- Best Mac Apps For Music
- Free Music Apps For Laptops
- Best Mac Apps For Music Production
- Best Audiophile Player For Mac
GarageBand offers easy music recording for novices and pros alike, and it comes free with every Mac. The app is still the best way to learn piano or guitar on a computer and easily earns our. There are multiple apps out there you can use to manage your music library if you’re on a Mac, but you may have trouble deciding which is best for you.
After researching for days on the best Digital Audio Workstation used by musicians we have listed down the Best 9 Music Product Apps for Windows & Mac that are the best in functionality.
So do give this post a full read to know more about the Best 9 Music Product Apps for Windows & Mac.
List of 9 Best Music Product Apps for Windows & Mac.
- Ableton Live 10.
Ableton Live is a free Digital Audio workstation that comes with pretty much every piece of audio hardware and functionality you can buy. So you do have to purchase some features to get it. Ableton Live Lite comes with the same workflow, instruments, and effects as the standard version of Live. However, you can only have up to 8 audio and MIDI tracks. This is still organizable for creating music. You can use Ableton Live Lite like a traditional Digital Audio workstation and record and add it on your timeline or you can start to build songs using the session view. Overall This DAW is an amazing one and can fulfill all your needs at one go. You can check this out by clicking here.
2. GarageBand
Mac users probably want to check out the Garage band. It is an open-source music production software from Apple, and somehow a scaled-down version of the professional digital audio workstation Logic Pro X. It comes with a variety of instruments, loops, and effects. You can also learn to play the guitar, and other music instruments with the help of integrated music lessons. Garageband restricts you to thirty-two tracks which are fine to create great music productions. If you have an iPhone or Ipad you could also use the Garage band App. But if you are looking for some more functionality and features you can upgrade to Logic Pro X which could cost for $200 only. You can check Apple’s GarageBand out by clicking here.
3. Logic Pro X.
If you are more into advanced music production and looking for some more capabilities from your digital audio workstation then Logic Pro X is the best choice for you. Logic Pro X takes you further in your music production capabilities and gives you more high fidelity features. You can do more fine-tune editing and you can essentially just do more. With Logic Pro X you get all sorts of instruments, effects, and various types. You can even add and edit your plugins in Logic Pro X and also adjust the EQ according to your requirements. While composing audio with Logic Pro X you also get to see the tools that you are currently using. There is a lot more to Logic Pro X beside this and cannot be explained in one go. If you find This DAW interesting you can click here and download it.
4. LMMS.
This next digital audio workstation is for the creator who just wants to use virtual instruments and loops or samples. This one is LMMS. This is similar to FL studio. It is very convenient to start music in LMMS as long as you don’t on recording the virtual instruments too much and you just want to make use of the virtual instruments for your music composition as LMMS does not permit you to record audio into it. You can even record clips in another program and bring it into LMMS so you are not completely limited to LMMS. Also, this is a completely open-source digital audio workstation that is completely driven by its community. We believe that LMMS will continue to grow and append new features into its software. You can check This DAW by clicking here.
5. Audacity.
Audacity is a simplified version of a digital audio workstation. To be honest it is more like an audio recorder and editor. But just because it is simple it doesn’t mean it cannot be useful, it’s just to make the most out of it you have to dig deeper into this software. Audacity has a customizable user interface that allows you to set things according to your needs. You also get a feature of working on multiple audios at one time and you can even add your effects and filters and save them for later. There is a load of effects that you get with Audacity like compressor, normalizer, amplifier, and even more. One major thing that we like about Audacity is its background noise cancellation feature that fades background noise after your recording session. You can check This DAW by clicking here.
6. Bandlab- CakeWalk.
The next digital audio workstation we have is the CakeWalk by Bandlabs. It was initially named as SONAR platinum by CakeWalk. Cakewalk by Bandlab is a full-fledged professional tool that you can use now for free. It is full Windows only, and in fact, BandLab says that they are working with Microsoft to build-in beta support for surface pen, and surface dial. Bandlab has a 64-bit audio engine with plugin support for direct and VST3 effect and virtual instruments, and ARA support. You also get free virtual instruments like a guitar, a drum kit, a piano, and a string instrument. You are required to download BandLab to run CakeWalk. You can check This DAW by clicking here.
7. PreSonus Studio One Prime.
This is the free version of the very popular digital audio workstation Studio One. With Studio One Prime you get unlimited tracks, nine basic effects plugins, presence XT synth plugins, a guitar amp simulator plus you get almost 1 GB of loops and samples to get you started with composing music right away. The user-interface and workflow are pretty decent, and once you figure out you will realize that you can make music pretty quickly with Studio One Prime. One limitation is that you can’t add third-party effects or instruments. You have to update to get a VST add-on or you can go with the full professional versions. You can download this digital workstation by clicking here.
8. Cubase.
Now next on the list is Cubase which is a very powerful digital audio workstation that works very well with modern musicians. It comes with several great quality instruments and effects. The workflow is similar to the traditional style of Pro Tools. But it has its unique twist that is intended to help to increase up your workflow. Cubase can be a perfect choice for solo musicians, creators, home studios. Several editions are depending on your needs. You can get this wonderful digital audio workstation by clicking here.
9. FL Studio.
This one is great choice for people that want to work with instruments, and loop. FL Studio makes it very effortless to work with MIDI, and even the audio clip recording is decent. You can easily become a one-man-band or use this in conjunction with your band. One of the best thing about FL Studio is that you get lifetime upgrades. So you buy once, and you can always download the latest update for free. You also get some good instruments, and effects to get you started. This DAW does not have the conventional workflow, and layout that a lot of the other programs have but if you are a solo musician and you don’t care about the conventional workflow FL Studio might be the best digital audio workstation for you. You can download This DAW by clicking here.
Conclusion.
After going through this post I must say that all the digital audio workstations mentioned are good and work decently in their respective domains meeting the expectation of their users. But one of the best among this list of Best 9 Music Product Apps for Windows & Mac would be Logic Pro X for Mac and CakeWalk for Windows.
If you found this post informative, and you got insights on the Best 9 Music Product Apps for Windows & Mac then share your thoughts and opinions with us.
*We appreciate our paid post friends who help this site keep going. As always, the views and links in this site do not necessarily match those of Ear to the Ground Music or its editors.
Save video from the web
Finding free music online and saving it on your Mac it is not as easy as it should be. While there are plenty of artists who’d love you to hear their music and who are happy for you to download it for free, the process of finding and then downloading it can be a bit of a pain.
Even if you know where to go looking (and we’ll help you with that in a minute), saving lots of individual tracks in a web browser one by one can be a slow and frustrating process. That’s where a smart music downloader can help.
Best music downloaders for Mac
Get a huge set of top music download apps for macOS. Best utilities in one pack, give it a go!
Where to get free music to download
There are of course, lots of places on the internet where you can find free music to download. But many of those places link to tracks which included cracked files or music the copyright owner hasn’t given permission to share.
It’s important that when you go looking for free mp3, you only use sources that have permission to share that music.
Here are a few places where you can find free music to download legally:
- Jamendo. All the music on Jamendo has been made available by the artists on a Creative Commons licence. That means that, while they retain the rights to the music, they’ve agreed to allow it to be saved to your Mac for free.
- Soundcloud. It's a hugely popular site where amateur and professional musicians, and some well-known names, share music. Not all of it is available to download for free, and you’ll need to create an account. But there are some real gems to be found.
- Last.fm. It's another hugely popular site that, among its discovery and sharing features, also allows you to save music tracks for free.
How to download music online
Is it legal to download music for free? Yes, as long as the copyright owner consents. On all of the sites listed above, the rights owner has consented to allow their music to be downloaded.
There is a number of both paid and free tools that help download free music. Based on your requirements, decide on the functionality of a downloader you’re searching: Should it cover video and torrent as well? Batch downloads? Scheduling?
Here are the key features of music downloader we recommend you pay attention to:
- Control the speed of downloads. For instance, Folx splits large files into multiple threads, so they download more quickly.
- Schedule downloads so they only take place at times they won’t place too many demands on your computer.
- Video and torrents covered. You can get a one-stop downloader for capturing different types of media on your Mac.
- Tag downloads to easily find them later.
Get the best music downloader
Setapp offers a number of music and video downloaders in one package – so you can toggle between different features and interfaces or pick one tool that perfectly covers your needs. Once you install Setapp, click on its icon in the menu bar and search for downloaders there. You’ll be suggested Elmedia Player, AnyTrans, Folx, and Downie. On the selected app, click Install and wait for it to travel to your Mac. Double-click to launch the app.
Here’s the quick overview of each of them:
- Folx: Combines functionality of a download manager and torrent client. This is the best option for capturing large media files, while the app splits downloads in up to 20 streams.
- Elmedia Player: A great alternative to Apple’s native media player – QuickTime, with an in-built media downloader.
- Downie: Video and audio downloader that’s based on superb drag and drop functionality.
- AnyTrans: A file transferring solution and a media downloader that works with iOS and macOS devices.
- Pulltube: A universal media downloader that lets you instantly adjust the length of your video and music tracks.
Add the link to the track you want
Once you’ve found a track you want to save, copy the link. To do that, you’ll need to identify the download link on the site – it will usually be an icon with a downward arrow in it. Don’t click it, instead right-click or Control-click it. From the menu that appears, click Copy Link.
If you use Folx, paste the link with ⌘+V keyboard shortcut. Or the main Folx window, press the ‘+’ button next to the text bar at the top of the window. You should see that the box at the top of the window that opens already has the URL you copied in it. If not, paste it where it says ‘Add URL here.’ To download music from YouTube, select Audio in Quality.
It’s pretty similar with Downie – with the exception that you have to drag the link onto the app icon. To extract music from video, navigate to Settings > Extract Audio Only. From there, you can also customize the quality of output files, convert to mp4, or send to Permute – a universal media converter.
Choose where your music are stored
Once you’ve added the link, choose where you want to save it to. If you’re happy to leave the destination at its default, great. If not, you can change it as you like in any app. In Elmedia Player and Downie, open Preferences > General > Put new downloads in/Save files to folder. For those using Folx, you can also customize app’s behavior upon completing a download – quit, sleep, shutdown, or do nothing.
In case you want to move your audio collections across devices, you can do so with AnyTrans for iOS. A handy file transferring app with an in-built media downloader, it helps you flexibly manage downloads – transfer from iPhone to Mac, integrate with iTunes, or copy to any iOS device.
Choose when to download tracks
Best Mac Apps For Music
Downie and Folx have scheduling features, so you can choose when the downloads should take place.
To activate delayed queue start in Downie, go to File > Delayed start and select a custom time slot.
In Folx, click on the menu and choose ‘Manual’ or ’Schedule’. If you choose manual, the download will be set up and then paused and displayed in the main Folx window. You can start it at anytime by clicking the icon to the left of its name. If you want to change a download from manual to scheduled or automatic, you can double-click it in the main window and change the setting in the menu.
If you choose to schedule, files will be downloaded according to the schedule you create in Folx Preferences.
Download a song and set it as a ringtone
If you can’t stand your default phone ringtone anymore, there’s a solution. You can grab any of your favorite songs from the web and transform it into a custom ringtone with Pulltube app.
You can download music to Pulltube by simply dragging the link into the app window, or saving via a browser extension. After you download your file, click on the scissors button below it and enter the Trimming Mode. In the pop-up window, you’ll be able to play the audio and adjust the length of your ringtone. Once you’re ready, hit Trim and save the ringtone.
Create a download schedule
If you want to plan multiple downloads, Folx is there to help. Open Preferences from the Folx menu and click on ‘Scheduler’. Now click on the time slots where you want downloading to take place. When the box changes color, click on it twice so it turns bright green. Scheduled downloads will now take place at that time.
Continue customizing
Once you’ve scheduled, think whether there are any other settings you want to twick. If you use Folx, you can select the number of threads into which you want to split the download. The default is two and for most music files that will be fine. If the file you’re downloading is particularly large, you might want to select a higher number.
Elmedia Player has robust customization options for audio – for instance, you can select audio device and the number of playback channels.
Authenticate if it’s required
If the website needs a username and password, click Authenticate. Click ‘Saved Passwords’ and then ‘Add.’ Choose ‘HTTP or FTP password’ and type in the URL of the login page, your username and your password in the next window that opens. Click Ok.
You’re all set. You can now download free music using Folx from any website that makes it available.
Most of the music you find will be MP3 files, which can be played on your Mac. If the files are in a format that won’t run on your Mac, you can use Permute to convert media.
You’re all set. You can capture and manage free music downloads using a Mac app that suits your flow.
Free Music Apps For Laptops
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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