List of Free or Open Source DAWs, Sequencers, and Hosts for Windows:

[Deathbliss]

DESCRIPTION
This is a list of completely free or open source programs for Windows that work with music in various ways.

PURPOSE
My goal is to find a free, well supported and intuitive program I can use to make music on Windows without the need for special hardware or musical training.

CONTRIBUTE
Please post a link if
A. You have any tutorials, especially video tutorials, for any of these.
B. You know of any other programs to add to the list.
C. You have constructive feedback to offer.
D. You have personally verified a feature that should be added.
E. You have found an error to correct.

PROGRAMS

Aodix
http://www.aodix.com/index.html

- Tracker.
- Host.
- No longer supported for unregistered users.
- Includes a Help file.
- Tutorials at YouTube.
- ASIO only.

Audacity
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

- DAE

Buzz
http://www.buzzmachines.com/

C-Sound
http://csound.sourceforge.net/
http://blue.kunstmusik.com/
With Blue installed C-Sound becomes a music creation environment. The facts below pertain to a C-Sound install using Blue.

- Host.
- Soundfont support.
- Features a Piano Roll.
- Includes an extensive help file.
- Requires configuration and some scripting.

Darkwave Studio
http://www.experimentalscene.com/softwa ... ve-studio/

- Host.
- Features a Piano Roll.
- Includes a Help file.
- Tutorials at YouTube.

Frinika
http://frinika.appspot.com/

- Tutorials at YouTube.

Jazz++
http://jazzplusplus.sourceforge.net/

Jokosher
http://www.jokosher.org/

- DAE

Kristal
http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/

- DAE

LMMS
http://lmms.sourceforge.net/home.php

- Host.
- Features a Piano Roll.
- Includes Help file.
- Tutorials at YouTube.

Macaw
http://code.google.com/p/macaw/
http://pacificv.prophp.us/index.php

- Host.
- Soundfont support.
- Features a Piano Roll.
- Includes a Help file.

Milky Tracker
http://www.milkytracker.org/

- Tracker.

Musagi
http://www.drpetter.se/project_musagi.html

- Features a Piano Roll.

Music Studio Producer
http://www.frieve.com/english/musicstd/download.html

- Host.
- Features a Piano Roll.
- Tutorials at YouTube.

MuseScore
http://musescore.org/

- Scorewriter.

Onyx Arranger
http://www.jasminemusic.com/

- Requires free registration.

Open Mod Plug Tracker
http://openmpt.org/

- Tracker

Podium Free
http://www.zynewave.com/download.html

- Podium Free has a few limitations.
- Be aware that you may have install trouble!

PQN VSTseq
http://pquenin.free.fr/pqnaudio/vstseq/index.html

- Tracker.
- Requires midi hardware input.

Psycle
http://psycle.pastnotecut.org/portal.php

- Tracker.
- Requires midi hardware or computer keyboard input.

Rack Performer
http://www.livefactory.com/

- Host.
- Requires free registration.
- Requires midi hardware input.

RaxNTrax
http://www.webgenpro.be/raxntrax/

- Host.
- Features a Piano Roll.
- Tutorials at YouTube.

Reaper
http://www.cockos.com/reaper/download-old.php?ver=0x

- Only 0.xxx versions (ones listed at link) are free to use for an unlimited time.

Revisit
http://www.nashnet.co.uk/english/revisit/default.asp

- Tracker.
- Plugin.

Schism Tracker
http://eval.sovietrussia.org/wiki/Schism_Tracker

- Tracker.

Sekaiju
http://openmidiproject.sourceforge.jp/index_en.html

SEQ24
http://www.filter24.org/seq24/about.html

- Features a Piano Roll.
- Requires midi hardware input.
- Tutorials on YouTube.

Skale
http://www.skale.org/

- Tracker.
- Requires midi hardware input.

Style Enhancer
http://www.jasminemusic.com/

- Features a Piano Roll.
- Requires free registration.

Svar Tracker
http://www.svarsoft.com/st.html

- Tracker

Thunderbeat
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... ebq3xhJTSw

Traverso
http://traverso-daw.org/

- DAE

Tunafish
http://www.brambos.com/archive.html

- Plugin

Usine Free
http://www.sensomusic.com/download/

- Free version has serious limitations.

DEFINITIONS
ASIO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Stream_Input/Output

DAE (Digital Audio Editor)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio_editor

Host
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_St ... #VST_hosts

Piano Roll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_notation

Scorewriter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorewriter

Soundfont
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundfont

Tracker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracker_%2 ... oftware%29

NOTES
In general if a program listed here is not a Host then you can only create sounds based on your hardware (computer and midi device). I am still trying to find the official definition of such software. Imagine Super Nintendo music - this is all you can create with non-Host software. Be aware that Scorewriters are the exception to the rule here, in most of these you get actual musical instrument sounds to work with.

UPDATED 11-20-2010
- Added url tags.
- Added bold tags around titles of programs.
- Cleaned up the post.

UPDATED 11-22-2010
- Removed comments.
- Added definitions.
- Removed signature.
- Changed some formatting.
- Added some programs to the list.

UPDATED 11-23-2010
- Removed Temper due to functional limitations in free version.

[pquenin]

Zynzwave Podium Free is free and is the best free host of the world : http://www.zynewave.com/

Mutools Mulab Free is free but has some serious limitations (4 tracks only, 8 VST plugins only...) : http://www.mutools.com

My own PQN Audio VSTSeq is free but it's not really a serious host...

[sunhome]

RaxNTrax
http://www.webgenpro.be/raxntrax/

RaxNTrax has a very complicated interface and only a handful of tutorials. There is no real community behind it. However of all the free DAWs it can do the most. It has a piano roll with a ghost feature, it can load VST and VSTi, you can copy and drag pretty much anything to the Track Editor (AKA the Piano Roll) and edit it. You can Undo in the Track Editor, and it comes with a slew of high quality devices already installed.

Just noticed the youtube channel for RaxNTrax is FULL of tutorials

http://www.youtube.com/user/raxntrax

Regards, James

[Deathbliss]

Zynzwave Podium Free is free and is the best free host of the world : http://www.zynewave.com/

From this page:
http://www.zynewave.com/download.html

"MIDI interface setup is limited to one input and one output.
64-bit mixer engine option is disabled.
Plugin multiprocessing is disabled.
ReWire is disabled.
Surround-sound playback is disabled."

From this page:
http://www.zynewave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2337

You find out there is a logo. So Podium Free is a pile of garbage IMO, hearkening back to the days of Maya PLE and Gmax (I used to do a lot of modeling).

My own PQN Audio VSTSeq is free but it's not really a serious host...

Is this the link to it?
http://pquenin.free.fr/pqnaudio/vstseq/index.html

Just not much out there that's free and also good. Oh and to the other poster... I know about those videos but there's really only 7 and while they aren't horrible, they aren't the best either. I still appreciate the efforts of whoever made them though.
- Deathbliss

[PurpleCatfishBettie]

Here are a couple of interesting entry-level sequencers:

Musagi

Tunafish

Neither one is an 'end all, be all host,' but both can contribute as a part of overall workflow.

[NAS]

Deathbliss most of the ones you state as "This is not a DAW" is exactly what they are hahaha
What do people think a Digital Audio Workstation is exactly hahaha

NAS

[Deathbliss]

Removed by poster

[spacedad]

http://openmidiproject.sourceforge.jp/Sekaiju_en.html
haven't had chance to try it yet,though.

[spacedad]

http://www.filter24.org/seq24/

[pquenin]

Zynzwave Podium Free is free and is the best free host of the world : http://www.zynewave.com/

From this page:
http://www.zynewave.com/download.html

"MIDI interface setup is limited to one input and one output.
64-bit mixer engine option is disabled.
Plugin multiprocessing is disabled.
ReWire is disabled.
Surround-sound playback is disabled."

From this page:
http://www.zynewave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2337

You find out there is a logo. So Podium Free is a pile of garbage IMO, hearkening back to the days of Maya PLE and Gmax (I used to do a lot of modeling).

My own PQN Audio VSTSeq is free but it's not really a serious host...

Is this the link to it?
http://pquenin.free.fr/pqnaudio/vstseq/index.html

Just not much out there that's free and also good. Oh and to the other poster... I know about those videos but there's really only 7 and while they aren't horrible, they aren't the best either. I still appreciate the efforts of whoever made them though.
- Deathbliss

Yes Podium free has some limitations but download it and try it : it's the best free host of the world !

And yes, this is the link to my VSTSeq : http://pquenin.free.fr/pqnaudio/vstseq/index.html

[tibah]

+1 for Podium Free

You got stuff on your list that is a pain to work with, while Podium Free is the only decent and easy to understand free host out there, even if it got some limitations. Your recommendations are either too limited or just to clumsy to work with.

Podium Free might not have multi-core support or 64bit audio engine, but at least it would be able to have it, if it wouldn't be the free version. I can't tell from your list, which of these would actually have Rewire or multi-core plug-in handling.

And there is still a work-around as you can always use the easy to use bounce feature in Podium Free.

And the full version is only 50 bucks...

[Nielzie]

MU.LAB FREE

Though it has some limitations (the free version), it's pretty deep and fully modular with pretty good onboard synths, samplers and effects. Rewire enabled, portable, etc. etc.

Just thought I'd mention it

[alby75]

Usine
at
www.sensomusic.com

There is a free version

[audiojunkie]

I'm really, really surprised that no one has mentioned Ardour. It has the potential to be the most.........oh, wait............
















--Sean

[Beazlebug]

There's also this - although I've used trackers for ages I couldn't work it out.

http://www.svarsoft.com/st.html was $99 at one point now free