Do you want to bring out your inner DJ? Many of today’s top artists started in their rooms simply with their laptops, beat-making software, and passion for composing music. Whether you want to kick start your music career or simply create music as a hobby, free beat-making software is the only tool you need. We’ve created a list of the best beat-making software available today, which are completely free to use!
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Free Beat Making Software For PC
A beat-making software could be the gateway to bringing out your music composition skills. There is a learning curve for most of the beat-making tools. However, with some time and patience and with the help of the software listed below, you can take your music to the next level in the most efficient way possible.
1. Tracktion T7
Tracktion T7 is a freeware cross-platform digital audio workstation(DAW). The once $60 feature-packed beat-making software was made free in 2018 with no limitations in its usability. The first thing you’ll notice about Tracktion T7 is its beautiful user interface which makes recording and mixing audio much faster by eliminating unnecessary dialog options. There are also a myriad of automation patterns and presets that can be easily added using drag and drop.
Features:
- Unlimited audio/midi tracks
- Professional workstation
- Professional time-stretch algorithm
- Supports external instruments and virtual effects
2. orDrumbox
orDrumbox is a freeware drum set software that allows you to mix and compose different drum sounds. It’s a great software for sound experiments and has great features such as automated bass line composition. It has a fairly large sound database that can be fully edited. Additionally, it also has a softsynth section and numerous presets.
Features:
- Auto-composition features
- Polyrhythms
- Automatic sound matching
- Custom softsynths
3. Cakewalk
Cakewalk developed by BandLab is available completely free for Windows users and comes with a very professional feel. A feature-rich software suitable for beginners and supports all your mixing, editing, and music composition needs. Additionally, it has an unlimited tracks feature and is built on one of the best audio engines, VST3 and Touch. Moreover, it lets you share your songs directly to Youtube, Soundcloud, and more.
Features:
- Apply any DirectX special effects
- Audio mixing can be automated
- Virtual instruments can be connected to the software
- Record and manipulate MIDI data
4. LMMS
LMMS or “Let us Make Music” is another free cross-platform open-source digital audio workstation. Although it’s not as feature-rich as a professional DAW for beginners, it is a great option. The user interface is a little bit different than most DAW, but with a little help from the documentation provided, you shouldn’t have trouble learning how it works. Like most beat-making software, you’ll find a large variety of plugins, sample presets, instruments, and MIDI supports.
Features:
- Add notes within a project
- Track automation support
- Built-in synthesizers
- Feature-rich audio plugins
5. Soundbridge DAW
Soundbridge is straightforward and easy-to-use beat-making software. This software is suitable for beginners as the user interface is easy to pick up and get used to. It is a very responsive software, and you can adjust the bit rates and sound card inputs. Track automation is not as efficient as other audio workstations, but audio stretching and pitch shifting come very easily.
Features:
- Unlimited number of tracks
- Ability to use 3rd party plugins
- MIDI keyboard support
- Side-chaining is possible
6. GarageBand
GarageBand is a free beat-making software that comes pre-installed on Mac OS and Apple devices. It has a very minimalist and efficient user interface. For example, different tracks are color-coded, and most of the features use drag and drop. Although looks may be simple, if you dig deeper into the software, you’ll find an extensive source of plugins and responsive controls. GarageBand is a lightweight digital audio workstation that is one of the best budget options for apple users.
Features:
- Transform Pad feature lets you edit outputs of selected synths
- Session drummer feature
- Easy-to-use user interface
7. Cubase LE
Cubase LE is a slimmed-down version of the Cubase Pro. This workstation provides all the basic tools needed for an entry-level beatmaker and offers a powerful yet easy-to-use solution to edit, mix and produce tracks. Cubase can record up to 8 audio channels and allows you to export your composition as an mp3.
Features:
- Up to 16 audio tracks
- Up to 24 MIDI tracks
- Virtual instruments and amps included
- Uses 23 audio VST processors
8. Audacity
Audacity is probably one of the best free open source and cross-platform beat-making software. It’s feature-rich and has functionality comparable to premium digital audio workstations. There are so many features that this software has to offer, from multi-track editing to background noise removal. This is one of the most fully packed free beat-making software available for download.
Features:
- Alter frequencies with equalization
- Notch filter effects
- Crash recovery and support for plugins
- Import dozens of file formats
- Smooth fading, labeling, and syncing tracks
- Noise reduction and vocals removal
9. Studio One Prime
The Studio One Prime by PreSonus is the free alternative to the PreSonus Studio One Professional. Although it lacks some features that the professional version has, it still offers an unlimited number of tracks, has several native effects plugins, and a gigabyte worth of presets, loops, and sampled sounds. Its user interface may seem a little intimidating initially, but it offers a quick and easy drag-drop feature that grows on you.
Features:
- The single-window work environment
- Multi-touch user interface
- Integrated Melodyne pitch correction
- Single and multitrack comping
10. Rosegarden
Rosegarden is free beat-making software that is designed specifically for Linux OS. It is suitable for beginners due to its attractive and simplistic user interface. Everything from quick synth selection to track parameters are easily accessible in Rosegarden’s interface. One of the cool features of Rosegarden is its notation editor, which lets you view your music in traditional music notation.
Features:
- Unlimited tracks
- Notation editor
- Large database of instruments
- Supports up to 100+ MIDI devices
10 Best Free Beat-Making Software
Below is the comprehensive list of the best free beat-making software available today.
- Tracktion T7
- orDrumbox
- Cakewalk
- LMMS
- Soundbridge DAW
- GarageBand
- Cubase LE
- Audacity
- Studio One Prime
- Rosegarden
Final Words:
All of the beat-making software and digital audio workstations listed above are excellent. The most feature-packed one would be Audacity, which is almost up to par with professional workstations. However, Audacity has a very complex user interface. You’ll find that some of the beat-making software listed above have much friendlier user interfaces. As all of these are free, make sure you try them all out and find one that meets your needs and tastes.