What are the best DAWs for UNIX-like systems?

Question

Music & AudioAudioLinuxUnixDAWUnix-like

What are the best DAWs for UNIX-like systems?

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Considered

2.2K

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Recs.

Feb 4, 2024

Last
Updated

17 Options Considered

Best DAWs for UNIX-like systems	Price	Platforms	MIDI
84 Ardour	Free / $1 or more	Windows, Linux, Mac	Yes
79 Qtractor	-	-	-
78 Reaper	$60 - $225	-	-
71 ReNoise 3.0	$75	-	Yes
70 Bitwig Studio	$299.99	-	-

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score 581 · Answer 1

Ardour

Top Pro

Open source

Even if they are selling binaries, the source code is freely available to anyone. Most Linux package managers have it, and Ubuntu Studio maintains a latest version PPA. See More

Top Con

Binaries from website are paid. Windows binary NOT signed.

At the time I'm writing this, they have 3 options: Subscription: $1, $4, $10 or $50 (create account and receive updates as long as subscription is active) One time payment: below $45 current version updates, above $45 current and next version updates... no lifetime. Demo: Periodically goes silent after 10 minutes. See More

ColorfulMithra's Experience

It's not free at all. The download page REQUIRES a paid membership and they feed you some "free as in free speech excuse" See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows, Linux, Mac

MIDI:Yes

Plugin Support:VST, LADSPA, LV2

Top Pro

Cross-platform

Compatible with Linux, Windows 7/8.1/10 and macOS. See More

Top Con

Clip launching is limited

Ardour has clip-launching abilities (Ableton scenes), however, the clips cannot be recorded live. See More

KindheartedQuirinus's Experience

It works. Not great but functional. If compared to Cakewalk/Sonar, even old versions from the early to mid 2000's it loses. I use Ardour because Microsoft drove me away. and Apple, is too expensive. So, I'm slogging through with what's available in linux, of which Ardour is about the best. See More

Top Pro

Extremely flexible routing system

Jack provides a powerful routing mechanism although the learning curve is a bit high. See More

Top Con

Quirky UI and navigation

CooperativeIdyia's Experience

Not a bad product. Stick to the version maintained by the Linux distribution of choice. The only way to get lifetime updates from the developers is a subscription plan. See More

Top Pro

Excellent support community

Top Con

Too many plugins

It is hard to find good useful plugins. It looks like every developer's plugin has ended up in the list. See More

ProductiveXiwangmu's Experience

People keep commenting that it's not free, which is utter nonsense. If you're on linux, it will most likely be available in your package manager. If you're on a windows / mac, tough luck - you have to build it yourself. Considering it is open source, it would be perfectly legal for anyone with sufficient knowledge to build it and offer it for download for free. But, you don't see much of that happening, because this takes time and resources. And people generally don't want to give away their time and skills for free. So please stop complaining and spreading misinformation. This absolutely is free software. More so than much of the software that is available for download without charge, but is flooded with ads or malware. Obviously, this DAW doesn't measure up to professional DAWs, like Nuendo, Pro Tools etc. But honestly, did you really expect that? For an open source project that is developed by people in their spare time, this thing is AMAZING. Thank you guys! See More

Top Pro

VST support

Version 6 added VST3 support as well. See More

Top Con

No support for VST plugins for OS X

Plugins can be used on OS X only if they are downloaded in AU format, which is supported. See More

Bruno Wallace Freitas Franca's Experience

It's very easy to edit, mix and master audio projects. See More

Top Pro

MIDI support

Recording and editing of MIDI is pretty easy (at least under Linux). Setting up the JACK/MIDI bridge and getting into the right UI is simple but not intuitive, so a few minutes of googling and watching videos is crucial. See More

Top Con

MIDI clip editing

Despite the clip editor design being innovative, notes editing isn't actually quick. See More

ArticulateMaahes's Experience

SHITTY SHIT FOR MASAHISTS See More

Top Pro

Inline mixing console

You can view and edit plugins directly from the console's mixing channels. See More

Top Con

Bad MIDI support

This software can hardly keep up with competition when it comes to MIDI support and audio latency. See More

ReliableHors's Experience

well hello im rusty i found ardour to be easy to use on my old computer powerful great plug-ins including vsts See More

Top Pro

LV2 plugins support

Top Con

Installers from website are paid, but binaries are still freely available via package managers

Pre-built binaries are paid, if you want it for free, you have to build it from source or get it from a package manager. That said, most linux package managers have it, and Ubuntu Studio maintains a latest version PPA. See More

PioneeringAuseklis's Experience

The best "free" open source DAW on linux. Building yourself is hard, flatpak version hard to make plugins work, so you end up buying. It does generally what you need a daw to do but has the occasional bug. See More

Top Pro

Linux version has JACK support

On Linux, you can use JACK to freely route audio and MIDI to and from other software as hardware. See More

Top Con

No MP3 import

It is not possible to import MP3-files. See More

AmiableNanshe's Experience

Loses midi duplicate tracks, one track plays, the other doesn't play. It is not known why this is happening. The program is not for use. See More

Top Pro

Great integration with JACK audio

Top Con

Not user friendly

Ardour is very difficult to install and use. See More

AdaptableLir's Experience

After many years of trying I am still unable to actually record midi. I can get all the sounds but I just cannot get Ardour to actually record it. Excellent DAW apart from that. And yes, I have gone through loads of online tutorials -both video and written. See More

Top Pro

Flexible audio routing matrices

TirelessMedusa's Experience

It.....just....ROCKS! IN EVERY way!! See More

Top Pro

Excellent editor

Editor GUI is easy to learn and fast. See More

Bulk Marijuana Seeds's Experience

This is the most reliable DAWS as I can see on searches and the feedbeacks are good. See More

Top Pro

Compatible with Linux, Windows 7/8.1/10 and macOS

Ardour is cross-platform and works on Windows & macOS. See More

Jeff Fessler's Experience

When it was still free, Ardour was incredible. I've peeked at the demo in the last year, and was very impressed. For those who have used Waves Tracks Live on Mac or PC, this is a good indicator of the quality of Ardour. See More

Top Pro

Updates & bug fixes every few weeks

FerventPiltzintecuhtli's Experience

Used it for many years. First it was very complicated to combine midi and audio and I messed around with Rosegarden and Qtractor. Now midi and lv2 is fine., so now it is my one-stop solution. See More

Top Pro

LADSPA plugins support

TallMarduk's Experience

Bit of a learning curve initially (coming from Steinberg Sequel) but glad I stick with it. See More

Top Pro

Multi-display support

RealisticBritomartis's Experience

Using Linux Ubuntu 16.04 Not very intuitive Crashes my entire pc when I import wav files Can't see how to use VST's See More

Top Pro

Free version with minimal limitations

Unlike some other DAW's which often limit saving, exporting, or advanced features, Ardour permits you to try all the features for free, with the only limitation being ten minutes of project length maximum. Demo. See More

ProudKul's Experience

I've been using Ardour for a long time now and it just gets better every release. I've made my own backing tracks for a few years now. It's the only DAW I've used so I'm a little biased. I can't imagine 'punching' in changes could be any easier though. By far that's my favourite feature. I've historically used System76 laptops with both Ubuntu and Pop_OS. See More

Top Pro

Used as base for Mixbus

EarnestMushdamma's Experience

Won't even start... No explanation, no help, just problems See More

Top Pro

Clean linear interface

RespectfulAoide's Experience

"failed to load state" error. Seems common according to Professor Google, however no solution found. Then it wouldn't remove properly. All in all, a wonderful experience. See More

Top Pro

Powerful routing

Thanks to JACK support, and the inclusion of built in tools, the routing options of Ardour are limitless. See More

EagerGrannus's Experience

Ridiculously complicated set up, followed by an inability to recognise WAV! See More

Top Pro

Scripting support in Lua

Although there seems to be no good documentation on this feature, it is at least supported. See More

See All

score 117 · Answer 2

Qtractor

Top Pro

Much on board without being overwhelming

Top Con

Automation lacks flexibility

The sequencer's automation system doesn't have much fidelity. Using multiple curves on a single track can be tedious. See More

Specs

Compatibility:Linux

Top Pro

Audio and Midi

Top Pro

Powerful routing

Qtractor doesn't just have JACK support, it has JACK and a connections window built in and integrated. JACK allows for extremely powerful routing options. See More

Top Pro

Wide plugin support

Top Pro

Nice interface

Top Pro

Stable and fast

Top Pro

Quite light

See All

score 242 · Answer 3

Reaper

Top Pro

Highly affordable

The Reaper DAW offers 2 licenses. A commercial license at $225 and a discounted one at $60. Both licenses give access to the complete DAW. The discounted license is for non profits, educational programs and personal use as long as yearly gross revenue does not exceed USD $20,000. There's even an indefinite free trial with no limitations for evaluation purposes. See More

Top Con

Lacks VSTis

Doesn't come with a wealth of VSTis. Plugins for things like piano, cello, guitar have to be found elsewhere. But is highly compatible with other providers of those products. See More

ConfidentPilumnus's Experience

I switched from Ableton Live to Reaper and I am not switching back. Ableton Live is a great $1000 DAW. Reaper is an amazing DAW for $60. Any track can be anything including video. Plugin support for VST, VSTi, DirectX, Rewire and has 64/32 bit wrappers built in plus .js scripts. See More

Specs

Compatibility:Windows , Mac, Linux

Max number of tracks:Unlimited

Processing type:32-bit, 64-bit, ARM (32/64-bit, Linux Only)

MIDI?:Yes

See All Specs

Top Pro

Application is extendable

The Application itself has no limitations. Once you understand it you can progress onto the better mastering and editing qualities then all other DAW applications. See More

Top Con

Midi drum editing not so fast or easy

Cubase has more features for creating and editing midi drum tracks. See More

FerventDurius's Experience

Easy to use, Free trial with a nag screen, CHEAP license for home use, great community. Routing is wonderful in Reaper, letting you do almost anything, and whatever is missing you can add through VST or custom jesusonic scripts. See More

Top Pro

Native Linux support

No need to install Wine, Reaper supports Linux natively. See More

Top Con

Overwhelming amount of features available

The programmable interface means that tweaking features is daunting for some. See More

InventiveCorymbus's Experience

Switched to Reaper from FL Studio and I'm really loving the shear number and variety of features this DAW has. Especially with extensions like SWS there are few things Reaper can't do. I have to add that Reaper is not as stable on Linux, however, and regularily crashes when opening specific third-party Plugins like Vital. See More

Top Pro

Easy to install

No complex activation shenanigans. No dongle and such. See More

Top Con

Long drop down menus

There are many features that you'll find nested deep in the menu system, but it's really clunky. Everything is there but it's difficult to find. It's also really easy to accidentally click an option that you didn't intend. See More

BraveAgrius's Experience

This is so highly functional software. Very intuitive to use. Great tutorials. Awesome and helpful community forums etc. Also highly customizeable (with ease) for individual needs! See More

Top Pro

Constantly updated

Alongside generally quick pace of updates, Reaper developers pay very close attention to user feedback and are constantly adding features based on their requests so much so that some even consider it somewhat of a crowdsourced DAW. See More

Top Con

Proprietary

Does not respect your freedom, does not provide source code. See More

ResponsiveCopacati's Experience

Reaper's range of possible formats is astonishing. It's almost a masterpiece in scope creep. No other DAW allows you to export a video as a GIF, for instance; few allow video rendering of any kind. I make Youtube videos fairly regularly and Reaper is the only video editor I have installed. See More

Top Pro

Multiple recording and playback formats

Records in WAV, AIFF, FLAC, WAVPACK, OGG and MP3. See More

Top Con

May not work with Linux and soundcraft signature 10

robbankz's Experience

Easy Interface See More

Top Pro

Really stable

Top Con

Poor quality software

Rick Gionfriddo's Experience

This DAW actually started supporting LV2 plugins recently. It started picking up the native and 3rd party LV2 plugins embedded/downloaded for Mixbus. Have used it on Windows XP up through 10, as well as on various Mac OS and Linux versions, both using the windows version via Wine and the native versions, since version 3. Reaper and Mixbus are some of the best pieces of Professional software I've EVER had the pleasure of using, and I prefer the ease of workflow in Reaper to any other DAW. See More

Top Pro

Editing audio can be done on track

You don't have to go to a separate editor to edit audio files. You can work directly on the track, and drop/drag pieces to other tracks, sew them together. It's a fun sandbox and easy peasy. See More

HonorableArnapkapfaaluk's Experience

Just A GREAT Platform. To use as a tool for creating. See More

Top Pro

Many time-saving features

Thought has been given to many time-saving features and shortcuts which speed up workflow considerably. See More

ColorfulMithra's Experience

Didn't work in Linux and soundcraft signature 10 See More

Top Pro

Highly customizable

Reaper lets users change to different themes, supports the use of a wealth of (free) extensions and has a lot of options when it comes to rendering. See More

Top Pro

DRM-free

No software DRM enforcement. See More

Top Pro

Runs well on Wine in Linux

Top Pro

Very low cpu usage

Reaper's will tailor itself to fit your computer's processing power by automatically using the "anticipative FX processing" feature. See More

Top Pro

Very well documented

Top Pro

Rarely crashes

Most DAWs have a tendency to crash constantly, reaper crashes very rarely. See More

Top Pro

Portable

Reaper is lightweight enough to be run off of a flash drive; the installer weights less than 20 MB and the portable installation option is included in it. See More

Top Pro

Plugin support

Its plugin support is amazing. See More

Top Pro

Supports unlimited number of tracks with unlimited number of effects

There are no limits on amount of tracks and effects that those tracks can be equipped with. See More

Top Pro

Simplified workflow

In Reaper, a track is a track is a track. There is no distinction among MIDI, stereo, mono, surround or any other tracks, and that means it's possible to put clips of all kinds on the same track. This approach makes the Reaper DAW seem a lot more intuitive than other DAWs. See More

Top Pro

Notation editor added recently

Top Pro

Crazy routing abilities

You can route anything anywhere audio / midi you name it, cross route it... See More

Top Pro

Also useful in live settings

Top Pro

Supports ReWire

Top Pro

ARM/ARM64/SBC support

Can run on devices like the Raspberry Pi 3, Pine64, and ODroid Single-Board-Computer systems, as well as devices like the Pinebook, and Chromebooks that have been reformatted with a non-android Linux OS. See More

Top Pro

Free Reaplugs VST/VSTi bundle allows usage of the basic bundled like EQ's and comp plugins in any DAW

Top Pro

Tabbed projects

You can have open multiple projects via tabs at the top left and easily drag and drop clips, instruments and ideas between each project at ease. See More

Top Pro

Very full featured but basic recording and production can be learned and done in a few hours

Without prior experience with DAW, you can install Reaper, set up ASIO drivers, connect to your amp and mikes, get the hang of recording/re-recording tracks, and render an mp3 in just a few hours. You can accomplish the basics very fast. See More

Top Pro

OSC-Support

You can control nearly everything via OSC (and Midi, too). See More

Top Pro

Comes with ~300 free plugins

Top Pro

Huge community support

Top Pro

Auto-bridges 32-bit plugins in a 64-bit environment

When using a 64-bit installation of Reaper, all 32-bit plugins will still work alongside 64-bit plugins. On computers with an x86-64 CPU and an OS that supports multi-architecture, you can also run bridged 64-bit plugins on 32-bit Reaper. See More

Top Pro

Multi-level freezing

A freeze can be applied to a group, and then picked apart track by track. See More

Top Pro

Clean, easy-to-read GUI

The GUI is simple and easily gets information across to the user See More

Top Pro

Tool-less interface

Set the cursor, press a key, done. No need to switch cursor editing modes or work around "smart" cursors. See More

Top Pro

Lua scripting can be done in the DAW with a built-in IDE

Top Pro

Small install/footprint

Download is still less than 20Mb, unlike others that are 6Gb+. See More

Top Pro

Web interface

Can connect with a touch screen device over LAN to use as web embedded remote control surface. See More

Top Pro

Script tools

Can run edited Script tools programmed by users. See More

Top Pro

Excellent license model

You can have one version and the future version when its out. See More

Top Pro

Can mix on arranger view without console (mixer) or inspector

Top Pro

Smooth

Running smoothly with 50 tracks on i5 gen3 RAM 4GB laptop (mixing and mastering work done separately). See More

Top Pro

Can edit while you're recording

Reaper allows editing while you're recording for a performative and fluid workflow. This feature can also help save time when mixing. See More

Top Pro

Lightweight and affordable price

These two things are the biggest advantage of Reaper. No other DAW can beat it based on CPU efficiency. Some people say Reaper isn't a professional DAW by look, but it's not true. Reaper is a full-featured professional DAW. You can do anything whatever you want for music production. The price is also reasonable. They are even generous with the evaluation policy. If they offer the simple and intuitive version, I'll be back to Reaper. See More

Top Pro

Potential to be the most beautiful DAW

You can customize Reaper with hundreds of themes, or make them yourself. See More

Top Pro

The software advances with you

If you want to use it as a glorified tape machine and nothing else, you'll still be able to get work done. If you want to learn all the shortcuts, scripts, custom actions and macros and really unlock what Reaper can do, you can do that as well. Either way, you'll still be able to make music. See More

Top Pro

Universal tracks

In Reaper, you can record MIDI and Audio onto the same track. As well, there are no distinctions between any form of audio. Surround Sound, Mono, Stereo files, and anything else you can think of; all of this can be recorded onto the same track. See More

See All

score 87 · Answer 4

ReNoise 3.0

Top Pro

Very stable

DAWs are notorious for crashing, especially at the peak of a workflow. ReNoise 3 is known for its outstanding stability. See More

Top Con

Interface can be confusing to some

Trackers are different from sequencing (arrangement) view (most DAWs) and session view (Ableton, Bitwig). See More

DependableAchuguayo's Experience

Amazing! See More

Specs

Compatibility:Windows, Mac, Linux

Max number of tracks:Unlimited

Processing type:32-bit, 64-bit

MIDI?:Yes

See All Specs

Top Pro

The king of trackers

Renoise is based on NoiseTrekker and brings great hybrid Ideas of the mysterious ProTrekkr (formerly known as NoiseTrekker 2 by Juan Antonio Arguelles Rius aka Arguru). It's become by far the most advanced sound tracker today. See More

Top Con

Cannot record multiple tracks simultaneously

Live musicians are limited by only being able to record on one tracks at a time. See More

ThoroughOshun's Experience

Mainly use it for Chopping/Slicing Samples. MIDI/Audiio Loops to Export. I do most of my Song Arrangement in a more conventional DAW, though. I still use Renoise's Pattern and Song modes. I just prefer horizontal layouts for arrangements. It's solid. Really unique. See More

Top Pro

Rich set of features for the price

Top Con

Proprietary

ExuberantAmechania's Experience

Extremely versatile. Superb for Electronica + Hiphop See More

Top Pro

Highly customizeable effect chains

Effects can be applied to samples in Instrument Editor in addition to being sent through track input. This is highly useful when dealing with multi-sample instruments, as each sample can have one or more effect chains. See More

PoliteWadjWer's Experience

been using it for more than a decade, loving it !! See More

Top Pro

Sophisticated effect modulation

ReNoise 3 offers a ridiculous amount of flexibility when it comes to automation. Instead automating by sliding points around, users can choose from an array of preloaded automation patterns in order to produce more interesting sounding patterns. See More

StrongDiJun's Experience

Still actively developed. See More

Top Pro

Advanced pattern command

The Pattern Command called "MaYbe" guesses which note will be next in a progression based on the user's habits. See More

Top Pro

Uses a module tracker instead of piano roll

Module trackers are preferred by some users because they help increase productivity. See More

Top Pro

Affordable

Top Pro

Full modular synthesizer

Top Pro

Vst support

Top Pro

Optimized for dual monitors

Users who have more than one monitor can view the sampler, plugins, and MIDI controls in the instrument editor, which can be moved to a second monitor. See More

Top Pro

Limitless sampler

The sampler is deeply embedded in the way the whole DAW works, and it allows the user to build complex synth sounds with ease. See More

Top Pro

Unique grid based tracker

ReNoise 3 replaces the typical piano roll with a tracker, which is claimed to be "the most powerful tracker in existence". The difference between piano roll and tracker is that piano roll moves horizontally, while trackers move vertically. Users may find this confusing at first, but trackers make it simple to customize every individual note. See More

Top Pro

Useful pluggin grabber

Trackers are sampling machines, the built-in plugin grabber in ReNoise allows you to dump a ladspa or VST synth in samples at different velocity and duration, with auto-fading and auto-looping. See More

Top Pro

Program custom tools

Users can make their own instruments and effects using Lua . See More

Top Pro

Requires minimum mouse input

Shortcuts and other methods are used in order to minimize the amount of work that users must do with a mouse. This can greatly increase the efficiency of a workflow. See More

See All

score 118 · Answer 5

Bitwig Studio

Top Pro

Highly modular

Top Con

Expensive

Very expensive compared to many other Linux DAWs, many of which are free. See More

InfluentialZaqar's Experience

Works in studio envirioment See More

Specs

Compatibility:Windows, Linux, Mac

Top Pro

Cross platform and highly compatible

The Bitwig DAW runs on Mac, PC, and, Linux. This DAW also has the distinction of being one of the only DAWs that can run 32 bit and 64 bit plugins at the same time. See More

Top Con

Not open source

Enviable Jimi's Experience

great daw on linux with tons of samples, a viable and more intuitive alternative to ableton live for a fraction of its price. STAN géniale sous linux avec des tonnes d'échantillons fournies gratos, une alternative viable et plus intuitive que ableton live à une fraction de son prix See More

Top Pro

Plugin crash protection

Plugins can be sandboxed. See More

Top Con

Slow development cycle

Updates are often later than announced. See More

AgreeableTskarishdida's Experience

I started out with LMMS a long time ago. I've used Ableton and REAPER, and I've tried FL studio. Bitwig is by far the most intuitive and inspiring DAW I have used. Everything feels like it's exactly where it should be. All of the different pieces have dedicated spaces while also being integrated with everything else. There aren't floating windows everywhere or huge context menus like in FL or REAPER. The best part is there isn't a trade off between it's stream-lined design and technical abilities. Bitwig has everything you need in a DAW and a whole lot more you didn't know you wanted. It took me a while to try Bitwig as I was put off by the price, but once I had my feet wet, I was hooked. And the price is justified in my opinion. The midi and audio clip editors are stellar, the builtin sampler is great, the grid is powerful. If I go in with a specific task in mind, I can complete it seamlessly. If I go in without an idea, I'll find myself inspired. See More

Top Pro

Very active development

Top Con

No LV2

Has no support for LV2 plugins. See More

CourteousHineNuiTePo's Experience

very good on linux See More

Top Pro

Very intuitive/user-friendly

Top Con

UI gets frozen, VSTs crash all the time

Very frustrating to work with. See More

LikableAuahituroa's Experience

shit2@gmail#3 See More

Top Pro

Great modulation system

Top Con

Does not support native audio files

When drag and dropping an audio file, it will automatically timestretch, its very annoying and unusable.... See More

ComposedNinlil's Experience

I can make music quickly and have fun. I get professional sounding results. The native devices (plugins) are complete and offer vast possibilities; there's no real need to buy other VSTs in order to accomplish things--they keep adding more too! Yes, it's expensive, and I can't say I love their pricing/licence model, but the pros outweigh the cons for me. My only hope is that they stay on a good path, as they have been, continue to support Linux and keep innovating! All in all, I'd highly recommend. See More

Top Pro

Very powerful voice stacking mechanism

Top Con

Does not have 32-bit compatiblity on Linux

AwareYiDeokchun's Experience

If you know Ableton's Live and want to get a similiar pro DAW on Linux, this just is the only alternative available. Since Version 2 and a few more updates, this really offers everything you need to compose and produce tracks. Especially for lovers of electronic music, the new modular approach is capable for creating sounds and effects just like you want them to sound. Since Ableton's Live isn't available for Linux yet, this is the only 'real' alternative. And yes. It IS 'expensive'. But it's really worth the money and if you're a semi pro or pro and have to have a DAW that works on stage, too... Well, then I guess it's a fair price (btw: right now (mid of June 2019) their products are on summer sale). See More

Top Pro

Create custom Synths/FX in the Grid

Create any style synth, wavetable, fm, analog, and fx in the grid. See More

LogicalBeChuille's Experience

Slow development and trying to push subscription model rather than one-off cost See More

Top Pro

State of the art time stretching

DetailedKresnik's Experience

the grid See More

Top Pro

Many high quality free sound packs

AffableMenhit's Experience

Perfect DAW for me and my Linux machine. I used FL Studio religiously beforehand, then I switched to Linux and found out it barely worked through Wine. Ok then, a friend of mine told me of Bitwig and I could not be happier. The interface scared me at first, but after a few days of use the workflow felt NATURAL. Like everything just worked! Found a very cheap 8 track license (10€!!), snatched it, and now I can produce music seamlessly on my Linux PC and my MacBook, too! Bitwig is something else. Just try it for yourself! See More

Top Pro

Easy automation

The easiest DAW to do automation in. All you have to do is press record and start moving knobs, and that's it. See More

JollyKinieGer's Experience

Feels very intuitive, this DAW is all about making music, be it when recording or live performing. The Grid opens a lot of extra creative possibilities See More

Top Pro

Supports multiple midi instruments on one track

Being able to add multiple midi instruments on the same track is a nice feature. It allows for much easier setup for VSTs like Cthulhu. It's also nice to be able to have multiple instruments setup that can be toggled. See More

Top Pro

Supports expressive MIDI - MPE

Makes use of the Seaboard, Linnstrument, Continuum and other modern expressive controllers. See More

Top Pro

Open multiple projects

Top Pro

Very efficient preset browser

Top Pro

You can write your own controller support in Java

Top Pro

Powerful devices/presets/sample browser

Top Pro

Touch screen support

Top Pro

Ableton link support

Top Pro

Very good integration with Eurorack

See All

score 86 · Answer 6

Audacity

Top Con

Not seen as a full DAW

Audacity is a great audio editor but it doesn't have the capabilities of popular DAWs and generally isn't considered to be good option. See More

Top Pro

Well maintained

Audacity is constantly updated. See More

EagerGrannus's Experience

Once you resolve the contradictions between the manual and the interface menu, Audacity is easy to use, and very versatile. Audacity is a far better DAW than the rest. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows, Linux, Mac

Top Con

Unable to use Synthesizers/virtual instruments

You can only use effect plugins or record live with this DAW. See More

Top Pro

Multi-track recording abilities and a lot of advanced effects.

Unlike a lot of free Digital Audio Workstation software it gives you multi-track recording abilities and a lot of advanced effects, like being able to correct pitch and remove unwanted noise. There is also a large number of third-party plugins available as well as user-scripted plugins. See More

EnthusiasticArethusa's Experience

It is a super good program for narratime videos, it's a perfect tool for work with voice See More

Top Con

Unable to use Synthesizers / virtual instruments

You can only use effect plugins or record live with this DAW. See More

Top Pro

Free, open source and cross-platform

Audacity is available for free on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux with source code available here. See More

HilariousGhatotkacha's Experience

Consider this a light weight DAW. You can mix tracks and export them to useful formats. Keep a copy of the original sources. I works well and has a reasonable learning curve. There are lots of effects and plugin available though none have sophisticated interfaces they are often more than you need for simple uses. Its up to YOU to define simple. Certainly a good introduction , exploration of the field. (and it runs on simple equipment) See More

Top Con

They sold this to some Russian company

Now the company added spyware, use tenacity instead. Also, not great for DAW. See More

Top Pro

Great for vocal track editing

MeticulousMushdamma's Experience

best software for recording and wav editing, not a daw, though See More

Top Con

No real time effects

Users are unable to change effects in real time with Audacity. If effects are to be changed, no sound can be playing or recording. See More

Top Pro

Great community backing it

ExuberantMaponos's Experience

This is a great recorder and destructive editor, but it is not technically a DAW (ie, your changes are saved to file, whereas the changes in a DAW are in configuration only, and the file itself isn't changed until you export changes). See More

Top Con

Doesn't retain audio integrity

Audacity uses destructive editing, meaning applying effects, cutting, etc is non-reversable after you've saved a project. See More

Top Pro

Paulstretch integrated

DreamerAlabandus's Experience

This is not a daw See More

Top Con

No video support

Video playback support is very useful for sound design, but Audacity has no support for video files. See More

Top Pro

Lots of features

CompetentZislbog's Experience

It is straight forward and easy to learn. See More

Top Con

Little to none MIDI support

You can not work with your instruments See More

AmiableAverruncus's Experience

There's quite a difference between an audio waveform editor (fantastic as it may be -- and I DO love Audacity) and the connected nodal setup of audio sources, sinks, mixers and audio signal processing units of a DAW. The former certainly can't be used for live performances (there are realtime DAWs for DJs), and it's usually a destructive-editing setup. Again, even though Audacity is a kick-ass waveform editor, I can't recommend an audio editor for the role of a DAW. See More

See All

score 87 · Answer 7

Tracktion 7

Top Pro

Self-explanatory and feature-rich interface

Suitable for beginners and professionals. See More

Top Con

Crashes constantly

It also crashes frequently which makes it chaotic and useless. See More

ProductiveNikkal's Experience

Not for sound engineer but sure the best for musicians See More

Specs

Compatibility:Mac, Linux, Windows

Top Pro

Racks

Self contained modular environment for hooking up processing chains of plugins or instruments in any way you want. See More

Top Con

Cluttered interface, not user friendly

PopularPolymatheia's Experience

It's not free like advertised, and the provided demo's don't load, after having completed the setup the program refuses to load a project. See More

Top Pro

Multi-channel MIDI support

Multiple MIDI instruments can be recorded in different tracks at the same time. See More

Top Con

Won't play with Jack

Won't play with Jack; You can connect directly to ALSA but that is a horrible solution. See More

MethodicalMuati's Experience

yeah, feature rich interface, and was much better at handling multi-channel digital data than other sequencers I tried. Ran on Linux but required no drivers for soundcraft signature 22 mtk or other sound cards .. connected effortlessly to alsa/jack See More

Top Pro

Excellent multi-track audio recording

connects effortlessly to large number of audio tracks, even on Linux. Note: re-sampling to a different sample rate may cause output hiccups. Large number of buffer size choices for management of latency. .. Note: use of special devices requiring drivers may disable this. .. Works with soundcraft signature mtk mixers on Linux See More

Top Con

Lack of drivers for Linux

There are no official drivers for any multi-channel audio interfaces, putting Linux users at a disadvantage. However, Soundcraft Signature MTK devices should work. Also, devices that use standard usb audio formats should work. See More

ProfessionalDeverra's Experience

Interface is buggy as hell, it worked for like 2 minutes until the GUI started to freeze. Ardour is a 1000x better option! See More

Top Pro

Very compatible

Tracktion 7 is now compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. See More

LogicalBeChuille's Experience

Straightforward and free See More

Top Pro

Single screen interface

Everything that is needed is within easy reach, no deep diving in menus or pop up windows. See More

UpbeatBragi's Experience

Won't play with Jack; You can connect directly to ALSA but that is a horrible solution. It also crashes frequently which makes it chaotic and useless. See More

Top Pro

Fastest DAW from idea to Music

The composition tools and midi generators are amazing. You can get something going faster on Waveform then any other DAW. See More

Top Pro

MIDI to audio feature

Traktion 5 now has a MIDI to audio function so users can quickly freeze MIDI notes and manipulate them as audio clips. See More

Top Pro

Chord Track

Chord Track is the best if you are working with MIDI and not samples. See More

Top Pro

Bundles with Melodyne for no cost

Melodyne is a pitch correction software that now comes free with Tracktion 5. At $60, Tracktion 5 with Melodyne costs about half as much as the standalone version of Melodyne. See More

See All

score 140 · Answer 8

LMMS

Top Pro

Free and open source

LMMS is available for free with source code licensed under GPL and available on GitHub allowing anyone to edit and extend the software as they see fit. See More

Top Con

No merging or splicing options

There is no feature that allows you to merge or splice tracks in LMMS. See More

FunnyPazuzu's Experience

No vst3 See More

Specs

Processing type:32-bit, 64-bit

Included sounds:Yes

Platforms:Linux, Windows, Mac

Plugin Compatibility:VST, LADSPA

See All Specs

Top Pro

MIDI controllers support

Top Con

Very difficult to use interface

The interface for LMMS is very complicated and at times cannot be very user friendly. See More

lazerbeak's Experience

Clunky and didn't seem to do what I wanted most of the time. See More

Top Pro

Has the possibility to become a great open-source alternative to FL Studio

The interface look like FL Studio interface. The main workspace for composing and editing melodies and harmonies is piano roll. See More

Top Con

Not actively developed

No major features or improvements in a very long time. See More

PreciseGerda's Experience

Simple and powerful See More

Top Pro

Cross-platform

LMMS works on Linux, Windows and OSX. See More

Top Con

Multiple-Document interface only

Uses a "multiple-document interface," which even its own developers don't like. Windows are stuck inside of the main window and can't escape. See More

DreamerMorrigan's Experience

lo mejor para crear beats See More

Top Pro

Computer Keyboard to MIDI

You can use your computer keyboard as a MIDI controller. See More

Top Con

Pitch bending could be more native

Sometimes you can pitch bend with the Piano Roll Editor but with many instruments you cannot and are limited to the pitch knob in the main plugin interface. See More

ProfessionalDeverra's Experience

If you just wanna do some mastering on a song that was done on another software, you have to put the song in a vst and hold the piano roll note (be careful to press the right note otherwise the pitch will be wrong). Not a very efficient way to do that kind of stuff, so this software is good for some tasks but not at all for songs you wanna master/mix. See More

Top Pro

LADSPA plugins support

Top Con

GUI is ugly

NobleHarmonia's Experience

Great little DAW if kind of rough around the edges at first. VSTs do not always work but are good when they do work. It can kill your CPU and freeze a lot at times, depending on what kind of specs you have and how many VSTs you run. Overall LMMS is pretty awesome, and I use it all the time. It is one of the only ones (maybe the only one) that is completely FOSS and that really makes making music feel great on this. Protips: Use your own custom themes to make the UI/UX better for you. Use presets as well as/instead of only relying on VSTs, make sure to get your buffer size appropriately fine-tuned for your machine, and contribute if you are able to do so!! See More

Top Pro

JACK Audio Connection Kit support

Top Con

Limited mixer rack

You can only add Virtual Instrument tracks into the mixing console/rack. See More

CourteousJabru's Experience

Really flexible, open source and does what I want... See More

Top Pro

VST Support

Uses VeSTige as the VST plugin. It has some bugs but most VSTs work with it. See More

Top Con

Limited effect plugin support

A lot of 3rd-party effect plugins don't work. See More

PioneeringTawhirimatea's Experience

Wonderful See More

Top Pro

Easy to use

LMMS is ideal for beginners, as it is easy to use and comes with tons of ready to use instruments and samples. See More

Top Con

Program crashes a lot

This happens more frequently when loading VST files. See More

ReveredAmphiaraus's Experience

LMMS is a fantastic tool for electronic music production. Everything is clean, quick and simple. See More

Top Pro

Works with many VSTs and effects

Top Pro

Preloaded with basic VST instrument plugins and modifiers

LMMS comes with a triple oscillator, Gameboy sound emu, NES sound emu added into the software, which makes it easier to create sounds without the inclusion of external plugins. It is very accessible for beginners. See More

Top Pro

Portable

LMMS is lightweight enough to be run off of a flash drive. See More

Top Pro

Multiple languages support

Top Pro

No Scanning VST instruments/FX in LMMS

You can load a VST Instrument plugin directly from your filesystem. It supports most VST and VST2 plugins, both 32-bit and 64-bit. It supports many Linux DAW plugin formats. For instant access, plugins can be placed into your dedicated plugin folder e.g. "C :\Program files\LMMS\Plugins" on Windows. See More

Top Pro

VST plugins support

Top Pro

Sandbox layout

All windows in the DAW can be moved around freely and are not attached to a grid. See More

Top Pro

Simple sound wave programming

There is a plugin called Xpressive to program a sound wave. See More

Top Pro

Is a great open-source alternative to FL Studio

Interface look like FL Studio interface. Has many of the same windows such as step-sequencer, piano roll, playlist, mixer, etc. See More

See All

score 46 · Answer 9

Waveform

Top Con

Crashes a lot

Top Pro

Linux support

Runs great on Linux(except LV2 Support). See More

HonorableHaumia's Experience

self-explaining interface, ideal for beginners. See More

Specs

Compatibility:Windows, Linux, Mac

Top Con

Not open source

Top Pro

Free version available

Older releases are available for free when new versions come out. See More

AmbitiousLabbu's Experience

Some Cons here are outdated. See More

Top Con

Not suited for live performance

No session based Workflow (like Live/Bitwig), hiccups upon loading projects. See More

Top Pro

Clean interface

PerceptiveAverruncus's Experience

Easy to learn, has all features I've used so far and also works on weaker PCs. See More

Top Con

No option to easily cut a file

There is no scissors tool or similar.... See More

Top Pro

ARM/ARM64 support

Runs on SBC (single board computer) systems like the Raspberry Pi3, Pine64, and ODroid development boards, as well as systems like the Pinebook and Chromebooks with ARM based SoC CPU's that have been reformatted with a Linux OS. See More

ModestBudai's Experience

Its just looking awesome See More

Top Pro

Easy to understand

Very logically structured. See More

Top Pro

Creative Tools

Has a Chord Track, MIDI pattern creator and great included tools. See More

Top Pro

Very stable

Top Pro

Ideal for beginners

Self-explaining interface. See More

See All

score 48 · Answer 10

Harrison Consoles Mixbus

Top Pro

Easy to learn

This DAW has an intuitive layout that is quite easy to grasp and learn. See More

Top Con

Not free

Not free, and not open source. See More

ArticulateDaichinTengri's Experience

They actually contribute back to Ardour, which this DAW is based on. You get the added Harrison mixing console with it. Very worth it. Love the product. See More

Specs

Compatibility:Windows, Mac OS X, Linux

Max number of tracks:Unlimited

Processing type:32/64

MIDI?:Yes

See All Specs

Top Pro

Great mixer

works great as a mixer for stems exported from another DAW; this is arguably one of it's best uses. Otherwise, the general UI is a vast improvement over vanilla Ardour. See More

Top Con

Can be a bit resource heavy

Adding more tracks and plugins is surprisingly easy on the RAM, but the base system usage is a tad high. 8 GB of RAM as a minimum is a very stern recommendation. See More

ReceptivePolyphemus's Experience

Installed then license problems, same type as Ardour. See More

Top Pro

Based on Ardour

All of the best parts of Ardour, with the great included plugins, plus improved UI for track routing and EQ, along with built in analog summing. This does add some proprietary code to the otherwise open-source foundation, though. See More

Top Con

Crashed system

IncredibleToutatis's Experience

Works perfectly in Linux. No plugins needed. It's all there. See More

Top Pro

Great customer support

Their customers support is fast and personal, absolutely unmatched in the industry. They also listne to their customers, take feature suggestions which really make it into one of the next versions (if feasible). See More

ExcitedSerket's Experience

excellent sound See More

Top Pro

Detailed manuals including video links

SociableLampsace's Experience

Easy to use See More

Top Pro

Emulation of their award winning physical, analog consoles in software

Great built in summing on mixbusses and final output bus. Use with an actual console for the double whammy, if you can afford it. See More

Top Pro

Sound

Top Pro

Supports plugin AU

See All

score 35 · Answer 11

Radium

ColorfulMithra's Experience

Couldn't find any link to an actual download See More

Specs

Compatibility:Linux, macOS, Windows

score 39 · Answer 12

Non DAW

Top Con

No installable file available from the Non website

Top Pro

Modular

Non comes in 4 different modules that can be connected with JACK See More

FunnyPazuzu's Experience

Dead for over a decade, not installable, shouldnt be here See More

Top Con

Unconventional

Top Pro

Very lightweight

Each module is very streamlined and light on system resources, even when they are used altogether. So it is much better than Ardour for systems that are limited in memory or processing power. See More

RespectableIasion's Experience

I am slowly learning to use it as my main DAW software because it adheres to the UNIX philosophy of minimalist, modular software programs. I have also considered it against Ardour / Harrison Mixbus See More

Top Con

Not as popular

This isn't an inherent con. But this would be an AMAZING program if it had a fraction of the attention and support that Ardour enjoys. Faster paced development, greater documentation and support, etc See More

Top Pro

Focused

You use what you need, when you need it. Need to record? Pull up the timeline. Need to edit, mix or master? Add the mixer. Doing anything with midi? Add the sequencer in. Or just use the sequencer alone if you are primarily an eMusician using VI's. Want to instantly save and recall full sessions, including outboard apps? Use the session manager. Ignore what you don't need rather than having to clear the clutter. See More

See All

score 34 · Answer 13

Rosegarden

Top Pro

Wonderful MIDI support

Top Con

Virtually zero plugin support

No VST, VST2, LV2 or LAPSDA support See More

Specs

Platforms:Linux

Top Con

Very complicated

See All

score 18 · Answer 14

Zrythm

Top Pro

Intuitive U.I.

Ability to add MIDI notes, Automate, & Modulate with ease alongside chord assistance. See More

Top Con

Audio does pitch shift on import

Importing an audio file takes long and automatically pitch shifts it, drag and drop is not supported. Nice interface, but nearly no documentation. See More

Theoteno's Experience

LMMS isn't so pretty as this software, doesn't support native linux VSTs by default, and vst3 support might take some time. But Zrythm's beauty not worth its price, not to me. When it's that hard to compile it well, and not with JACK! I would prefered Alsa-rtaudio. Yes, it was 1-2 years to go this far in development... Still: I would rather compile Carla, as LMMS has automatic audio driver and MIDI keyboard detection, at least! See More

Specs

Compatibility:GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, Mac

Plugin Compatibility:LV2, VST2, VST3, AU, LADSPA, DSSI

Top Pro

Looks visually good and the performance is also amazing

Top Con

Free if you compile the source code

Top Pro

Open source

AGPLv3 licensed with source code available. See More

Top Pro

LV2 plugins

Supports the LV2 plugin standard. See More

Top Pro

Great interface

cool and simple interface has chord tracks fast-paced updates See More

Top Pro

The creator enjoys it (github/alex-tee, alexteee, etc..)

There are a lot more things to see, but... Recently he compiled, added help to build OS-251, (new lo-fi syth!) Over the years, he helped audio related open-source projects, pointing out some issues. Zrythm is still growing, and going faster.. See More

Top Pro

Free if you compile the source code

Top Pro

Cross-platform

Installers can be bought for Linux, MacOS and Windows. Or you can compile the source code for free on any platform. See More

Top Pro

Monolithic

Unlike many Linux DAWs, Zrythm comes in one coherent program. See More

See All

score 21 · Answer 15

MusE

Top Pro

Is JACK-compatible

And so it can not only use JACK for audio-output, JACK, Cadence and Carla can be used to build a DAW with almost unlimited capabilities. Of course, you need more than one project-file, you need a file for MusE and one for CARLA, but with the synths and effects you can wire in CARLA, this is no real Con. See More

Top Con

Very many functions, can get confusing

It has not only midi-capabilities, there are digital-audio-caps, too. And mist can be used with Keyboard-shortcuts. Some may work, others don't, cause they may be used by other apps. Can get confusing. See More

SuccessfulEndovelicus's Experience

MusE is a good Midi-Sequencer with Digital-Audio-Abilities. The Functions for Midi-Editing are very good, you can use it without any manual and get first results in minutes. I use it with JACK and CARLA, as an sequencer for getting electronic synths to work. See More

Specs

Cost:Free

Top Pro

Intuitive

You don't need a manual for this, just play with it. See More

See All

score 9 · Answer 16

Seq24

Top Con

MIDI only

Seq24 only has MIDI capability, no audio clips allowed. See More

Top Pro

It is a sequencer.

Never crashes. Records midi performance. Controls every midi portion on my synths. Keyboard shortcuts for different sequences. Is the only software I would trust during a live performance. If you learn it. You'll love it. Bet. See More

PleasantThaumas's Experience

Akai MINIAK & SEQ24 - was skimming a YouTube on how to use. This was the first (albeit short) track I sequenced out. Essentially, I clicked madly around. *patches by your's truly. https://soundcloud.com/sean-goehner/oshtvetfhfsd See More

Specs

Compatibility:Windows, Mac

Top Con

Not very intuitive

Top Pro

Open source

Seq24 can be used and edited by anyone for free. See More

Top Con

Low compatibility

Seq24 only runs on Linux and win32. See More

Top Pro

Easy to use

Basic task on the keyroll easy to do thanks to the clear UI. See More

See All

score 30 · Answer 17

What are the best DAWs for UNIX-like systems?

17 Options Considered

Ardour

My Recommendation for Ardour

My Recommendation for Ardour

Open source

Binaries from website are paid. Windows binary NOT signed.

Cross-platform

Clip launching is limited

Extremely flexible routing system

Quirky UI and navigation

Excellent support community

Too many plugins

VST support

No support for VST plugins for OS X

MIDI support

MIDI clip editing

Inline mixing console

Bad MIDI support

LV2 plugins support

Installers from website are paid, but binaries are still freely available via package managers

Linux version has JACK support

No MP3 import

Great integration with JACK audio

Not user friendly

Flexible audio routing matrices

Excellent editor

Compatible with Linux, Windows 7/8.1/10 and macOS

Updates & bug fixes every few weeks

LADSPA plugins support

Multi-display support

Free version with minimal limitations

Used as base for Mixbus

Clean linear interface

Powerful routing

Scripting support in Lua

Qtractor

My Recommendation for Qtractor

My Recommendation for Qtractor

Much on board without being overwhelming

Automation lacks flexibility

Audio and Midi

Powerful routing

Wide plugin support

Nice interface

Stable and fast

Quite light

Reaper

My Recommendation for Reaper

My Recommendation for Reaper

Highly affordable

Lacks VSTis

Application is extendable

Midi drum editing not so fast or easy

Native Linux support

Overwhelming amount of features available

Easy to install

Long drop down menus

Constantly updated

Proprietary

Multiple recording and playback formats

May not work with Linux and soundcraft signature 10

Really stable

Poor quality software

Editing audio can be done on track

Many time-saving features

Highly customizable

DRM-free

Runs well on Wine in Linux

Very low cpu usage

Very well documented

Rarely crashes

Portable

Plugin support

Supports unlimited number of tracks with unlimited number of effects

Simplified workflow

Notation editor added recently

Crazy routing abilities

Also useful in live settings

Supports ReWire