This is a list of software for creating, performing, learning, analyzing, researching, broadcasting and editing music. This article only includes software, not services.
For streaming services such as iHeartRadio, Pandora, Prime Music, and Spotify, see Comparison of on-demand streaming music services.
For storing, uploading, downloading, and streaming music via the cloud, see Comparison of online music lockers.
This list does not include discontinued historic or legacy software, with the exception of trackers that are still supported.[1][2]
If a program fits several categories, such as a comprehensive digital audio workstation or a foundation programming language (e.g. Pure Data), its listing is limited to its top three categories.
Types
CD ripping software
Choir and learn-to-sing software
- This section includes both choir software and learn-to-sing software. For music learning software, see music education software.
DJ software
Digital audio workstation (DAW) software
- Ableton Live
- ACID Pro
- Ardour
- Audacity
- AudioDesk
- Audiotool
- BandLab
- BespokeSynth
- Bitwig Studio
- Cakewalk Sonar
- Cubase
- Cubasic
- Digital Performer
- FL Studio
- GarageBand
- HighC
- Jam Session
- LMMS
- Logic Pro
- LUNA (Universal Audio)[3]
- Magix Music Maker
- Maschine
- MetaSynth
- Mixcraft
- MultitrackStudio
- MusE
- n-Track Studio[4]
- Nuendo
- Mixbus
- MuLab
- Orion Studio
- Pro Tools
- Pyramix
- Qtractor
- REAPER
- Reason
- Renoise
- Rosegarden
- Samplitude
- Sonic Pi
- Soundtrap
- Studio One
- Waveform
- Zynewave Podium
Computer music software
| Electronic music |
|---|
| Experimental forms |
| Popular styles |
| Other topics |
Internet, RSS, broadcast music software
This section only includes software, not services. For services such as Spotify, Pandora, and Prime Music, see Comparison of on-demand streaming music services. This list includes music RSS apps, widgets, and software; for a list of feeds, see Comparison of feed aggregators. For cloud-based music broadcast software, see Content delivery network and Comparison of online music lockers.
- Airtime
- Audicom (first radio automation software; see Radio software)
- Campcaster
- Clickradio
- Juice (aggregator)
- Jamulus (Internet jamming software)
- Moodagent (AI-based emotion-keyed playlist generator and app)
- Ninjam (Internet jamming software)
- OpenBroadcaster
- Panopto
Lyrics and vocals
- Cantor (music software)
- Rhyme Genie (Algorithms and software for rhyming lyrics)
- SingingCoach
- Blackhole, H3000 Factory, SplitEQ (Eventide, Inc.)
- Stutter Edit, Ozone, RX Audio Editor (iZotope)
- Jamstix (Rayzoon Technologies)
- Liquid Rhythm (WaveDNA)
- PCM Native, MPX Native (Lexicon (company))
- NI Massive, Kontakt (software), B4, Electrik Piano, Guitar Rig 2 (Native Instruments)
- OrangeVocoder (Prosoniq)
- SoundFont (Integrates synthesized/sampled MIDI files with recorded music)
- MachFive, Symphonic Instrument (Mark of the Unicorn)
Music analysis software
- BeatRoot
- ChucK
- Kyma (sound design language)
- Opusmodus
- Pure Data
- Platinum Blue Music Intelligence (from Music Xray company)
- Sonic Visualiser
- WaveSurfer
Music circuit software
- Arduinome (software circuit platform)
- CPU Sim
- Electric VLSI Design System
- gLogic
- GNU Circuit Analysis Package
- KTechLab
- Linear Technology (A/D and circuit software)
- List of free electronics circuit simulators
- LTspice
- Micro-Cap
- MIDIbox (software circuit platform)
- Monome (software circuit platform)
- Ngspice
- Oregano (software)
- Quite Universal Circuit Simulator
- SapWin
- SPICE
- Tenori-on (software circuit platform)
Music composing software
- Antescofo
- Director Musices
- Hyperscore
- JFugue
- Keykit
- Kyma (sound design language)
- Max
- Music Mouse (Algorithmic synth and composer)
- Nodal
- Ocarina
- OpenMusic
- Opusmodus
- PetSynth
- Reaktor
- Rubato Composer
Music conversion software
Music education software
Music gaming software
Music mathematics software
Music notation software
- Aegis Sonix
- Canorus
- Capella
- Deluxe Music Construction Set
- Denemo
- Dorico
- Encore
- ENT (for typeset mensural notation)
- Finale
- Flat
- Forte
- Frescobaldi
- Gregorio (for Neumes)
- Guitar Pro
- Igor Engraver
- Impro-Visor
- jEdit plugin
- LilyPond
- MagicScore
- Mozart
- Mus2
- MusEdit
- MuseScore
- Music Write
- MusiCAD
- MusicEase
- MusiXTeX
- NoteEdit
- Noteflight
- Notation Composer
- NoteWorthy Composer
- NOTION
- Overture
- Philip's Music Writer (PMW)
- Power Tab Editor
- Rosegarden
- SCORE
- ScoreCloud
- Sibelius (Division of Avid Technology since 8/2006. Avid also sells the Pro Tools DAW)
- SmartScore (Focus on Music OCR)
- TuxGuitar
Music player software
Music research software
- ScoreCloud (Notation research)
Music technology, synthesis and OS software
- Category:Music software plugin architectures
- Comparison of audio synthesis environments
- DirectMusic
- Moodagent (AI-based emotion-keyed playlist generator and app)
- Music information retrieval
- Software effect processor
- Sound Recorder (Windows)
- Impromptu (programming environment)
- Keykit
- Max (software)[5]
- SynthFont (a MIDI-to-WAV converter; Virtual Studio Technology instruments can be used instead of source files)
Music visualization software
- Advanced Visualization Studio (Justin Frankel) (platform: Windows)
- Cthugha (1993, Kevin "Zaph" Burfitt) (platform: DOS)
- Magic Music Visuals (since 2012, Color & Music, LLC) (platforms: Windows, OS X)
- MilkDrop (2001-2012, Ryan Geiss) reimplemented as projectM (platforms: Windows, Linux, Android)
- Neon (2004, Jeff Minter and Ivan Zorzin) (platform: Xbox 360)
- Psychedelia
- Pure Data
- Virtual Light Machine (1990, Jeff Minter) (platform: Atari Jaguar)
- Visual Music Tone Painter (1992–2004)[6]
Orchestration software
Drums and percussion
Guitar
Piano
Pipe organ
- Hauptwerk produces audio in response to MIDI signal from attached keyboard or from a MIDI sequencer[7]
Automatic composition software
Samplers and sequencers
Soundtrack creation software
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soundtrack creation software.
Trackers
Historical tracker software:
- SoundMonitor (C64, 1986)
- Ultimate Soundtracker (Amiga, 1987)
- NoiseTracker (Amiga, 1989)
- OctaMED (Amiga, 1989)
- Protracker (Amiga, 1990)
- ScreamTracker (PC, 1994)
- FastTracker 2 (PC, 1994)
- Impulse Tracker (PC, 1995)
| Name | Latest update | License | OS versions | File format support | VST support |
ASIO output | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | OS X | Linux | MID | MOD | XM | IT | S3M | |||||
| Renoise | 7 May 2024 | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | Yes | Read only | Read only | Read only | Read only | No | Yes | Yes |
| OpenMPT | 29 June 2025 | BSD | Yes | Yes (via Wine) | Yes (via Wine) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SoundTracker | 17 March 2024 | GPL | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| MilkyTracker | 25 November 2024 | GPL | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Read only | Read only | No | Yes |
| Buzztrax | 6 January 2016 | LGPL | Yes | Yes | Yes | Read only | Read only | Read only | Read only | No | Yes | Yes |
Virtual Studio Technology hosting software
- Ableton Live
- ACID Pro
- Adobe Audition
- Adobe Premiere Elements
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Acoustica Mixcraft
- Ardour (open source)
- Audacity (open source, Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms only[8])
- AudioMulch
- Band-in-a-Box
- Cakewalk by BandLab
- Deckadance
- Digital Performer (version 8 or higher)
- FL Studio
- GoldWave
- Jeskola Buzz
- LMMS (open source)
- Logic Pro
- Magix Music Maker
- Max MSP
- ModPlug Tracker
- MultitrackStudio
- n-Track Studio
- NOTION
- REAPER
- Reason
- Renoise
- Samplitude
- Sony Acid Pro
- Sony Sound Forge
- Sony Vegas
- Soundtrap
- Steinberg Cubase
- Steinberg Nuendo
- Studio One
- Steinberg WaveLab
- Traktor
- Vocaloid
- WavePad Audio Editor
- Podium
Virtual synthesizer and studio software
- Amsynth
- Minimoog
- Reaktor (instrument-creation software)
- Reason (DAW and virtual recording studio, integrated with Record)
- Spire
- VCV Rack
- ZynAddSubFX
Wave editors
See also
- Audio editing software
- Comparison of audio synthesis environments
- Comparison of digital audio editors
- Comparison of free software for audio
- Comparison of MIDI editors and sequencers
- Comparison of scorewriters
- List of audio conversion software
- List of audio programming languages
- List of Linux audio software
- List of scorewriters
- Music technology
References
- ^ "Short History of Computer Music". UCSC.edu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ Twells, John. "The 14 pieces of software that shaped modern music". Fact Mag. Archived from the original on Apr 23, 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ "LUNA". Universal Audio. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
- ^ "n-Track Studio". n-Track Software. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
- ^ "Music & Math". Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
- ^ Intelligence, new visions of artificial intelligence in practice. Vol. 11. Association for Computing Machinery. 2000.
- ^ Thomas Wichmann, The Hauptwerk Computer Program, Review in The American Organist, July 2004
- ^ "VST plug-ins". Audacity Wiki. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023.
- ^ "Acoustica 8". Acon Digital. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
- ^ "SpectraLayers". Steinberg. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
- ^ "Total Recorder". High Criteria. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
- ^ "WaveLab". Steinberg. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
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