/awesome-linuxaudio

A list of software and resources for professional audio/video/live events production on Linux.

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awesome-linuxaudio

A list of software and resources for professional audio/video/live events production on the Linux platform

Work in progress - See current issues, CONTRIBUTING and DONE.md

This list is provided to help you build your own GNU/Linux based A/V production environment. Most of the listed software is packaged for Debian, and should be directly installable using your package manager. Software that can be run on other GNU/Linux distributions may also be added to the list. This list focuses on sound, video, lighting and live applications.

See System Setup (WIP) for guides on setting up your system.

◼ Debian package
▒   KXStudio package
©   Non-Free/closed source software

DAW/Sequencers

  • ardour4 - digital audio workstation ▒
  • Bitwig Studio - dynamic software for creation and performance of your musical ideas on stage or in the studio. ©
  • qtractor - MIDI/Audio multi-track sequencer application (◼)
  • dino - Integrated MIDI piano roll editor and sequencer engine (◼)
  • jokosher - simple and easy to use audio multi-tracker (◼)
  • Harrison Mixbus - the first full-featured DAW with true analog style mixing. ©
  • ardour3 - digital audio workstation (graphical gtk2 interface) (◼)
  • muse - Qt4-based audio/MIDI sequencer (◼)
  • Radium Editor - Radium is a music editor with a new type of interface. (Source code)
  • rosegarden - music editor and MIDI/audio sequencer (◼)
  • Tracktion - The musician's DAW ©
  • traverso - Multitrack audio recorder and editor (◼)
  • meterec - minimalistic multi track recorder (◼)
  • jackbeat - Jackbeat is an audio sequencer for musicians and sound artists
  • lmms - Linux Multimedia Studio (◼)
  • composite - Live performance sequencer (◼)
  • seq24 - Real time MIDI sequencer (◼)
  • friniika - A complete music workstation for Windows/Linux/OSX
  • Open Octave - MIDI/Audio sequencer. (Source)
  • i-score - Interactive multi-protocol sequencer.
  • i-score audio extension - Add audio sequencer features to i-score

Trackers

  • Renoise - a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) using a tracker-based approach. ©
  • milkytracker - music creation tool inspired by Fast Tracker 2 (◼)
  • schism - ImpulseTracker clone aiming at providing the same look&feel (◼)

Audio Editors

  • audacity - fast, cross-platform audio editor (◼)
  • gnusound - multitrack sound editor for GNOME
  • kwave - sound editor for KDE (◼)
  • mhwaveedit - Simple and fast GTK2 sound editor (◼)
  • smasher - Cross-platform audio loop slicer designed to create sliced loops from WAV, MP3, FLAC or AIFF files in seconds without a sequencer
  • snd-gtk - Sound file editor (dummy transitional package) (◼)
  • sweep - Audio editor and live playback tool (◼)
  • wavesurfer - Sound Manipulation Program (◼)
  • LAoE - Layer-based Audio Editor, and it is a rich featured graphical audio sample editor, based on multi-layers, floating-point samples, volume-masks, variable selection-intensity, and many plugins suitable to manipulate sound, such as filtering, retouching, resampling, graphical spectrogram editing by brushes and rectangles, sample-curve editing by freehand-pen and spline and other interpolation curves, effects...
  • SndBite - SndBite is a specialized audio editor, designed for breaking large recordings into smaller components with great efficiency. Its principal intended application is in linguistic research where it is often desirable to put each word or sentence into a separate file before further processing.
  • Sound Studio - A simple (minimal) light-weight tool for editing smaller soundfiles. Because Sound Studio uses Sox, it can cope with a wide variety of audio file formats.
  • eisenkraut - A multi-channel and hi-res capable audio file editor (◼)
  • Shuriken - beat slicer with beat detection and time stretching capabilities. Easy QT4 interface to slice up drum loops, assign hits to MIDI keys, and change the tempo of loops in real-time.
  • aubio-tools - library for audio segmentation -- utilities (◼)
  • ReZound - ReZound aims to be a stable, open source, and graphical audio file editor primarily for but not limited to the Linux operating system.

Samplers

Effects/Processing

Collections

EQ

  • eq10q - LV2 equalizer
  • fil-plugins - parametric equalizer LADSPA plugin (◼)
  • luftikus - analog modeled equalizer ▒
  • lv2fil - Stereo and mono LV2 plugins, four-band parametric equalisers ▒

Other FX

DJing / Vinyl emulation

  • mixxx - Digital Disc Jockey Interface (◼)
  • xwax - open-source vinyl emulation software for Linux with timecoded vinyl support (◼)

Synthesizers

Additive

Subtractive

  • bristol - vintage synthesizer emulator (◼)
  • monobristol - simple GUI for Bristol (◼)
  • amsynth - two oscillator software synthesizer (◼)
  • blepvco - LADSPA, minBLEP-based, hard-sync-capable oscillator plugins (◼)
  • cursynth - Cursynth is a polyphonic music synthesizer that runs graphically inside your terminal.
  • Discovery Pro - Virtual Analog synthesizer + sampler ©
  • helm - polyphonic synthesizer ▒
  • synthv1 - old-school polyphonic synthesizer (◼)
  • obxd - ob-x emulation plugin ▒
  • sineshaper - Monophonic synth plugin with two oscillators and waveshapers (◼)
  • whysynth - DSSI Soft Synth Interface (◼)
  • wolpertinger - Subtractive synth with a sharp bandpass filter ▒

FM

Wavetable

  • sorcer - Sorcer polyphonic wavetable synth LV2 plugin ▒
  • wsynth-dssi - hack on Xsynth-DSSI to allow wavetable synthesis (◼)
  • blop - Bandlimited wavetable-based plugins for LADSPA hosts (◼)

Other synths

  • din - digital audio synthesizer (◼)
  • drumkv1 - old-school drum-kit sampler (◼)
  • argotlunar - Realtime granulator LV2/VST plugin ▒
  • qsynth - fluidsynth MIDI sound synthesiser front-end (◼)
  • fluidsynth - Real-time MIDI software synthesizer (◼)
  • fluid-soundfont-gm - Fluid (R3) General MIDI SoundFont (GM)
  • drmr - An LV2 sampler plugin that (currently) plays hydrogen drum kits ▒
  • fabla - Fabla drum sampler plugin instrument ▒
  • freebirth-data - Bass synthesizer/sample player/sequencer -- sound samples (◼)
  • freebirth - Bass synthesizer/sample player/sequencer (◼)
  • gmorgan - MIDI rhythm station emulator software (◼)
  • newtonator - LV2 synth that produces unpredictable sounds ▒
  • xsynth-dssi - classic-analog (VCOs-VCF-VCA) style software synthesizer (Site Officiel)
  • paraphrasis - spectral modeling synthesizer

Modular synths

  • ams - Realtime modular synthesizer for ALSA (◼)
  • ams-lv2 - set of Voltage Controlled LV2 modules for Ingen ▒
  • Psychosynth - an interactive modular soft-synth inspired by the ideas of the Reactable
  • BEAST/BSE - music composition and modular synthesis application
  • Sunvox - a small, fast and powerful modular synthesizer with pattern-based sequencer (tracker) ©
  • spiralsynthmodular - object orientated music studio ▒
  • mcp-plugins - LADSPA plugins designed for Alsa Modular Synth (◼)
  • omins - collection of LADSPA plugins aimed at modular synthesizers (◼)

Organ simulators

Audio utilities

Misc

  • Linux Show Player a free cue player designed for sound-playback in stage production. The goal of the project is to provide a complete playback software for musical plays, theater shows and similar.
  • showq - MIDI controllable audio player (◼)
  • silan - commandline tool to detect silence in audio-files
  • silentjack - silence detector for the JACK audio system (◼)
  • fadecut - toolset to rip audiostreams, cut, fade in/out and tag the resulting audiofiles (◼)
  • gwc - Audio file denoiser (◼) http://panic.et.tudelft.nl/~costar/gramofile/ 404
  • declick - a dynamic digital declicker for audio sample files.
  • ecasound - command-line multitrack-capable audio recorder and effect processor (◼)
  • nama - Multitrack recording with Ecasound (◼)
  • timemachine - JACK audio recorder for spontaneous and conservatory use (◼)
  • sox - Swiss army knife of sound processing (◼)
  • libsox-fmt-all - All SoX format libraries (◼)
  • Samplecat - a program for cataloguing and auditioning audio samples.

Meters & Analysis

  • baudline - Time-frequency browser designed for scientific visualization of the spectral domain - Fourier, correlation, transfer function, impulse response, and raster transforms
  • brp-pacu - audio analysis tool (◼)
  • ebumeter - Loudness measurement according to EBU-R128 (◼)
  • extace - waveform viewer (◼)
  • jaaa - audio signal generator and spectrum analyser (◼)
  • jackmeter - a basic command line meter for the JACK audio system (◼)
  • jkmeter - horizontal or vertical bargraph audio level meter for Jack Audio Connection Kit (◼)
  • bitmeter - diagnosis tool for JACK audio software (◼)
  • xoscope - digital oscilloscope (◼)
  • meterbridge - Collection of Audio meters for the JACK audio server (◼)
  • QLoud - tool to measure loudspeaker frequency and step responses and distortions
  • siggen - Waveform generation tools (◼)
  • spek - acoustic spectrum analyser
  • sonic-visualiser - View and analyse the contents of music audio files (◼)
  • easyssp - audio visualization plugin ▒
  • japa - JACK and ALSA Perceptual Analyser (◼)

Tuners & Metronomes

  • fmit - Free Music Instrument Tuner (◼)
  • gtklick - simple metronome GUI for JACK (◼)
  • gtick - Metronome application (◼)
  • gxtuner - Tuner for Jack (◼)
  • lingot - accurate and easy to use musical instrument tuner
  • gtkguitune - Guitar and other instruments tuner

MIDI Utilities

  • abcmidi - converter from ABC to MIDI format and back (◼)
  • arpage - MIDI Arpeggiator w/ JACK Tempo Sync. ▒
  • gmidimonitor - GTK+ application that shows MIDI events (◼
  • jack-keyboard - Virtual MIDI keyboard for JACK MIDI (◼)
  • kmidimon - MIDI monitor using ALSA sequencer and KDE user interface (◼)
  • m2hpc - MIDI to Hydrogen Pattern Converter
  • MidiJoystick - MidiJoystick is a MIDI client for the Jack Audio Connection Kit on Linux, which lets you use your joystick to emit MIDI commands
  • midimsg-lv2 - set of plugins to transform midi output
  • midisox - a SoX-like workalike, for handling MIDI files
  • qmidiarp - MIDI arpeggiator for ALSA (◼)
  • qmidinet - MIDI Network Gateway via UDP/IP Multicast (◼)
  • vmpk - Virtual MIDI Piano Keyboard (◼)
  • mididings - MIDI router and processor based on Python (◼)
  • swami - MIDI instrument editor application (◼)
  • pjb.au MIDI scripts - Various MIDI utilities and scripts
  • QmidiCtl - A MIDI Remote Controller via UDP/IP Multicast
  • QXGEdit - Editor for MIDI System Exclusive files for XG devices (eg. Yamaha DB50XG).
  • SendMIDI - multi-platform command-line tool makes it very easy to quickly send MIDI messages to MIDI devices from your computer.
  • JackAss - JACK-MIDI support for VST hosts, including Wine apps
  • simple-sysexxer - GUI tool to create backups of the memory contents of MIDI devices
  • qxgedit - MIDI System Exclusive files editor (◼)

Transcoding

  • handbrake - versatile DVD ripper and video transcoder (GTK+ GUI) (◼)
  • winff - graphical video and audio batch converter using ffmpeg or avconv (◼)
  • audiotools - Collection of audio handling programs for the command line (◼)
  • soundconverter - GNOME application to convert audio files into other formats (◼)
  • ambdec - Ambisonic decoder for first and second order (◼)
  • hydro2sf2 - a tool which allows you to convert a Hydrogen drumkit into a SF2 soundfont
  • ogmrip - Application for ripping and encoding DVD (◼)
  • winff - graphical video and audio batch converter using ffmpeg or avconv (◼)
  • ffmpeg - Tools for transcoding, streaming and playing of multimedia files (◼)
  • mplayer2 - next generation movie player for Unix-like systems (◼)
  • zita-bls1 - binaural stereo signals converter (◼)
  • mp3splt-gtk - GTK interface to split MP3 and Ogg Vorbis files without reencoding (◼)
  • dir2ogg - audio file converter into ogg-vorbis format (◼)
  • mp3diags - find issues in MP3 files and help to solve them (◼)
  • mp3val - program for MPEG audio stream validation (◼)
  • transmageddon - video transcoder for Linux and Unix systems built using GStreamer (◼)
  • ffmpeg2theora - Theora video encoder using ffmpeg (◼)
  • sound-juicer - GNOME CD Ripper (◼)
  • mediainfo-gui - graphical utility for reading information from audio/video files (◼)
  • mediainfo - command-line utility for reading information from audio/video files (◼)

System utilities

JACK

  • aj-snapshot - make snapshots of JACK connections (◼)
  • cadence - JACK audio toolbox
  • carla-lv2 - audio plugin host (LV2 plugin)
  • carla - audio plugin host
  • catia - extended JACK patchbay
  • claudia - extended ladish frontend
  • gladish - graphical interface for LADI Session Handler (◼)
  • jack-capture - program for recording soundfiles with jack (◼)
  • jack-mixer - JACK Audio Mixer (◼)
  • gjacktransport - access to the JACK's transport mechanism as touchable slider (◼)
  • jack-rack - LADSPA effects "rack" for JACK (◼)
  • jack-tools - various JACK tools: dl, record, scope, osc, plumbing, udp, play, transport (◼)
  • jackd2-firewire - JACK Audio Connection Kit (FFADO and FreeBoB backends) (◼)
  • jackd2 - JACK Audio Connection Kit (server and example clients) (◼)
  • jackeq - routes and manipulates audio from/to multiple sources (◼)
  • laditools - Linux Audio Desktop Integration Tools (◼)
  • patchage - modular patch bay for Jack audio and Alsa Midi (◼)
  • qjackctl - User interface for controlling the JACK sound server (◼)
  • qjackrcd - Qt4 application to record JACK server outputs (◼)
  • rotter - JACK client for transmission recording and audio logging (◼)
  • zita-mu1 - organise stereo monitoring for Jack Audio Connection Kit (◼)

ALSA

Firewire

VST adapters

  • airwave - Airwave is a WINE-based VST bridge, that allows for the use of Windows 32- and 64-bit VST 2.4 audio plugins with Linux VST hosts
  • dssi-vst - Adapter for VST an VSTi audio plugins ▒
  • festige - GUI for fst and dssi-vst
  • vst-bridge - VST bridge for Windows vst on Linux ▒

Pulseaudio

Other system utilities

  • jalv - tool to run LV2 plugins as stand-alone applications (◼)
  • ingen - modular audio processing system for Jack and LV2 based systems.
  • linux-image-rt-686-pae - Linux for modern PCs (meta-package), PREEMPT_RT
  • linux-image-rt-686-pae - Linux for modern PCs (meta-package), PREEMPT_RT
  • rtirq-init - startup script for realtime-preempt enabled kernels (◼)
  • realtimeconfigquickscan - Linux configuration checker for systems to be used for real-time audio
  • rtkit - Realtime Policy and Watchdog Daemon (◼)

Network streaming/broadcasting

See https://github.com/Kickball/awesome-selfhosted/#media-streaming for the main list

  • autoradio - radio automation software (◼)
  • gpac - GPAC Project on Advanced Content - utilities (◼)
  • landell - audio and video streams manager (◼)
  • vlc-nox - multimedia player and streamer (without X support) (◼)
  • vlc - multimedia player and streamer (◼)
  • zita-njbridge - Jack clients to transmit multichannel audio over a local IP network (◼)

Icecast clients

Lighting

  • Q Light Controller+ (QLC+) - a free and cross-platform software to control DMX or analog lighting systems like moving heads, dimmers, scanners etc.
  • hyperion - An opensource 'AmbiLight' implementation controlled using the RaspBerry Pi
  • D::Light - mobile, flexible solution to control modern lighting/performance technology. ©

Video

See also Linux4VJs VJ tools

  • Cinelerra - Cinema Production Software
  • Lightworks - professional Non-Linear Editing (NLE) software supporting resolutions up to 4K. ©
  • openshot - Create and edit videos and movies (◼)
  • CasparCG Server - professional software used to play out and record professional graphics, audio and video to multiple outputs.for broadcast production
  • CHDK - Canon Hack Development Kit
  • delvj - a cyborg video jockey extension for pure data processing
  • dvswitch - basic video mixer for live DV streams (◼)
  • ffdiaporama - Movie creator from photos and video clips (◼)
  • FreeJ - a video mixer: an instrument for realtime video manipulation
  • freemix - live video performance software
  • frei0r-plugins - minimalistic plugin API for video effects, plugins collection (◼)
  • Gephex - modular video jockey software
  • glmixer - Graphic Live Mixer
  • kdenlive - non-linear video editor (◼)
  • kino - Non-linear editor for Digital Video data (◼)
  • lives - Video Editing system allowing users to edit and create video (◼)
  • Luz Studio - A live motion graphics editor and performer.
  • Magic Lantern Firmware - a software enhancement that offers increased functionality to the excellent Canon DSLR cameras.
  • Moviepy - Python module for video editing, which can be used for basic operations (like cuts, concatenations, title insertions), video compositing (a.k.a. non-linear editing), video processing, or to create advanced effects.
  • Natron - free open-source, cross-platform compositing software. It aims to produce visual effects.
  • pitivi - non-linear audio/video editor using GStreamer (◼)
  • Shotcut - a free, open source, cross-platform video editor
  • synaesthesia - Program for representing sounds visually
  • Veejay - realtime video sequencer and effects processor
  • xjadeo - Video player with JACK sync (◼)
  • ZS4 - advanced video editing and compositing software with over 150 built-in video effects. ©
  • xdmx - distributed multihead X server
  • mistserver - Live or Video on Demand streaming media server that works well in any streaming environment
  • dvgrab - grab digital video data via IEEE1394 and USB links (◼)
  • vid.stab - Video stabilization library http://public.hronopik.de/vid.stab/
  • pydub - Manipulate audio with a simple and easy high level interface http://pydub.com

3D Modeling/CGI

  • blender - Very fast and versatile 3D modeller/renderer (◼)
  • aqsis - 3D rendering solution adhering to the RenderMan(R) standard, binaries (◼)
  • Ayam - a free 3D modelling environment for the RenderMan interface.
  • EQUINOX-3D - The 3D modeler with the fastest, fully integrated ray-tracer. ©
  • evolvotron - Generator of textures through interactive evolution (◼)
  • fractalnow - Fast, advanced fractal generator (◼)
  • fraqtive - draws Mandelbrot and Julia fractals (◼)
  • geomview - interactive geometry viewing program (◼)
  • javamorph - Java morphing film-make program for pixel picture-input (◼)
  • k3d - 3D modeling and animation system, binary files (◼)
  • makehuman - Modelling of 3-Dimensional humanoid characters (◼)
  • mandelbulber - 3D fractal renderer and animator (◼)
  • meshlab - System for processing and editing triangular meshes (◼)
  • sunflow - rendering system for photo-realistic image synthesis (GUI) (◼)
  • sweethome3d-furniture-editor - Sweet Home 3D Furniture Library Editor (◼)
  • sweethome3d-furniture-nonfree - Interior 2D design application with 3D preview (additional non-free furniture) (◼)
  • sweethome3d-furniture - Interior 2D design application with 3D preview (additional furniture) (◼)
  • sweethome3d-textures-editor - Sweet Home 3D Textures Library Editor (◼)
  • sweethome3d - Interior 2D design application with 3D preview (◼)
  • VSXu Artiste - create stunning open GL based audio reactive visuals.
  • VSXu Player - program that creates inspiring, beautiful pictures to your sound and music
  • wings3d - Nendo-inspired 3D polygon mesh modeller (◼)
  • yaprm - a free-as-in-freedom modeller to graphicaly design 3d scenes and generate POV-Ray-files for them.
  • fluxus - A 3D game engine for livecoding worlds into existence.
  • flumotion - modern streaming media server built with a modular distributed design, giving you stability and scalability in offering high-quality streaming media.

Authoring

Signal processing/electronics

Score Editors

  • musescore - popular professional level WYIWYG music score editor (◼)
  • denemo - GTK+ front end to GNU Lilypond (◼)
  • lilypond - program for typesetting sheet music (◼)
  • nted - Musical score editor (◼)

Media players

  • rhythmbox - music player and organizer for GNOME (◼)
  • amarok - easy to use media player based on the KDE Platform (◼)
  • ario - GTK+ client for the Music Player Daemon (MPD) (◼)
  • audacious - small and fast audio player which supports lots of formats (◼)
  • banshee - Media Management and Playback application (◼)
  • cantata - KDE client for the music player daemon (MPD) (◼)
  • clementine - modern music player and library organizer (◼)
  • exaile - flexible, full-featured audio player (◼)
  • gmusicbrowser - graphical jukebox for large music collections (◼)
  • gnome-music - Music is the new GNOME music playing application (◼)
  • gpodder - podcast client and feed aggregator (◼)
  • Groove Basin - Music player server with a web-based user interface (◼)
  • guayadeque - lightweight music player (◼)
  • moc - ncurses based console audio player (◼)
  • mplayer2 - next generation movie player for Unix-like systems (◼)
  • mpv - video player based on MPlayer/mplayer2 (◼)
  • musique - Simple but sophisticated graphical music player (◼)
  • quodlibet - audio library manager and player for GTK3 (◼)
  • sonata - GTK+ client for the Music Player Daemon (MPD) (◼)
  • vlc - multimedia player and streamer (◼)

Metapackages

Linux Distributions

  • KXStudio - KXStudio is a collection of applications and plugins for professional audio production. KXStudio provides Debian and Ubuntu compatible repositories and its own Linux Distribution currently based on Ubuntu 12.04.3 LTS.
  • Tango Studio
  • Ubuntu Studio
  • AVLinux
  • ArtistX
  • DidJiX

SAMPLES/PRESETS/RESOURCES

  • Musical Artifacts - Helping to catalogue, preserve and free the artifacts you need to produce music.
  • Freesound - a huge collaborative database of audio snippets, samples, recordings, bleeps, ... released under Creative Commons licenses that allow their reuse.
  • CCMixter - Search engine fore Creative Commons multimedia content
  • Freepats project - Free and open instrument sets, samples, sound synthesis, music...

DOCUMENTATION

Tutorials/scripts

Useful automation scripts may be found in the scripts directory.

Tutorials and howto guides about Linux multimedia software can be found on the Tutorials page.

Other Software Lists

Documentation/Blogs

Communities/Forums

GLOSSARY

CONTRIBUTING

See CONTRIBUTING.md

LICENSE

This work is licensed under the CreativeCommons Attribution Share-alike license. Copyright (c) 2015:

72	nodiscc <nodiscc@gmail.com>
 1	Aaron Wolf <wolftune@gmail.com>
 1	Andrew Kelley <superjoe30@gmail.com>
 1	VirtualTam <virtualtam@flibidi.net>
 1	paulbatchelor <thisispaulbatchelor@gmail.com>