For a music recording studio, the first results are ardour/ardour (Ardour is a full-featured open-source DAW that natively supports multitrack recording, audio mixing, MIDI sequencing, plugin hosting, and sample-accurate automation, and it runs on all major desktop platforms — exactly the tool for recording and mixing), audacity/audacity and lmms/lmms (LMMS is a digital audio workstation that provides multi-track recording, an audio mixing console, MIDI sequencing, VST plugin hosting, and real-time audio processing — covering all the key features you need for recording and mixing music). tenacityteam/tenacity-legacy and gridsound/daw round out the shortlist. Compare the match explanations and check the project documentation against your requirements.
Open-source software platforms designed for professional multitrack audio recording, MIDI sequencing, and complex sound mixing.
Ardour is a digital audio workstation, multitrack audio mixer, and MIDI sequencer. It functions as a non-linear audio editor and a plugin host for running third-party effects and instruments. The system provides specialized capabilities for post-production audio scoring through video frame synchronization, as well as live performance sequencing for triggering clips and patterns in real-time. It also supports tactile mixing via control surface mapping and hardware controller configuration. The software covers a broad range of audio production needs, including multitrack recording, MIDI sequen
Ardour is a full-featured open-source DAW that natively supports multitrack recording, audio mixing, MIDI sequencing, plugin hosting, and sample-accurate automation, and it runs on all major desktop platforms — exactly the tool for recording and mixing.
Audacity is a cross-platform digital audio workstation and multi-track audio editor. It serves as a comprehensive suite for capturing live audio input, refining sound files through splicing and effects, and mixing multi-track audio files using a non-destructive waveform interface. The project functions as a VST3 plugin host, providing a software environment to load and execute audio effects and virtual instruments for real-time signal processing. It also includes an audio spectrum analyzer for visualizing frequencies and waveforms to identify specific sonic characteristics. The software cove
Audacity is a widely-used open-source digital audio workstation that supports multi-track recording, mixing, audio effects via VST3 hosting, and cross-platform desktop use, making it a solid fit for recording and mixing music even though its MIDI sequencing capabilities are limited compared to more full-featured DAWs.
LMMS is a digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer designed for composing, arranging, and mixing music. It functions as a comprehensive production environment that integrates a MIDI sequencer, a sample-based synthesizer, and an audio mixing console. The project distinguishes itself through a versatile synthesis engine that includes additive synthesis, wavetable generation, and emulations of vintage hardware such as NES audio and FM chips. It also serves as a VST plugin host, allowing for the integration of third-party virtual instruments and audio effects via a standardized interface. Be
LMMS is a digital audio workstation that provides multi-track recording, an audio mixing console, MIDI sequencing, VST plugin hosting, and real-time audio processing — covering all the key features you need for recording and mixing music.
THIS REPO IS NOT MAINTAINED ANYMORE. Please see https://codeberg.org/tenacityteam/tenacity for Tenacity, which is maintained.
Tenacity is a fork of Audacity offering multi-track recording, audio mixing, effects, and real-time processing, but its MIDI sequencing is limited and this repository is no longer maintained, so it fits the DAW category with notable gaps.
This project is a browser-based digital audio workstation that provides a professional-grade environment for composing, arranging, and editing musical tracks. It functions as a complete audio sequencer, enabling users to manipulate digital audio signals and construct complex musical compositions directly within a web browser. The platform distinguishes itself through a cloud-synced architecture that stores musical projects on remote servers, ensuring that creative work remains accessible and synchronized across multiple devices. By leveraging the browser as a primary workspace, it facilitates
GridSound is a browser-based digital audio workstation for recording and mixing audio, fitting the core DAW purpose, though it runs entirely in a web browser rather than as a native desktop application.
This is a real-time noise suppression audio plugin (VST/LV2), not a digital audio workstation — it lacks the multi-track recording, mixing console, and MIDI sequencing capabilities you need for a full DAW.
nih-plug is an audio plugin SDK and development framework providing a set of tools and traits for processing audio and MIDI data in a real-time safe environment. It functions as a cross-format plugin wrapper, allowing a single implementation to be exported into multiple industry-standard audio plugin formats, including VST, CLAP, and LV2. The project includes a retained-mode GUI framework for creating interactive user interfaces and parameter controls for audio processors. It also provides a real-time audio library that utilizes hardware acceleration and asynchronous task management to mainta
nih-plug is a framework for building audio plugins, not a full digital audio workstation for recording and mixing music, so while it is related to audio production, it does not itself provide multi-track recording, a mixing console, or a complete DAW environment.
This project is a system audio processor and digital signal processing engine designed to enhance system-wide sound volume and clarity. It functions as a high-fidelity sound enhancer and parametric audio equalizer that shapes the sonic profile and timbre of audio across all output devices. The software utilizes a virtual audio device driver to intercept system audio streams at the kernel level, redirecting them through a processing pipeline. This allows for real-time sound processing and low-latency audio filtration to minimize the delay between sound generation and output. The system covers
This project is a system-wide audio processor and equalizer, not a multi-track recording and mixing DAW—it lacks the core recording, MIDI sequencing, and mixing console features you're looking for.
Yabridge is a compatibility bridge that allows Windows audio plugins to run within Linux digital audio workstations. It utilizes a Wine-based wrapper to translate audio processing and plugin calls from Windows plugins to Linux hosts, supporting both VST2 and VST3 standards. The system manages the execution of both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows plugins on Linux. It includes specialized mechanisms to handle window scaling, input focus, and the transfer of data through cross-environment drag-and-drop between native Linux applications and Windows plugins. The project provides tools for environment i
Yabridge is a compatibility layer that lets Windows audio plugins run inside Linux DAWs, but it is not a digital audio workstation itself — you still need a separate DAW for recording and mixing, so it does not match the core category.
An audio server, programming language, and IDE for sound synthesis and algorithmic composition.
SuperCollider is a sound synthesis server and programming language for algorithmic composition and live coding, not a digital audio workstation for recording and mixing audio.
cpal is a low-level Rust audio hardware abstraction layer and cross-platform API. It serves as a unified interface for managing audio input and output streams across Windows, macOS, and Linux hardware, acting as a device driver wrapper to discover audio hosts and configure hardware devices. The project functions as a real-time audio streamer, utilizing a high-priority callback system to stream audio samples to hardware devices with minimal latency. The library covers audio hardware integration, including the discovery and configuration of sample rates and channel counts. It supports audio in
cpal is a low-level audio hardware abstraction library for Rust, providing audio input/output streaming and device management, but it lacks the multi-track recording, mixing console, MIDI sequencing, and automation features needed for a digital audio workstation — it is a building block, not a self-contained DAW.
JUCE is a C++ application framework and cross-platform GUI library used to build desktop and mobile applications. It serves as a development framework for creating audio software and plug-ins compatible with VST, AU, AAX, and LV2 standards. The framework includes a build integration system that uses CMake to manage project configurations and generate native IDE project files. This allows a single C++ codebase to be deployed across multiple operating systems.
JUCE is a cross-platform C++ framework for building audio applications and plugins, not a self-contained digital audio workstation for recording and mixing music — it is the toolkit you would use to build a DAW, not a DAW itself.
| Repository | Stars | Language | License | Last push |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ardour/ardour | 5.1K | C++ | NOASSERTION | |
| audacity/audacity | 17.2K | C++ | NOASSERTION | |
| lmms/lmms |
| 10K |
| C++ |
| GPL-2.0 |
| tenacityteam/tenacity-legacy | 6.6K | C++ | NOASSERTION |
| gridsound/daw | 1.8K | JavaScript | AGPL-3.0 |
| werman/noise-suppression-for-voice | 6.3K | C++ | gpl-3.0 |
| robbert-vdh/nih-plug | 2.6K | Rust | isc |
| fxsound2/fxsound-app | 3.6K | C++ | agpl-3.0 |
| robbert-vdh/yabridge | 3.6K | C++ | gpl-3.0 |
| supercollider/supercollider | 6.6K | C++ | GPL-3.0 |