Directory
Audio editing and production gathers tools for recording, mixing, and shaping sound. Entries include digital audio workstations, mixers, synthesis tools, sound effect libraries, and small utilities for pitch, tempo, or mastering. They range from full studios to single-purpose tools, so look at what each one does before you build a workflow around it, since track limits, plugin support, and how it handles latency matter more than a long feature list. Sample packs and presets carry their own licences, so check what you are allowed to use in a release. Some entries are free and some are commercial, with very different support.
WebChucK IDE is a web-based integrated development environment for ChucK, a programming language for real-time sound synthesis and music creation. It is presented as accessible for building, experimenting with and sharing audio synthesis and analysis programs and real-time interactive music. The interface includes a file explorer, find-in-files, code editor, output and shred controls.
Free Adobe SFX helps download, archive, convert, or manage audio and music files from supported sources.
Basic Pitch is an open source audio-to-MIDI converter from Spotify that features pitch bend detection. It works on recordings of almost any single instrument, including voice, and converts audio files into MIDI files that can be edited in a digital audio workstation. It is available as an online demo.
Citizen DJ invites the public to make music using free-to-use audio and video collections from the Library of Congress. Users can explore sounds, remix and combine them with beats in the browser, and download sounds for use in other software. It is a project by Brian Foo as part of the 2020 Innovator in Residence Program.
Mixxx is a GitHub repository or organization with source code, releases, documentation, or project resources.
r/SynthRecipes points to a Reddit community or thread with discussion, updates, troubleshooting, or shared resources.
101soundboards is an audio creation tool for recording, editing, mixing, sound design, or music production.
16-bits.org is the homepage of 8bitbubsy, presenting a ProTracker 2 clone and a Fasttracker II clone along with source codes and other projects. The page also mentions a Discord server for trackers and retro computers called "TARC."
AFreeStudio is a guide to free audio software, covering digital audio workstations and plugins such as preamp emulations, EQ, compressors, saturation, tape, reverb, chorus and delay. It also lists synthesizers, samplers, samples and audio editors. The author notes the list is primarily meant for Mac users.
Airwindows is a digital audio project by Chris offering bespoke plugins. Its VerbSevens release is a calibrated reference reverb plugin available standalone as AU and VST2, and within Airwindows Consolidated under 'Reverb' as CLAP, AU, VST3 and LV2. The page describes reverb design using comb filters and Householder matrices to build echo density.
Amplitude Soundboard is a free, open-source soundboard for Windows, Linux and macOS, built with .Net 6 and Avalonia. It plays audio clips across multiple output or input devices, supports hotkeys, per-clip volume, light and dark themes, and custom tile backgrounds and sizes. Audio formats include AAC, FLAC, MP3, OGG, OPUS and WAV.
Audioalter is a collection of web-based audio tools. Effects include 3D Audio, Auto Panner, Bass Booster, Equalizer, Noise Reducer, Pitch Shifter, Reverb, Reverse Audio, Stereo Panner, Tempo Changer, Trimmer / Cutter, Vocal Remover and Volume Changer. Other tools include a BPM Detector, Converter, Downmixer, Spectrogram Image and Waveform Image, plus presets.
AudioSEX is a professional audio forum with sections covering mixing and mastering, sound design, DJing, genre-specific production, education and studio work. It also hosts boards for software, digital audio workstations, samplers and synthesizers, computer and mobile platforms, and hardware, plus an AI for music section.
Audiotool is a browser-based digital audio workstation described as 100% free with no track or feature caps. It supports modular signal chains, VST3 plugins and real-time collaboration without installation. The page also lists producing and publishing music, remixing, building music apps, playing live with MIDI and recording vocals and instruments. It states there are no ads.
BBC Sound Effects is an audio creation tool for recording, editing, mixing, sound design, or music production.
Beat Battle is an audio or music resource for streaming, discovery, editing, production, or library management.
BeatMachine is an audio or music resource for streaming, discovery, editing, production, or library management.
BeepBox is an online tool for sketching and sharing instrumental music. Notes are placed into patterns, and several rows of patterns can play simultaneously, with the bottom row for drums. It plays notes aloud automatically, and song data is contained in the URL. It is developed by John Nesky.
Bfxr is an audio or music resource for streaming, discovery, editing, production, or library management.
BigSoundBank is a sound effects library offering over 3,500 royalty-free sounds and ambiences in WAV, MP3 and OGG formats, recorded since 2005 and founded by Joseph Sardin. The site provides free sound downloads for commercial and personal projects with no attribution required.
BitMidi is a web service for listening to and downloading MIDI files, with playback in the browser. The site states that it serves 113,229 MIDI files curated by volunteers around the world. Its author describes compiling the timidity library to WebAssembly to provide inline MIDI playback.
blepfx is an audio or music resource for streaming, discovery, editing, production, or library management.
Cardinal is a free and open-source virtual modular synthesizer plugin based on VCV Rack. It is available in AudioUnit, CLAP, LV2, VST2 and VST3 plugin formats and as a standalone app for FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, Windows and the Web. It is self-contained and does not load external modules. It includes 1382 modules from 84 authors and brands.
Draw.Audio is a free online music maker that runs in a browser. Users draw notes on a grid and hear them play back instantly, with the site described as a browser-based synthesizer, sequencer and visual instrument. A guide explains placing notes, adding tracks and pages, shaping sounds and switching between grid sizes.
Details from each project's website. Open a listing for its full overview.
