This is a list of software for creating, performing, learning, analyzing, researching, broadcasting and editing music. This article only includes software, not services.

For streaming services such as iHeartRadio, Pandora, Prime Music, and Spotify, see Comparison of on-demand streaming music services.

For storage, uploading, downloading and streaming of music via the cloud, see Comparison of online music lockers.

This list does not include discontinued historic or legacy software, with the exception of trackers that are still supported.[1][2]

If a program fits several categories, such as a comprehensive digital audio workstation or a foundation programming language (e.g. Pure Data), listing is limited to its top three categories.

Types of music software

CD ripping software

Choir and learn-to-sing software

This section includes both choir software and learn-to-sing software. For music learning software, see music education software.

Main articles: Choir and Vocal coach

DJ software

Main article: DJ § Software

Digital audio workstation (DAW) software

Main article: Digital audio workstation

Computer music software

Electronic music
Experimental forms
Popular styles
Other topics

Main article: Computer music

See also: List of audio programming languages

Internet, RSS, broadcast music software

Main article: Netlabel

See also: Content delivery network

This section only includes software, not services. For services programs like Spotify, Pandora, Prime Music, etc. see Comparison of on-demand streaming music services. Likewise, list includes music RSS apps, widgets and software, but for a list of actual feeds, see Comparison of feed aggregators. For music broadcast software lists in the cloud, see Content delivery network and Comparison of online music lockers.

Lyrics and vocals

See also: List of vocoders § Software vocoder models

Audio plug-ins

Main article: Audio plug-in

Music analysis software

Main article: Musical analysis

See also: Spectrum analyzer

Music circuit software

See also: Audio electronics and circuit bending

Music composing software

See also: Algorithmic composition

Music conversion software

See also: List of audio conversion software

Music education software

This section is about music learning software. For choir and learn-to-sing software, see § Choir and Learn to Sing Software.

Main article: Comparison of music education software

Music gaming software

See also: Video game music and Dynamic music

Music mathematics software

Main article: Music and mathematics

See also: Society for Mathematics and Computation in Music and Mathematical software

Music notation software

Main article: Scorewriter

Music player software

Main article: Comparison of audio player software

Music research software

Main article: Sound and music computing

Music technology, synthesis and o/s software

See also: Software synthesizer

Music visualization software

Main article: Music visualization

Orchestration software

This section is about music orchestration software. For orchestration software as used in information technology, see Orchestration (computing).

Drums and percussion

Guitar

Piano

Pipe organ

Automatic composition software

Main article: Music and artificial intelligence

See also: Robotic art

Samplers and sequencers

See also: Comparison of MIDI editors and sequencers

Soundtrack creation software

Main article: Soundtrack

See also: Multitrack recording and Sound recording and reproduction
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soundtrack creation software.

Trackers

Main article: Music tracker

Historical tracker software:

Name Latest update License OS versions File format support VST
support 		ASIO
output
Windows OS X Linux MID MOD XM IT S3M
Renoise 31 July 2023 (2023-07-31) Proprietary Yes Yes Yes Load Load Load Load No Yes Yes
OpenMPT 21 May 2017 BSD Yes Yes-Wine Yes-Wine Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
SoundTracker 1 October 2023 (2023-10-01) GPL No No Yes No Yes Yes No No No No
MilkyTracker 5 July 2023 (2023-07-05) GPL Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Load Load No Yes
Buzztrax 3 September 2015 (2015-09-03) LGPL Yes Yes Yes Load Load Load Load No Yes Yes

Virtual Studio Technology hosting software

Virtual synthesizer and studio software

See also: Virtual Studio Technology

Main category: Software synthesizers

Wave editors

See also

Main articles: Outline of music and Index of music articles

References

  1. ^ "Short History of Computer Music". UCSC.edu. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  2. ^ Twells, John. "The 14 pieces of software that shaped modern music". Fact Mag. Archived from the original on Apr 23, 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Music & Math". Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  4. ^ Intelligence, new visions of artificial intelligence in practice. Vol. 11. Association for Computing Machinery. 2000.
  5. ^ Thomas Wichmann, The Hauptwerk Computer Program, Review in The American Organist, July 2004
  6. ^ "VST plug-ins". Audacity Wiki.
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