Finding the best software for recording music is a difficult task due to the overwhelming number of choices. There are over 30 different programs that you could use to record on your computer alone. The options can seem endless. In this guide, I have narrowed down the top six programs to help make your decision a little easier.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could make music without having to learn how to play an instrument? Well, you can. That’s because there are several software tools which make recording music easy. If you want to record your own music the right way, the following list will help you get started.
What Does Music Recording Software Do?
A music recording software helps producers develop clean and professional audio tracks for their video projects and podcasts. The software eliminates the need for investing in expensive hardware that was used for producing quality audio.
Now musicians just need their regular outbound gear and the music recording software for producing professional soundtracks. The following points explain the use of a Music recording software:
1. Record Voices and Live Instruments:
You can use free music recording software to record live voices and instrument sounds. Paired with a good microphone, the sounds can be recorded and edited for further refinement and clarity.
2. Add Audio Effects to Sound Files:
Free music recording software can be used to add audio effects and plugins. This enables you to add and create reverbs, delays, chorus and even autotune.
3. Record Virtual Instruments:
Virtual instruments can also be used to record music in a free music recording software if you don’t have access to real instruments. Most music recording software have built-in virtual instruments for recording sounds digitally.
4. Edit and Mix Audio Tracks:
You can edit and mix audio tracks with a free music recording software for adding to your video projects. For improving the audio quality, you can slice, move and crossfade audio elements before mixing or polishing the audio tracks.
5. Add and Create Audio Loops:
A good music recording software includes a digital library of audio loops that you can add to your music tracks. You can even use the free music recording software for creating your own audio loops.
How to Choose the Right Music Recording Software?
A great music recording software is necessary for producers as they help create, record, edit and export audio. The produced audios can be used by professionals for their video projects of any kind.
There are many music recording software but choosing the right one depends on what kind of audio you want to record. Here are a few key points you should look out for in a music recording software:
1. Audio Plugin Compatibility:
Before selecting the right music recording software, you need to check out the audio plugin compatibility. They can be of two types: native PC and native mac plugins. Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is the most commonly used plugin compatible with mac and PC.
2. Supported Operating System:
Be sure to check out the supported operating systems of your music recording software. It would be better if free music recording software works on both Mac and Windows.
3. Audio Recording Features:
Music recording software comes with numerous features, a sound library, and plugins that can help improve your audio.
4. Pricing and Packages:
Free music recording software also has a premium version for some cost with added features and benefits. Compare the prices with the features of the free software to select the best one.
5. Customer Support:
Music recording software companies offer customer support that helps with your audios. Check the level of support you can expect from the company in case of queries or complaints.
Top 10 Best Free Music Recording Software
Whether you’re looking to record a podcast, a song or any audio, it is essential that you have the right software for music recording:
So, without further ado, let’s get onto the list of top 10 best free music recording software for windows 10:
1. Ableton Live 10
The top music recording software on our recommendation list is Ableton Live 10. It is specially designed to record high-quality audio, compose, arrange, mix and master.
It can be used to record audio, add numerous effects to it and edit the tracks. It is often updated with new features. The current version is Ableton Live 10 with tons of improvements and new features.
Price of Ableton Live 10:
Ableton Live 10 comes with a 30-day free trial, an intro version, a standard version, and a suite version. The intro version costs $99 and has all the essential features. The standard feature comes at a cost of $449 with full features plus extras. While the suite version is the complete integrated studio for just $749. They even offer discounts for students, teachers and institutions which you can check out on their website.
Features of Ableton Live 10:
Some of the amazing features of Ableton Live 10 are:
- Audio-to-MIDI
- MIDI and Key Mapping
- Racks
- Virtual Instruments
- Great Audio Effects
- Note Chasing
- Global automation on/off switch
- Grouping
Supported Audio Formats:
Ableton Live 10 supports .wav, .aiff., .AIFF-C, .FLAC, OGG Vorbis, .mp3 and .mp4, and .m4a.
Supported Platforms:
Ableton Live 10 is available for windows and macOS.
2. Audacity
Audacity is a free music recording software that is great for beginners as it has a ton of effects, high-quality sound, loaded with plugins and many editing features. It is easy to understand and once you get the hang of it, you can record any audio you want.
You can even produce professional studio-quality audio if you have the supporting hardware for recording high-quality audio. The only negative thing about Audacity is that it has a cluttered menu which makes it difficult for beginners to understand.
Price of Audacity:
Audacity is a completely free open-source audio recording software.
Features of Audacity:
Some of the amazing features of Audacity are:
- Tons of built-in effects
- Free download
- Wide range of helpful plugins
- Comprehensive audio editing
- Records high-quality audio
- Easy accessibility
- Spectrogram Analysis
Supported Audio Formats:
Audacity supports mp3, wav, AIFF, au, and ogg.
Supported Platforms:
Audacity is available for Windows, macOS and even Linux.
3. NCH WavePad Audio
NCH WavePad Audio is another free music recording software that has a ton of great features. It doesn’t have a sleek interface like others but it’s easy to install and record music.
WavePad supports many popular audio file types that don’t limit you to edit a limited number of audio files. It is a reliable and effective tool for professionals to edit and record audio tracks for their videos and podcasts.
Price of NCH WavePad Audio:
NCH WavePad Audio comes in a free version with limited features, a Standard edition, and a Master’s edition. The Standard Edition has additional features for $60, while the master’s edition has access to full features for just $99. They even offer discounts, so be sure to check them out.
Features of NCH WavePad Audio:
Some of the amazing features of NCH WavePad Audio are:
- Quick and Precise Sound editing tools
- Tons of Audio effects
- DirectX and Virtual Studio Technology DLL (VST) plugin support
- Batch processing
- Audio restoration features
- Easy to use interface
- Spectral Analysis
Supported Audio Formats:
NCH Wavepad Audio supports vox, gsm, WMA, real audio, au, aif, FLAC, and Ogg.
Supported Platforms:
NCH WavePad Audio is available for Windows, and macOS.
4. Sound Forge Pro 13
If you’re looking for a professional audio recording software with powerful editing features, then Sound Forge Pro 13 is for you. It has tons of plugins, amazing audio editing features and even supports multi-channel recording.
It has an incredible user interface designed for professionals for high-performance audio processing. The new version even has a customizable interface that you can change according to your style and be more productive.
Price of Sound Forge Pro 13:
Sound Forge Pro 13 comes in a 30-day free trial version with limited features. The full version costs $299 for Windows and $249 for macOS. They also offer discounts from time to time so be sure to check them out.
Features of Sound Forge Pro 13:
Some of the amazing features of Sound Forge Pro 13 are:
- Advanced Audio Editing Features
- Powerful Recording workflows
- Timestamp recording
- Waveform overview bar
- Batch Conversion
- Customizable interface
- Hi-Resolution audio support
- One-touch recording
Supported Audio Formats:
Sound Forge Pro 13 supports SWF, Real Media 9, WMA, AVI, AIFF, AIF, and SND.
Supported Platforms:
Sound Forge Pro 13 is available for Windows and macOS.
5. ACID Pro 7 Digital Audio Workstation
Sony Acid Pro 7 is truly a masterpiece. Its powerful, digital audio workstation is considered to be one of the best on the market. It comes with features like multi-track mixing, home recording, legendary audio loops manipulation, and comprehensive MIDI sequencing for super music creation. The interactive tutorials, contained within the package, help you get up and running in no time. These tutorials are a good choice for both beginners and experts.
Some of the major highlights of this software include the MIDI track freeze, the dedicated mixing console, tempo curves, input busses, and great format support. Other than that, ACID Pro 7 also contains around 3000 loops and a huge collection of MIDI files for composing great music seamlessly. Acid Pro 7 is not a resource-hungry software, which means that it can run on almost any average computer.
Read Similar Music Equipment Reviews Here.
It supports every Windows operating system, from Windows Vista onwards. For installation, you only require 500 MB of free hard disk space, and to run the software you need a recommended of 2 GB ram.
Why We Liked It – There are many reasons why we like this particular product. Firstly, the low running requirements, as well as the fact that it can run on any PC, is what makes this product our favorite. Then we have things like perfect MIDI sequencing, a track freeze mixing console, and others that contribute to our liking. This is one of the best DAWs.
6. Steinberg Cubase Elements 10 Music Production Software
The best DAW recording software will be worth every penny, and the Steinberg Cubase definitely is. It gives you options that other DAW recording software – even the best DAWs – don’t. That’s why it’s used by many professional producers. Some of the features that are rated so highly include the easy-to-use ‘Chord Pads’, its intuitive ‘MixConsole’, and ‘Groove Agent SE’, which you can use as a drum machine.
The Steinberg Cubase DAW is split into three main workstations, which are the Groove Agent SE, the HALion SE 3 workstation, and the prologue synthesizer. Although this DAW isn’t the easiest software to use right out of the box, after a little learning, you’ll be able to make the most out of the startling number of features that it offers. You’ll soon have the tools you need, whether you’re in the studio or performing live.
Pros:
+ MixConsole
+ Groove Agent SE
+ HALion SE 3 Workstation
+ Very Versatile
+ Premium, Professional Software
Why We Liked It – THis DAW is the choice of many high-profile, respected producers because of the breadth of options that it offers. It’s a complete DAW recording software that you can do just about anything you’d want, whether you’re just messing about or want to perform live – that’s what makes it one of the best DAWs.
7. PreSonus Studio One 4 Professional Recording Software Suite
Over recent years, producers have increasingly started to use this PreSonus Studio One DAW recording software. The main reason is because of how cutting-edge the design is. Many DAW recording software has been around for decades, and the developers simply build on what they have, rather than give it a radical new design. PreSonus Studio One was designed from scratch so that it could give producers something fresh. And that’s what it does.
The single-window setup means that you can do everything at one time with Studio One, rather than constantly having to open different elements of the workstation. The sound quality is perfectly clear with this DAW, as it can support audio up to 384 kHz. Studio One has got loads of unique sounds, effects, and samples to choose from. It’s a top piece of software that will be well-suited to anyone wanting to try something fresh.
Pros:
+ Fresh Design
+ Pristine Audio
+ 37 Native Effects
+ Two Virtual Instruments
+ Unlimited Tracks
Why We Liked It – Studio One is fresh, original, and is a pleasure to use. It feels like it has been designed to make the producer’s life as easy as possible, which is a big plus, making Studio One one of the best DAWs to go for.
Conclusion
Nowadays it’s the norm to have the tools to record your own music. As a musician or a singer, I’m sure you know that making a track is only a small part of the overall process. What you feel about a track can easily be changed when you hear how it really sounds like. Moreover, recording (both vocals and instruments) is very time consuming and if done improperly, can distort the original sound you were aiming for.