and develop your talent. But what if you do not have music education, for example, do not play any musical instrument, etc.? That doesn't mean to bail on it and consider everything has already been lost. Nevertheless, the one who goes to his goal will always find the opportunity to accomplish anything - it's possible and depends only on our desire.
Once and for all, let's break down the myths and destroy the distortions about music production. In order to create music, you do not need to have a lot of money and keeping your own record studio. No, no and no again. Apparently, a lot of free music production software will help you, or DAW - Digital audio workstation used for recording, editing and producing audio files. And this is amazing. It remains only to choose the best application for yourself and make your dream comes true. Good luck!
As it may seem at first glance, it is very important to get started creating music on a computer by choosing the right tool that will not disturb you by the awkward interface and superfluous functions. In this article, we will look at the most affordable and high-quality free tools that will help you in this difficult business.
Cubase
Price - Paid(has trial)
VST Plugins - Advanced
ASIO included - Yes
Supports Instrument - Yes
Advanced Mixer - Yes
Support beginner (tutorials) - Yes
This is professional virtual studio from Steinberg company, one of the leading music software developers. Now Cubase is rightfully considered the most powerful virtual studio among others, as it has all the necessary tools for creating, recording, editing and sharing tracks. Due to quite an intuitive interface, working in this application is not difficult, and the quality of the results amazes the most sophisticated listener! Inexperienced users will appreciate the simple and undefined interface of the program, as well as support for third-party plug-ins that allow you to achieve a unique sound and make the track of your dreams come true. Experienced users will have at their disposal a flexible tool for precise editing of sound, smooth and convenient data, mastering and even generating sounds! The written notes or played on the virtual synthesizer can be voiced by any of the existing musical instruments or any electronic «sound.» In addition, through this software, you can record the sound of a connected instrument in real time (for example, electric guitars or violins) or your voice from a microphone.
DarkWave Studio
Price - free
VST Plugins - basic
ASIO included - N/A
Supports Instrument - Yes
Advanced Mixer - No
Support beginner (tutorials) - Yes
A free audio editor that supports multitrack mode and VST plug-ins. The program includes a full-fledged sequencer, a track editor and effects container. Despite the relatively simple interface, the functions of the application are sufficient to create complete compositions, but for mastering, it is better to use the more specialized software.
FL Studio
Price - Paid(has trial)
VST Plugins - Basic
ASIO included - Yes
Supports Instrument - Yes
Advanced Mixer - Yes
Support beginner (tutorials) - Yes
FL Studio12 is a product of the well-known company Image Line Software and since its inception, this studio has always been a leader in thematic collections and has an excellent press from professional musicians. The application allows you to create tracks from scratch, perform arrangement and mastering, as well as improve the sound of the finished tracks. The program boasts a huge number of built-in effects and filters, an integrated mixer for 68 tracks and a built-in sample package.
Ableton Live
Price - Paid(has trial)
VST Plugins - Advanced
ASIO included - No
Supports Instrument - Yes
Advanced Mixer - Yes
Support beginner (tutorials) – Yes
Known among the musicians of the electronic music Ableton Live is used to create complete compositions, remixing and mastering. The program includes a multiband track editor, groove generator, effects container and components for working with MIDI. The studio allows you to emulate the sound of real instruments (piano, synthesizer and others). Ableton Live's "highlight" is the presence of a unique collection of African and South American percussion. Virtually all available VST plug-ins are supported. The program is often used by modern DJs during live performances.
Presonus Studio One
Price - Free
VST Plugins - Advanced
ASIO included - Yes
Supports Instrument - Yes
Advanced Mixer - Yes
Support beginner (tutorials) – Yes
The Presonus Studio One's developers have managed to make one window possible to record the sound along with editing, and mastering. This is a full-fledged creative environment for writing songs. The interface is quite convenient and will be understandable even for beginners. Here you can fully implement the technology Drag & Drop - you can drag everything: cut out fragments, loops, tools, effects, plug-ins. By the way, Studio One Pro supports all used plug-in formats, including VST, VST3, ReWire, AU. Another feature of the application is unlimited undo, so you can not be afraid of mistakes. For optimum sounding of records switching of the permission of calculations, 32 bit on 64 bits is provided.
MadTracker
Price - Free
VST Plugins - Advanced
ASIO included - Yes
Supports Instrument - Yes
Advanced Mixer - Yes
Support beginner (tutorials) - Yes
Well, this program is for those who want everything at once. According to the developers, their creation is the shortest path between imagination and a complete composition. Also, they assure that the application of any of the available effects, as well as support for VST, ASIO and ReWire slightly affects the load on the computer. This audio editor is equipped with several dozen audio samples for beginners. And those who have already dealt with recording and mastering music, you should pay attention to the mixing console, providing quick access to any VST-plug-ins or built-in effects and speeding up the work.
Leave comment