7 Best Free GarageBand Alternative For Windows

Here is a list of best free GarageBand alternative for Windows. GarageBand is basically a music studio for Mac operating system to produce music. These Windows software provide the similar set of features and functionalities that you can find in the GarageBand. Just like it, you can also use these desktop software to create music of various genres.

To create music, these software provide various inbuilt virtual instruments to create sound and music. Inbuilt virtual instruments like Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Piano, Keyboard, etc. are provided by these software. In some software, you can also find inbuilt sound samples or loops which you can directly use with your music. You can also add external MIDI devices with these software to add sound samples. Plus, MIDI editing feature namely Piano Roll and Notation style editing are also present in some software. After selecting inbuilt sound loops or creating a custom sound, you can arrange multiple sounds in a rhythmic manner using Multi-Track Editor. Besides this, Audio Filters, Audio Effects, Audio Mixer, FX Sampler, Audio Recorder, MIDI Recorder, etc. are also present in these GarageBand alternatives. After making music, you can save it as MIDI, MP3, WAV, and other music files.

If you are familiar with GarageBand, you will not face many difficulties with the operation of these software. However, if you are a novice user, then a learning period is required to properly understand these software.

My Favorite GarageBand Alternative For Windows:

LMMS is my favorite GarageBand alternative software because it provides almost all essential music-making tools and features. Plus, it is simpler to use as compared to other listed software.

Stagelight is another good GarageBand alternative for Windows because it provides almost same set of features like Virtual Software Instruments, Audio Recording, MIDI Editing, MultiTrack Editor, etc.

You can also check out lists of best free Music Orchestration, Music Making, and Music Notation software for Windows.

LMMS

LMMS is a free GarageBand alternative for Windows. Just like GarageBand, it can also be used to produce music by arranging audio samples and synthesizing sound. In it, you can also create beats that you can later merge with vocals to create final music.

To create audio sound or beats samples, you can either record MIDI Instruments sound or you can use software synthesizers with inbuilt sound loops to make new sounds. In the Instruments Plugin section, you get various sound synthesizing plugins like kicker, mallets, monstro, sfxr, etc., to make sounds in absence of MIDI devices. Plus, you can also import projects files of other music editing software (Hydrogen, FL-Studio).

In this software, you get a ton of audio tools, but most important tools are audio editors of different types. There are a total of five editors that you get in here namely, Song Editor (to compose melody), Base+Bassline Editor (to create beat and basslines), FX Mixer (to mix unlimited number of channels), Piano Roll (to edit patterns and melodies), and Automation Editor.

By using the combination of Synthesizers, Editors, and External MIDI devices, you can generate all types of music. If all the available tools are not enough, you can add various external plugins to enhance its functionality.

Once the music or song gets completed, you can hear it within this software. After that, you can export final audio as WAV or OGG audio file.

Overall, it is a really good alternative to GarageBand for Windows users.

Stagelight

Stagelight is another really good GarageBand alternative for Windows. In it, you can find almost similar features as GarageBand such as Virtual Software Instruments, Audio Recording, MIDI Editing, MultiTrack Editor, etc. Plus, an additional Drum Tracks feature to make custom beats is also available in it.

To create music through this software, you need to use its MultiTrack Editor. In this editor, you can add Audio Tracks, Drum Tracks, Instruments Tracks, etc. After adding all essential tracks, you can manually generate custom instruments sound or record external sound with the help of MIDI devices. Similarly, you can import voice samples or add voice through microphone directly to this software. Once all the essential sound pieces are added to its Musti Track Editor, you can arrange sound on different tracks to make rhythmic music.

After creating music, you can easily export it as a MIDI file. If you want to export only individual tracks, then that is also possible in this software. Apart from the mentioned features, you can find many other handy tools in it such as Virtual keyboard, Sound Decibel Settings, Audio Effects, Filters, etc. In general, it is one of the closest alternatives of GarageBand for the Windows platform.

Note: In this free software, you will face various limitations like limited drum kits, instruments, and effects. To remove all the limitations, you need to purchase the paid version of this software.

Magix Music Maker

Magix Music Maker is one of the best free GarageBand alternative for Windows. To create music, it provides features like Virtual Keyboard, Soundpool, Master Effects, MIDI Editor, and more. In addition to that, three advanced tools named Concert Grand LE, Revolta 2, and Vita Synth are also available in it. All of these instruments contain their own GUI interface with various audio-enhancing features, such as pitch, delay, speed, filter, mixer, etc.

To add various effects to music or to edit various music parameters, you can use its Master Effects menu. This menu contains five tools named as Compressor, 10 Band Equalizer, Reverb, Echo, Limiter. Not only that, this GarageBand alternative even comes with a virtual Piano panel and drum kit panel which let you add piano and drum sound on the music track.

On its Soundpool Panel, you can find various musical Instruments, such as Drums, Guitar, Keys, Brass, Bass, etc. Each available instrument also has loops to provide more similar tones of the same instrument. Plus, option to choose up to seven different pitch for each instrument is also available.

This freeware provides a Timeline on top right corner where you can add tones from the Soundpool to create music. Plus, options to directly record voice and MIDI device sound are also available in it. After creating the music, you can also export it as WAV, OGG, and WMV files.

Note: In the free version of this software, you can only use up to 8 tracks. To remove this limitation, you need to purchase the paid version of this software.

Tracktion

Tracktion is another free GarageBand alternative for Windows. It is basically a feature-rich DAW software that lets you produce music just like the GarageBand. In it, you can directly connect MIDI devices and record MIDI sound. Standard audio files of various formats like WAV, AIFF, OGG, MP3, FLAC, VOC, etc. can also be imported.

An advanced Track Section is provided by this software that lets you add unlimited numbers of MIDI audio and standard audio files. Using this track section, you can easily put various sound files at different tracks to create an immersive and full sounding audio. Plus, you can also select one or all audio samples of different tracks and play them in a loop by using the Loop option. All the loops can also be saved in this software that you can use later with other projects. In each track, you get a volume controller through which you can select different levels of volume and also, you can choose to mute the audio of some tracks.

There are many more tools available through which you can make customize audio such as Automation, Snapping, Audio Presets, Audio Filters, Tempo Changer, Audible Trimming, and more.

When you are done creating music, you can export it as WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG, MP3, and MIDI files. However, before exporting, you can also change some audio parameters from the Export Section like Sample Rate, Sample Size, Peak Level, etc.

Another great property of this software is its multi-tab interface that allows you to work on multiple music projects at a time. Its ability to support all types of audio VST Plugins is another impressive feature. In general, it is a very good GarageBand alternative software. However, it can be a bit challenging to use for new users. So, I recommend watching some video tutorials before using this software.

MuLab

MuLab is yet another free GarageBand alternative for Windows. Using it, you can record, edit, and create music with ease, just like GarageBand. It also lets you utilize multiple tracks to create multi-track music. Plus, it supports both MIDI Devices and MIDI Files and comes with useful tools like equalizer, audio recorder, reverb, synth, drum set, etc.

The free version of MuLab supports 8 VST plugins for each project, 4 tracks per composition, one MIDI input/output, and 2 audio input/output. If you exceed these limitations, you will hear a soft noise in the background while playing the audio. To remove this limitation, you need to purchase the paid version of this software.

This software comes with various useful features such as a mixer, samplers, synths, sample players, effects, slice drum loops, etc. It is also quite useful for recording & mixing quick audio sessions and also to test various VST plugins. Plus, you can easily save the composed music as either MIDI or WAV audio file. The only major drawback of the free version is the limitation of 4 tracks per composition. Still, the Mixer, MUX, and Sequencer have no limitations and you can use them freely.

Cakewalk

Cakewalk is the next free GarageBand alternative for Windows. Using it, you can create music beats as well as compose complete music. However, it works in slightly different way than other software because it uses Web Browser as a platform to work. Still, it works smoothly without any hiccups. Before using this software, you need to register to their website and by using the created account, you can log in to this software. After logging in to this software, you will get a small floating interface that contains various Sound loops and Music Apps. According to your need, you can download free apps and sound loops with ease.

The main part of this software is its Mix Editor using which you can create music. By clicking on the Mix Editor button, you can launch its editor on your default browser. In its editor, you get all essential music making tools like Timeline, Multiple Tracks, Drum Machine, BandLab Instruments, Effects, MIDI Device Support, Voice/MIC support, etc. Besides these tools, it also provides support for External Guitar and Bass Devices which you can also tune through this software. After creating music through available tools, you can save your music as its project file or export music as MP3, and WAV files.

Overall, its simple and modern interface and easy to use tools make it a very compelling GarageBand alternative for Windows.

Anvil Studio

Anvil Studio is yet another GarageBand alternative for Windows. In this software, you can find all the essential tools and features which are required to make great music just like GarageBand.

To make music, it provides two types of editors namely Piano Roll Editor and Staff Editor. The Piano Roll Editor is useful to generate music related to Piano, Keyboard, etc. In Piano Roll Editor, you get a virtual piano with various musical notes. The Staff Editor is used to create tones associated with string instruments like Guitar, Violin, etc. Here, you get features such as Staff Lines, Notes, Signatures, etc.

This software also has an analyze feature that makes it different from other software. This tool lets you analyze important information related to music like current song position, the position of the mouse, etc. It also provides good editing features which let you align notes, merge notes, erase/create notes, split tracks, limit number of notes played at a time, and repair track.

This freeware also provides various important features to enhance music like Mixer, Synthesizer, Performer, Audio Lab, Tempo Settings, and more. Plus, common features to record audio and play music are also present. After creating the music, you can save or export it to a MIDI file.

Note: In this free version of this software, you can only use up to 8 tracks and 24 or 32-bit audio samples. In order to remove all the limitations, you need to upgrade to the paid version of this software.