Schism Tracker
Schism Tracker Project
Schism Tracker continues the keyboard-driven tracker approach associated with Impulse Tracker.
View details →THE AUDIO MAGAZINE / RESOURCES
Open source – Free Music Software & Plug-ins
Find permanently free recording tools, instruments, effects and audio utilities for desktop, mobile and the browser. Each listing explains its purpose, compatibility and important free-edition restrictions, with links to the official source.
These are researched directory entries, not hands-on reviews. Optional purchases, account requirements and limited editions are identified on product pages. Format availability can differ by operating system.
188 listings
seq24
Seq24 Project
seq24 is a minimal loop-oriented MIDI sequencer designed around patterns that can be triggered and arranged.
View details →Seq66
Seq66 Project
Seq66 is a pattern-based MIDI sequencer developed from the seq24 family.
View details →sfizz
sfizz Contributors
sfizz is an open-source SFZ instrument engine and plug-in.
View details →Shutter Encoder
Paul Pacifico
Shutter Encoder is a graphical media-conversion tool with audio-related extraction and encoding workflows.
View details →signal
Ryohey Sasaki
signal is a browser-based MIDI editor with a piano-roll workflow.
View details →SmartAmp
GuitarML
SmartAmp is an open-source amplifier-modeling plug-in associated with machine-learning-based capture techniques.
View details →Sonic Annotator
Centre for Digital Music / Sonic Visualiser
Sonic Annotator runs Vamp audio-analysis plug-ins over files in a repeatable batch workflow.
View details →Sonic Lineup
Sonic Lineup Project
Sonic Lineup helps compare multiple recordings of the same music by aligning them for listening and inspection.
View details →Sonic Pi
Sonic Pi
Sonic Pi turns code into playable musical patterns using synthesizers, samples and timed events.
View details →Sonic Visualiser
Sonic Visualiser Project
Sonic Visualiser is designed for studying recordings through waveforms, spectrograms and analysis layers.
View details →SonoBus
SonoBus Contributors
SonoBus shares live audio between participants over a network, with controls for connection and audio-quality tradeoffs.
View details →SoX
SoX Contributors
SoX is a command-line audio utility for conversion and signal processing.
View details →SPARTA
Aalto University Acoustics Lab
SPARTA is a collection of spatial-audio plug-ins based on research-oriented signal-processing tools.
View details →Spek
Spek Project
Spek displays an audio file as a spectrogram, showing how frequency content changes over time.
View details →Strudel
Strudel Contributors
Strudel is a browser-based live-coding environment for making music through patterns.
View details →SuperCollider
SuperCollider Community
SuperCollider is a programming environment for audio synthesis and algorithmic composition.
View details →Surge XT
Surge Synth Team
Surge XT is a hybrid synthesizer with multiple oscillator models, extensive modulation and integrated effects.
View details →Surge XT Effects
Surge Synth Team
Surge XT Effects makes the project's effect algorithms available for processing other audio.
View details →synthv1
rncbc / Rui Nuno Capela
synthv1 is a polyphonic subtractive synthesizer designed for Linux music systems.
View details →SysEx Librarian
Snoize
SysEx Librarian stores and sends MIDI System Exclusive data on macOS.
View details →Tape Echo 2
Dusk Audio
Tape Echo 2 models a three-head tape-delay system with a spring-reverb path.
View details →Tenacity
Tenacity Team
Tenacity is an open-source audio editor derived from the Audacity codebase with its own development direction.
View details →TidalCycles
TidalCycles Contributors
TidalCycles is a live-coding environment for describing musical patterns as text.
View details →Availability, licensing and system requirements can change. Verification refers to official documentation and download availability, not installation or hands-on testing. Check the developer's current terms before installing.