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{{Short description|none}}
This '''list of free software for audio''' lists notable [[free and open source software]] for use by sound engineers, audio producers, and those involved in sound recording and reproduction.
{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}
This '''comparison of free software for audio''' lists notable [[free and open source software]] for use by sound engineers, audio producers, and those involved in sound recording and reproduction.


==Audio analysis==
==Audio analysis==
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! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! Note
! Note
! Licence
! License
|-
|-


Line 21: Line 23:
|
|
|
|
| Dual channel FFT tool for [[equalization (audio)|equalization]] of sound systems using the transfer function.
| ''Dual channel FFT tool for [[equalization (audio)|equalization]] of sound systems using the transfer function.''
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-
! [[Praat]]
! [[Praat]]
Line 31: Line 33:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| A program for the analysis of speech in phonetics.
| A program for the analysis of speech in phonetics.
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-


Line 41: Line 43:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-
! [[WaveSurfer]]
! [[WaveSurfer]]
Line 50: Line 52:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|[[BSD]]-like
| [[Permissive free software licence|Permissive free software]]
|}
|}


Line 60: Line 62:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
Line 67: Line 69:
|-
|-
! [[FFmpeg]]
! [[FFmpeg]]
|[[Fabrice Bellard]]
| Libav team
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
Line 73: Line 75:
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
| Audio & video.
| Audio & video.
| [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]], [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]] or [[LGPL]]
|-
|-
! [[fre:ac]]
! [[fre:ac]]
Line 79: Line 81:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| formerly BonkEnc
| formerly BonkEnc
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-
! [[Libav]]
! [[Libav]]
|Libav team
|[[Fabrice Bellard]]
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
Line 91: Line 93:
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
| Audio & video.
| Audio & video.
| [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]], [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]] or [[LGPL]]
|-
|-


Line 101: Line 103:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Audio & video.
| Audio & video.
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-
|}
|}


==DJ Software==
==DJ software==
{{See also| Category:Audio mixing software }}
{{See also| Category:Audio mixing software }}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; font-size: smaller; text-align: center;"
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; font-size: smaller; text-align: center;"
Line 112: Line 114:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
Line 126: Line 128:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-


Line 136: Line 138:
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-only]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-
|}

== Distributions and other platforms ==
Various projects have formed to integrate the existing free software audio packages.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; font-size: smaller; text-align: center;"
|- style="background: #ececec"
! style="width:12em" | Name
! Creator
! Description
! Note
! License
|-
! [[AVLinux]]
|
| [[Linux distribution]]
|
| various
|-

! [[dyne:bolic]]
|
| [[Linux distribution]]
|
| various
|-
! [[Musix GNU+Linux]]
|
| [[Linux distribution]]
|
| various
|-
! [[Planet CCRMA]]
|
| set of packages (in [[RPM Package Manager|RPM]] format)
|
|
|-
! [[Ubuntu Studio]]
|
| [[Linux distribution]]
|
| various
|}
|}


Line 146: Line 191:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! Note
! Note
! License
! License
|-
! [[aRts]]
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-
! [[Integra Live]]
! [[Integra Live]]
Line 168: Line 204:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-
! [[Libvisual]]
! Libvisual
|
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
Line 177: Line 213:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
| [[LGPL]]
|-
|-
! [[SynFactory]]
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
| [[GPL]]
|-

! [[VisualAp]]
! [[VisualAp]]
|
|
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| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GPL]]
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL]]
|-
|-
|}
|}


==Platforms==
== Notation ==

Various projects have formed to integrate the existing free software audio packages.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; font-size: smaller; text-align: center;"
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; font-size: smaller; text-align: center;"
|- style="background: #ececec"
|- style="background: #ececec"
! style="width:12em" | Name
! style="width:12em" | Name
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! Description
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! Note
! Note
! License
! License
|-
|-
! [[64 Studio]]
! [[LilyPond]]
| Han-Wen Nienhuys and Jan Nieuwenhuizen
|
| {{yes}}
| [[Linux distribution]]
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
| a [[music engraving]] program
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[AVLinux]]
! [[MuseScore]]
| Werner Schweer
|
| {{yes}}
| [[Linux distribution]]
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}} Various BSDs<ref>{{Cite web|title=Download|url=https://musescore.org/en/download|access-date=2021-10-05|website=MuseScore.org|language=en}}</ref>
| various
| {{yes}}
|-
| a [[WYSIWYG]] [[scorewriter]] with midi playback and audio export

| v4: [[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-only]]<br>v0-3: [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-only]]<br>with [[GPL font exception|font exception]], [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] (mobile app and online service)
! [[dyne:bolic]]
|
| [[Linux distribution]]
|
| various
|-
! [[Musix GNU+Linux]]
|
| [[Linux distribution]]
|
| various
|-
! [[Planet CCRMA]]
|
| set of packages (in [[RPM Package Manager|RPM]] format)
|
|
|-
! [[Ubuntu Studio]]
|
| [[Linux distribution]]
|
| various
|-
|-
! [[Impro-Visor]]
| Bob Keller
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[lead sheet]] notation, jazz improvisation, auto-accompaniment
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|}
|}


== Players ==
== Players ==
{{See also|Comparison of audio player software}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: left"

|+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: left; width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; font-size: smaller; text-align: center;"
! Logo !! Component !! GUI !! Programming<br />language !! Database !! Description
! Name
! GUI
! Programming language
! Database
! [[Linux]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! Notes
! License
|-
|-
| [[File:Amarok.svg|32px|Amarok]]
! '''[[Amarok (software)|Amarok]]'''
| '''[[Amarok (software)|Amarok]]'''
| [[Qt (software)|Qt]]
| Qt
| [[C++]]
| [[C++]]
| [[MySQL]]
| [[MySQL]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| {{maybe|Unstable}}
| Inactive since 2018
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! '''aTunes'''
| [[File:Logo aTunes.png|32px|aTunes]]
| [[Swing (Java)|Swing]]
| '''[[aTunes]]'''
| [[Java (programming language)|Java]]
| [[Java (programming language)|Java]]
|
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|
|-
|-
! '''[[Audacious (software)|Audacious]]'''
| [[File:Aqualung logo (drop).svg|32px|Aqualung]]
| '''[[Aqualung (software)|Aqualung]]'''
| [[GTK]] / [[Qt (software)|Qt]]
| GTK+
| [[C (programming language)|C]]
| [[C (programming language)|C]]
|
| no database
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| [[File:Audacious-2.4-logo.svg|32px|Audacious]]
| '''[[Audacious (software)|Audacious]]'''
| GTK+
| [[C (programming language)|C]]
| no database
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
| [[BSD 2-Clause]]
|-
|-
| [[File:Music-player-banshee.svg|32px|Banshee]]
! '''[[Banshee (media player)|Banshee]]'''
| [[GTK+]]
| '''[[Banshee (media player)|Banshee]]'''
| GTK+
| [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]
| [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]
| [[SQLite]]
| [[SQLite]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| {{yes}}
| Inactive since 2014
| [[MIT License|MIT]]
|-
|-
! '''[[Clementine (software)|Clementine]]'''
|
| '''[[Beep Media Player]]'''
| [[Qt (software)|Qt]]
| GTK+
| [[C (programming language)|C]]
| no database
|
|-
| [[File:Clementine logo.svg|32px|Clementine]]
| '''[[Clementine (software)|Clementine]]'''
| Qt
| [[C++]]
| [[C++]]
| [[SQLite3]]
| [[SQLite3]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| {{yes}}
| Inactive since 2016
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! '''[[DeaDBeeF]]'''
| [[File:Exailelogo many.svg|32px|Exaile]]
| '''[[Exaile]]'''
| [[GTK+]]
| [[C (programming language)|C]], [[C++]], [[Objective-C]], [[Assembly language|Assembly]]
| GTK+
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| [[GPLv2]], [[zlib license|zlib]]
|-
! '''[[Exaile]]'''
| [[GTK]]
| [[Python (programming language)|Python]]
| [[Python (programming language)|Python]]
| [[Pickle (Python)|Pickle]]
| [[Pickle (Python)|Pickle]]
| {{yes}}
| Linux / Windows / OS X
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
| [[File:Guayadeque logo a.svg|32px|Guayadeque]]
! '''[[Guayadeque Music Player|Guayadeque]]'''
| '''[[Guayadeque Music Player|Guayadeque]]'''
| [[wxWidgets]]
| [[wxWidgets]]
| [[C++]], [[C (programming language)|C]]
| [[C++]], [[C (programming language)|C]]
| [[wxSQLite3]]
| [[SQLite3]]
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
| Development ceased as of {{date|2023-09-29|mdy}}
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! '''[[JuK]]'''
| [[File:Juk-icon.png|32px|Juk]]
| '''[[JuK]]'''
| [[Qt (software)|Qt]]
| Qt
| [[C++]]
| [[C++]]
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[KDE|Linux (KDE)]]
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
| [[File:Miro icon.png|32px|Miro]]
! '''[[Miro (software)|Miro]]'''
| [[WebKit]] in [[GTK]]/[[Cocoa (API)|Cocoa]]
| '''[[Miro (software)|Miro]]'''
| [[WebKit]] in GTK+/[[Cocoa (API)|Cocoa]]
| [[Python (programming language)|Python]]
| [[Python (programming language)|Python]]
| ?
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| {{yes}}
| Discontinued in 2013
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! '''[[Muine]]'''
|
| '''[[Muine]]'''
| [[GTK Sharp|GTK#]]
| [[Mono (software)|Mono]]
| [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]
| [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]
|
| no database
| {{yes}}
| can use [[GStreamer]] and [[xine]]
|
|
|
| Can use [[GStreamer]] and [[xine]]
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
| [[File:Nightingale-logo.png|32px|Nightingale]]
! '''[[Nightingale (software)|Nightingale]]'''
| '''[[Nightingale (software)|Nightingale]]'''
| [[XULRunner]]
| [[XULRunner]]
| [[C++]]
| [[C++]]
| [[SQLite]]?
| [[SQLite]]?
| {{yes}}
| fork of Songbird, with [[Linux]] support
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
| Fork of Songbird; inactive since 2014
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL v2]], [[Mozilla Public License|MPL]], [[BSD License|BSD]]
|-
|-
| [[File:Quodlibet logo.svg|32px|Quod Libet]]
! '''[[Quod Libet (software)|Quod Libet]]'''
| [[GTK]]
| '''[[Quod Libet (software)|Quod Libet]]'''
| GTK+
| [[Python (programming language)|Python]]
| [[Python (programming language)|Python]]
| [[Pickle (Python)|Pickle]]
| [[Pickle (Python)|Pickle]]
| {{yes}}
| Linux / Windows / OS X.
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
| [[File:qmmp logo.svg|32px|qmmp]]
! '''[[qmmp]]'''
| '''[[qmmp]]'''
| [[Qt (software)|Qt]]
| Qt
| [[C++]]
| [[C++]]
| no database
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
| [[File:RhythmboxLogo.png|32px|Rhythmbox]]
! '''[[Rhythmbox]]'''
| '''[[Rhythmbox]]'''
| [[GTK]]
| GTK+
| [[C (programming language)|C]]
| [[C (programming language)|C]]
|
|
| {{yes}}
| not [[GNU Data Access]]
|
| {{yes}}
|
| Not [[GNU Data Access]]
| [[GNU General Public License version 2|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! '''[[Sayonara Player]]'''
| [[File:Songbird Logo 2.0.0.png|32px|Songbird]]
| '''[[Songbird (software)|Songbird]]'''
| [[Qt (software)|Qt]]
| [[C++]]
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
|-
! '''[[Songbird (software)|Songbird]]'''
| [[XULRunner]]
| [[XULRunner]]
| [[C++]]
| [[C++]]
| [[SQLite]]?
| [[SQLite]]?
| {{Unofficial}}
| support for [[Linux]] was dropped
| {{yes}}
| {{Unofficial}}
| {{yes}}
| Abandoned, final release on {{date|2013-02-04|mdy}}
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL v2]] with exceptions, [[Android (operating system)|Android]] client closed source
|-
|-
| [[File:Tomahawk_music_player.png|32px|Tomahawk]]
! '''[[Tomahawk (software)|Tomahawk]]'''
| '''[[Tomahawk (software)|Tomahawk]]'''
| [[Qt (software)|Qt]]
| Qt
| [[C++]]
| [[C++]]
| [[SQLite]]
| [[SQLite]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| {{yes}}
| Abandoned, final release on {{date|2015-04-15|mdy}}
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! '''[[XMMS]]'''
|
| '''[[XMMS]]'''
| [[GTK+]]
| GTK+
| [[C++]]
| [[C++]]
| no database
|
|
| {{yes}}
|-
|
| '''[[XMMS2]]'''
|
| [[C (programming language)|C]]
| [[SQLite]]
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
| Discontinued in 2007
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|}
|}


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! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
Line 419: Line 513:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
| [[LGPL]]
|-
|-
! [[ChucK]]
! [[ChucK]]
Line 428: Line 522:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]] (Mac, Linux, Windows versions)
| [[GPL]]
[[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] (iOS version)
|-
|-
! [[Nyquist (programming language)|Nyquist]]
! [[Nyquist (programming language)|Nyquist]]
Line 446: Line 541:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[BSD licenses|BSD-3-Clause]]
| BSD-like
|-
![[Sonic Pi]]
|Sam Aaron
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{dunno}}
| {{yes}}
|
|MIIT
|-
|-
! [[SuperCollider]]
! [[SuperCollider]]
Line 455: Line 559:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
![[TidalCycles]]
|[[Alex McLean]] et al
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
|}
|}


Line 467: Line 580:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! Note
! Note
!License
|-
|-
! [[Airtime]]
! [[Airtime (software)]]
| [[Sourcefabric]]
| [[Sourcefabric]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{dunno}}
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Successor to Campcaster<br />
| Successor to Campcaster<br />
| From 2.5.2: [[GNU Affero General Public License|AGPL-3.0-only]]<br>1.6 to 2.5.1: [[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-only]]
|-
|-
! [[Campcaster]]
! [[Campcaster]]
Line 484: Line 599:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{dunno}}
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[OpenBroadcaster]]
! [[OpenBroadcaster]]
Line 492: Line 608:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|
|[[GNU Affero General Public License|AGPL-3.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[SDRangel]]
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
|}
|}


Line 507: Line 632:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! GUI toolkit
! Note
! Note
! License
|-
|-
! [[Ardour (audio processor)|Ardour]]
! [[Ardour (software)|Ardour]]
| [[Paul Davis (programmer)|Paul Davis]]
| [[Paul Davis (programmer)|Paul Davis]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| GTK+
| multi-track audio recorder
| multi-track audio recorder and editor
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[Audacity (audio editor)|Audacity]]
! [[Audacity (audio editor)|Audacity]]
Line 526: Line 655:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| wxWidgets
| multi-track audio recorder
| multi-track audio recorder and editor
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]], [[Creative Commons license|CC BY 3.0]] (documentation)
|-
|-
![[Ecasound]]
![[Ecasound]]
Line 534: Line 665:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}} limited support through [[Cygwin]]
| {{yes}} limited support through [[Cygwin]]
| command line
|audio recorder
|audio recorder
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
![[Gnome Wave Cleaner]]
![[Gnome Wave Cleaner]]
Line 542: Line 675:
|
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| GTK+
|audio editor
|audio editor
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[Jokosher]]
! [[Jokosher]]
Line 550: Line 685:
|
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| GTK+
| multi-track audio editor
|
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-only]] with exception
|-
|-
![[LMMS]]
![[LMMS]]
Line 558: Line 695:
|
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Qt
| Free cross-platform alternative to commercial programs like FL Studio®, which allow you to produce music with your computer.<br />
Intended as a replacement for [[Cubase]]-like software ([[Digital Audio Workstation|DAW]])
| multi-track audio editor intended as a replacement for [[Cubase]]-like software ([[Digital audio workstation|DAW]])
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
![[MusE]]
![[MusE]]
Line 567: Line 705:
|
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Qt
|[[Musical Instrument Digital Interface|MIDI]] sequencer
|[[Musical Instrument Digital Interface|MIDI]] sequencer
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
![[Qtractor]]
![[Qtractor]]
Line 575: Line 715:
|
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Qt
|A non-destructive multi-track audio and MIDI Workstation ([[Digital Audio Workstation|DAW]])
|A non-destructive multi-track audio and MIDI Workstation ([[Digital audio workstation|DAW]])
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
![[Rosegarden]]
![[Rosegarden]]
| Chris Cannam
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Qt
|MIDI sequencer and multi-track recorder
|MIDI sequencer and multi-track recorder
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
![[SoX]]
![[SoX]]
Line 591: Line 735:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|command-line multi-track audio editor/processor
| command-line
|multi-track audio editor/processor
|[[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]],
[[GNU General Public License#Version 2|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[Sweep (software)|Sweep]]
! [[Sweep (software)|Sweep]]
Line 599: Line 746:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|
|
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[Traverso DAW]]
! [[Traverso DAW]]
Line 607: Line 756:
|
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| multi-track audio recorder and editor
| multi-track audio recorder and editor
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL]]
|-
|-
! [[WaveSurfer]]
! [[WaveSurfer]]
Line 615: Line 766:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Tk
|
|
|[[BSD]]-like
|-
|-
! [[Stargate DAW]]
| Stargate DAW
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| multi-track audio recorder and MIDI Workstation ([[Digital audio workstation|DAW]])
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
|}
|}


Line 626: Line 788:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
Line 639: Line 801:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[SoundFont]] player / renderer
| [[SoundFont]] player/renderer
| [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
| [[LGPL]]
|-
|-


Line 650: Line 812:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-


Line 657: Line 819:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}} Various BSDs
|
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Forked from ZynAddSubFX in 2009
| Forked from ZynAddSubFX in 2009
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
| [[GPL]]
|-
|-


! [[ZynAddSubFX]]
! [[ZynAddSubFX]]
| Paul Nasca
| Paul Nasca
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
| [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-

! [[WildMIDI]]
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| ?
| OS X version is limited
| [[GPL]]
| ?
| ?
| Some alternative to TiMidity
| Player: [[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]<br />Library: [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-3.0-or-later]]
|-
|-

|}
|}


Line 682: Line 855:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! Note
! Note
!License
|-
|-
![[Firefly Media Server]]
![[Firefly Media Server]]
Line 694: Line 868:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|streams music to [[Digital Audio Access Protocol|DAAP]] clients like [[iTunes]] and [[Rhythmbox]]
|streams music to [[Digital Audio Access Protocol|DAAP]] clients like [[iTunes]] and [[Rhythmbox]]
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[Icecast]]
! [[Icecast]]
Line 702: Line 877:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|a broadcast server, serves audio signals to clients over the [[HTTP]] protocol
|a broadcast server, serves audio signals to clients over the [[HTTP]] protocol
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-only]]
|-
|-
![[PeerCast]]
! [[VLC media player]]
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|a [[peercasting]] tool
|-
! [[VideoLAN]]
|
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
Line 718: Line 886:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| media and server programs for video and audio streaming
| media and server programs for video and audio streaming
| VLC: [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]<br />libVLC: [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
|-
|-
|}
|}
Line 727: Line 896:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! Note
! Note
!License
|-
|-
! [[Advanced Linux Sound Architecture]] (ALSA)
! [[Advanced Linux Sound Architecture]] (ALSA)
Line 739: Line 909:
|
|
| the [[sound card]] driver and management system in the [[Linux kernel]]
| the [[sound card]] driver and management system in the [[Linux kernel]]
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]<br />[[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
|-
! [[aRts]]
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
| an audio programming API and [[sound server]] for general desktop, no longer in development
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL]]
|-
|-
! [[Disposable Soft Synth Interface|DSSI]]
! [[Disposable Soft Synth Interface|DSSI]]
Line 747: Line 927:
|
|
| a plugin architecture for [[software synthesizer]]s
| a plugin architecture for [[software synthesizer]]s
|[[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[GStreamer]]
! [[GStreamer]]
Line 755: Line 936:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| a graph-based multimedia framework
| a graph-based multimedia framework
|[[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[JACK Audio Connection Kit]] (JACK)
! [[JACK Audio Connection Kit]] (JACK)
Line 762: Line 944:
|
|
| {{yes}} (jackdmp)
| {{yes}} (jackdmp)
| a [[sound server]] for integration of general and low-latency pro audio applications, including timebase transport
| a [[sound server]] for integration of general and low-latency pro audio applications, including [[timebase]] transport
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]<br />[[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[LADSPA|Linux Audio Developers Simple Plugin API]] (LADSPA)
! [[LADSPA|Linux Audio Developers Simple Plugin API]] (LADSPA)
Line 771: Line 954:
|
|
| a plugin architecture for [[digital signal processor|digital signal processing]]
| a plugin architecture for [[digital signal processor|digital signal processing]]
|[[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[Open Sound System]]
! [[Open Sound System]]
Line 779: Line 963:
|
|
| a [[sound card]] management and driver system for [[Unix]] [[operating systems]]
| a [[sound card]] management and driver system for [[Unix]] [[operating systems]]
|[[BSD License|BSD-2-Clause]]<br />[[Common Development and Distribution License|CDDL-1.0]]<br />[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-only]]<br />[[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] (formerly)
|-
![[PipeWire]]
|Wim Taymans
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}} (FreeBSD)
|
| a media daemon, unifying [[JACK Audio Connection Kit]], [[PulseAudio]], and [[GStreamer]]
|[[MIT License]]
|-
![[PortAudio]] & [[PortMidi]]
|Ross Bencina
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|a cross-platform, open-source C language library for real-time audio & midi I/O
|[[MIT License]]
|-
|-
! [[PulseAudio]]
! [[PulseAudio]]
Line 784: Line 987:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}(Solaris, FreeBSD, NetBSD)
| {{yes}} (Solaris, FreeBSD, NetBSD)
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| a [[sound server]] for general desktop and multihost LAN applications
| a [[sound server]] for general desktop and multihost LAN applications
|[[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
|-
! [[sndio]]
|
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}} (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD)
| {{no}}
| [[sound server|sound]] and [[MIDI]] server
|[[ISC license|ISC]]
|}
|}


==[[Tracker (music software)|Trackers]]==
==Trackers==
These music sequencer programs allow users to arrange notes (pitch-shifted sound samples) on a timeline: see [[tracker (music software)]].
These music sequencer programs allow users to arrange notes (pitch-shifted sound samples) on a timeline: see [[tracker (music software)]].
Line 797: Line 1,010:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! Note
! Note
!License
|-
|-
! [[MilkyTracker]]
! [[MilkyTracker]]
Line 808: Line 1,022:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Also runs on various other platforms including but not limited to [[Windows Mobile]], [[PlayStation]] and [[AmigaOS 4]].
| Also runs on various other platforms including [[Windows Mobile]], [[PlayStation]] and [[AmigaOS 4]].
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]<br />MilkyPlay: [[BSD licenses|BSD-3-Clause]]
|-
|-
! [[OpenMPT]]
! [[OpenMPT]]
Line 816: Line 1,031:
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| released as free software in 2004
| Released as free software in 2004
|[[BSD licenses|BSD-3-Clause]] (since OpenMPT 1.17.02.53) / [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]], partly [[Public domain software|public domain]]
|-
|-
! [[SoundTracker (Unix)|SoundTracker]]
! [[Psycle]]
|
|
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| [[Fast Tracker]] clone
| {{no}}
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
! [[SunVox]]
| Alexander Zolotov
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| a tracker combined with modular capabilities
|-
! [[SoundTracker (Unix)|SoundTracker]]
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Also runs on [[Windows CE]].
|[[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] (Music Creation Studio)<br />[[BSD licenses|BSD-3-Clause]] (Engine)
|-
! [[Noise Station]]
| Mark Sheeky
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| {{no}}
|[[Creative_Commons_license|CC BY-SA 4.0]]
| [[Fast Tracker]] clone
|}
|}


Line 841: Line 1,068:
! Creator
! Creator
! [[Linux]]?
! [[Linux]]?
! [[OS X]]?
! [[macOS]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Unix]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]?
! Note
! Note
!License
|-
|-
! [[Gnaural]]
! [[Gnaural]]
Line 853: Line 1,081:
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| [[Binaural beats|Binaural beat]] and pink noise generator
| [[Binaural beats|Binaural beat]] and pink noise generator
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
! [[GNU LilyPond]]
| Han-Wen Nienhuys and Jan Nieuwenhuizen
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| a [[music engraving]] program
|-
! [[MuseScore]]
| Werner Schweer
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
| a [[WYSIWYG]] [[scorewriter]] with midi playback and audio export
|-
|-
! [[Hydrogen (software)|Hydrogen]]
! [[Hydrogen (software)|Hydrogen]]
Line 877: Line 1,090:
| {{partial}}
| {{partial}}
| an advanced drum machine
| an advanced drum machine
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[Impro-Visor]]
! [[libsndfile]]
|
| Bob Keller
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| library for reading and writing many sound formats
| [[lead sheet]] notation, jazz improvisation, auto-accompaniment
|[[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.1-or-later]]
|-
|-
! [[Levelator]]
! [[EasyEffects]]
| Wellington Wallace
| The Conversations Network
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Effects processing for applications using [[PipeWire]] [[sound server]]
| {{yes}}
|[[GNU General Public License|GPL-3.0-or-later]]
| Tool that uses a compressor, normalizer and limiter to normalize volume levels in audio recordings of public talks.
|-
! [[libsndfile]]
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| library for reading and writing many sound formats
|-
|-
|}
|}


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Free software}}
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[ABC notation]]
* [[ABC notation]]
* [[Comparison of 3D computer graphics software]]
* [[Comparison of computer-aided design software]]
* [[List of 3D animation software]]
* [[List of 3D modeling software]]
* [[List of 3D rendering software]]
* [[List of free and open-source software packages]]
* [[List of Linux audio software]]
* [[List of Linux audio software]]
* [[List of video editing software]]

==References==
{{reflist}}


{{Media player (application software)|free}}
{{Media player (application software)|free}}

Latest revision as of 10:37, 30 August 2024

This comparison of free software for audio lists notable free and open source software for use by sound engineers, audio producers, and those involved in sound recording and reproduction.

Audio analysis

[edit]
See also: Spectrum analyzer
Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
BRP-PACU Yes Yes Dual channel FFT tool for equalization of sound systems using the transfer function. GPL-2.0-or-later
Praat Paul Boersma and David Weenink of the University of Amsterdam Yes Yes Yes A program for the analysis of speech in phonetics. GPL-2.0-or-later
Sonic Visualiser Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary, University of London Yes Yes Yes GPL-2.0-or-later
WaveSurfer Yes Yes Yes BSD-like

Converters

[edit]
See also: List of audio conversion software
Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
FFmpeg Fabrice Bellard Yes Yes Yes Yes Audio & video. LGPL-2.1-or-later, GPL-2.0-or-later
fre:ac Robert Kausch Yes Yes Yes Yes formerly BonkEnc GPL-2.0-or-later
Libav Libav team Yes Yes Yes Yes Audio & video. LGPL-2.1-or-later, GPL-2.0-or-later
MPlayer Yes Yes Yes Yes Audio & video. GPL-2.0-or-later

DJ software

[edit]
See also: Category:Audio mixing software
Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
Mixxx Mixxx Development Team Yes Yes Yes Yes GPL-2.0-or-later
Xwax Mark Hills Yes No No No GPL-2.0-only

Distributions and other platforms

[edit]

Various projects have formed to integrate the existing free software audio packages.

Name Creator Description Note License
AVLinux Linux distribution various
dyne:bolic Linux distribution various
Musix GNU+Linux Linux distribution various
Planet CCRMA set of packages (in RPM format)
Ubuntu Studio Linux distribution various

Modular systems

[edit]
Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
Integra Live Birmingham Conservatoire No Yes No Yes GPL-2.0-or-later
Libvisual Yes Yes Yes Yes LGPL-2.1-or-later
VisualAp Yes Yes Yes GPL

Notation

[edit]
Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
LilyPond Han-Wen Nienhuys and Jan Nieuwenhuizen Yes Yes Yes Yes a music engraving program GPL-3.0-or-later
MuseScore Werner Schweer Yes Yes Yes Various BSDs[1] Yes a WYSIWYG scorewriter with midi playback and audio export v4: GPL-3.0-only
v0-3: GPL-2.0-only
with font exception, Proprietary (mobile app and online service)
Impro-Visor Bob Keller Yes Yes Yes Yes lead sheet notation, jazz improvisation, auto-accompaniment GPL-2.0-or-later

Players

[edit]
See also: Comparison of audio player software
Name GUI Programming language Database Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Notes License
Amarok Qt C++ MySQL Yes Yes Unstable Inactive since 2018 GPL-2.0-or-later
aTunes Swing Java Yes Yes Yes Yes GPL-2.0-or-later
Audacious GTK / Qt C Yes Yes BSD 2-Clause
Banshee GTK+ C# SQLite Yes Yes Yes Inactive since 2014 MIT
Clementine Qt C++ SQLite3 Yes Yes Yes Inactive since 2016 GPL-3.0-or-later
DeaDBeeF GTK+ C, C++, Objective-C, Assembly Yes Yes Yes GPLv2, zlib
Exaile GTK Python Pickle Yes Yes Yes GPL-2.0-or-later
Guayadeque wxWidgets C++, C SQLite3 Yes Development ceased as of September 29, 2023 GPL-3.0-or-later
JuK Qt C++ Yes Yes Yes Linux (KDE) GPL-2.0-or-later
Miro WebKit in GTK/Cocoa Python Yes Yes Yes Discontinued in 2013 GPL-2.0-or-later
Muine GTK# C# Yes Can use GStreamer and xine GPL-2.0-or-later
Nightingale XULRunner C++ SQLite? Yes Yes Yes Fork of Songbird; inactive since 2014 GPL v2, MPL, BSD
Quod Libet GTK Python Pickle Yes Yes Yes GPL-2.0-or-later
qmmp Qt C++ Yes Yes Yes GPL-2.0-or-later
Rhythmbox GTK C Yes Yes Not GNU Data Access GPL-2.0-or-later
Sayonara Player Qt C++ Yes Yes GPL-3.0-or-later
Songbird XULRunner C++ SQLite? Unofficial Yes Unofficial Yes Abandoned, final release on February 4, 2013 GPL v2 with exceptions, Android client closed source
Tomahawk Qt C++ SQLite Yes Yes Yes Abandoned, final release on April 15, 2015 GPL-3.0-or-later
XMMS GTK+ C++ Yes Yes Discontinued in 2007 GPL-2.0-or-later

Programming languages

[edit]

Many computer music programming languages are implemented in free software. See also the comparison of audio synthesis environments.

Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
Csound Csound community, Barry Vercoe Yes Yes No? Yes LGPL-2.1-or-later
ChucK Ge Wang, Perry Cook Yes Yes No? Yes GPL-2.0-or-later (Mac, Linux, Windows versions)

Proprietary (iOS version)

Nyquist Computer Music Project at Carnegie Mellon University, Roger B. Dannenberg Yes Yes Yes Yes
Pure Data Pd Community, Miller Puckette Yes Yes Yes Yes BSD-3-Clause
Sonic Pi Sam Aaron Yes Yes ? Yes MIIT
SuperCollider SuperCollider community, James McCartney Yes Yes Yes? Yes GPL-3.0-or-later
TidalCycles Alex McLean et al Yes Yes Yes Yes GPL-3.0-or-later

Radio broadcasting

[edit]

See also streaming below.

Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
Airtime (software) Sourcefabric Yes No ? No Successor to Campcaster
 From 2.5.2: AGPL-3.0-only
1.6 to 2.5.1: GPL-3.0-only
Campcaster Sourcefabric Yes No ? No GPL-2.0-or-later
OpenBroadcaster OpenBroadcaster Yes No Yes No AGPL-3.0-or-later
SDRangel Yes Yes Yes Yes GPL-3.0-or-later

Recording and editing

[edit]

The following packages are digital audio editors.

Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? GUI toolkit Note License
Ardour Paul Davis Yes Yes Yes Yes GTK+ multi-track audio recorder and editor GPL-2.0-or-later
Audacity Dominic Mazzoni Yes Yes Yes Yes wxWidgets multi-track audio recorder and editor GPL-2.0-or-later, CC BY 3.0 (documentation)
Ecasound Yes Yes Yes Yes limited support through Cygwin command line audio recorder GPL-2.0-or-later
Gnome Wave Cleaner Jeff Welty Yes No No GTK+ audio editor GPL-2.0-or-later
Jokosher Jokosher community Yes No Yes GTK+ GPL-2.0-only with exception
LMMS Tobias Doerffel Yes Yes as of 0.4.0 with Qt4 Yes Qt multi-track audio editor intended as a replacement for Cubase-like software (DAW) GPL-2.0-or-later
MusE Yes No No Qt MIDI sequencer GPL-2.0-or-later
Qtractor Yes No No Qt A non-destructive multi-track audio and MIDI Workstation (DAW) GPL-2.0-or-later
Rosegarden Chris Cannam Yes No No Qt MIDI sequencer and multi-track recorder GPL-2.0-or-later
SoX Yes Yes Yes Yes command-line multi-track audio editor/processor LGPL-2.1-or-later,

GPL-2.0-or-later

Sweep Conrad Parker Yes No Yes No GPL-2.0-or-later
Traverso DAW Remon Sijrier Yes Yes Yes multi-track audio recorder and editor GPL
WaveSurfer Centre for Speech Technology at KTH Yes Yes Yes Yes Tk BSD-like
Stargate DAW Stargate DAW Yes Yes Yes Yes multi-track audio recorder and MIDI Workstation (DAW) GPL-3.0-or-later

Softsynths

[edit]
See also: Software synthesizer
Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
FluidSynth Yes Yes Yes Yes SoundFont player/renderer LGPL-2.1-or-later
TiMidity++ Yes Yes Yes Yes GPL-2.0-or-later
Yoshimi Alan Calvert Yes No Yes Various BSDs No Forked from ZynAddSubFX in 2009 GPL-2.0-or-later
ZynAddSubFX Paul Nasca Yes Yes Yes Yes GPL-2.0-or-later
WildMIDI Yes ? ? ? Some alternative to TiMidity Player: GPL-3.0-or-later
Library: LGPL-3.0-or-later

Streaming

[edit]

These programs are for use with streaming audio.

Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
Firefly Media Server Yes Yes Yes streams music to DAAP clients like iTunes and Rhythmbox GPL-2.0-or-later
Icecast Yes Yes Yes a broadcast server, serves audio signals to clients over the HTTP protocol GPL-2.0-only
VLC media player Yes Yes Yes Yes media and server programs for video and audio streaming VLC: GPL-2.0-or-later
libVLC: LGPL-2.1-or-later

Technologies

[edit]
Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) Yes the sound card driver and management system in the Linux kernel GPL-2.0-or-later
LGPL-2.1-or-later
aRts Yes an audio programming API and sound server for general desktop, no longer in development GPL
DSSI Yes a plugin architecture for software synthesizers LGPL-2.1-or-later
GStreamer Yes Yes Yes Yes a graph-based multimedia framework LGPL-2.1-or-later
JACK Audio Connection Kit (JACK) JACK Team, Paul Davis Yes Yes (JACK OS X) Yes (jackdmp) a sound server for integration of general and low-latency pro audio applications, including timebase transport GPL-2.0-or-later
LGPL-2.1-or-later
Linux Audio Developers Simple Plugin API (LADSPA) Yes a plugin architecture for digital signal processing LGPL-2.1-or-later
Open Sound System Yes Yes a sound card management and driver system for Unix operating systems BSD-2-Clause
CDDL-1.0
GPL-2.0-only
Proprietary (formerly)
PipeWire Wim Taymans Yes Yes (FreeBSD) a media daemon, unifying JACK Audio Connection Kit, PulseAudio, and GStreamer MIT License
PortAudio & PortMidi Ross Bencina Yes Yes Yes a cross-platform, open-source C language library for real-time audio & midi I/O MIT License
PulseAudio Yes Yes Yes (Solaris, FreeBSD, NetBSD) Yes a sound server for general desktop and multihost LAN applications LGPL-2.1-or-later
sndio Yes No Yes (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD) No sound and MIDI server ISC

Trackers

[edit]

These music sequencer programs allow users to arrange notes (pitch-shifted sound samples) on a timeline: see tracker (music software).

Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
MilkyTracker Yes Yes Yes Yes Also runs on various other platforms including Windows Mobile, PlayStation and AmigaOS 4. GPL-3.0-or-later
MilkyPlay: BSD-3-Clause
OpenMPT Olivier Lapicque No No No Yes Released as free software in 2004 BSD-3-Clause (since OpenMPT 1.17.02.53) / GPL-2.0-or-later, partly public domain
SoundTracker Yes No Yes No Fast Tracker clone GPL-2.0-or-later
SunVox Alexander Zolotov Yes Yes Yes Yes Also runs on Windows CE. Proprietary (Music Creation Studio)
BSD-3-Clause (Engine)
Noise Station Mark Sheeky No No No Yes CC BY-SA 4.0

Other

[edit]
Name Creator Linux? macOS? Unix? Windows? Note License
Gnaural Yes Yes Yes Yes Binaural beat and pink noise generator GPL-2.0-or-later
Hydrogen Yes Yes Partial Partial an advanced drum machine GPL-2.0-or-later
libsndfile Yes Yes Yes Yes library for reading and writing many sound formats LGPL-2.1-or-later
EasyEffects Wellington Wallace Yes No Yes No Effects processing for applications using PipeWire sound server GPL-3.0-or-later

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Download". MuseScore.org. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
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