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Summary of all the Audio Apps available for OSX
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<blockquote data-quote="robduckyworth" data-source="post: 1205185" data-attributes="member: 184879"><p>So, a lot of musicians are moving to the Mac for their production needs. Whether you are a guitarist, drummer, singer/songwriter, Synth or MIDI enthusiast, engineer, or you just like to have a little bit of a jam now and again, there is an app for you.</p><p></p><p>DAW = Digital audio Workstation</p><p>Plug in = an virtual instrument or effect, that can be added to the program</p><p>MIDI = Musical Instrument Digital Interface</p><p>DSP = Digital Signal Processing</p><p>"ReWire" = Propellerhead's Software for integrating two DAWs (usually Reason into Pro Tools, Logic or Ableton) so that you can play the "slave's" instruments in the "host's" interface, and manipulate and so on.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong><u>DAW's</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Garageband</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/" target="_blank">Apple - GarageBand - Learn about Flex Time and other new features.</a></p><p></p><p>This comes free with any new Mac. It's a powerful production tool: you can record MIDI and Audio, through use of the Mac's in-built sound card, or through one of many third party interfaces available on the market. It comes with a large variety of virtual instruments, including piano, synths, guitars and so on, along with a lot of free effects plug-ins, including EQ and compression.</p><p></p><p>Can be expanded with "jam packs", essentially extra Loops and instruments.</p><p></p><p>Plug in format: AU (Audio Unit)</p><p></p><p>Price: Free (with any new Mac purchase, £8.99 on Mac App Store)</p><p></p><p><strong>Ardour</strong></p><p><a href="http://ardour.org/" target="_blank">ardour - the digital audio workstation</a></p><p></p><p>Completely open source: so it's completely free! works with any Core Audio Hardware, and is a pretty powerful free tool. MIDI support, Automatic Delay compensation, among a whole host of other features.</p><p></p><p>Plug in format: AU, LADSPA, LV2</p><p></p><p>Price: Free</p><p></p><p><strong>Traverso</strong></p><p><a href="http://traverso-daw.org/" target="_blank">Home — Traverso DAW</a></p><p></p><p>Another open source choice. Powerful Recording and Editing facilities. takes a "lightweight" approach to the interface.</p><p></p><p>Plug in format: LV2</p><p></p><p>Price: Free</p><p></p><p><strong>The Two "Big Guns":</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Avid Pro Tools HD/LE</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.avid.com/us/products/family/pro-tools" target="_blank">Avid | Pro Tools</a></p><p></p><p>Industry standard in recording studios. Great Hardware and software. Good range of included plug ins, good work flow, support for most formats. Slightly let down by the less common plug-in architectures, as freeware third party plugs are rare, and a lot of commercial ones can be expensive. (RTAS) MIDI is not as good as other DAWs, but does include a decent Piano Roll, Score Editor and automation.</p><p></p><p>HD systems use DSP PCI-E cards: taking the load off the computer, effectively running all the Signal Processing off the Pro tools Hardware. Makes for a very stable system. Unfortunately means you cannot run PT HD on iMacs, or Macbook, or Macbook Pros. There is however, a Pro Tools HD Native product line, which combines with an audio interface.</p><p></p><p>Pro Tools LE can be ran natively on the whole mac range, and as of PT 9 supports most third party interfaces.</p><p></p><p>Plug in format: RTAS (LE/HD) TDM (HD only)</p><p></p><p>Price:</p><p>£101/$163 for Pro Tools 8 M-Powered</p><p>£249/$402 for the Mbox mini/PT9 combo</p><p>HD systems vary, around £1600/$2587+ - there are <strong>alot</strong> of options, most beyond most people's needs.</p><p></p><p><strong>Logic Express/Studio 9</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.apple.com/logicstudio/logicpro/" target="_blank">Apple - Logic Studio - Logic Pro 9</a></p><p></p><p>A Great step up from anyone used to Garageband, but wants more features. Support for all interfaces, and in particular, has massive MIDI potential. comes with a great range of bundled synths and FX. The Piano Roll and Score Editor are great, Automation is extensive, good tool menu. Editing Audio is easy, and exporting to samplers takes two clicks.</p><p></p><p>The upgrade to Studio (Logic Pro) includes surround support, and includes a few more features, also including around 40GB of royalty free Apple Loops, aswell as extra Applications for burning CDs, and performing live (Mainstage.)</p><p></p><p>Logic is compatible with Garageband Jam Packs.</p><p></p><p>Plug-in Format: AU</p><p></p><p>Price: £160/$199 (express) £298/$499 (studio) Student discounts available.</p><p></p><p>Other options:</p><p></p><p><strong>Cubase</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.steinberg.net/" target="_blank">Home*<img src="/mac_images/images/smilies/Kiss.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":*" title="Kiss :*" data-shortname=":*" />Welcome to Steinberg*|*http://www.steinberg.net/</a></p><p></p><p>Just as powerful as Pro tools or Logic. good for Audio or MIDI. Uses a more common format for plug ins, meaning plug ins are easier to come by, so more instruments and FX.</p><p></p><p>Plug in format: VST</p><p></p><p>Price: various versions available, starting at £126/$203 for "Essential 5". comes bundled with many interfaces.</p><p></p><p><strong>Ableton Live</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ableton.com/" target="_blank">Ableton - Ableton Live Home</a></p><p></p><p><img src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRS5xhrVKyGDuC2AHuDcJ09acL93M6fn4mnRACQX7-7Qm6Vs0-X" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Ableton is an interesting app for production. It has a non linear workflow based on "clips", or sections of audio or MIDI that you arrange into a track. can be used in live performance situations, or for creating tracks, or DJ mixing.</p><p></p><p>This app is great for MIDI enthusiasts, but lacks great audio functionality.</p><p></p><p>It's a really interesting app for those who don't like to "work in a straight line".</p><p></p><p>There is a free demo "Lite" version available.</p><p></p><p>Can be used as a ReWire slave <strong>and</strong> host. This is the only app that can do this.</p><p></p><p>Plug-in formats: VST, AU</p><p></p><p>Price: "lite" version bundled with many interfaces. Full Live 8: $449 (various other versions available)</p><p></p><p><strong>Reason/Record</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.propellerheads.se/" target="_blank">Propellerhead Software</a></p><p></p><p>Great MIDI production suite. Has some powerful synths, sampling and drum machines. can be "Rewired" (effectively "plugged in" to another DAW, such as Logic, or Cubase, to use the included instruments and FX inside that host DAW.) Record adds a whole host of Audio capabilities.</p><p></p><p>Plug in format: none.</p><p></p><p>Price: £299/$449 (Reason/Record Duo).</p><p></p><p><u><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>DJ Apps</strong></span></u></p><p></p><p><strong>Native Instruments Traktor</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/dj/traktor-pro/" target="_blank">NATIVE INSTRUMENTS : HOME | HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE FOR MUSICIANS, PRODUCERS, DJS, GUITAR AND BASS PLAYERS</a></p><p></p><p>Popular commercial app & hardware. Used by a lot of professional DJs.</p><p></p><p>price: Various hardware bundles; around £159/$257</p><p></p><p><strong>Virtual DJ</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.virtualdj.com/download/free.html" target="_blank">VIRTUAL DJ SOFTWARE - Download VirtualDJ Home FREE</a></p><p></p><p>Another popular commercial app. A free "Home" version has just been released on the Mac App Store.</p><p></p><p>price: Free (Home) $329 (Full)</p><p></p><p><strong>Mixxx</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.mixxx.org/" target="_blank">Mixxx - Free DJ Mixing Software App</a></p><p></p><p>Open source DJ app, that is compatible with a variety of controllers.</p><p></p><p>price: Free</p><p></p><p><strong>DJay</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.algoriddim.com/djay-mac" target="_blank">DJ Software for Mac - djay Pro by Algoriddim</a></p><p></p><p>Easy to use DJ application. integration with iTunes and multi-touch gesture support. $49.95</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong><u>System Audio Recording/Podcasting</u></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Audio Hijack Pro</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/" target="_blank">Rogue Amoeba | Audio Hijack Pro: Record Any Audio On Mac OS X</a></p><p></p><p>Great for recording system audio, or specific applications, or podcasting. Can use a wide variety of effects. ID3 tag editing, supports most file formats, including AIFF, MP3 in multiple bit rates and so on. Can be automated to record at certain intervals.</p><p></p><p>Plug in format: AU, VST</p><p></p><p>Price: Single license: $32, 5 licenses: $59</p><p></p><p><strong>Audacity</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/beta_mac" target="_blank">Audacity: Mac OS X</a></p><p></p><p>Free alternative to Audio Hi-Jack Pro: completely open source. Uses FFMpeg and LAME encoder libraries, powerful options for audio editing. Edits Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files. Full feature list here:</p><p></p><p><a href="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features" target="_blank">Audacity: Features</a></p><p></p><p>Plug-in format: LADSPA</p><p></p><p>Price: Free</p><p></p><p><strong>CD Spin Doctor</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://images.roxio.com/support/CDSpinDoctorHelp_English.pdf" target="_blank">Roxio CD Spin Doctor 6 - Overview</a></p><p></p><p>Uses Gracenote for automatic tagging: analyses waveforms. Also good for recording LPs or other analog sources.</p><p></p><p>Plug-in format: none</p><p></p><p>Price: Free with Toast Titanium 10/11</p><p></p><p><u><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>Converters</strong></span></u></p><p></p><p><strong>Max</strong></p><p><a href="https://download.cnet.com/Sbooth-Max/3000-2140_4-83525.html" target="_blank">Max from sbooth.org</a></p><p></p><p>multi-format CD ripper. for those that love obscure Music file formats: MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC, Apple Lossless, Monkey's Audio, WavPack, Speex, AIFF, and WAVE.</p><p></p><p><strong>XLD</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/23430/x-lossless-decoder" target="_blank">Download X Lossless Decoder for Mac - Encode, transcode, and play various music file formats. MacUpdate.com</a></p><p>similar to Max.</p><p></p><p>(Ogg) FLAC (.flac/.ogg)</p><p>Monkey's Audio (.ape)</p><p>Wavpack (.wv)</p><p>TTA (.tta)</p><p>Apple Lossless (.m4a)</p><p>AIFF, WAV</p><p></p><p><strong>NCH Switch</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.nch.com.au/switch/index.html" target="_blank">Audio Sound File Converter Software. Convert wav, mp3, dvd, midi, dvf etc.</a></p><p></p><p>Convert between a variety of formats. Requires Flip4mac for Windows formats (A little bit buggy, i recommend EasyWMA over this)</p><p></p><p>Price: various versions, starting at $12.49</p><p></p><p><strong>EasyWMA</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/14645/easywma" target="_blank">EasyWMA</a></p><p></p><p>In my opinion, the best way to convert Windows formats.</p><p></p><p>Price: $12.99</p><p></p><p><strong>All2MP3</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/27103/all2mp3" target="_blank">Download All2MP3 for Mac - Convert APE, MPC, FLAC, WV, AIFF, WAV music files to MP3. MacUpdate.com</a></p><p></p><p>Simple, easy to use drag 'n' drop MP3 encoder.</p><p></p><p><u><span style="font-size: 22px"><strong>Misc</strong></span></u></p><p></p><p><strong>Soundflower</strong></p><p>Soundflower – Cycling 74</p><p></p><p>Great app for routing Audio around your system. Comes up as an Audio device in System preferences.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="robduckyworth, post: 1205185, member: 184879"] So, a lot of musicians are moving to the Mac for their production needs. Whether you are a guitarist, drummer, singer/songwriter, Synth or MIDI enthusiast, engineer, or you just like to have a little bit of a jam now and again, there is an app for you. DAW = Digital audio Workstation Plug in = an virtual instrument or effect, that can be added to the program MIDI = Musical Instrument Digital Interface DSP = Digital Signal Processing "ReWire" = Propellerhead's Software for integrating two DAWs (usually Reason into Pro Tools, Logic or Ableton) so that you can play the "slave's" instruments in the "host's" interface, and manipulate and so on. [SIZE=6][B][U]DAW's[/U][/B][/SIZE] [B]Garageband[/B] [URL='http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/']Apple - GarageBand - Learn about Flex Time and other new features.[/URL] This comes free with any new Mac. It's a powerful production tool: you can record MIDI and Audio, through use of the Mac's in-built sound card, or through one of many third party interfaces available on the market. It comes with a large variety of virtual instruments, including piano, synths, guitars and so on, along with a lot of free effects plug-ins, including EQ and compression. Can be expanded with "jam packs", essentially extra Loops and instruments. Plug in format: AU (Audio Unit) Price: Free (with any new Mac purchase, £8.99 on Mac App Store) [B]Ardour[/B] [URL='http://ardour.org/']ardour - the digital audio workstation[/URL] Completely open source: so it's completely free! works with any Core Audio Hardware, and is a pretty powerful free tool. MIDI support, Automatic Delay compensation, among a whole host of other features. Plug in format: AU, LADSPA, LV2 Price: Free [B]Traverso[/B] [URL='http://traverso-daw.org/']Home — Traverso DAW[/URL] Another open source choice. Powerful Recording and Editing facilities. takes a "lightweight" approach to the interface. Plug in format: LV2 Price: Free [B]The Two "Big Guns": Avid Pro Tools HD/LE[/B] [URL='http://www.avid.com/us/products/family/pro-tools']Avid | Pro Tools[/URL] Industry standard in recording studios. Great Hardware and software. Good range of included plug ins, good work flow, support for most formats. Slightly let down by the less common plug-in architectures, as freeware third party plugs are rare, and a lot of commercial ones can be expensive. (RTAS) MIDI is not as good as other DAWs, but does include a decent Piano Roll, Score Editor and automation. HD systems use DSP PCI-E cards: taking the load off the computer, effectively running all the Signal Processing off the Pro tools Hardware. Makes for a very stable system. Unfortunately means you cannot run PT HD on iMacs, or Macbook, or Macbook Pros. There is however, a Pro Tools HD Native product line, which combines with an audio interface. Pro Tools LE can be ran natively on the whole mac range, and as of PT 9 supports most third party interfaces. Plug in format: RTAS (LE/HD) TDM (HD only) Price: £101/$163 for Pro Tools 8 M-Powered £249/$402 for the Mbox mini/PT9 combo HD systems vary, around £1600/$2587+ - there are [B]alot[/B] of options, most beyond most people's needs. [B]Logic Express/Studio 9[/B] [URL='http://www.apple.com/logicstudio/logicpro/']Apple - Logic Studio - Logic Pro 9[/URL] A Great step up from anyone used to Garageband, but wants more features. Support for all interfaces, and in particular, has massive MIDI potential. comes with a great range of bundled synths and FX. The Piano Roll and Score Editor are great, Automation is extensive, good tool menu. Editing Audio is easy, and exporting to samplers takes two clicks. The upgrade to Studio (Logic Pro) includes surround support, and includes a few more features, also including around 40GB of royalty free Apple Loops, aswell as extra Applications for burning CDs, and performing live (Mainstage.) Logic is compatible with Garageband Jam Packs. Plug-in Format: AU Price: £160/$199 (express) £298/$499 (studio) Student discounts available. Other options: [B]Cubase[/B] [URL='http://www.steinberg.net/']Home*:*Welcome to Steinberg*|*http://www.steinberg.net/[/URL] Just as powerful as Pro tools or Logic. good for Audio or MIDI. Uses a more common format for plug ins, meaning plug ins are easier to come by, so more instruments and FX. Plug in format: VST Price: various versions available, starting at £126/$203 for "Essential 5". comes bundled with many interfaces. [B]Ableton Live[/B] [URL='http://www.ableton.com/']Ableton - Ableton Live Home[/URL] [IMG]http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRS5xhrVKyGDuC2AHuDcJ09acL93M6fn4mnRACQX7-7Qm6Vs0-X[/IMG] Ableton is an interesting app for production. It has a non linear workflow based on "clips", or sections of audio or MIDI that you arrange into a track. can be used in live performance situations, or for creating tracks, or DJ mixing. This app is great for MIDI enthusiasts, but lacks great audio functionality. It's a really interesting app for those who don't like to "work in a straight line". There is a free demo "Lite" version available. Can be used as a ReWire slave [B]and[/B] host. This is the only app that can do this. Plug-in formats: VST, AU Price: "lite" version bundled with many interfaces. Full Live 8: $449 (various other versions available) [B]Reason/Record[/B] [URL='http://www.propellerheads.se/']Propellerhead Software[/URL] Great MIDI production suite. Has some powerful synths, sampling and drum machines. can be "Rewired" (effectively "plugged in" to another DAW, such as Logic, or Cubase, to use the included instruments and FX inside that host DAW.) Record adds a whole host of Audio capabilities. Plug in format: none. Price: £299/$449 (Reason/Record Duo). [U][SIZE=6][B]DJ Apps[/B][/SIZE][/U] [B]Native Instruments Traktor[/B] [URL='http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/dj/traktor-pro/']NATIVE INSTRUMENTS : HOME | HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE FOR MUSICIANS, PRODUCERS, DJS, GUITAR AND BASS PLAYERS[/URL] Popular commercial app & hardware. Used by a lot of professional DJs. price: Various hardware bundles; around £159/$257 [B]Virtual DJ[/B] [URL='http://www.virtualdj.com/download/free.html']VIRTUAL DJ SOFTWARE - Download VirtualDJ Home FREE[/URL] Another popular commercial app. A free "Home" version has just been released on the Mac App Store. price: Free (Home) $329 (Full) [B]Mixxx[/B] [URL='http://www.mixxx.org/']Mixxx - Free DJ Mixing Software App[/URL] Open source DJ app, that is compatible with a variety of controllers. price: Free [B]DJay[/B] [URL='http://www.algoriddim.com/djay-mac']DJ Software for Mac - djay Pro by Algoriddim[/URL] Easy to use DJ application. integration with iTunes and multi-touch gesture support. $49.95 [SIZE=6][B][U]System Audio Recording/Podcasting[/U][/B][/SIZE] [B]Audio Hijack Pro[/B] [URL='http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/']Rogue Amoeba | Audio Hijack Pro: Record Any Audio On Mac OS X[/URL] Great for recording system audio, or specific applications, or podcasting. Can use a wide variety of effects. ID3 tag editing, supports most file formats, including AIFF, MP3 in multiple bit rates and so on. Can be automated to record at certain intervals. Plug in format: AU, VST Price: Single license: $32, 5 licenses: $59 [B]Audacity[/B] [URL='http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/beta_mac']Audacity: Mac OS X[/URL] Free alternative to Audio Hi-Jack Pro: completely open source. Uses FFMpeg and LAME encoder libraries, powerful options for audio editing. Edits Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files. Full feature list here: [URL='http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features']Audacity: Features[/URL] Plug-in format: LADSPA Price: Free [B]CD Spin Doctor[/B] [URL='http://images.roxio.com/support/CDSpinDoctorHelp_English.pdf']Roxio CD Spin Doctor 6 - Overview[/URL] Uses Gracenote for automatic tagging: analyses waveforms. Also good for recording LPs or other analog sources. Plug-in format: none Price: Free with Toast Titanium 10/11 [U][SIZE=6][B]Converters[/B][/SIZE][/U] [B]Max[/B] [URL='https://download.cnet.com/Sbooth-Max/3000-2140_4-83525.html']Max from sbooth.org[/URL] multi-format CD ripper. for those that love obscure Music file formats: MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC, Apple Lossless, Monkey's Audio, WavPack, Speex, AIFF, and WAVE. [B]XLD[/B] [URL='http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/23430/x-lossless-decoder']Download X Lossless Decoder for Mac - Encode, transcode, and play various music file formats. MacUpdate.com[/URL] similar to Max. (Ogg) FLAC (.flac/.ogg) Monkey's Audio (.ape) Wavpack (.wv) TTA (.tta) Apple Lossless (.m4a) AIFF, WAV [B]NCH Switch[/B] [URL='http://www.nch.com.au/switch/index.html']Audio Sound File Converter Software. Convert wav, mp3, dvd, midi, dvf etc.[/URL] Convert between a variety of formats. Requires Flip4mac for Windows formats (A little bit buggy, i recommend EasyWMA over this) Price: various versions, starting at $12.49 [B]EasyWMA[/B] [URL='https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/14645/easywma']EasyWMA[/URL] In my opinion, the best way to convert Windows formats. Price: $12.99 [B]All2MP3[/B] [URL='http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/27103/all2mp3']Download All2MP3 for Mac - Convert APE, MPC, FLAC, WV, AIFF, WAV music files to MP3. MacUpdate.com[/URL] Simple, easy to use drag 'n' drop MP3 encoder. [U][SIZE=6][B]Misc[/B][/SIZE][/U] [B]Soundflower[/B] Soundflower – Cycling 74 Great app for routing Audio around your system. Comes up as an Audio device in System preferences. [/QUOTE]
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Summary of all the Audio Apps available for OSX
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