GarageBand is one of the best digital audio workstations (DAWs) available, but it’s exclusively for Apple devices. It simply means that it is only compatible with Macs, iPhones, and iPads; but not available for Windows, Linux, or Android. So, if you want to have the GarageBand experience on your Windows 10 PC, then you have a few options. As a result, we’ll go through the best GarageBand alternatives for Windows that are almost similar to the original. So, let’s start.
List Of Best GarageBand Alternatives For Windows
Here are the best GarageBand Alternatives for Windows.
1. FL Studio
FL Studio remains one of the most advanced, widely used, and best GarageBand alternatives for Windows, while the scene has altered slightly as more high-quality DAWs have been available to users. Moreover, it isn’t free, like Cakewalk or LMMS, but it is one of the most popular GarageBand alternatives on Windows. It comes with a full-featured trial that lets you edit, save, and export projects to MP3 and WAV audio formats.
Its major features include effects chains, audio sends, sidechain control, advanced automation, plugin delay compensation, and more. It also includes a piano roll for sending notes and automation data to plugin instruments and a large number of native instruments and effects.
FL Studio also supports all VST standards that use the widest choice of third-party plugins available. It also includes a variety of synth and effects.
2. Audacity
Audacity is one of the free, open-source, and best GarageBand alternatives for Windows. It is quite popular among new musicians and it is one of the best audio editing softwares for Linux. Although it is used as an audio editor, it can also record, edit and produce music files.
Furthermore, Audacity is a multi-track audio editor and recorder with live audio recording capabilities.
Audacity supports 6-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit audio and uses high-quality resampling and dithering to transform sample rates and formats. LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST, and Audio Unit effect plug-ins are all supported, and Nyquist effects may be easily adjusted with a text editor. You may even create your plug-ins with Audacity.
Audacity is an excellent alternative, but it lacks some of the features. Despite this, Audacity is likely your best bet if you’re beginning a YouTube channel and have no prior experience with audio creation.
3. Reaper
Reaper is one of the best GarageBand alternatives for Windows. It includes capabilities for multi-track audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing, and mastering. It also supports a wide range of hardware, digital formats, and plugins. Other capabilities include 64-bit internal audio processing and VST, VST3, LV2, AU, DX, and JS support for thousands of third-party plugin effects and virtual instruments.
It has hundreds of studio-quality audio, MIDI effects, and tools for generating new effects. Reaper also supports automation, modulation, grouping, VCA, surround, macros, OSC, scripting, control surfaces, custom skins, layouts, and more.
Finally, the Tweaker script allows for extensive customization as well as a variety of corrections and improvements, such as Dynamic Split improvements, positive or negative playback offset, and faster and higher quality sample rate conversion.
4. Cakewalk
Cakewalk is one of the best GarageBand alternatives for Windows. It is partially based on Roland’s “Sonar” software technology and includes Sonar’s 64-bit mix engine; which helps to generate clean, dynamic, and accurate mixes. Following its acquisition by BandLab, the software was rebranded as Cakewalk and now includes limitless audio, MIDI, instrument, loop, and auxiliary tracks in every project.
Moreover, Cakewalk also includes advanced mixing and tracking tools like a variety of FX and built-in mastering capabilities.
It also allows users to build and modify their channel strip with an expandable library of ProChannel modules, which are designed to mimic the structure of an analog console. Several other features include Convolution reverb, resonant filtering, dynamic compression, powerful EQ, peak limiting, VST3 support, touchscreen compatibility, ARA capabilities, and more.
Furthermore, you can also use the software to instantly export and distribute your songs to YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
5. LMMS
LMMS is a cross-platform, free and open-source software with a vast choice of instruments. It’s a robust music production system with multiple mixing and mastering capabilities that’s available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Simply, LMMS allows you to sequence, write, mix, automate tracks, playback notes via MIDI or a keyboard. It also has full user-defined track-based automation and computer-controlled automation sources are also supported.
LMMS also includes 64-bit VST instrument support, as well as a 32-bit VST bridge. There are 16 built-in synthesizers, including Roland TB-303 emulation, Commodore 64 SID microchip emulation, Nintendo NES and GameBoy emulation, Yamaha OPL2 chip emulation, and more.
ZynAddSubFx plugin also supports polyphonic, multitimbral, microtonal, multi-voice additive, subtractive, and pad synthesis. LMMS additionally supports native multisample support for SoundFont (SF2), Giga (GIG), and Gravis UltraSound (GUS) formats.
6. Ohm Studio
According to Ohm Studio, it is the “first real-time, pro-grade collaborative digital audio workstation”. It takes advantage of the cloud’s capabilities to allow numerous people to collaborate on music composition in real-time from the comfort of their own home or studio.
Ohm Studio is an excellent tool to have throughout the pandemic since it allows each member of a team or band to record their raw tracks separately and share them with the rest of the project through the cloud. With a straightforward interface and built-in tutorials, the software offers cutting-edge features and makes things simple for newcomers.
Ohm Studio’s collaborative design is based on an in-house algorithm called “Flip,” which ensures that any project participant can conduct operations on any piece without conflict. Every update to the project is immediately posted to the server and synchronized among all members.
Ohm Studio is a fantastic GarageBand replacement on Windows and other platforms. For cloud-based real-time collaborations, thanks to its extensive feature set and cross-platform compatibility.
7. Magix Music Maker
Magix Music Maker is one of the greatest Garageband alternatives on Windows. To get you started, the software includes a large library of high-quality rhythms, songs, and vocals. Moreover, this software has a drag-and-drop option to combine sounds and loops, play a library of software instruments, and apply professional effects and live recordings.
While the free version includes a multi-core audio engine and other advanced capabilities, the paid versions provide VST2 and VST3 compatibility, and a full MIDI editing suite.
MusicMaker also has an ‘auto master’ tool for initial music producers that employs an algorithm to adapt elements of your mix based on the genre of your choice. It also has various stereo-imaging plugins, limiters, EQs, and compressors for sophisticated users.
8. Audiotool
Audiotool, yet another online collaborative music production software that includes 50,000 devices presets and 250,000 samples in its community library. Moreover, it is a powerful alternative as it stores all tracks in Audiotool servers so that collaborators can access them from anywhere.
Further features of Audiotool include Splitter, merger, sub-mixer, and several other conventional mixing and routing techniques. Audiotool has instruments like the Heisenberg, a modular polyphonic synthesizer called the Pulverisateur, beatbox functionality, and a drum sampler called the Machinist.
Moreover, Audiotool includes a graphical EQ, auto filter, stereo enhancer, and more. Overall, Audiotool establishes itself as a viable online DAW in its own right.
9. MPC Beats
MPC Beats is free beat-making software that includes drum programming, sampling, and audio recording. This is another amazing GarageBand alternative for Windows, based on Akai’s renowned MPC music production technology. It is sophisticated beat-making software that supports VST and AU plugins.
Trap, Dance, Pop, and more genre templates are available in the software. It comes with 2GB of free content, which includes samples, loops, and built-in virtual instrument plugins to aid in the creation of your sound. MPC Beats comes with an expansion pack versions by prominent musicians and music producers like Araab Muzik, Motif Alumni, and others are also included.
MPC Beats works with a variety of USB controllers, including the MPK Mini, M-Audio Oxygen, Alesis V-Mini, and others. Compressors, echo/ delay/ reverb, EQ, software synthesizers, and more audio FX plugins available in this software that make it easy to wrap, manipulate, and convert audio. You can also use two stereo audio tracks to record instruments or vocals to add live elements to your music.
MPC beats have 16 pads for triggering drum samples and loops, a piano roll for recording MIDI notes, a sample editor for cutting and editing samples, and a browser for searching and selecting sounds. Finally, MPC Beats is accessible as a plugin that you can use to add specialized beat-making software to your existing DAW.
10. Cubase
Cubase is the best GarageBand alternative for Windows, especially for music professionals around the world. The Cubase audio engine has a 64-bit floating-point resolution and a sample rate of 192 kHz. It also has genuine surround capability, with up to six discrete channels enabling 5.1 surround mixes for each track and channel.
Additionally, Audio warp-quantize, complex channel strip modules, chord pads to assist composing music rapidly, comping to build the perfect track from many takes, and other capabilities are included in the software.
Moreover, Cubase also allows the addition of the entire signal path, including master bus effects. You may also export your audio, FX, groups, instruments, MIDI, and video tracks as track archives, and can import them into other projects.
Further notable features include VariAudio 3, scale assistant, Groove Agent SE, a comprehensive drum production software instrument, easy side-chaining, spectral comparison EQ, channel batch export, latency monitor, imports from projects, logical editor, ARA support, and more.
Wrapping Up
Although GarageBand is one of the greatest tools, you don’t need to get a Mac to create pro-level music. As there are several best GarageBand alternatives for Windows listed above; which provide you the experience of high-quality music creation software. So, go ahead and make your choice, and let us know which option you prefer.
Audacity is the best alternative to GarageBand.
FL Studio is better than GarageBand as it has better interface and is easier to learn.
Cakewalk is the easiest DAW to use.