Your Recommended Free PC Software

[kieransi]

I didn't see this mentioned so far, Caustic is actually a rather brilliant mobile DAW which is free for Windows. It reminds me a lot of Reason and I've seen it used to create some fantastic sounds.

It lacks a lot of the features that would make it desirable to people who already use more professional DAW software (I don't think the instruments work as plugins), but when I was first starting making music, I used it a lot. It's very intuitive and easy to use.

http://www.singlecellsoftware.com/caustic

[imjustabilly]

Have any of you used Reaper audio? It's paid, but you can 'evaluate' it for free forever it seems. Thinking about using this.

also, has anyone had any experience using any of these free audio tools for recording multi-track podcasts?

[James Perrett]

Lots of us use Reaper - it is very well written, stable and does pretty much everything you'd expect a DAW to do. But it isn't free although the cost is very reasonable for most people.

[R_A]

DMG TrackControl is excellent. I use it on every track in my DAW.

https://dmgaudio.com/products_trackcontrol.php

Fully equipped stereo toolkit
M/S encode and decode
M/S and L/R Panning
Stereo Width control
Channelstrip input controls for Phase and LR Swap
High-pass filter with adjustable frequency and slope

[Guest]

Fully equipped stereo toolkit
M/S encode and decode
M/S and L/R Panning
Stereo Width control
Channelstrip input controls for Phase and LR Swap
High-pass filter with adjustable frequency and slope

Thanks for your share,it is so great.

[shmuelyosef]

Lots of us use Reaper - it is very well written, stable and does pretty much everything you'd expect a DAW to do. But it isn't free although the cost is very reasonable for most people.

I completely agree...I was a Cakewalk user for >20 years (starting with the MIDI sequencer products through SONAR!). Probably spent $2000 over the years updating and adding things. After Gibson bought them and then shut them down, I demoed a number of solutions, and ended up with Reaper. It was better in every way. You can get away with using it for free, but I was so immediately impressed with it's superiority over SONAR (and Pro Tools) that I'm all in and was glad to pay the $60 and support the community. Two years in now and still thrilled...not least is the availability of tutorials (the best of them from KENNY GIOIA)

I would suggest that you go look at a few of the videos before you decide...this educational piece is a great bonus

[shmuelyosef]

Melda has a bunch of useful free plugs, thirty of them at last count!

https://www.meldaproduction.com/effects?kw=free

(If the link doesn't work, can just go to the main site and migrate from there).

Their oscilloscope and spectrometer plugins are amazing if you are into analog synth programming. I have a reaper template that just pulls up my mixer output and opens both of these for sound design. Allows me to set all manner of things accurately (e.g. filter cutoff frequency, pulse with %, sync setting optimization, etc...)

[James Perrett]

Melda has a bunch of useful free plugs, thirty of them at last count!

https://www.meldaproduction.com/effects?kw=free

(If the link doesn't work, can just go to the main site and migrate from there).

Their oscilloscope and spectrometer plugins are amazing if you are into analog synth programming. I have a reaper template that just pulls up my mixer output and opens both of these for sound design.

Reaper has both of these functions already as JS plug-ins. I find them very useful when I can't be bothered to get the oscilloscope out.

[Man Makes Noise]

I'm surprised no mention of Audio Damage's excellent Rough Rider 3: https://www.audiodamage.com/pages/free-downloads

[Martin Walker]

I'm surprised no mention of Audio Damage's excellent Rough Rider 3: https://www.audiodamage.com/pages/free-downloads

Given that I started this thread way back in 2006, I'm also surprised that no-one has mentioned RoughRider in any of its three versions, but rest assured that we've talked about it elsewhere - in fact I mentioned it only a few days ago in this thread:

https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/view ... 30#p726012

Martin

[CS70]

+1 for Roughrider! Been a staple on my kick parallel compression channel for years.

Also a mention to Ample Sound P-bass emulation, the Lite version of which is free.

I just needed something quick and good sounding to reinforce a bass recording a couple days ago and the plug was a life saver, it sounds astonishingly good and made my day. I'm actually thinking of getting the full version just because they're bee so kind to make the Lite version available.

[merlyn]

CHOW Tape Model written by Jatin Chowdhury models several analogue tape machines and is available for Mac, PC and Linux.

https://github.com/jatinchowdhury18/Ana ... tag/v2.7.0

It adds a certain something. The GUI doesn't look like a tape machine, and I like that because the GUI doesn't actually affect the sound. There is an option for oversampling up to 16x. 16x oversampling is heavy on CPU so it's possible to monitor at say 4x oversampling then use 16x for the final render.

[4ryo]

currently loving totape from airwindows:
https://www.airwindows.com/totape5/

[Martin Walker]

Quick comment on the previous two posts - I have both of these tape freebies and like them a lot.

Chow Tape is actually incredibly versatile, and you can use it to create quite a range of really funky 'ancient machine' sounds with crackly and mangled artefacts.

Likewise, Airwindows ToTape is great not only for tape warmth, but also for more radical tape wobble and tangle special FX.

Recommended!

Martin

[manwilde]

CHOW Tape Model written by Jatin Chowdhury models several analogue tape machines and is available for Mac, PC and Linux.

https://github.com/jatinchowdhury18/Ana ... tag/v2.7.0

It adds a certain something. The GUI doesn't look like a tape machine, and I like that because the GUI doesn't actually affect the sound. There is an option for oversampling up to 16x. 16x oversampling is heavy on CPU so it's possible to monitor at say 4x oversampling then use 16x for the final render.

Thanks, I've been using it sparingly in my mixes for the past two months and I'm really liking it.

[Chet Leeway]

Waveform Free - Strong contender for best free DAW

https://www.tracktion.com/products/waveform-free

[Simon Thompson]

I put together a little freeware/donateware/magware system build around Soundbridge. Love Soundbridge.

https://www.simonthompsonmusic.co.uk/20 ... -free.html

[Simon Thompson]

Soundbridge also have a great freeware drum machine instrument called Ritmix. I don't really know of a better free drum machine.

https://www.simonthompsonmusic.co.uk/20 ... itmix.html

soundbridge.io

[sarahedmonds]

Free PC Software:

Hotstepper
Musink Lite
LMMS
Hydrogen
MIDI FISH

VSTs:

Osiris-XT
SIKA Oriental Scale
Stringer
Synth1

[dushmin]

I would recommend HWMonitor if you are using intensive tasks then you should definitely keep an eye on how's your internal component are performing.

[shufflebeat]

Free PC Software:

Musink Lite

I've neglected this thread of late. This looks interesting.

[The Elf]

I should add this (one of the best software steers I've ever been given, courtesy of @noisefleur!):
https://www.avid.com/products/avid-control
https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/view ... id#p810837

[Luke W]

I should add this (one of the best software steers I've ever been given, courtesy of @noisefleur!):
https://www.avid.com/products/avid-control
https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/view ... id#p810837

Seconded (or thirded?)...

I wouldn't want to be without it.

[Martin Walker]

Ooh, Avid Control is a new one on me - thanks for the link you two!

Now to see if it will work with Reaper on my PC, and my iPad Air.