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Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to:
- Record live audio.
- Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
- Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files.
- Cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together.
- Change the speed or pitch of a recording.
Features:
Recording
Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from cassette tapes, vinyl records, or minidiscs. With some sound cards, it can also capture streaming audio.
- Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
- Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
- Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel hardware).
- Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording.
Import and Export
Import sound files, edit them, and combine them with other files or new recordings. Export your recordings in several common file formats.
- Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files.
- Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad.
- Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library.
- Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD.
- Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile.
- Open raw (headerless) audio files using the “Import Raw” command.
- Note: Audacity does not currently support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted file formats.
Editing
- Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete.
- Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps.
- Very fast editing of large files.
- Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks.
- Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points.
- Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool.
Effects
- Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
- Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
- Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects.
- Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects.
- Other built-in effects include:
- Echo
- Phaser
- Wahwah
- Reverse
Sound Quality
- Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples.
- Record at up to 96 KHz.
- Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
- Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime.
Plug-Ins
- Add new effects with LADSPA plugins.
- Audacity includes some sample plugins by Steve Harris.
- Load VST plugins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
- Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.
Analysis
- Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
- “Plot Spectrum” command for detailed frequency analysis.
Free and Cross-Platform
- Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
- Runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and GNU/Linux.
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Ardour is a digital audio workstation. You can use it to record, edit and mix multi-track audio. You can produce your own CDs, mix video soundtracks, or just experiment with new ideas about music and sound.
Ardour capabilities include: multichannel recording, non-destructive editing with unlimited undo/redo, full automation support, a powerful mixer, unlimited tracks/busses/plugins, timecode synchronization, and hardware control from surfaces like the Mackie Control Universal. If you’ve been looking for a tool similar to ProTools, Nuendo, Pyramix, or Sequoia, you might have found it.
Above all, Ardour strives to meet the needs of professional users. This means implementing all the “hard stuff” that other DAWs ( even some leading commercial apps ) handle incorrectly or not at all. Ardour has a completely flexible “anything to anywhere” routing system, and will allow as many physical I/O ports as your system allows. Ardour supports a wide range of audio-for-video features such as video-synced playback and pullup/pulldown sample rates. You will also find powerful features such as “persistent undo”, multi-language support, and destructive track punching modes that aren’t available on other platforms.
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Ecasound is a software package designed for multitrack audio processing. It can be used for simple tasks like audio playback, recording and format conversions, as well as for multitrack effect processing, mixing, recording and signal recycling. Ecasound supports a wide range of audio inputs, outputs and effect algorithms. Effects and audio objects can be combined in various ways, and their parameters can be controlled by operator objects like oscillators and MIDI-CCs. A versatile console mode user-interface is included in the package.
Key Features:
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Novel user-interface concept
- What makes Ecasound unique is its non-graphical user-interface. The basic working principle of ecasound is similar to the widely used gdb (software debugging) and mysql (database admin) tools. Ecasound allows the user to perform most common tasks directly from the terminal console. Repeating or otherwise complicated tasks can be easily turned into shell scripts or ECI apps. Ecasound tries to follow the time-tested UNIX design practises - see for example The Art of UNIX Programming by Eric S. Raymond.
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Highly optimized real-time engine
- Ecasound’s engine has been developed with real-time reliability as the top priority. The engine clearly separates real-time safe subsystems from non-RT subsystems such as storage access, user-interface code and memory management. This allows Ecasound to deliver reliable playback and recording in all circumstances - even under significant system load.
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Ability to adapt to runtime environment
- Ecasound will automatically adjust buffering parameters and other performance related options based on analysis of runtime environment and the requested task. Ecasound does not require you to run it with special privileges, but if available (for example the permission to utilize real-time scheduling), Ecasound will take full advantage and choose more aggressive parameters allowing to further minimize processing latencies while at the same time not risking reliability.
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Support for new Linux audio technology
- Ecasound has mature support for JACK audio server (including full transport support), LADSPA effect plugins and ALSA kernel sound subsystem. Ecasound developers are active members of the Linux audio development community.
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Portability and minimal external dependencies
- Ecasound runs on various operating systems (GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, Solaris, Cygwin/win32) and architectures (IA32, PowerPC, ARM, SPARC). Ecasound implements most of its core functionality without relying on external packages. Although Ecasound can utilize numerous external packages, they are all optional. As a mimimum, Ecasound needs POSIX (with 1003.1c thread support) and ANSI C++ runtimes.
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Jokosher is a simple and powerful multi-track studio. Jokosher provides a complete application for recording, editing, mixing and exporting audio, and has been specifically designed with usability in mind. The developers behind Jokosher have re-thought audio production at every level, and created something devilishly simple to use.
Features
Jokosher offers a strong featureset:
- Easy to use interface, designed from the ground up. Jokosher uses concepts and language familiar to musicians, and is a breeze to use.
- Simple editing with splitting, trimming and moving tools.
- Multi-track volume mixing with VU sliders.
-Import audio (Ogg Vorbis, MP3, FLAC, WAV and anything else supported by GStreamer) into your projects.
- A range of instruments can be added to a project, and instruments can be renamed. Instruments can also be muted and soloed easily.
- Export to MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV and anything else GStreamer supports.
- Documentation (User Guide, FAQ, Tutorial) and User Community (Forums, IRC).
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LMMS aims to be a free alternative to popular (but commercial and closed- source) programs like FruityLoops/FL Studio, Cubase and Logic allowing you to produce music with your computer. This includes creation of loops, synthesizing and mixing sounds, arranging samples, having fun with your MIDI-keyboard and much more…
LMMS combines the features of a tracker-/sequencer-program and those of powerful synthesizers, samplers, effects etc. in a modern, user-friendly and easy to use graphical user-interface.
Features
- Song-Editor for arranging the song
- creating beats and basslines using the Beat-/Bassline-Editor
- easy-to-use piano-roll for editing patterns and melodies
- instrument- and effect-plugins
- support for hosting VST(i)- and LADSPA-plugins (instruments/effects)
- automation-editor
- MIDI-support
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Rosegarden is a professional audio and MIDI sequencer, score editor, and general-purpose music composition and editing environment.
Rosegarden is an easy-to-learn, attractive application that runs on Linux, ideal for composers, musicians, music students, and small studio or home recording environments.
Rosegarden does not provide a built-in software synthesizer, so it requires a hardware MIDI synthesizer, a soft synthesizer such as FluidSynth or TiMidity++, or a synthesizer plugin in order to make any sound from MIDI compositions. Recent versions of Rosegarden support the DSSI software synthesizer plugin interface, and can use some Windows VST plugins through an adapter.
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MusE is a multitrack virtual studio for Linux that has support for sequencing of both MIDI and audio and has, among other things, support for LADSPA, Jack and ALSA.
Some Highlights
- Advanced jack audio routing possibilities.
- Automation architecture for both MIDI and audio.
- Better MIDI controller abstraction: available MIDI controller can be defined in instrument definition file (*.idf).
- Integrated mixer with:
- Unlimited number of inputs.
- Unlimited number of outputs.
- Unlimited number of tracks.
- Unlimited number of aux’s.
- LADSPA effects on all track types, both before and after fader.
- Stereo/Mono track types.
- interface changes, the TrackInfo pane is used more.
- MIDI instrument definition files (*.idf).
- Lots of customization options.
- Shortcut editor.
- Drag and drop import of MIDI files.
- Drag and drop import of wave files.
- Standard MIDIfile (smf) import-/export.
- RTC (Real time clock) use for rock solid timing.
- Advanced arranger with track and part abstractions.
- MIDI editors:
- Pianoroll.
- Drum editor.
- List editors.
- Controller editors.
- Realtime editing of “everything”.
- Unlimited number of open editors.
- Unlimited undo/redo.
- Realtime and step-recording.
- Multiple MIDI devices.
- Unlimited number of tracks, both MIDI and audio.
- Audio playback/recording.
- Sync to external and internal devices/applications:
- MTC/MMC.
- MIDI Clock.
- Master/Slave.
- Jack transport enabled.
- LADSPA effects.
- Integrated softsynth architecture M.E.S.S
- Several internal synths available.
- Simple architecture for adding more synths.
- support for industry standard Windows VSTi softsynths.
- JACK enabled.
- ALSA sequencer client.
- LASH enabled (formerly LADCCA).
- Raw MIDI device usage through ALSA.
- XML based project files.
- XML based configuration files.
- project file contains complete app state (session data).
- Application spanning Cut/Paste Drag/Drop.
- uses C++, QT3.2 GUI Library, STL.
And the most important feature for a free application:
GPL Licensed.
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NOTE: A TUTORIAL TO SETUP BUZZ UNDER LINUX CAN BE FOUND HERE
Buzz is the first ever “easy to use” free modular software based synthesizer. What this means is that the entire system is based on objects, which may be routed in a modular fashion, giving you the freedom to be as creative as you want. For example, if you wish to run 3 Physical Modelling synths and a Drum Machine through 2 seperate Stereo Delays, into a Mixer, through a Compressor and Parameteric EQ, and finally out to your speakers - no problem. Lay down your synths, connect the wires and you’re done.
A Machine is an object in Buzz which either creates or modifies sound. A Machine is the equivalent of a single piece of gear in a traditional music studio. It may be a synthesizer, a sampler, a dsp effect, a mixing board, or any other piece of gear that exists in a studio. Every piece has the same parameters and functions you would expect to find in the studio you know and love. Whats better is that all existing machines are free. Because creating your own machines is quite simple (someone with little knowledge of C++ should find his way in the SDK), you’ll also find machines in Buzz which aren’t really common in studio’s.
Every aspect of Buzz is built to be controlled in real-time. This means that as you tweak the resonance on a virtual analog synth, you hear it’s classic squealching response immidietly. The same goes for all DSP effects, drum machines, synths, samples, etc.
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NOTE: IT APPEARS THAT THIS LINUX SOFTWARE IS DEPRECATED, BUT FROM THE SCREENSHOTS, IT LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY DECENT MIDI SEQUENCER WITH NOTATION VIEW.
Brahms is an open source midi sequencer with notation view. Not much info is provided on the webpage, so if anyone has anything to add, please let me know 
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Denemo is a music notation program for Linux that helps you quickly prepare notation for publishing with Lilypond. Denemo does NOT strive to display all notation graphically or be the most complete graphic enviroment. Denemo is a front end to Lilypond. If you are looking for a WYSIWYG editor Denemo may not be for you. If you are looking for a way to quickly prepare scores for final editing in LilyPond give Denemo a whirl
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NoteEdit is a free music score editor for Linux. It supports an unlimited number and length of staffs, polyphony, a MIDI playback of written notes, chord markings, lyrics, a number of import and export filters to many formats like MIDI, MusicXML, ABC Music, MUP, PMX, MusiXTeX and LilyPond and more.
Features
* Insertion/deletion/modification of notes, rests (and multirests), ties/slurs, stem/beam control, instrument changes, repeats, clef/time/key/volume/tempo and all other classical music notation signatures.
* Chords markings (based on KGuitar project)
* Dynamic expression markings ((de)crescendo, octaviation, arpeggio, fermata, trills, grace notes etc.).
* Fixed expression markings (staccato, sforzato, portato, strong pizzicato, sforzando etc.).
* Multiple voices per staff (polyphony).
* Drum notes (including drum and bass drum clef).
* Flexible UI based on Qt/KDE. Supports zoom, multiple windows, many keyboard shortcuts, Konqueror embedding and other candies.
* Playback and other MIDI operations (reading and recording from MIDI keyboard) are done using TSE3 library. Each staff can have its own channel, own intsrument and own MIDI settings (reverbation, chorus). Currently played element is highlighted!
* Support for lyrics.
* Basic score layout operations (setting brackets, braces, score title, composer, copyright etc.).
* Many useful tools like automatic placment of bars, automatic placement of beams, transposition, copying&pasting of elements, optimization and resetting of accidentals, MIDI importing (or recording from MIDI keyboard) filters etc.
* Exports MIDI (using TSE3 library), MusicXML, ABC Music, PMX, MusiXTeX and LilyPond.
* Imports MIDI and MusicXML.
* The NoteEdit fileformat is similar to the format of the music publication program (MUP). It’s a plaintext format, with a simple syntax for describing the music, so computer geeks can edit it by hand if they want to:).
* NoteEdit is translated into the following languages: German, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene and Swedish. It supports UTF-8 encodings for lyrics, score title, composer, copyright and other document strings.
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The Jazz++ Midi Sequencer is a long-standing Open Source application for recording and mixing MIDI sequences, and for many years was the only stable application like it that ran under both Windows and Linux. Jazz++ offers a lot of functions normally only found in expensive sequencer software.
