Have a look at top 3 best digital audio workstation (DAW) free apps for Ubuntu, Linux.
Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) apps are used to record, edit and create/produce audio files. DAW apps come with wide range of configuration options based on their types. Using DAW apps, you can record music, songs, speech, radio, TVs, sound effects, podcasts and these apps also helps you to mix & alter multiple recordings and produce a single track.
There are lots of DAW apps available (free and paid) for Windows, Linux, Mac. Let’s have a look at 3 free and open-source DAW apps for Linux. I feel these are the finest DAW apps for Linux systems and can be easily installed and configured.
Table of Contents
3 Best DAW Apps for Linux
Ardour
Ardour is free and open-source DAW advanced software, and it is the perfect tool for you whether if you are a novice or professional musician. It is loaded with features and backed by a huge list of plugins.
Here are some of its features:
Features
- Supports wide range of audio interface hardware. Supports PCI, USB, Firewire, network audio.
- True tape-style transport
- Flexible recording with Per-track setting of layered, non-layered, or destructive recording modes
- No limits on number of tracks, buses, plugins, inserts, or sends
- Non-destructive, non-linear editing with unlimited undo/redo
- Single Window Editing
- Extract soundtracks
- Different machine configurations (one, two and three) with audio, video separate processing
- Route anything to anywhere
- Solo/Listen Model
- Plugin support
… and many more. For more features visit this page.
How to Install Ardour
Ardour ready to run executable is available for Linux/Ubuntu, Windows and Mac. Click below link to grab a copy of Ardour for your OS.
Audacity
Audacity is a free and open-source multi-track audio workstation software that is available for Ubuntu/Linux, Windows and Mac.
It is a very active project with continuous feature updates and enhancements. Here are some of its features:
Features
- Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from other media.
Import, edit, and combine sound files. Export your recordings in many file formats, including multiple files at once. - Supports 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit. Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
- Support for LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST and Audio Unit effect plug-ins. Effects can be easily modified in a text editor – or you can even write your own plug-in.
- Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete. Also, unlimited sequential Undo (and Redo) in the session to go back any number of steps.
- Real-time preview of LADSPA, LV2, VST and Audio Unit (macOS) effects. Plug-in Manager handles plug-in installation and addition/removal of effects and generators from the menus.
- Tracks and selections can be fully manipulated using the keyboard. Large range of keyboard shortcuts.
- Spectrogram view mode for visualizing and selecting frequencies. Plot Spectrum windows for detailed frequency analysis.
How to Install
Audacity is available as snap and Flatpak for most of the Linux distributions, including Ubuntu. Follow below links to get them as Flatpak / snap.
Download Audacity as snap Download Audacity as Flatpak
For other download options, visit this page.
LMMS – One of the Best DAW Apps for Linux, and a cool one!
LMMS is another cool digital audio workstation software available in Ubuntu/Linux, Windows and Mac. It is a feature rich open-source tool with active developments. This app may not have all the advanced features of Ardour or Audacity, however it is best if you want a basic DAW apps to start your project.
Here are some of its features:
Features
- Compose music on Windows, Linux and macOS
- Sequence, compose, mix and automate songs in one simple interface
- Note playback via MIDI or typing keyboard
- Consolidate instrument tracks using Beat+Bassline Editor
- Fine tune patterns, notes, chords and melodies using Piano Roll Editor
- Full user-defined track-based automation and computer-controlled automation sources
- Import of MIDI files and Hydrogen project files
How to Install
To install LMMS in Ubuntu and its derivatives, search from Software and click install.
For other download options, visit this page.
Summary
There are plenty of DAW apps available apart from above three apps. However, above three are the best DAW apps for Linux based systems as per our opinion. You can read more coverage of audio software below.
Leave your feedback using comment box below on these apps. And which one is your favorite?
