Free Audio Software

There is enough free software available to record an entire album, and record it well. The goal of this writing isn't to have an exhaustive list of free software, but to provide a list of software that would be enough to get going on a recording project.

Recording - I would start with Audacity. Audacity is a great multitrack recording program that works on the PC, Mac or Linux. It supports VST effects (with a simple add-on program) and MP3 export (also with an add-on program). Audacity is very easy to use, has great editing features, and supports unlimited undo. It will even run on pretty old computers - I have a friend running it on a Pentium 2 450Mhz on Windows 2000 and he recorded two albums with this setup! Not bad, eh?

In addition to downloading Audacity, also download the VST enabler and the LAME MP3 encoder. The VST enabler lets you use VST plugins in addition to the effects that already come with Audacity. Many VST plugins are available on the Internet for free. All of this is available at the Audacity website: http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Mastering - Once you mix down your songs to stereo files, editing and mastering can be done in WavePad. It is available at: http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/

Synthesis - If you also want to generate sound using your computer, I would start with ReBirth. ReBirth is based on the Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines and the TR-303 synthesizer. This program can generate great drum tracks quickly, as well as synth loops and more. This used to be a $200 program, but it became "obsolete" so it is now free. Go to http://www.rebirthmuseum.com/ to download it. ReBirth is available for both the Mac and the PC.

Between these three programs, you are on your way to making quality recordings with your computer.