

And one thing you’ll notice about it as soon as you fire it up is that it’s anything but easy to operate. It’s a great piece of free recording software, but this list is aimed at beginners. Let’s set the record straight on Audacity before we get to the details. “Wait, Soda PDF! Audacity is the most popular free audio recording software in the world.

The mix of versatility, ability, and aesthetics puts Apple’s DAW at the #1 spot on this list.

Whereas most free software offers built-in instruments that sound like bargain bin guitars bought at a tag sale, GarageBand’s instruments are studio-quality. Where it really appeals to beginners (other than ease of use) is its awesome catalogue of virtual instruments. Tracks are color-coded and almost everything else you need is done via a drag-and-drop process. Even if you’re a complete novice who doesn’t know what DAW stands for, you can easily start recording multi-layered tracks like Young Guru in no time. If you’re familiar with Apple (who isn’t?), you know they are really good at making things look pretty while still maintaining high functionality. Smooth, intuitive, and more powerful than you’d expect from a free piece of software, it is the perfect centerpiece for any budget home studio. Since its release in 2004, GarageBand has arguably become the most popular DAW. The Two Best Free Recording Software Studios #5) Ardour: Not Pretty But Highly Functional.#4) Pro Tools First: Limited Access to the Industry Standard.#3) Hya-Wave: The Extreme Budget Option.The Two Best Free Recording Software Studios.I don’t think they would add a version with telemetry when the time comes. A lot of them look like something made for techno, loops etc, which is just too narrow and useless and overdone if you play something non-programmed and the only thing you need to program is the metronome.Īs for the firewall thing, my version of Audacity comes from my distro’s app store and I’m sticking with that. Also, for recording channel by channel, Audacity (or Adobe Audition) are really the simplest and easiest, if you’re a musician you’re not a programmer or a gamer and many DAWs are too complicated and convoluted for comfortable work. Also there’s noise reduction, amplifying only certain parts, fade in/out, it’s just easier when you have the final product in front of you. Say you’re making an album, you decide what you want on tracks for one song, then simply apply the same presets to tracks from all songs. Reaper is good, using it too, but I do prefer “destructive” editing.
