For an open source digital audio workstation, the first results are ardour/ardour (Ardour is a professional-grade digital audio workstation that provides comprehensive multitrack recording, MIDI sequencing, and extensive plugin support, making it a flagship solution for music production and audio engineering), audacity/audacity (Audacity is a cross-platform multi-track audio editor and DAW that supports VST plugin hosting and audio mixing, though it is primarily focused on destructive editing rather than the non-linear MIDI sequencing workflows found in more composition-oriented workstations) and lmms/lmms (LMMS is a comprehensive digital audio workstation that provides robust MIDI sequencing, VST hosting, and mixing capabilities, making it a strong open-source solution for music production despite lacking native multi-track audio recording). stargatedaw/stargate and tenacityteam/tenacity-legacy round out the shortlist. Compare the match explanations and check the project documentation against your requirements.
We curate open-source GitHub repositories matching “open source alternatives to fl studio”. Results are ranked by relevance to your query — pick filters below to narrow, or refine with AI.
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 professional-grade digital audio workstation that provides comprehensive multitrack recording, MIDI sequencing, and extensive plugin support, making it a flagship solution for music production and audio engineering.
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 cross-platform multi-track audio editor and DAW that supports VST plugin hosting and audio mixing, though it is primarily focused on destructive editing rather than the non-linear MIDI sequencing workflows found in more composition-oriented workstations.
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 comprehensive digital audio workstation that provides robust MIDI sequencing, VST hosting, and mixing capabilities, making it a strong open-source solution for music production despite lacking native multi-track audio recording.
Innovation-first digital audio workstation (DAW), instrument and effect plugins, wave editor
Stargate is a digital audio workstation designed for music production and sequencing that includes built-in instruments and a wave editor, fitting the core identity of the requested category.
THIS REPO IS NOT MAINTAINED ANYMORE. Please see https://codeberg.org/tenacityteam/tenacity for Tenacity, which is maintained.
This repository is a legacy fork of an audio editor rather than a professional-grade digital audio workstation, as it lacks the MIDI sequencing and non-linear arrangement capabilities required for music production.
Furnace is a multi-system chiptune tracker and vintage sound chip emulator used for composing and rendering audio. It functions as a music sequencer that mimics legacy hardware, including FM and square wave synthesizers, to create authentic retro sounds. The project distinguishes itself by enabling multi-system chiptune production, allowing users to mix different vintage audio chips and wavetable synthesizers within a single project. It also serves as a module editor compatible with DefleMask project files and provides a headless audio player for streaming modules via a console interface with
Furnace is a specialized chiptune tracker and sound chip emulator rather than a general-purpose digital audio workstation, making it a niche tool for retro composition rather than a platform for professional multi-track recording and mastering.
eqMac is a system-wide audio equalizer and volume mixer for macOS. It utilizes a virtual audio driver to intercept system output, allowing users to adjust frequency response, boost system volume, and control independent volume levels for different running software applications. The project functions as an audio unit plugin host, integrating third-party plugins into the system audio stream for professional effects. It also includes a local web server that enables remote audio control via HTTP, allowing users to modify audio parameters from a mobile device or other external hardware on the same
This is a system-wide audio utility and equalizer for macOS rather than a full-featured digital audio workstation for music production, composition, and multi-track sequencing.
Matchering is an audio mastering tool and Python library designed to match the frequency balance and loudness of a target track to a specific reference track. It functions as a reference-based mastering system that aligns a target signal's spectral envelope, RMS, and peak amplitude with those of a chosen reference file. The project utilizes a multi-stage processing pipeline featuring an FFT spectral matching engine to adjust frequency response. It ensures output quality through the use of a brickwall limiter to prevent signal clipping while preserving the original waveform shape. The tool pr
This is a specialized audio mastering library and CLI tool for spectral matching rather than a full-featured digital audio workstation for composition, sequencing, and multi-track recording.
Scribbletune is a JavaScript music composition library, MIDI file generator, text-based patch diagrammer, and Web Audio API sequencer. It enables the definition of rhythms, chords, and melodies using string-based notation for real-time playback in web browsers. The system transforms simple text notation into SVG visual representations of modular synthesizer signal paths. It also converts programmatically composed musical clips and patterns into standard MIDI files for use in external digital audio workstations. Composition capabilities include a character-based rhythmic notation system for p
This is a JavaScript library for algorithmic music composition and MIDI generation rather than a full-featured digital audio workstation for multi-track recording and mixing.
BespokeSynth is a modular synthesizer environment that combines a node-based audio graph routing system with a live scripting bridge, enabling real-time patching and control without recompilation. Its architecture integrates a granular synthesis engine, FFT-based spectral processing, a MIDI Polyphonic Expression pipeline, and a Euclidean rhythm generator, all within a freeform workspace designed for live experimentation. The project distinguishes itself through its live coding capabilities, allowing Python scripts to create, modify, and control synthesis parameters at runtime, and its plugin
This is a modular synthesizer and live-coding environment designed for sound design and experimental performance rather than a traditional multi-track digital audio workstation for recording and arranging full musical compositions.
NAudio is a .NET audio library that provides playback, recording, format conversion, and signal processing capabilities for Windows applications. It serves as an audio format converter between common formats like WAV, MP3, AAC, and AIFF using ACM or Media Foundation codecs, and functions as an audio playback and recording API through Windows audio APIs including WaveOut, DirectSound, ASIO, and WASAPI. The library includes an audio stream processor that can mix, trim, loop, fade, resample, and adjust pitch or channel count of audio streams with a floating-point engine. It also provides an audi
This is a .NET audio processing library used to build audio applications, rather than a complete, user-facing digital audio workstation for music production and sequencing.
Pydub is a Python audio manipulation library and digital audio processor used for editing, slicing, and converting audio files and segments. It serves as a programmatic wrapper for FFmpeg to import and export a wide variety of audio formats. The library functions as an audio signal generator capable of creating synthetic waveforms, such as sine waves and white noise. It also provides tools for digital signal processing, including the application of filters, fades, crossfades, and gain adjustments to sound signals. Its broader capabilities cover programmatic audio editing through concatenatio
This is a programmatic audio manipulation library for developers rather than a full-featured digital audio workstation with a graphical interface for music production and sequencing.
| 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 |
| stargatedaw/stargate | 852 | Python | GPL-3.0 |
| tenacityteam/tenacity-legacy | 6.6K | C++ | NOASSERTION |
| tildearrow/furnace | 3.7K | C++ | NOASSERTION |
| bitgapp/eqmac | 6.7K | Swift | Apache-2.0 |
| sergree/matchering | 2.6K | Python | GPL-3.0 |
| scribbletune/scribbletune | 3.8K | TypeScript | MIT |
| bespokesynth/bespokesynth | 4.5K | C++ | gpl-3.0 |