Your Mac has the potential difference to be a knock-down medicine studio apartment for recording and editing , and that ’s just using GarageBand – an app that derive free with your twist . There are plenty of options out there , though , and we ’ve pulled together twelve of the good in this article .
1. GarageBand 10.4
Pros
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Features : While GarageBand ’s nature as a coterie - in may dissuade you from considering it as a professional audio recording rooms , we ’d recommend giving it a try . Not only has Apple ’s free pick grow into an excellent DAW , it ’s got a surprising amount of depth and utility , allowing for up to 256 racetrack .
It also offers a sound subroutine library have a Brobdingnagian variety of software instrument and pre - made packs from the like of Mark Ronson , as well as iOS and iPadOS companion apps that add together to the ways you may create .
simpleness of use : All of Garageband ’s features are readily accessible from the get - go , and you could recover even more if you dig just beneath the surface .
There ’s even a suite of music lessons , both for guitar and piano , and artist lessons that feature the likes of Benjamin Rush and Fall Out Boy that ’ll have you diddle ( and recording ) blockbuster in no fourth dimension .
Mixing , however , remains a sapless blot , with no traditional mixture console view that can make setting levels a little slower than you ’d find in the likes of Logic .
corroborate formats : AIFF , CAF , WAV , AAC ( except protected AAC files ) , Apple Lossless , MIDI and MP3 . 64 - bit .
Supported third - political party plugins : Audio Units .
Supported third - company hardware : Core - Audio machine and MIDI controllers .
annotation feature : Yes .
Read more : GarageBand for iPad & iPhone review
2. Logic Pro
Features : Logic is Apple ’s premier music creation creature , and for good reason . It offers a huge number of pro feature film that you wo n’t find in GarageBand , admit components like Live Loops and a Step Sequencer .
It can hold one thousand tracks per project , too , meaning if your Mac has the memory , the sky really is the terminal point . For those with cinematic aspirations , the move to Apple Silicon has imply that user can make dynamic Spatial Audio mixes within Logic , even on a laptop like the new MacBook Pros .
Whichever Mac you ’re using , you ’ll gain admission to Flex Pitch for tweaking pitch , Smart Tempo for keeping your software musical instrument in lock step with each other , and Sampler can turn your MIDI keyboard into , well , a fully - fledged sampler .
The Step Sequencer is probable the most ‘ sport ’ style to create euphony in Logic , though , letting users turn pre - programme beats and fathom on and off with a click , and the “ old schoolhouse ” Piano Roll functionality is roll into it , too . It ’s a breath of fresh melodic phrase for long - time substance abuser
Ease of consumption : GarageBand and Logic share a very similar , refined layout , so if you care the way the free version works then you ’ll be right at household with its bragging brother . Some of the advanced features are initially enshroud , but it only takes a match of mouse click to get them up and running .
Owners of theMacBook Pro with Touch Barwill find Touch Bar support welcome , bringing the ability to control various prospect of redaction as well as using it to play certain practical instruments , but now that the Touch Bar has efficaciously been quit by Apple it ’s going to be a feature only users of older Mac laptop computer can bask .
The real draw now is Apple Silicon sustenance . If you ’re using a Mac with an M1 chip , you ’ll find performance is slicker than ever before , plus you ’ll have admittance to the Spatial Audio mixing we bring up to begin with . You ’ll also encounter you could delete more before needing to reach a charging point , too .
system of logic is one of the favorable powerhouses around , and you may also use an iPad as an extra control surface via the Logic Remote app . Plus , Apple offers the pick for iPad and iPhone users to upload Logic single file to iCloud and then summate to them when they ’re out and about via the iOS version of GarageBand .
Supported formats : AAF , OMF , Open TL , and XML ( Final Cut Pro ) projects . Plus AIFF , WAV ( BMF ) , CAF , SDII , ReWire , MP3 , MP4 and MIDI yield options .
confirm third - party plugins : Yes , although they need to be 64 - bit .
brook third - party hardware : Core - Audio devices are compatible , as are MIDI control and various restraint surfaces .
Read more : Logic Pro vs GarageBand .
3. Reason 12
feature : It ’s been all modification for Reason users since we last put together this inclination , and the cheaper , more GarageBand - adjacent Reason 11 Intro has been put out to pasture .
In its position stands two purchase options , each targeting different crowds . Reason 12 , the full - fat , more Logic - style DAW builds on the excellent version 11 with a crisper look that ’s ideal for expectant cover , and add the long - carry lotion into the twenty-first century visuals - wise – even in the third - party extensions .
There ’s also a Modern Mimic sampler , while there ’s also a novel Combinator that lets drug user create even more patches than ever before .
The other side of the coin is , as you may expect in 2022 , a subscription servicing visit Reason+ . Not only does the £ 19.99/$19.99 per month service give users unlimited access to Reason 12 , but it ’s also full of extra goodies like new sound libraries .
That can , however , make it experience like you need both to get the full package , depending on what you ’re using it for .
repose of purpose : As with Reason 11 , Reason 12 requires a fair amount of exercise and tweaking . In true statement , you ’ll get a lot more wrong than you do right , at least in the former level but it ’s fun to learn .
Reason also maintains a dedicated community , too , but we ’d advocate investing in a MIDI Controller to get as much functionality out of it as potential .
Supported formats : AIFF , WAV , REX .
fend for third - party plugins : Reason Rack Extensions , VST
Notation : No .
4. Ableton Live 11
Features : Ableton is , in some slipway , two apps in one . It ’s a button - up DAW that records in successiveness , with multiple tracks , but shift it to Session musical mode and it ’s a solo artist ’s ambition .
relaxation of use : ask to make some wild music from Session mode , but it ’ll take time . Timing is everything , and account for remark time lag and the cosmos of Clips in the first seat can think it ’ll be a while before everything becomes second nature .
Once it does though , there ’s nothing quite like it , and it ’s precisely the form of affair that can wow an consultation , or just impress your friends .
stomach formats : WAV , AIFF , MP3 , Ogg Vorbis , FLAC .
Supported third - company plugins : VST2 , VST3 , Audio Units , ReWire .
Supported third - party hardware : Various MIDI controllers , plus a bespoke Ableton control condition surface ( pushing ) that starts at £ 599/$799 bundled with the Intro version .
notational system : No .
5. Audacity
Features : While GarageBand has one of the rich companies in the world indorse it , another free choice is Audacity , which is an open source project built and preserve by volunteer .
At first this might seem like a basic , no frills product , but in fact Audacity is a very capable organisation that can achieve impressive results . Alongside the universal recording and redaction functions that you would wait , there are also the option to register multiple TV channel at once , add crisscross fades , and even overdub an survive track – say for clever vocal harmony or Queen - expressive style multi - octave solo .
advance tools such a noise voiding feature also allow you to sample any background hums and rattles then apply filters to a course . It might not eradicate everything , but its still a large improvement . Another interesting tool is the ability to vary the pitch of a rail without alter the pace ( and vice versa ) , plus a decent amount of built - in effect that can be applied to recording .
Audacity 3.1 , the current major release , lets users resize snip in a non - destructive way so you do n’t have to care about losing the original , and introduces playback looping among other things .
The in style eyepatch , 3.1.3 , meliorate carrying out by up to fifty time the 3.1 version while add extra keyboard cutoff .
Ease of use : Audacity is powerful , but it certainly is n’t pretty . The user user interface is probably the biggest job with the software package . Whereas GarageBand is neat , tidy , and sport a modern design , Audacity feels very much like a program built by engineer . Menus and buttons are more or less colourless , with an initial impression that can be a bit intimidating . Once you get used to the perfunctory nature of it though , things make sense and you’re able to produce complex projects in comparative quilt .
Recent update have introduced navigational advance , refinements to the light and dark motif , plus a built - in LAME mp3 encoder , which all show that the enthusiastic developer substructure is as consecrate as ever .
back up formats : WAV , AIFF , AU , FLAC and Ogg Vorbis . MP3 , AC3 , AAC , and MP4 are also available via free downloadable add - ons .
Supported third - party plugins : LADSPA , Nyquist , VST , and Audio Unit .
Supported third - company hardware : No official list , but many USB machine and microphones are known to work , with a exploiter - create inclination kepthere .
6. PreSonus Studio One 4 Prime
Features : The Studio One chain has work up an impressive reputation as a satisfying , capable , and well thought out DAW . Now in its quaternary major iteration Studio One is available in three tiers : Prime , Artist , and Professional .
Prime is free , and while it does n’t have the full toolset of its more muscular stablemates , it stay on a to the full useable computer software that offers limitless audio tracks , MIDI tracks and FX channels . These are aided by a plethora of effects , loops and samples , alongside the Instrument and Drum editor , plus the recently overhauled Ampire selection of guitar amps , cabs and effects .
The paid interlingual rendition add a great deal of more advanced option and mental object , include the Chord sensing element , and the powerful Sample One XT taste tester . But as an choice to the gratis GarageBand , Studio One Prime is a capital starting point in the PreSonus world .
One drawback of the liberal version is that is does n’t support third - party plugins such as AU , VST2 , VST3 and Rewire , which does limit your choice somewhat .
But if you ’re willing to move up to the pay tiers then you ’ll discover a enormously knock-down and New yield entourage that can match most of the feature article find in its contender .
New features with the late version of Studio One 5 include Project Page Automation to automatise data track and master volume , while also adding the option to supervise through a disjoined output without alter the master output .
PreSonus also offer a monthly rank option call Sphere , which offer straight-out access to the company ’s raiment of fire hydrant - atomic number 49 , add - ons , and Notion annotation software package . It starts at £ 14.11/$14.95 per month – more details here .
Ease of habit : The layout and oecumenical plan of Studio One is modern , clean , and very easy on the center . It bears a passing resemblance to Logic and GarageBand with its darker palette , and shares a number of alike functions . Everything is intended to sour on the one master screen , so no popup window hiding behind each other to confuse , and while this prevent thing mere it does entail that the software system exercise better on larger displays .
Supported formats : A wide range , with MP3 encryption / decrypt now standard on all versions .
Supported third - company plugins : Not on the Prime variant .
support third - party computer hardware : Core Audio compliant audio interfaces , Mackie interface , and MIDI controllers .
Notation feature : No .
7. Reaper 6
Features : Reaper is the linguistically acrobatic acronym of Rapid Environment for Audio Production , Engineering and Recording . With the amount of thought that exit into the name alone you fuck this is go to be something good .
The program itself boasts an extensive tilt of features with which you may create integral albums from scratching . Multi - track transcription for live audio or MIDI , layering takes , deep redaction functions , the ability to imbed FX plug - Immigration and Naturalization Service into trail restraint , time - stretch to lock in parts , and even pitch correction software come included in the damage . Grim Reaper is also very customisable , with various GUI elements being useable for the user to alter with newfangled skin .
easiness of use : The clean layout and customisable nature mean that Reaper can cursorily become a very familiar environment . It is a hugely elaborated computer programme though , so expect to spend more clip exercise thing out than you would with GarageBand , but conversely this also means that you could achieve a great deal more once you ’ve master the environment .
The Reaper meeting place are also well populated by well-disposed and wise users who can help oneself you learn , many of whom also create unexampled plugins for the platform .
Supported formats : Pretty much everything , and even a few we had n’t heard of .
Supported third - company plugins : VST3 , DX , AU , ReWire , JS ( exploiter scriptable plug - Immigration and Naturalization Service ) , and others .
Supported third - party hardware : Reaper ’s creators exact compatibility with “ almost any audio or musical instrument digital interface sound identity card or interface ” .
notational system : Yes .
8. MuLab 9
feature : This output suite is another complete studio apartment that can handle recording , editing and mixing . It come from a good pedigree too , as the graphic designer was responsible for the free CMusic sequencer that used to arrive with written matter of Computer Music Magazine .
Now on its ninth major variation , Mulab ’s tagline of ‘ enjoy make music ’ has never been more applicable . The app has now coalesce both the nub composer and MUX Modular Plugin so you may use Mulab as a standalone synth if you take . It ’s still geared toward relative newcomers , but it ’s still enough powerful thanks to granular redaction restraint .
A free trial allow you to sample the joyfulness of MuLab , but after that you ’ll involve to raise to the full version for £ 61/$78/€69 .
Ease of use : The MuLab port has receive some very conflicting reviews , with many say that the UI is easy to get to hairgrip with due to its introductory layout , and the use of menus and pop up boxes mean that they roll in the hay what ’s happening all the time . The other schooltime of opinion is that things are more cumbersome than they need be for precisely the same reasons . gratefully the test allow you to decide for yourself .
bear format : Not listed .
Supported third - party plugins : VST , ReWire .
Supported third - company computer hardware : Not listed .
9. Cubase Elements 12
Features : Cubase has been a reliable DAW for years , with the weapons platform kick the bucket from strength to metier . While the full Cubase 12 practical software will set you back a few hundred dollars , and the Artist option is a little less , Elements is an ideal starting pointedness that has a good deal to tender .
It offer 192kHz output , 64 musical instrument digital interface tracks , and 48 audio cart track , as well as MixConsole , a Sampler , and enough more . For a freshman it ’s a slap-up option – while you may need to raise to make the most out of the political platform , it ’s nice to hump that Cubase Artist offers a square middle ground that adds additional features but wo n’t cost half a K .
Ease of use : Developer Steinberg still has a wealth of tutorials to help you settle in , but make no error – Cubase is powerful , but even the Elements rendering has a fairly steep determine curve based on the number of options and spark plug - in usable . Once you ’re in , though , you ’ll have plenty of power at your fingertips .
confirm format : WAV , AIFC , AIFF , MP3 , FLAC , Ogg Vorbis , Wave64 .
support third - party plugins : VST , ReWire .
Supported third - company hardware : ASIO , MIDI , and Mackie devices .
10. Ardour
Features : Ardour is an open - source labor that offers a fully featured DAW , allowing recording unlimited tracks , import file cabinet or MIDI , edit features that include crossfade , transpose , quantize , and just about anything you require to put together cool - sound audio .
adaptation 6.7 added accompaniment for Apple ’s M1 computer architecture via nightly anatomy , but these are now standard as of 6.9 .
Ease of usance : If you ’ve used any kind of music yield software package before then Ardour will make you feel right at home plate . For newcomers it ’s no more daunting than any other equal to system , plus the community seems vivacious and helpful if you do run away into any problem .
Supported formats : WAV , AIFF , CAF , BWF , FLAC , Ogg / Vorbis
keep going third - party plugins : AU , VST2 , VST3 , and LV2 .
Supported third - party hardware : Various MIDI controller .
11. FL Studio
feature : FL Studio , formerly hump as Fruity Loops , has been around for years , and that ’s a testament to its ease of access and powerful features . It also offers lifespan upgrades for free , so if you pick it up two decades ago , you ’ll be capable to catch the latest interpretation right now .
It ’s been used by the the like of Afrojack and Martin Garrix , with a focus on build songs quickly with an excellent piano roll . It ’s also got support for a vast number of plugins , although most of them are paywalled behind a pricier bundle .
It ’s also worth noting that while you’re able to buy a variant for around half the price above , this ‘ Fruity ’ edition wo n’t permit you read audio . Instead , it ’s alone a sequenator .
Ease of use : FL Studio 20 , the latest version , comes bundle with a demo rails that you’re able to tinker with and redact to your heart ’s content , and that ’s in particular ready to hand because the wealth of choice can be a piddling morsel intimidating at first .
Once you get the bent of it , FL Studio is really well versed in communicating with any ironware interfaces you may have , piss it well-heeled to immortalise songs or sounds flat into the DAW before taking reward of the huge number of options for manipulating it .
support formats : OMF , Open TL . Plus AIFF , WAV ( BMF ) , CAF , SDII , ReWire , MP3 , MP4 and MIDI output option .
plunk for third - party plugins : Yes , available as part of a bundle .
Supported third - company hardware : MIDI controllers and various control surfaces , as well as almost any audio interface .
12. Avid Pro Tools
feature : Pro Tools developer Avid recently dipped its toes in the ‘ free version kitty ’ but it ’s Pro Tools First was short - lived . Instead , you ’ll now need to plump for the full version , which is now available on a subscription base .
While the more advanced version ( dub ‘ Ultimate ’ ) offer a huge range of pro - focussed feature , the £ 29.99/$29.99 monthly subscription offers over $ 2,000 of free plugins , libraries and more .
It ’s arguably the close you ’ll get to a full , professional studio in your home , with excellent mixing and multi - track recording support . Sadly , that cost is potential to make even the standard reading too pricey for some , although there is a bank discount for students .
Ease of utilisation : While that $ 2,000 bundle of delicacy does include some learning material , Pro Tools is for the most part aimed at experienced studio engineers which means it ’s not the best pick if you ’re new to audio editing .
Supported third - party plugins : Available as part of a membership .
