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Download Audacity Download the free Audacity audio editor for Windows, Mac or Linux from our download partner, FossHub: Download Audacity for Windows, Mac or Linux Audacity is free of charge. No registration or hardware purchase required. When it comes to the search for a free and reliable Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) to record music, the internet has a lot to offer. The best free DAWs to make music with, in 2020. In this list, you'll see the top 5 free digital audio workstations for Windows, Mac, and Linux, along with two honorable mentions at the end. If you own a Mac, iPhone or iPad then you can download Garageband absolutely free. Garageband is a stripped down version of Apple’s Professional DAW Logic Pro X ($199). Despite the $0 price tag, Garageband is more than capable of doing the basic recording, editing and mixing tasks that you’ll need to get you started. Perks – Cakewalk is a unique DAW that has all of the features and capabilities of some of the absolute best professional DAWs out there for FREE. Free Mastering – With the free instant mastering, you can get the best levels and sounds from your voices for everyone to hear. Compatibility: N/A; Windows/PC – 10; Android and iOS Apps. What is the Best Audio Converter software for Mac? Freemake Audio Converter. Freemake Audio Converter, as the name suggests, is a free audio converter for Mac. HandBrake is one of the best audio converters for Mac with outstanding features. Among all the software present in the.

MuLab Free - A free version of MuLab that supports four tracks and eight VST plugins per project. Works with Windows and Mac OSX. Ardour - A fully functional DAW for OSX and Linux. It's not free but it can be purchased for as little as $1. Wavosaur - Wavosaur is a free audio editor and audio recorder program that supports wav and mp3 files. Well, since you want the best DAW for Mac, I would reckon Logic Pro X, it is the most comprehensive DAW out there for Mac. You might want to check out this list of the Best DAW for Mac to get a proper perspective and expand your pool of options. IMO that list pretty much covers all the major DAWs for Mac.

You’re starting as a musician and you’ve procured all the hardware that was on your list, be it, mic, synth, etc, but you’re still looking for a DAW which will help you utilize the hardware to the fullest. I’ve already discussed best DAWs you can go for but most of these are industry standards and come at a cost that can burn a hole in your pocket. Is there a way to save your money but still be able to use a good DAW?

Yes, there is! There are so many free DAWs to produce music, you can use to easily get your work done. So let’s see which one of these fits the bill perfectly.

Best Free DAWs

1. Garage Band

Garage Band is something that is easy to use and is available on all Apple devices for free. You can simply plug and play instruments. The UI is simple and you can understand the work-flow in one go. In case you have an idea in mind and you don’t have a certain instrument, Garage Band has a huge library of virtual instruments to choose from. It has multiple amps and effect racks, so next time you plug-in your guitar try these to spice the sound up a bit.

If we talk about Multi-track recording, the processing is all fine but often I need a drummer because I can’t program it myself. To save you from spending all day programming drums, there is a virtual session drummer that takes cue from the track and plays along, so finding a groove will no longer be an issue.

If you are like, who hate wires, there is an option to control using an iPad or from the logic remote app. If you’re a noob and you want to learn an instrument there is a section dedicated to tutorials. Whether you want to learn rock or blues, video tutorials make it simple and easy to learn. Lastly, besides the 255 track recording ability, you can pan the audio, add effects like reverb and manage EQ as well.

Available on Mac, iPhone and iPad.

Get Garage Band here.

2. Ardour

Ardour is an open-source DAW, which means if you want to download and modify the source code you can easily do it. It also has Google as one of the few who fund them. I’m not a geek so I downloaded an installable version from its website. In terms of a number of tracks, there is no cap to it so you’re free to run your creative horses. In addition to that, there is no limitation on a number of effects or projects. For some reason, I can relate the look to Ableton.

In case you’re producing music for a video or film, it has a video timeline as well. Of course, there are limitations and the first one is the lack of any virtual instruments so you’ll have to rely on third-party software. There are two modes to view which are editor, where you record and see the projet layout and mixer, where you can pan, add effects and plug-ins to the audio.

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Well, for post-processing you’ll have all the arsenal you need. Basic plug-ins like compressor, delay, EQ, reverb and many more are available.

Although open-source, the app is not completely free and the software goes into silent mode every 10 minutes. I don’t think its a big deal, as you’ve two options, either you can choose to pay in a subscription-style or donate and keep using it. You should note that there is no minimum donation, so it’s very flexible even if you don’t want to spend a lot.

If you’re a YouTuber and you want something which is light years ahead of audacity but still simple to use, this is the app to go for. You can import videos and extract audio, view content in a separate video monitor, trim video and add projects soundtrack to the video. Clean enough for someone who wants a good video-audio integration. There is a chat option as well, which is run by real-time users. So if you get stuck or just need advice you can write here. Be patient! Replies can take time.

Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Get Ardour here.

3. Pro Tools First

Pro Tools First is the industry standard and the first DAW that I used. If you’re starting out, then you can’t go wrong with this. Downloadable from the Pro Tools Website, it offers a maximum of 16 tracks with simultaneous recording. There is basic plug-in available to process sound but the ability to add a video isn’t available in this version. In case you want to share and make music with other people cloud collaboration is also possible for a total of 3 projects but with the cloud plan subscribed.

Limited Virtual support is available for example you’ll be able to access Air Expand 2, which has a repository of drums, guitars, FXs and more. An additional in-built workstation that lets you edit and manipulate samples that come in handy if you want to give a unique sound to your music.

Available on Windows and Mac

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Get Pro Tools here.

4. LMMS ( Linux Multimedia Studio)

If you work with a lot of samples and don’t want to spend money, this is the one for you. It has a UI like FL Studio, there is a beatmaker as soon as you open it. It’s available for Linux, Windows, and Mac. To start with the main highlights it has multiple instruments which you can find on the left, I feel it’s enough to get you started with any genre of music. It also has a piano roll, inspired by FL Studio, which makes creating and editing melodies a breeze.

In terms of layout, you have a song editor where you can see all your tracks and a different window for mixing. So the interface is more window in the window, which can be a problem for some who don’t want to keep themselves busy with handling and resizing windows.

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You can also automate by dragging and dropping kobs from the synth on the automation window.

There is a lag in track display sometimes when you play the audio. You also can’t import or export MP3, which is a huge drawback. There is no limitation to the number of tracks but the support for VSTs is limited. Even recording audio, you need a different app (Use audacity) then use it as a sample track. However, all these limitations have a walk-around so you can consider using this.

Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Get LMMS here.

5. Audacity

Of course, Audacity is not exactly a DAW but can be used as one. Whether you have to record a podcast or just want to use it for recording music, it serves all purposes.

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For the unknown, Audacity is a free and open-source digital Audio Editor (not a workstation) available on all the platforms, i.e, macOS, Windows, and Linux. You can add multiple tracks and records from multiple sources.

The post-processing is a very strong point in Audacity with options such as normalizing, noise reduction, fade operations, etc. Punch and Roll recording, theme selection, voice isolation is also there to convert song into karaoke. Its simple UI with good audio processing capabilities makes it a go-to choice for many and believe me, musicians have recorded albums with just Audacity.

Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Download Audacity here.

Closing Words

If you’re a beginner or you make music as a hobby I don’t see spending money on DAWs because there is no denying they’re costly. While Audacity is just a music recorder and processor, it can’t be considered a DAW. Garage Band is the holy grail for Apple users and if you’re on a mac, Pro-tools and Ardour are capable DAWs, but I’d choose Pro-tools because it’s industry standard. In case your focus is mainly on hip-hop, LMMS has a great piano roll and beatmaker which are easy to understand. So what is your choice going to be? Tell me in the comment section below.

Read: Best Music Production Apps on Android to Create Music on the Go

Making music with digital tools doesn’t have to be expensive.

In fact, you can do practically every important task in music production using free software.

You might have already seen free VST effects and virtual instruments available online.

You’ll definitely need a good selection of those, but the first and most important tool to make music is your DAW.

But finding a free DAW that does everything you need for your workflow can be challenging. There are lots of them out there, each with different features and limitations.

Even so, there are plenty of great freeware DAW options if you know where to look.

In this article I’ll go through the best free DAWs and help you find the one that works for you.

Free DAWs vs Paid DAWs

Before you start looking for a free DAW you should consider your needs to make sure freeware is the right choice.

There are plenty of effective free DAWs out there, but many of them have reduced features and functions compared to full-fledged DAWs.

A free DAW is perfect for you if:

You just want to try out music production with a basic DAW
You absolutely can’t stretch your DAW budget at all
You only need a DAW for a few parts of your workflow

Many of the apps I’ll be including on this list are free versions of respected pro DAWs. These are perfect if you think you plan to purchase a full DAW eventually and just need to try out a few different options.

Finally, if you’re looking for a full-fledged production solution, consider expanding your budget slightly if you can.

There are a handful of respected DAWs that aren’t exactly free, but cost significantly less than the big names. The most common of these is Cockos Reaper, which costs only $60 USD.

But, if you’re looking for an easy way to piece together ideas and play with samples try LANDR’s new sampling and beat making tool Creator.

It’s a free online beat maker that uses pitch-shifting and time-stretching technology to help you piece together up to eight unique samples on LANDR Samples!

The 10 Best Free DAW Apps

With that out of the way here are the 10 best free DAW apps to get you started creating music on your computer:

1. Audacity

Audacity is the original free DAW. It’s an open source multi-track audio editor and recorder that works on many different operating systems.

If you’re only dealing with audio tracks, Audacity is a perfectly functional free DAW solution.

The main drawback is that Audacity does not act as a MIDI sequencer. That means there are no MIDI tracks for you to use with your virtual instruments.

Using plugins in Audacity is also a little different from pro DAWs, so it might not be the perfect fit for a full production workflow.

Despite that, Audacity is an excellent free resource that’s well worth including on this list.

Editors note: Following the recent acquisition of Audacity by MuseScore some have voiced concern around privacy and spyware embedded within the app.

Pros:

Solid audio editing capabilities
Unlimited tracks

Cons:

No MIDI compatibility
Privacy and spyware concerns

2. Garageband

Apple’s entry level DAW Garageband comes bundled with every computer that runs Mac OS.

That means if you’re reading this on a Mac computer, you already have it!

Garageband is well-known for introducing many musicians to recording. But despite its reputation as a beginner app it’s still surprisingly effective for making music.

Garageband combines the ease-of-use and smart design Apple is known for with some powerful features for music production.

Don’t overlook Garageband if you’re a Mac user in need of a free DAW.

Pros:

Super verstatile, modern interface
Comes with a lot of software instruments and effects

Cons:

Very limited compared to Logic Pro
Only available for Apple users

3. Ableton Live Lite

Ableton Live is probably the biggest name in DAWs when it comes to electronic and sample-based genres.

It’s easy to see why. The unique “session view” makes using loops to compose songs incredibly easy. It’s built-in pitch shifting and time stretching in the warp feature are powerful and easy to use.

Ableton Live Lite is the stripped down version of Live that Ableton provides bundled with popular software and hardware packages.

Many audio interfaces, MIDI controllers, plugins and even iOS apps offer a license for Live Lite.

You’ll need a few of these items to set up your home studio, so you might want to look out for a bundle that includes a copy of Live Lite.

It’s a limited version of Live that will help you get the feel for this extremely popular DAW.

Live Lite gives you a total of 16 tracks with any combination of audio and midi channels. It allows up to four inputs and outputs at the same time.

Pros:

Uses Ableton’s well loved workflow
Good range of effects and instruments included

Cons:

Limited to eight tracks

4. Tracktion Waveform Free

Tracktion Waveform Free is an impressive fully functional freeware DAW.

Unlike some of the other DAWs on this list it has no limitations to track count or simultaneous recording.

It can host VST and AU plugins and works on PC or Mac.

Traktion offers a paid upgrade to Waveform Pro for advanced users, but it’s not necessary to buy the full version to unlock any essential features for music creation.

Waveform Free is designed to be easy to use for beginner producers and features some slightly different design concepts than other free DAWs.

Pros:

Unlimited tracks and compatible with VSTs
Easy to use interface

Cons:

Simplified interface might make be confusing for standard DAW users

Many audio interfaces, MIDI controllers, plugins and even iOS apps offer a license for Live Lite.

5. Pro Tools First

Pro Tools First is the introductory edition of the industry-standard DAW Pro Tools.

It includes many of the powerful features that make Pro Tools the DAW of choice for professional studios all over the world.

But it comes with some limitations that might make you think twice. With First you can record up to 16 tracks of audio and use up to 16 virtual instrument tracks in a session.

On top of that, you can record only four tracks at the same time.

Despite these limitations, Pro Tools First lets you get started with the DAW you’ll likely be using if you go on to work in a professional studio. That’s a major benefit!

Pros:

An excellent introduction to a pro-quality DAW

Cons:

Major limitations in many categories

6. Ohm Studio

Ohm Studio is another full-featured DAW you can download for free. It’s the DAW project of popular plugin manufacturer Ohmforce.

Ohm Studio provides all the essential music creation features of a paid DAW without limits.

It’s built around collaboration with handy features to share your music with other people you’re working with.

Pros:

Collaborative design makes it easy to share ideas with others
Comes with all the essentials and unlimited tracks

Cons:

Basic design is not well suited for more advanced production

7. Cubase LE

Cubase LE is another solid free DAW. It’s the lite edition of Steinberg’s flagship recording app Cubase.

Cubase was one of the first digital sequencing apps and it’s been a popular DAW choice for decades.

Cubase LE brings the best of that legacy to free users with only a few limitations.

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With LE you’ll be able to record up to 16 tracks of audio and up to 24 virtual instrument tracks.

It can record up to 8 tracks at once and comes with some of Steinberg’s excellent VST plugins and libraries for its HALion sampling platform.

Pros:

Based on the powerful Cubase DAW
Includes a large sample library and the HALion sampling platform

Cons:

Limited to 16 audio tracks and 24 instrument tracks
Only able to record 8 audio tracks concurrently

8. Soundbridge

Soundbridge is another excellent choice for a full-featured free DAW.

It contains all the important key features of a pro DAW but makes them as simple and easy to use as possible.

Its built-in drum machine and effects are excellent and it has a stylish interface that’s comfortable to work with.

Pros:

Simple interface that’s easy to understand
Built-in drum machine and effects

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Cons:

Limited features, doesn’t include many effects or instruments

9. REAPER

Reaper is not a free DAW, but it makes this list because it comes with a very long trial period and it’s ridiculously cheap at $60 USD.

This is by far the best DAW on this list because it works just as well as most paid DAWs, it’s completely open-source meaning you can customize it with user-generated skins and mods.

It has a fully-fledged recording interface and supports VSTs, so you can install whatever you need to get your track made and heard.

Just be prepared to eventually support the good people at Reaper with $60.

Pros:

Fully-fledged, professional DAW
Unlimited tracks, skinnable, full VST compatibility

Cons:

Not free
Doesn’t come with very many bundled plugins

10. Studio One 5 Prime

Studio One Prime is the introductory free DAW offered by Presonus. It’s essentially a watered-down version of the more advanced Studio One 5 DAW.

For a lite version of a paid DAW, Studio One 5 Prime comes with some distinct advantages. Namely, it allows for unlimited tracks unlike Ableton Live Lite, which limits you to eight.

You get a fully-fledged recording interface, sampling tool, drum machine and step sequencer.

It also comes with a handful of effects plugins.

All-in-all it’s a fairly complete entry point into zero-cost music production.

Pros:

Unlimited tracks
Compatible with PreSonus controllers

Cons:

Doesn’t include very many software instruments
No VST compatibility

11. MPC Beats

AKAI is well-loved for its legendary MPC line of groove boxes.

So it makes sense that they are moving into beat-making-oriented software with their MPC-inspired DAW, MPC Beats.

This free DAW is definitely geared towards beatmakers and hip hop producers, it’s essentially a free MPC with a DAW style timeline interface.

It also comes with some limited recording features and a handful of effects to warp and modify any sound.

Of course, it’s limited to eight tracks and two audio recording tracks and it’s only available on Windows.

So, if all you want to do is make electronic beats on your computer for free, this is a cool option with a unique workflow.

Pros:

Classic MPC workflow in a computer format
Beat maker oriented instruments

Cons:

Limited tracks and recording capability
Only compatible with Windows

12. Podium Free

Podium is another free DAW that’s only available for Windows users.

Despite its slightly dated-looking interface, it has a remarkably modern feel and workflow with a DAW style timeline and mixing board.

The free DAW also comes with full VST compatibility and unlimited tracks.

Its only drawback is that it was designed to use the quad-core CPUs that come standard on most laptops these days.

Since it can only operate on one core, it’s easy to overclock the CPU and cause a crash.

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Aside from that, it’s a relatively solid DAW that makes for a decent entry point into music production, but only if you’re a PC user.

Pros:

Great user interface
Compatible with VSTs

Cons:

Not modernized for today’s CPUs
Only compatible with Windows

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Free recording tools

Making music shouldn’t be a financial burden.

That’s why these free recording apps are so helpful for creators.

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Whether you’re looking to try a demo version of a classic DAW or just make music without spending too much money, these free DAWs will help you do it.