5 free audio apps that will kickstart your band

I played in a band for over 10 years and in the first days, we just had our dreams, our instruments, and a computer. We desperately sought free audio apps to record and edit our songs because we had no money to access a professional studio. That was a long time ago. Now, there are many options to choose from, and here I will highlight the best you can use. Windows Sound Recorder has gotten better, but it’s not the first choice to look at if you want to record any instruments.

5

Audacity

It’s amazing that it’s free

Audacity is probably the first software name you will hear from anyone you ask when dealing with audio recording and editing. It’s completely free, and it has multi-track recording capabilities. The best quality of this tool is its simple and comprehensive interface. The menus are extremely simple to use and the software’s learning curve isn’t very steep. You will find many free plugins and effects online, but you won’t even need them at first because the software has plenty of them readily built-in.

Audacity is great for starting bands because it comes with pre-built presets, but it may easily be used by sound technicians as well. For instance, the graphic equalizer has 31 band intervals from 20Hz to 20KHz, which allows you to fine-tune every single sound. In the latest development, the app even applies the effects live. Even so, the Ctrl + Z shortcut is there if you make any changes to your tracks by mistake.

Audacity

This free tool can be the starting stone for any artist or band. It’s very easy to use, and it helps you fine tune every single sound to your liking.

4

Ocenaudio

WAV exporting and more

If you want a free and simple audio editor, you can record the sounds of your band with Ocenaudio. It is a lot like Audacity, although it has fewer presets and effects. However, you can use it to export your audio as high-quality WAVs, and it supports VST plugins. Ocenaudio’s menus are really friendly, and the tool works on Windows, Mac, and Linux without hogging the machine’s resources too much.

Unfortunately, you can’t record multiple channels at once, and you can’t even see them at the same time. You have to record them separately, and then you can join them together. This is the only way you mix them, which is pretty limited. You can use Ocenaudio to record your instruments and then add them to a multi-track editor. The tool has an interesting spectral view that will help you analyze your track.

Ocenaudio

With this tool, in maximum 5 minutes you will be able to record your first audio track. It comes with filters and it supports VST plugins for more flexibility.

3

Waveform Free

A bit complicated for beginners

Tracktion has a couple of audio tools, and among them, you will find a free multi-track audio editor called Waveform. It’s great because it features a lot of pre-built presets for your recordings. If you don’t know how to equalize the vocals or the guitar sounds you just recorded, drag-and-drop the dedicated equalizer, and you’re set. However, this tool is not so easy to use. I found myself going through a lot of menus before finding what I needed. Even going through the settings is a bit complicated if you’ve never dealt with such apps before.

Another interesting advantage of this app is that you can play around with MIDI sounds and add a drum machine in seconds if you want to start jamming if the drummer is late. There’s a lot to discover inside, so you should definitely try it.

Waveform

This tool has all you need to record and edit your tracks. It even comes with instrumental loops that you can drag and drop into your tracks.

2

WavePad

Full guides for everything

WavePad by NCH Software has been at it for years and has helped many audio enthusiasts record and mix their sounds. That’s why it has a bit of an outdated graphic interface. However, if you want to learn how to use it, this tool probably has the most tutorials possible. Basically, every action is linked to a clip explaining how to perform certain actions. Even if it’s an older app, it is updated regularly, and it even has some AI tools that will help you clear your track for noise and isolate or cut the drums so you can focus on other sounds.

Inside, you will find a massive database of sound effects, presets, and other features you wouldn’t even think of. For instance, WavePad has a button to identify the main key of a song, voice-activated recording, and even a beeping feature to edit your podcast. The editing part is basic. If you need to master your song, you should opt for a more advanced editor, but it’s pretty good for recording vocals.

WavePad

For a free audio editing software, WavePad has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. The app comes with advanced features for vocal audio recording and even AI-powered tools.

1

Ardour

Great open-source audio tool for advanced users

Ardour is open-source software and if you want to use it completely free, you have to grab the code and implement it as you wish. However, if you just download the free version, the audio will cut randomly after 10 minutes of usage. This tool is not so easy to use, and it really lacks guidance, so you will have to figure it out by yourself. But after you do, Ardour has a lot to offer. It has excellent recording capabilities and high-quality WAV capabilities. You can also use it as an audio mixing tool, but it requires a lot of tweaking on your part to customize it for your needs. The editing features are basic, but you may add many plugins that will make it worth your effort.

Ardour

Ardour offers basic recording and editing features. However, you will have to download the code if you want to use it completely free.

Try and test more audio tools to see what’s best for you

This selection of software will help you kickstart your band and record your songs for free. Audacity is the best free sound recorder you can download on your PC, but the others are also great options if you don’t have a budget for that.

Related

Best audio recording apps for Windows

Whether you’re recording podcasts or music, these apps are for you

Once you get a grip on how to fine-tune your sounds, you can think about investing in more advanced tools. If you really believe in your project, I recommend booking a few recording hours in a professional studio because you will have a lot to learn from them. Remember that besides free audio software, you also need a good microphone and a dedicated sound card to get ideal results.