Help me remember this old, free DAW
- KVRian
- 629 posts since 11 Jul, 2006 from Fayetteville, GA
It’s driving me crazy.
Mid to late ‘00’s.
No audio as I recall.
Black background, cool slightly blueish green details.
Kinda reminiscent of wire-frame games like Battlezone or Asteroids in a way.
Part of my brain wants very much to say it was called: Chaos DAW.
Running a search yields nothing however.
Maybe my search-fu is way off.
(Indeed, a recent thread….eLawnMust posted about an older instrument, as is his wont, and I’d have sweared the DAW in question was the backdrop of the screenshot).
Any ideas?
Mid to late ‘00’s.
No audio as I recall.
Black background, cool slightly blueish green details.
Kinda reminiscent of wire-frame games like Battlezone or Asteroids in a way.
Part of my brain wants very much to say it was called: Chaos DAW.
Running a search yields nothing however.
Maybe my search-fu is way off.
(Indeed, a recent thread….eLawnMust posted about an older instrument, as is his wont, and I’d have sweared the DAW in question was the backdrop of the screenshot).
Any ideas?
"The last man on earth doesn't miss anyone at all." - Haujobb, Faith In Chaos
- KVRian
- 843 posts since 23 Feb, 2023
You mean this?-

It's Actually Chaotic Music Maker... Initially commercial (2010-11) for very short time then released open source around 2013... Just barely had MIDI just enough to jam with keyboard but still paint in notes... You can drag a sample onto a track as instrument but it's rather picky about samples & not much feature about it unlike say Making Waves that has all kinda things you can do with a simple sample...
It is very light though with some well thought out workflow, there are actually no tracks... it's just an arrangement 'grid' you freely place piano rolls or VST param envelopes anywhere north-south-east-west...
Envelopes can be drawn inside piano rolls so they stay with the piano roll no matter where moved, or drawn separate...
Plug scanning not too bad for this early a version... Probably best-fastest workflow is strong point, simple goes faster...
I have a thread over here-
https://warmplace.ru/forum/viewtopic.ph ... a5102a26b0

It's Actually Chaotic Music Maker... Initially commercial (2010-11) for very short time then released open source around 2013... Just barely had MIDI just enough to jam with keyboard but still paint in notes... You can drag a sample onto a track as instrument but it's rather picky about samples & not much feature about it unlike say Making Waves that has all kinda things you can do with a simple sample...
It is very light though with some well thought out workflow, there are actually no tracks... it's just an arrangement 'grid' you freely place piano rolls or VST param envelopes anywhere north-south-east-west...
Envelopes can be drawn inside piano rolls so they stay with the piano roll no matter where moved, or drawn separate...
Plug scanning not too bad for this early a version... Probably best-fastest workflow is strong point, simple goes faster...
I have a thread over here-
https://warmplace.ru/forum/viewtopic.ph ... a5102a26b0
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 629 posts since 11 Jul, 2006 from Fayetteville, GA
That’s exactly the one!
Shame, all things considered.
Fairly fun, quick and easy.
Seems no one at all wants such. Even the well-loved Temper. Strongest of which, (energyXT) even failed.
Only the busiest and most complicated succeed.
Thank goodness Mu.Lab is still around.
Shame, all things considered.
Fairly fun, quick and easy.
Seems no one at all wants such. Even the well-loved Temper. Strongest of which, (energyXT) even failed.
Only the busiest and most complicated succeed.
Thank goodness Mu.Lab is still around.
"The last man on earth doesn't miss anyone at all." - Haujobb, Faith In Chaos
- KVRian
- 843 posts since 23 Feb, 2023
I like quick easy & simple... Don't care much for a 'mass' of features that are more like 'toys' when you can make music on something without all the sales perks...
MuLab is OK the engine has gotten rather heavy with no reason for it... Reaper is probably the tightest-best coded modern machine still works on XP still scans DX-DXi (if you allow it)...
MuLab is OK the engine has gotten rather heavy with no reason for it... Reaper is probably the tightest-best coded modern machine still works on XP still scans DX-DXi (if you allow it)...
- KVRAF
- 3664 posts since 21 Nov, 2015
MuLab is quite superior in certain areas compared to the rest.
You can be creative in any right place on Earth, and not only in the wealthiest cities. Bring the world feelings from everywhere, and not only feelings of capitalistic or jail environment.
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
- KVRian
- 843 posts since 23 Feb, 2023
That's a bold 'Salesman' sort of statement yet no bullet points provided... So inform us... I have a good friend that uses current MuLab so I have heard all the good & bad of it so what you would have to say would be of particular interest...
- KVRAF
- 3664 posts since 21 Nov, 2015
...just continue talking to your good friend. 
You can be creative in any right place on Earth, and not only in the wealthiest cities. Bring the world feelings from everywhere, and not only feelings of capitalistic or jail environment.
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
- KVRAF
- 25013 posts since 12 Jul, 2003 from West Caprazumia
Have you tried Reaper?
- KVRAF
- 25013 posts since 12 Jul, 2003 from West Caprazumia
That's the one without audio-loop recording/takes/comping, right?El°HYM wrote: Sun Mar 16, 2025 2:14 pm MuLab is quite superior in certain areas compared to the rest.
- KVRAF
- 25013 posts since 12 Jul, 2003 from West Caprazumia
Except it didn't. Its developer simply decided to abandon it and develop a new DAW instead.MachFront wrote: Sun Mar 16, 2025 11:59 am Seems no one at all wants such. Even the well-loved Temper. Strongest of which, (energyXT) even failed.![]()
(Just as he did earlier with Massiva in favour of energyXT which in that particular and unique case was an excellent choice.)
- KVRAF
- 3664 posts since 21 Nov, 2015
Didnt say it is perfect; not even that its perfect for you. Still one of the very best Timestretching-Algorithms around, which would just be one feature to mention.
You can be creative in any right place on Earth, and not only in the wealthiest cities. Bring the world feelings from everywhere, and not only feelings of capitalistic or jail environment.
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
- KVRAF
- 8563 posts since 2 Aug, 2005 from Guitar Land, USA
Beatrice Steinberg sharts say you should get vst3 its got pitchbend! omg imho
The only site for experimental amp sim freeware & MIDI FX: http://runbeerrun.blogspot.com
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCprNcvVH6aPTehLv8J5xokA -Youtube jams
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCprNcvVH6aPTehLv8J5xokA -Youtube jams
- KVRian
- 1163 posts since 20 Oct, 2023
Being one of the very best doesn't make it "superior". Ableton Live and Reaper both have "one of the best" timestretching algorithms.El°HYM wrote: Sun Mar 16, 2025 4:44 pm Still one of the very best Timestretching-Algorithms around, which would just be one feature to mention.
- KVRAF
- 3664 posts since 21 Nov, 2015
MuLab's is better than both of those, thats the point. I use all of the mentioned btw.
You can be creative in any right place on Earth, and not only in the wealthiest cities. Bring the world feelings from everywhere, and not only feelings of capitalistic or jail environment.
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
― Aleksey Vaneev
https://linuxdaw.org
- KVRian
- 991 posts since 24 May, 2024
I really do miss EnergyXT's MIDI simplicity. But I sure don't miss the vaporware vibe that developed.