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- GarageBand: Top Choice for Mac and iOS Users. GarageBand, a staple for Mac and iOS users, remains one of the best free DAWs available. It provides a simple yet powerful platform, ideal for both beginners and more seasoned music enthusiasts.
- Cakewalk by BandLab: Ideal for Windows Users Seeking Professional Features. Cakewalk by BandLab, previously known as SONAR, has been resurrected and is now a major player among free DAWs, especially for Windows users.
- Ableton Live Lite: Best for Live Performance and Electronic Music Producers. Ableton Live Lite is a condensed version of the renowned Ableton Live, tailored for live performances and electronic music creators, offering a glimpse into Ableton’s world without the price tag.
- Pro Tools Intro: Ideal for Those Starting in Professional Audio Production. Pro Tools Intro offers a taste of the industry-standard Pro Tools experience, giving newcomers a chance to familiarize themselves with professional audio production tools without the cost.
Jan 4, 2024 · Having trouble sorting out which digital audio workstation is right for your music or sound project? We've tested the most popular options to help you choose the best audio editing software.
- Jamie Lendino
- Editor-In-Chief, Extremetech
- Apple GarageBand. Mac. The most famous free DAW of them all comes bundled with every Mac, and makes it ridiculously easy for pretty much anyone to start making music.
- Tracktion Software Waveform Free. PC/Mac/Linux/Raspberry Pi. Already one of the best free DAWs around - and certainly one of the most fully-featured and least restrictive - Tracktion Software Corporation’s 2021 update makes Waveform Free even better.
- Akai MPC Beats. PC/Mac. Akai’s MPC products have been inspiring electronic music and hip-hop producers since 1988, which saw the release of the iconic MPC60.
- Serato Studio. PC/Mac. Launched in 2019, Serato Studio is a simplified PC and Mac DAW that’s aimed at the entry-level and DJs who want to move into music production.
REAPER is a complete digital audio production application for computers, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering toolset. Download the latest version of REAPER for free and enjoy its powerful features, constant evolution, and DRM-free license.
- Read the Ableton Live 11 Suite review. Originally launched as FruityLoops, Image-Line's DAW holds near-iconic status for a certain generation of producers, particularly in the hip-hop and EDM realms.
- Read the FL Studio 21 review. It’s been a while since we had a ‘full’ new version of Logic Pro - version X was released way back in 2013 - but numbers can be deceiving.
- Read the Apple Logic Pro 10.7 review.
- Read the Apple Logic Pro for iPad review. Steinberg has spearheaded music software development for over 30 years, and through Cubase, which started as a MIDI sequencer, introduced a whole generation to the block-based arrange screen now used in the majority of today’s DAWs.
Windows 64-bit. REAPER v7.15 - 15MB. Windows x64. Also available: Windows 32-bit - 15MB. Linux x86_64. REAPER v7.15 - 12MB. Linux x86-64/AMD64 64-bit. Also available: Linux i686 - 12MB. Linux aarch64 - 11MB. Linux armv7l - 11MB. macOS 10.15+. REAPER v7.15 - 26MB. Universal for Intel and ARM64. macOS 10.5-10.14. REAPER v7.15 - 22MB.
Studio One — The ultimate drag-and-drop digital audio workstation. Music recording software with everything you need to record, produce, compose, mix, master, distribute, and perform.
