Though the Sage Audio music mastering blog has previously discussed DAWs , much of that article focused on top recording software like Pro Tools and Ableton Live. But odds are, if you’re just starting out in home recording, you won’t drop hundreds of dollars on your first program; so we wanted to take a look at the best recording software for beginners.
The Beginning: Free Recording Software
Getting started in home studio recording is easier today than ever, and it’s also far less expensive. We recommend starting out on some of the great free software that is available today, though which you choose will depend in part on your operating system of choice.
Mac: GarageBand
If you’ve bought an Apple computer, GarageBand is included, and it is a great program to learn the basics of recording, so there’s no need to add any additional software.
Pros: GarageBand is designed to provide an intuitive recording process, which probably makes it the easiest program to use. Newer versions even come with features that intuitively (and sometimes automatically) even fix tempo inaccuracies in your tracks. Additionally, the software has great effects like reverb, compressors built in, and even includes a slew of awesome guitar and amp modelers.
Cons: The software’s ease of use is something of a blessing and a curse, because all the intuitiveness eventually begins to get in the way of your overall recording knowledge. While great to begin your road to recording, when you eventually want more control over your tracks, you’ll find that you have to work around what GarageBand automatically wants to do to “help” your tracks.
Windows and GNU/Linux: Audacity
Audacity is a free, open source recording program that functions closer to DAWs like Pro Tools and Logic more so than GarageBand.
Pros: Audacity doesn’t provide the intuitive learning experience GarageBand is designed for, but learning on the software will better prepare you when you move up to more of a high-end recording software. The basic functions of the program are similar to any of the more expensive DAWs, and it comes with all the basic effects and other features you’ll need to get started. Additionally, you can access other open source plugins to add a wider scope of effects.
Cons: Being open source, Audacity doesn’t have the money invested to provide the cutting edge functionality of other software.
- Note: Audacity is also available for Mac (and you can use the Audio Unit system plugins that come with Macs as plugins in Audacity). The program may make a great second step after trying GarageBand, and can be used as an alternative to GarageBand altogether.
The Next Step
Whichever software you decide to use, be sure to explore all features available to learn not only how the software works, but how you can make use of all resources to make your tracks sound the best they can. This is particularly true on GarageBand, as the program likes to present its many manual presets, and while they can be a good starting point, the deeper you go into the program’s options, the more you’ll learn.
Next up in the Home Recording Academy series, we’ll present the best options for choosing your second recording software after you’re ready to graduate from the free options.
Make Pro Songs
There are 8 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You’ll get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
2. 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio 1:1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us to answer all your questions and receive unlimited advanced mixing feedback directly from us.
- Unlimited direct access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve your mixes and masters.
- Unlimited advanced mixing feedback with detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Fast communication to answer all your questions and get tailored guidance that’s specific to your needs.
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can improve your mixes quickly.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide feedback about what you can improve before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
4. Sage Audio University™ (SAU) — (Mixing and Mastering Education Platform)
- SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course curriculum.
- SAU course curriculums include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
- Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.
5. Mixing and Mastering Competitions
- Compete in Mixing Competitions and Mastering Competitions to win prizes and connect with friends and colleagues.
- This is a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside both aspiring engineers and seasoned industry professionals.
6. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
7. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 58 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
8. 700+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.
