Hey guys, in this video we’re going to go over the 5 best Free music recording programs
for the home recording studio, that work on Windows.
We’ll go through each program and talk about all their features and limitations, and tell
you which program you should get depending on how you’ll be using it.
If you want more information on how to use them, we’re also creating tutorials for
most of these programs, so subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss them.
The first program on our list is the most basic audio and music recording software,
and that’s Audacity.
This program can record up to a stereo track at once, but it does not record MIDI or use
virtual instruments.
It’s also difficult to do any sort of mixing besides just panning and adjusting levels,
and it lacks proper automation controls like the other programs have.
The main problem with Audacity is the plugins and effects need to be applied to the track
to hear the changes.
This isn’t a program that adjusts the sound in real-time like most music recording software.
These may sound like major limitations for this program, but multitrack recording and
editing has never been the point of Audacity.
Audacity was designed as a way to record a single audio source at once, and apply some
basic effects to that track such as noise reduction and volume changes, and equalization.
Beyond that, other programs are available instead.
These basic features make Audacity great for someone who needs a quick way to record audio,
such as a musician trying to record some rough ideas for a new song quickly, or a band performance
with just a single stereo microphone setup in the room.
Our second free music recording program for windows is Pro Tools First.
This is a stripped down version of the popular music recording software Pro Tools.
It contains a lot of the features of the full version, but with some very substantial limitations.
The biggest problem with Pro Tools First is that it only allows the projects to be saved
on the cloud instead of on the system, and they limit the number of projects saved to
only 3 at once.
This means that with the demo version, there’s no way to save more than 3 projects, and you
would need to upgrade to the full version for that feature.
However, Pro Tools First has a lot of features, such as multitrack recording and editing,
and some very powerful MIDI tools using the XPand!2 virtual instrument, which contains
a lot of different synth sounds.
There’s also a lot of built in plugins that make it great for mixing, and very easy to
use automation tools.
We recommend Pro Tools First for the user who’s not sure if Pro Tools is the right
choice for them, and is thinking about learning the program before they upgrade.
However, we DO NOT recommend Pro Tools First as a primary music recording program due to
its limitations, since there are a lot better options available.
In third place, we have SoundBridge.
Once again, this is a full digital audio workstation, but unlike the other programs that we’ve
looked at so far, this software doesn’t come with limitations.
SoundBridge allows for multitrack recording on unlimited tracks, real-time plugin processing,
and MIDI capabilities.
The built-in plugins are fairly limited for what they can do, but it’s possible to add
additional plugins to this program.
The program doesn’t include any virtual MIDI instruments, but will support many of
the plugins available online.
There is a piano roll view for drawing out MIDI notes, or you can record MIDI with a
MIDI controller, but the piano roll was a little more difficult to use than some of
the other programs that are available.
I’ve also noticed a few other problems, such as not having a jump to start button,
and difficult to use automation tools.
Although some of these features weren’t that easy to use, there were functional and
SoundBridge is a very capable music production program for those that learn to use it.
Compared to other programs, SoundBridge is designed to be touchscreen friendly, making
it the perfect choice for someone that needs to record audio on a touchscreen device or
a tablet.
The next plugin we’ll cover is Tracktion 7.
This is a full digital audio workstation that does multitrack recording, MIDI recording
and editing, mixing with built in and 3rd party plugins, and a variety of other things.
Tracktion 7 was previously a paid only program, but now it’s completely free to use.
The design of Tracktion 7 is a little different than many of the other programs you may be
used to.
It’s based on a single screen design, meaning there doesn’t have to be any popup windows
to access any of the controls.
This gives Tracktion a little bit of a learning curve, and you may struggle when starting
with the program, which is why we’ve created a tutorial series on how to use it.
After you’ve found all the controls, the program is very simple to use.
It basically works with the middle section in the bottom of the window changing to whatever
we have actively selected, whether it’s a track channel, audio plugin, or audio clip,
and this section provides us with additional controls to make changes.
With this program, we’ll get unlimited track recording and automation controls.
We recommend Tracktion 7 for the musician who wants a basic and easy to use program
to record audio and MIDI so they can work on their own music, without having to learn
an overly complicated program.
Number 1 on our list is the best music software money can’t buy, and that’s Cakewalk by
BandLab.
Like many other programs, Cakewalk is capable of recording multiple tracks at once, depending
on your audio interface, and the software itself can have unlimited audio tracks, as
long as your computer is powerful enough to manage them.
The audio clips can be edited very easily, and the effects can be tweaked and monitored
in real-time.
Cakewalk has a variety of built-in effects for adjusting your sound like most programs
do.
There’s also a bonus section in the mixer called the ProChannel, which provides a bunch
of high end channel strips you can use across your entire project.
The best part about Cakewalk compared to some of the other programs is the MIDI capability.
This is the first program on this list so far that I’ve felt comfortable using the
piano roll to edit MIDI.
The other awesome feature is the Studio Instruments plugins that are included.
Cakewalk comes with a bass guitar, drums, keyboard and string section for free as well,
and they can all be controlled from a MIDI track.
After all the tracks are recorded, Cakewalk also has easy to use controls for automation
that can control basically any parameter, whether it’s on a track, an audio plugin,
or a virtual instrument.
These can also be controlled and recorded from a MIDI controller, such as the Akai MPD218
that was used in the tutorial series for this program.
As far as free music software goes, there’s not much that can beat Cakewalk.
We recommend this program for someone looking for the absolute best music software with
the most capabilities for free.
This is the advanced user that will spend the time learning their software and requires
a lot of professional features.
If you want to learn more about how to use this program, check out our tutorial series
on the channel for more information.
Thanks for checking out this video on free music software for Windows.
We hope this video helps you find the best software that’s right for your needs.
If it helped you make a decision, let us know in the comments below, and leave a like on
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