Digital Audio Recording & Editing

Below you will find links to Open source and free software, and info related to Digital Audio Recording & Editing.

If you have a suggestion for a software package that is not included, please let me know and I'll add it to the list.

For additional software categories, goto

the Software Alternatives Index page

"Let Your Creativity Fly... Ubuntu Studio. A multimedia creation flavor of Ubuntu. Ubuntu Studio is aimed at the GNU/Linux audio, video and graphic enthusiast as well as professional. We provide a suite of the best open-source applications available for multimedia creation. Completely free to use, modify and redistribute. Your only limitation is your imagination. - Our aim is to assemble suites of applications aimed at creative people. Suites including the best open-source applications available. For instance, Ardour 2 - A multitrack recorder/editor geared toward people familiar with Pro-Tools."

• Audacity - a full feature multi-track recording and editing program
  "Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to:
  • Record live audio.
  • Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
  • Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files.
  • Cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together.
  • Change the speed or pitch of a recording.
  • And more! See the complete list of features."
• Ardour - "Ardour is a fully-featured digital audio workstation, similar to other software like ProTools, Nuendo, Sonar and Logic, and capable of replacing analog or digital tape systems."
  Currently available only for Linux and MAC. Read why here under "Why Linux (and OS X) ?" and "Why doesn't Ardour run on Windows ?"
  If you're really serious about a DAW, you don't want to be running it on Windows anyway, for various reasons.
• Hit Squad Musician Network - Contains the Shareware Musician Machine, categorized listings of open source, freeware, shareware, and trial software of interest to musicians for most Operating Systems.
• Hydrogen Drum Machine "Hydrogen is an advanced drum machine for GNU/Linux. It's main goal is to bring professional yet simple and intuitive pattern-based drum programming." Hydrogen is also available for Windows and MAC.
• JACK Audio Connection Kit "JACK is a low-latency audio server, written for POSIX conformant operating systems such as GNU/Linux and Apple's OS X. It can connect a number of different applications to an audio device, as well as allowing them to share audio between themselves. Its clients can run in their own processes (ie. as normal applications), or can they can run within the JACK server (ie. as a "plugin")."
• Linux MultiMedia Studio - "LMMS aims to be a free alternative to popular (but commercial and closed- source) programs like FruityLoops, Cubase and Logic giving you the ability of producing music with your computer by creating cool loops, synthesizing and mixing sounds, arranging samples, having more fun with your MIDI-keyboard and much more..."

Further Reading and Info

• Ogg Vorbis FAQ Ogg/Vorbis is recommended over mp3 formatting. See also Why TASTYTRONIC RECORDS prefers Ogg Vorbis to MP3 and Use ogg and not mp3!
• Editing Audio in Linux Review covering Ardour and Audacity. Note that this article is over one year old.
• Permaculture Musicians Article on 'Linux & Audio Recording Systems' by a Windows user.
• The $500 bare bones studio starter kit A blog post on Inside Home Recording
• Tons of great info on sound control and Studio design can be found at the Recording Studio Design Forum hosted by John Sayers.
• You may also be interested in the links and info on the Free Music page

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