Weeny Free Audio Recorder is a free audio recording software. It can record audio from various sources on your computer such as microphone, line-in device, sound card, CD player etc. You can record any audio including music being played in any media player, VOIP conversations, and sounds from games etc. Recording Studio is the perfect way to create great sounding music productions. With this free version you can record up to 4 tracks (32 tracks with the Pro version) by choosing between audio recordings or by using the instruments Grand Piano, Drums, Classical Guitar.
Are you looking for the best free multitrack recording software for Mac/Windows? Actually, there are many free multitrack recording tools for you to make use of. Whether you want to edit or record your own compositions or just desire to start your own podcasts, you can take advantage of the free multitrack audio recorder to make it. This guidance will introduce some of them and take one for instance to teach you the steps to record one multitrack audio. You will also learn the solution to add music tags to the recordings in this tutorial.
Part 1: Top 5 Best Free Multitrack Recording Software for Mac/Windows
The free multitrack recording software reviews can reflect the quality of the tool directly. Different multitrack recording tools have diverse features. You can compare them one by one, but this will take you much time. In order to save you time, you can read this part to get rid of this issue perfectly. Here I would like to recommend you the top 5 best free multitrack music recording software for your computer. Each tool is convenient for you to make use. Before your downloading and installing, you need to pay attention to the system that the multitrack recording software can be applied to.
1. Garageband
This free multitrack recording software is released in 2004, which is one popular DAW. Its smooth and intuitive features attract lots of users to make it to apply its high-quality virtual instruments. You can see the soundwaves of the tracks in the interface of this great software.
System Compatibility: Mac
2. Audacity
Audacity, as great free Mac multitrack recording software, can record the source coming from a microphone, through the line-in jack, or live streaming audio. The clean interface makes users record files easily. Its simplicity facilitates the recording process, which is quite proper for beginners to apply. You can also add the effects you desire to the recorded files via this program conveniently.
System Compatibility: Windows, Mac OS, Linux
3. Ardour
Ardour is also considered as wonderful free multitrack recording software Mac/Windows/ Linux, and the highly versatile multi-track recording features enable it to win the favors of numerous users all over the world. It has no built-in effects or instruments, which only depends on the installation of third-party program. This feature is not so pleasant for users to make use of.
System Compatibility: Windows, MacOS, Linux
4. Avid Pro Tools First
Avid Pro Tools First is perfect in recording audios, which allows users to store projects in the cloud. Its functions are various, which can meet different demands of users. You should know that the cloud space for you to store recordings is limited. If you have numerous files to store, you'd better choose other multitrack recording tools to assist you.
System Compatibility: Windows, MacOS
5. MultitrackStudio
When you decide to download multitrack recording software free, MultitrackStudio will be a good choice for you. It can be applied for any musical genre. The user interface of it is simple and original. The operation of this tool is quite simple.
System Compatibility: Windows, MacOS, iPad platforms
The top 5 best free multitrack recording software for PC/Mac/Linux can assist you to record multitrack audio without any difficulty. You can choose one of programs listed above to have a try.
Part 2: How to Record Multitrack Audio via MultitrackStudio
After you read the brief introductions on the top 5 free multitrack recording software for Mac/PC/ Linux, you can continue to check out this part to see how to record multitrack audio with MultitrackStudio. The following steps will show you how to make it with clear illustrations.
1. Download MultitrackStudio software and install it on your computer. Run it on PC and then hit on the button of 'Add Track'. In the drop-down menu, you need to hit on the option of 'Audio Track'.
2. In the pane that shows up, you need to name the track and then set the channels to 'Stereo' and the type to 'MP3' or 'WAV' in case you need. Repeat this procedure to add two or more tracks into the main interface. Hit on the 'OK' button to confirm your settings in this panel.
3. After that, you need to tap on 'Studio' tab and then choose the option of 'Devices' to tap on in the drag-down menu. In the next interface, set a proper driver for the recording process. For instance, you can choose the VistaSound as the driverset.
4. Hit on 'Properties' button to set the 'Audio In Device' item. Afterwards, you can click on the 'OK' button twice to move back to the main interface. Then you need to switch the tracks in the interface to the record mode by clicking on the 'Rec' button at the right side of each track.
5. When the tracks are in the recording mode, you can hit on the red play button in the upper right corner of the screen to begin to record the tracks you have added.
6. You can click on the 'EDIT' button at the right side of every track to edit the tracks according to your demands. When the recording is over, the output file will be saved in the default directory of the software for you to view.
This free multitrack recording software for PC/Mac and iPad platforms can assist you to record better multitrack audios. However, you should know that the free version of it is the MultitrackStudio Lite. You can try it on your computer at ease.
Extension: How to Add Music Tags to the Recordings Automatically
Apart from using the best free multitrack recording software for Windows/Mac/Linux to record the multitrack audio you desire, you can also choose Leawo Music Recorder to get the recording you desire. Leawo Music Recorder is one versatile sound editing program, which can add music tags to recording automatically. If the tags have not been detected automatically, you can also edit tags manually via this tool. Now the following contents will tell you how to record audio and add tags with this software.
Leawo Music Recorder
☉ Record from 1000+ music sites like YouTube, Facebook, etc.
☉ Schedule music recording via recording task scheduler.
☉ Automatically/manually add tags: artist, album, etc.
☉ Save recordings to either WAV or MP3 format.
Step 1: Set Output Format
Run Leawo Music Recorder on your computer and then hit on the small microphone icon at the bottom left of the interface to call out the settings panel. Select the 'Format' to click on. Thus, you can set the exported format as MP3 or WAV. If you would like to get higher sound quality, you'd better select WAV as the recording format. Moreover, you can adjust the detailed parameters of the recorded file, including the audio codec, bit rate and sample rate as you need. Remember to hit on 'OK' button to continue.
Step 2: Set Output Directory
After that, you can navigate to the menu of 'General' to select one target folder for the recorded audio file on your computer by clicking on the folder icon. Besides, language setting is also available in this pane. For instance, you can choose 'English' as the target language.
Step 3: Select Audio Source
Hit on the menu of 'Audio Source' on the settings panel to choose 'Record Computer Audio' or 'Record Audio Input' according to your demand. For recoding computer audio stream or online music, you need to tick 'Record Computer Audio'. If you choose 'Record Audio Input', you will be able to record Mic or other built-in input audio stream.
Step 4: Start to Record
Hit on the red recording button in the main interface to begin to record the audio, and you need to playback the audio file in succession. When the recording comes to an end, you need to hit on the recording button once again to terminate the process.
Step 5: Adjust Audio Tags
Leawo Music Recorder can download and add music tags for the recorded audio automatically. You can also edit the tags manually, like the title, artist, year, genre, etc. by navigating to the 'Media' menu to right click on the recorded file and select 'Edit Music Tags'. In the end, you can click on 'OK' button to confirm your settings in this panel.
As one comprehensive music recorder and editor, Leawo Music Recorder enables users to compress music file, edit music tags and trim the audios effectively. After the recording, you can enjoy the music files with detailed info on computer freely. You can also add the recorded files to iTunes library with one click through this program directly.
Having discussed so much on the best free multitrack recording software for computer and the method to record multitrack audio, you can download one to your computer to have a try. When it comes to adding tags to the recorded files, you can make use of Leawo Recorder to help you easily.
Download Your Free Guide: Top 10 Audio Recording Programs That Don't Suck Right Here.
If you're a serious musician, podcaster, or budding audio engineer, you care about the quality of your recordings–or you should. And that's why the audio recording programs you use matter.
However, I'd like to add that it's not the software that makes the music. It's your skills as an audio engineer.
To illustrate, I'd like to tell you a story of an interesting email thread a while back. This guy was looking for a home studio, and he was asking around for where to go.
An acquaintance of mine chimed in with his answer, with some details about studios and such but there was one comment that infuriated me:
'You might want to have someone who's recording onto protools. (sic)'
Ugh…
Now, I know that not all musicians are engineers so I should let that slide. And this person is a great musician, but he's a little off in what makes up a great studio.
The thing that bothers me is that software companies are so good at brainwashing the public into believing that their software is crucial to the makings of a good record. Gnu web design software.
It REALLY isn't.
It doesn't matter whether you use Pro-Tools, Nuendo, Cubase, Sonar Producer, Logic Pro, Digital Performer, GarageBand, Live, or any of the other software that's for sale out there.
It's the least important thing in the grand scheme of:
'hey I want to know how to record my songs or have someone do it for me….what should I buy first?'
The software isn't going to tell you what sounds good. It's not a robot that knows how to engineer a great guitar sound. It can't tell you if you're overcompressing your drums or flooding your vocals with reverb. This is something that the engineer needs to know. This is the skill of the engineer, regardless of what software he's using.
Pro-Tools is not going to make your music sound any better.
Ask yourself:
If you install [insert preferred software here] onto your computer, is it going to make the acoustics in your room any better?
No.
Is it going to make the sound of your pre-amps any better?
No.
Will it walk out of the computer, look at your monitors and say, 'Gee, maybe you should space those monitors a little further apart for better imaging.'
No, it's not some mega nerdy Cylon engineer.
It'll just do what you tell it to do. And if you feed it garbage it will give you trash.
Skills Make Sounds – Not Software
So think more about what skills you need to record a great sound than the software that 'they' tell you that you desperately need to get.
Yes, you need software. But any software is great if you, or the engineer you hire, is excellent at using it. I use Logic. Do I recommend Logic to everybody. Not really.
My philosophy is that any software that you're comfortable using is the best software for your situation. The skills and knowledge of engineering are infinitely more important than any audio recording software that's out there.
Now that we've got that rant out of the way let's talk about what software solutions you have available, both free and paid.
A quick search on Amazon will show you a lot of different options that will give you decision anxiety, so we've compiled a list for you to reduce your hyperventilating so that you can go back to what you set out to do before, make music.
71 Free Shortcuts to Easy Separation and Balance in Your Mixes
If you've been struggling to hear all the instruments in a mix, my EQ cheatsheet will help you out.
- Learn to clean up your low-end, reduce bleed in your drums and eliminate annoying resonant frequencies from your recordings.
- Get rid of muddiness in your low-mids, tame the harshness in your mix, and get rid of your boxy sounding drums.
- Learn where to add presence to your vocals, brilliance to your acoustic guitars, thickness to your keyboards or weight to your bass. These tips are broken down by instrument and help you fix your frequency problems with simple solutions that you can use right away.
Top 5 Free Audio Recording Programs
Most run-of-the-mill, audio recording apps that come pre-installed on your computer just won't cut it (with the possible exception of GarageBand for Macs, a reasonably high-quality recorder for simple projects), and you also may not be willing or able to spend an arm and a leg for professional grade software.
However, you're in luck. There are some great free tools that actually don't suck and can produce the kind of quality recording that will make anybody who listens to your works of art — or wit if you're a podcaster — it up and take note of what you have to offer.
Here are some of the very best, completely free recording tools that will help bring your sounds to life.
1. Audacity
Available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
Audacity is the go-to open-source audio recording application, and as long as your goals aren't overly ambitious, it puts an enormous amount of power in your hands. It can record just about anything you throw at it, whether it's from a microphone, through the line-in jack, or live streaming audio (if supported by your sound card), all in a lightweight and clean interface. Many recording enthusiasts, especially podcasters, appreciate Audacity's uncomplicated user experience and ease of use.
Audacity supports recording in sample rates from 44.1 to an excessive 192 kHz, which sets the stage for studio-caliber and even ultrasonic recordings if you have the hardware to handle it. Also included is support for 32-bit floating point, providing ample headroom for your recorded signal.
It comes with effects such as an equalizer with helpful presets, pitch, speed and tempo controls, delay, reverb, compressor, fade in/out, and a noise remover. You can expand this palette thanks to Audacity's generous support of VST, LADSPA, Nyquist and Audio Unit plugins.
Audacity's strength is its simplicity. While you can make it do multi-track recording if you're so inclined, it will never gain centerpiece status in a true recording studio. However, it is beginner-friendly, easy to use for quick edits you need to make on the fly (whether that means filtering out unwanted noise, boosting vocals or other frequencies through equalization, or just cutting and pasting), and extremely well-suited for hobbyist and podcast recording applications.
2. Garageband
Available for Mac OS only
Garageband comes free with any Mac computer and is pretty legit for most recording needs.
Although it can't do major processing like its big brother Logic, it's more than able to do any multi-track recording and minor mixing work.
Highly recommend for the bedroom recordist that's just starting out and needs a simple solution to lay down some demos.
3. Traverso
Available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
Traverso, another fully featured DAW that's sure to meet common recording needs, is all about convenience.
This program eschews a traditional 'menu' structure in favor of innovative keyboard and mouse shortcuts, which brings a crisp immediacy to recording tasks. There's no doubt about it–there will be a bit of a learning curve–but the developers claim to have integrated input and execution so seamlessly that you practically learn how to do things as you go along. Furthermore, users have an array of options that make recording demo CDs a snap. You can create tables of contents and burn discs without ever leaving Traverso.
Other features that dovetail nicely with the 'stay out of the way' philosophy behind Traverso include non-destructive editing, or the ability to use plugins and make edits without changing the actual sample, and lockless real-time audio processing, which reduces latency and streamlines performance. Traverso's commitment to intuitive recording and mastering controls makes the program stand out among its similarly free counterparts.
4. Ardour DAW
Available for Mac OS and Linux
Ardour is yet another great free DAW: one that is taking aim at cream-of-the-crop professional software and is promising for real studios with low budgets.
It features non-destructive editing, 32-bit float, supports unlimited tracks, and has extremely flexible routing capabilities. With support for LADSPA, LV2, and VST plugins, you'll be able to make your favorite customizations without a hassle. Synchronization with video is supported, and full handling of MIDI recording, playback and editing are expected with the highly-anticipated release of the third edition of Ardour.
The thing that sets Ardour apart from the rest of the pack is what's under the hood. It runs on JACK, an underlying sound server that facilitates low-latency audio recording and communication among various programs. Although Ardour itself only runs on Mac OS and Linux at present, a Windows port has been conceptualized, and efforts towards building one are in full swing as of June 2012, and JACK is already a true cross-platform utility that runs on the aforementioned systems as well as Windows. JACK is excellent at handling MIDI so that Ardour will take full advantage of that upon the release of the third edition.
Ardour is complex and certainly not for newbies. Some have complained about the potentially confusing graphical user interface (GUI), which is quite inaccessible to someone who's never seen or seriously worked with a DAW before. But if you're an audio engineer of any level of experience and strapped for cash, you may find that Ardour fits the bill for your projects quite nicely.
5. Jokosher
Available for Windows and Linux
Jokosher is billed as the 'musician's DAW' and the Linux alternative to GarageBand, the standard, pre-installed, easy-to-use workstation for Macs. Free video editing software for macbook pro. Here, you won't find advanced editing and mastering tools by the names that most engineers know: it's a program that speaks in a music maker's language.
While not as heavyweight as its counterparts, Jokosher takes a lot of the guesswork out of the recording process for people who are new to it. All of the basic, expected editing tools are at the user's disposal. Startup is fast, easy and straightforward. Tracks are called 'instruments,' and you can set them up based on the type of instrument you intend to record. If it's an acoustic guitar for example, simply select 'Acoustic Guitar,' and the track will be clearly labeled as such with a cute picture to boot, providing an excellent visual layout of instruments used in the mix.
Jokosher supports LADSPA plugins only, and as of June 2012 it's still in its early development stages. But for musicians and podcasters who want to record simple products and get a first taste of manipulating tracks in a DAW, this simple program is hard to beat.
Alternative to Pro-Tools That Won't Break the Bank
Free Audio Recording Software For Windows 10
Most of the big pro studios are using Avid Pro Tools to make all the records going to the radio these days, but it's slowly losing its status as an industry standard due to the quality of its competitors. There are plenty of lower-cost DAWs and a wealth of free and inexpensive plug-ins that bring professional studio sound right to your computer.
Even though Pro Tools is the premier name in the industry, there is really no special voodoo under the hood. It is simply a graphical user interface that lets you move some bits (and thus sounds) around inside your computer. There is no difference in the way Pro Tools sounds and the way any of its competitors sound, period.
So you can comfortably make a foray into saving money by purchasing one of the many alternatives to Pro Tools –none of which will cause even your fans to hear a difference.
Free Audio Recording Software Windows 7
1. Steinberg Cubase
There is the perennially popular Steinberg Cubase, which is perhaps the granddaddy of them all so to speak. The German-engineered application is perhaps the Mercedes-Benz of DAWs, offering pioneering technology and reliable performance.
And if you need a guide to Cubase, my buddy Chris Selim over at Mixdown Online has just the training you need. (affiliate link)
2. Logic Pro X
Apple has two DAWs in its stable: Garageband, a veritable staple discussed before, and Logic Pro. In both cases, the quality of these programs is very high and both will work with a wide assortment of audio hardware. How to update safari browser on macbook pro.
3. Cockos Reaper
Perhaps the best-kept secret in the world of DAWs is Reaper. Reaper is a heads-on contender for any other DAW on the list, including Pro Tools. The best part is that Reaper is not only among the best, it is also one of the least expensive, coming in at only $60 for the discounted license. All the features are there: real-time recording and editing, unlimited track count, VST and DX plug-in support, and more.
4. Studio One
Presonus's Studio One is a great option as well. It contains everything you need to produce music and seems very intuitive and easy to use.
In fact, it's probably the only DAW that might make me switch from Logic. A lot of my producer and engineer friends use it, and they swear by it, citing its ease of use, sound quality, and simplicity with production.
There is nothing wrong with using Pro Tools, of course. But if you can't afford to shell out the big dollars for the industry's biggest name, you still get the great results with the above applications.
Audio Recording Programs for Any Situation
All of the above are solid apps with unique feature sets and strengths, dedicated fan bases, and active support and development teams. The free DAWs don't have the advanced functionality of much more expensive, industry-standard solutions, but depending on your needs I'm sure you'll find something that works for you.
Try them out and decide which combination of user experience and specific features works best for you.
Happy recording!
Parts of this post were contributed by Daniel Kimbrel and Jessica Josh. If you would like to submit a guest post, check out the guidelines here.
Daniel is a movie buff and freelance writer. He contributes to a number of music sites online. Jessica Josh is an Australian freelance writer and blogger. Since 2007 she has been writing about weddings, fashion, and music.
Image by: Shawn Econo
