7 best mixing software

Mixing software, often referred to as digital audio mixing software or digital audio workstations (DAWs), plays a critical role in the field of music production, audio engineering, and multimedia content creation. It is a core component in the creation and manipulation of audio recordings. Here's what you need to know about mixing software:

Functionality: Mixing software is used to record, edit, arrange, and mix audio tracks. It provides a digital workspace where musicians, producers, and audio engineers can create and manipulate audio recordings.
Audio Tracks: Mixing software allows users to work with multiple audio tracks simultaneously. These tracks can contain various audio elements, such as vocals, instruments, sound effects, and more.
Multitrack Recording: Many mixing software applications support multitrack recording, enabling users to record individual audio sources separately. This provides greater control during the mixing and editing process.
Editing Tools: Mixing software offers a wide range of editing tools for audio manipulation, including cutting, copying, pasting, time-stretching, pitch-shifting, and more. Users can fine-tune audio recordings to achieve the desired sound.
Effects and Processing: Mixing software includes a variety of audio effects and processing tools, such as equalization (EQ), compression, reverb, delay, and modulation effects.These tools help shape the audio and create specific sounds or textures.
Virtual Instruments: Some mixing software packages come with virtual instruments (VSTs) or instrument libraries that allow users to create and sequence musical parts within the software itself.
Automation: Mixing software enables automation of various parameters over time. This means that changes in volume, panning, and effects can be programmed to occur automatically, enhancing the dynamic quality of a mix.
MIDI Support: Many mixing software applications have MIDI capabilities, allowing users to sequence and control external MIDI hardware or virtual instruments.
Collaboration: Some mixing software solutions offer collaboration features, allowing multiple users to work on the same project remotely. This is especially useful for distributed teams or musicians working together online.
Exporting and Rendering: Once a project is complete, mixing software allows users to export their audio mixes in various formats, such as WAV, MP3, or others, making it ready for distribution or further processing.
Third-Party Plugins: Users can extend the functionality of mixing software by adding third-party plugins. These plugins can include virtual instruments, effects, and additional processing tools.
Learning Resources: There are numerous books, online courses, and tutorials available to help individuals learn how to use mixing software effectively. These resources cover topics ranging from basic audio editing to advanced mixing techniques.

In summary, mixing software is a powerful tool for music production, audio engineering, and multimedia content creation. It offers a wide range of features and capabilities for recording, editing, processing, and mixing audio, making it an essential component of modern music and audio production workflows.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best mixing software on the market

Adobe Audition | Audio recording, editing, and mixing software | 12-month Subscription with auto-renewal, billed monthly, PC/Mac

Adobe

Based on 16 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Audition is a comprehensive toolset that includes multitrack, waveform, and spectral display for creating, mixing, editing, and restoring audio content.

Minimum System Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 10, Mac OS X (All)

Existing subscribers must first complete current membership term before linking new subscription term
Audition is a comprehensive toolset that includes multitrack, waveform, and spectral display for creating, mixing, editing, and restoring audio content
Audition is a comprehensive toolset that includes multitrack, waveform, and spectral display for creating, mixing, editing, and restoring audio content
This powerful audio workstation is designed to aelerate video production workflows and audio finishing — and deliver a polished mix with pristine sound

User questions & answers

Question:	Will this program work with windows
Answer:	Unfortunately, no. Audition requires Windows 10. Specifics here: https://helpx.adobe.com/audition/system-requirements.html

Product features

Adobe Audition

Latest Features

DeReverb & DeNoise effects - Reduce or remove reverb and background noise from recordings without noise prints or complicated parameters with these efficient real-time effects or through the Essential Sound panel.

Improved playback and recording performance - Playback over 128 audio tracks or record over 32 tracks, at low latencies, on common workstations and without expensive, proprietary, single-purpose acceleration hardware.

On-clip gain control and waveform scaling - Adjust your audio without moving your eyes or mouse cursor away from your content with on-clip gain adjustments.  Use your eyes and ears to match clip loudness to neighboring clips with a waveform that smoothly scales in real-time to amplitude adjustments.

Latest Features

Add tracks and delete empty tracks - Quickly add multiple audio or bus tracks of any channelization at once, or clean up all unused audio tracks in a session, with these commands.

Zoom to time  - Zoom to specific durations with customizable presets.  No more guesswork or small adjustments needed to see an exact length of time.

Effects and presets migration - When upgrading, Audition can import all 3rd party effects already scanned by a previous version of Audition, as well as custom effect presets and more.

Open Premiere Pro projects  - Open native Premiere Pro projects from the Audition Media Browser and select the sequences you want to work on for a simpler, more efficient audio editing workflow.

Add oomph to your audio

Use the Essential Sound panel to achieve professional-quality audio.

Create a podcast

Learn the basic steps to record, mix, and export audio content for a podcast — or any other audio project.

Remix to fit

Easily and automatically rearrange any song to fit any duration with Remix in Audition.

Repair and restore

Get instructions for fixing audio, including how to use the spectral frequency display, Diagnostics panel, effects, and more.

Home Recording For Musicians For Dummies (For Dummies Series)

Based on 244 reviews Check latest price

Zulu DJ Software - Complete DJ Mixing Program for Professionals and Beginners [Download]

NCH Software

Based on 4 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Easily cross fade between tracks, apply real-time pitch and tempo adjustment
Auto-play mode for hands-free, seamless music mixing
Supports mp3, wav and all other popular audio formats
Automatic beat detection and beat synchronization between the decks
Apply effects in real-time, including all popular effects like distortion and reverb

The Mixing Engineer's Handbook 4th Edition

Bobby Owsinski Media Group

Based on 408 reviews Check latest price

Logic Pro X 10.4 - Apple Pro Training Series: Professional Music Production

Based on 228 reviews Check latest price

MAGIX Samplitude Music Studio - Version 2019 - the Complete Software Studio For Composing, Recording, Mixing and Mastering

12 years and up

Based on 35 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Amplitude music Studio is the music software that can do it all from composition and recording to mixing and mastering songs, creative artists have everything they need for music production to hand - in outstanding audio quality. With powerful 64-bit technology and multicore support, amplitude music Studio enables users to accomplish even complex projects with multitrack recording at 24-bit/96 kHz. Tons of professionally pre-produced sounds, loops and instruments and high-quality effects and tools offer unlimited creative possibilities. In addition, amplitude music Studio features a newly designed user interface in a sophisticated carbon style.

Comprehensive Studio with 64-bit architecture and multicore support
22 virtual instruments and essential FX suite with 11 professional plug-in effects
Automatic mastering and MIDI Velocity Dynamics
Use up to 32 instruments in a single project
Unlimited sounds, loops and instruments

User questions & answers

Question:	Do you need internet to use this and will it work with 1.9 ghz
Answer:	Hello, In order to work efficiently you will need to comply to the following system requirements: Processor: Dual-core processor with 2.0 GHz RAM: 2 GB (32-bit), 4 GB (64-bit) Graphics card: Onboard, minimum resolution 1280 x 768 Hard drive space: 2 GB for program installation (recommended: 10 GB) Sound card: Onboard (ASIO compatible sound card recommended) Optical drive: DVD drive (only for installation of the box version) Optional: Burn CD/DVDs with CD/DVD±R(W) burner Read more: https://www.magix.com/us/music/samplitude/samplitude-music-studio/specifications/ With kind regards, Your MAGIX team
Question:	can you use an audiobox with this
Answer:	Hello, Samplitude can be used with external audio devices such as audiobox, mixer, Midi controller, keyboard etc. Visit us on www.magix.info to get access to our tutorials and the help of our user community. With kind regards, Your MAGIX team
Question:	Does it include a denoiser effect
Answer:	Hello, Samplitude Music Studio 2019 doesn't include a denoiser effect. This effect is only included in the Pro version of the program or e.g. in the Sound Forge Audio Cleaning Lab. If you want to take a look at the program, here is the link to the trial version of Sound Forge Audio Cleaning Lab: http://dl03.magix.net/trial_soundforge_audiocleaninglab_dlm.exe It is of course also possible to use an external denoiser VST-plugin. Regards The MAGIX team
Question:	Is this beginner friendly
Answer:	Hi, I first got this program in the 2013 version. Although I have had a lot of distractions in my life with work and family, learning this program was very frustrating in the beginning. I don’t know how to compare it to other programs, but it has been a learning process for me that has felt too long. Maybe this is the way most of the programs are. However, I will say that now with the 2019 version, it seems to have help features that offer more instant feedback than it did in 2012 when I first got it.

Product features

Everything a musician needs.

Samplitude Music Studio combines a powerful engine with a flexible workflow for high-quality music production and offers full creative freedom. This complete solution enables you to create your own multitrack recordings in 24-bit/96 kHz, produce a remix or simply convert into MP3 files. Samplitude makes it all possible.

With a ton of optimizations to the program, brand new features and sophisticated extras, Samplitude has made the comeback of all comebacks: Discover high-quality sounds, loops and 22 instruments as well as 64-bit power and multicore support. The new virtual instruments Vita Orchestral Ensemble, Vita Grand Piano and Vita Sansula and professional plug-in effects from essentialFX Suite will raise the pulse of any music maker.

Play and record instruments

Compose melodies on piano or guitar and record on up to 16 mono tracks or 8 stereo tracks simultaneously.

Mixing and mastering

Create incomparable sound with professional filters and mastering plug-ins and sound effects, all seamlessly integrated into the interface.

Edit notation

In Samplitude Music Studio you can display, edit and print notes for your own tracks and compositions.

Effects and Vita instruments

More professional than ever before: Samplitude Music Studio now contains 11 new effects from essentialFX Suite and three brand Vita instruments: Vita Orchestral Ensemble, Vita Grand Piano and Vita Sansula.

Automatic mastering

Thanks to the automatic mastering tool, presets can be created for audio volume, width and depth as well as for additional mastering parameters. These presets can also be transferred to other projects.

MIDI Velocity Dynamics

MIDI Velocity Dynamics enables users to edit and modify velocity dynamics for their instruments – both during and after recording. This allows you to remain in full control of your songs at all times.