The following tables compare general and technical information among a number of digital audio editors and multitrack recording software.
(Note: HP-UX, IBM-DB2U, FreeBSD and other Unixes omitted) Digital Audio Workstations
Basic general information about the software: creator/company, license/price etc. Digital audio editor Creator / developer Software license Microsoft Windows MacOS Linux iOSAndroid Network storage External hardware ACID Pro Boris FX Ardour The Ardour Community (Pay-what-you-want) NFS AudioDesk Mark of the Unicorn Audition Adobe Systems BandLab BandLab Technologies (Freeware) Bitwig Studio Bitwig Cakewalk by BandLab BandLab Technologies Cubase Steinberg Digital Performer Mark of the Unicorn FairlightBlackmagic Design Freeware FL Studio Image-Line GarageBand Apple Harrison Mixbus Harrison Consoles NFS Kristal Kreatives (Freeware) Live Ableton LMMS Tobias Doerffel NFS Logic Pro Apple (last version: 5.5.1) Magix Music Maker Magix / Freemium Mixcraft Acoustica mp3DirectCut Martin Pesch Freeware MuLab MuTools MultitrackStudio Bremmers Audio Design MusE MuseE NFS n-Track n-Track Software Nuendo Steinberg Podium Zynewave / Freemium Pro Tools Avid MediaNet (proprietary) Qtractor Qtractor NFS REAPER Cockos (after version 6.0) Reason Propellerhead Software Record Propellerhead Software Renoise Renoise Team Rosegarden Rosegarden NFS Samplitude/Sequoia Magix Soundscape 32 Mackie External 2U rack unitStudio Pro Fender, PreSonus SoundCloud Waveform Tracktion Software Corporation Digital audio editor Creator / developer Software license Microsoft Windows MacOS Linux iOS Android Network storage External hardware
Wave editors
Basic general information about the software: creator/company, license/price etc. Digital audio editor Creator / developer Software license Microsoft Windows MacOS iOS Linux BSD Online Network storage External hardware Acoustica Acon Digital Audacity Audacity Team NFS Audiotool Hobnox NFS Optional MIDI support BIAS Peak BIAS Diamond Cut ART Diamond Cut Productions Ecasound Kai Vehmanen Goldwave Goldwave Inc. Shareware Jokosher Jokosher NFS NU-Tech Leaff Engineering RiffWorks Sonoma Wire Works Sound Forge Magix (last version: 3) Soundbooth Adobe Systems SoX Chris Bagwell, et al. SpectraLayers Steinberg Sweep Conrad Parker Total Recorder HighCriteria Shareware WaveLab Steinberg External gear, MIDI WavePad NCH Software / Freemium WaveSurfer Centre for Speech Technology at KTH Digital audio editor Creator / developer Software license Microsoft Windows MacOS iOS Linux BSD Online Network storage External hardware
Support
Plugin support The plugin types that the software can run natively (without emulation). ReWire JACK VST VST3 LADSPA LV2 DSSI RTAS AU DXi MAS ACID Pro Acoustica Ardour Audacity (3.2.0 and newer) Audacity: Plug-Ins and Libraries AudioDesk Audiotool Audition (Pre CS5.5 - Yes, CS5.5 - No) (Pre CS5.5 - Yes, CS5.5 - No) BIAS Peak Bitwig Studio Cakewalk by BandLab Cubase (SX3.1) Diamond Cut ART Digital Performer (with Digi TDM or HD hardware via DAE) Ecasound FL Studio GarageBand Goldwave ReWire JACK VST VST3 LADSPA LV2 DSSI RTAS AU DXi MAS Harrison Mixbus Jokosher Kristal Live (Live 10.1 and newer) LMMS Logic Express/Studio Mixcraft mp3DirectCut MuLab MusE n-Track Nuendo NU-Tech Podium Pro Tools Qtractor ReWire JACK VST VST3 LADSPA LV2 DSSI RTAS AU DXi MAS REAPER Reason Record Renoise RiffWorks Rosegarden Samplitude Sound Forge Soundbooth Soundscape 32 SoX SpectraLayers Studio One Sweep Total Recorder Waveform WaveLab WavePad WaveSurfer ReWire JACK VST VST3 LADSPA LV2 DSSI RTAS AU DXi MAS
File format support The various file types the software can read/write. OMF AAF MIDI WAV MP3 AAC Ogg REX2 AIFF FLACOthers Acoustica W64 Ardour In development W64, libsndfile library formats Audacity AMR AudioDesk SDII (native) Audiotool Audition (unsupported since CS5) AU, IFF, RAW/PCM, SMP, VOC, VOX, WMA BIAS Peak Bitwig Studio WMA Cakewalk by BandLab W64, CAF, SDII, AU, SND, DSF, DFF, RCY, ASF, WMA, WMV Cubase WMA, W64 Diamond Cut ART Digital Performer SDII (native) Ecasound FL Studio XI, REX GarageBand Goldwave Windows Media Audio, AU, Monkey's Audio, VOX, mat, snd, voc Harrison Mixbus AIFC, NeXT AU/SND, Headerless RAW, PAF, IFF/SVX, Sphere Nist WAV, IRCAM SF, VOC, W64, MAT4, MAT5, PVF, Fasttracker 2 XI, HMM Tool Kit HTK, CAF, SD2 OMF AAF MIDI WAV MP3 AAC Ogg REX2 AIFF FLACOthers Jokosher Kristal Live SDII (Mac OS X Only) LMMS AU, DS, RAW, SPX, VOC. Can also open .flp files Logic Pro Mixcraft mp3DirectCut MuLab MusE N-Track WMA, EDL, WAV64 Nuendo NU-Tech Podium Pro Tools (7.4) SDII (Mac OS X Only) Qtractor CAF, HTK, IFF/8SVX, MAT4/5, PAF, PVF, RAW, SDII, SDS, SF, VOC, W64, XI REAPER APE, BWF, MOOG, W64, WavPack Reason SF2, ReFill Record SF2, ReFill OMF AAF MIDI WAV MP3 AAC Ogg REX2 AIFF FLACOthers Renoise MP4, MP4A, CAF, SFZ RiffWorks Rosegarden Csound, Mup, MuxicXML, h2song Samplitude WMA, RealAudio Sound Forge SWF (open only), RealAudio & RealVideo (export only), WMA and WMV, AVI, AIF, SND, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, AU, DIG, IVC, PCA, W64, FRG, VOX, AA3, OMA, CDA, AC-3 studio (save only), RAW Soundbooth Soundscape 32 SoX External LAME AU and other audio file formats SpectraLayers .caf, .alac, RAW/PCM, .rm, .au, .snd, AVI, MXF, MP1, MP2, MP4, MKV, Quicktime, .vob, .wmv, WMAStudio One OpenTL, BWF, RF64, PreSonus Capture Session, Steinberg Cubase Track Archive, Steinberg Sequel Project, Kristal Audio Engine Project Sweep Various versions of WAV (integer, floating point, GSM, and compressed formats); Microsoft PCM, A-law and u-law formats; AIFC and RIFX; various AU/SND formats (Sun/NeXT, Dec AU, G721 and G723 ADPCM); RAW header-less PCM files; Amiga IFF/8SVX/16SV PCM files; Ensoniq PARIS (.PAF); Apple's Core Audio Format (CAF) and others. Total Recorder PCM (uncompressed), WMA, Monkey's Audio (APE). Waveform WaveLab AU, MP2, RAW WavePad import midi, Sun AU, MPEG4 audio, GSM, RAW, Dialogic VOX, AMR Narrowband, Musepack, Monkey's Audio Codec, others WaveSurfer Import: AU, CSL, SD Export: AU OMF AAF MIDI WAV MP3 AAC Ogg REX2 AIFF FLAC Others
Notes
See also List of music software
Notes