A Recording Studio for Your PC
There has never been a better time to buy digital audio workstation (DAW) software. Twenty years ago, to record a music album at a professional level, you needed a sizable mixing console, several eight-track digital records (such as ADATs or DA-88s), and a good selection of outboard compressors, reverb units, and other effects, plus a two-track deck to mix down to. In other words, you were looking at about $10K to $15K worth of gear to start—and that's before you got to microphones, speakers, and other accessories.
If you were on a budget, you'd probably stick with a tried-and-true Tascam or Yamaha four-track tape recorder and Alesis compressor, get used to bouncing tracks in mono, make peace with tape hiss, and remember to clean the tape heads every week. And you'd be sharply limited in the kinds of projects you could produce. The only easy multitrack recording you could do at the time was with MIDI, with hardware synthesizers or samplers, and maybe with a Mac or an Atari ST computer attached as a sequencer.
Filmora Video Editor for Windows (or Filmora Video Editor for Mac) is the best video editing software for YouTube on Mac 10.13 or Windows 10. This video editor for YouTube has very many effects that you can use to personalize your video when editing. WavePad is one of the most beautiful productivity software for audio recording in MacOS X. The tool is easy to use with great professional features to upgrade and edit audio quickly. Get Editing tools such as cut, paste, delete, copy, compression, pitch shifting and much more can do with this software. HyperEngine-AV is a free video editing software for Mac used to capture, edit, organize process, and export video, audio, and text to create DVD quality movies and slide shows. It comes with twelve studio-quality effects from Arboretum's Hyperprism suite of audio processors.
It's an entirely different world now. Software packages that cost a few hundred dollars now deliver hundreds of audio tracks and incredibly flexible editing. Some programs are even free. You can create as many instances of effects plug-ins as you want, including spot-on emulations of compressors that cost several thousand dollars each, and attach them to as many mixer channels as you want. It's all nearly unlimited and 'in the box' now.
Choosing the Right DAW
From the standpoint of someone recording 20 or 30 years ago, a DAW today is like a giant candy store; it's as if you can do almost anything. For the newcomer, though, it may seem almost hopelessly complex. Choosing the right audio software can be quite difficult. Most of the famous packages like Pro Tools and Logic have been around for decades. They've grown incredibly powerful, and as a result have user interfaces that are as complex as…well, professional mix consoles.
So how to decide? To help with this task, we went out and tested the most popular DAWs. Numerous venerable (and excellent) recording magazines have reviewed these applications many times over the years. That's great for the existing user base of each DAW, but maybe not always quite as clear for newcomers. In each of our reviews, we did our best to approach each product as a whole, rather than devoting the majority of the space to just the latest features that were added in the most recent point update.
Before we get to the specifics, the simplest program for audio editing is a two-track editor; probably the most famous example here is the free Audacity. While Audacity aspires to some extremely basic multitrack recording with overdubs, its real use is as a solid stereo editor. If you're recording a podcast or editing a clip of your kid's piano recital that you recorded on your phone, Audacity is an excellent choice; you can probably start and stop there. If you need something more sophisticated, read on.
It helps to think about the kinds of projects you want to create. Are you planning on producing beats for hip-hop or fully electronic compositions? Do you want to record multiple musicians playing live instruments at once? Will you be using your setup to score for
What Comes With Each DAW?
The good news is all of the packages can we tested can more or less do all of the above tasks, with a few notable exceptions. The trick is that each program has strengths in different areas, and some tasks may be a bit more complicated in one than they are in another. One overarching rule to decide faster is to look at what your colleagues or friends are using, and then choose the same package. That makes it easier to share tips or even projects between each other, rather than being the
Another is to look at what's bundled with each program. Would you prefer a DAW that comes with a ton of virtual instrument sounds, such as synthesizers, sampled violins, guitars, and electric basses? You may want to look at something like Logic Pro X, Cubase Pro, or Studio One, all of which include many gigabytes of sounds and loops. Do you have or plan to buy your own instrument plug-ins you want to use? Reaper is a fully stripped down DAW at an excellent price, and it makes an excellent host for third-party VSTs. It's also great if you're recording a band full of live instruments and don't need much in the way of virtual ones. Do your tastes lean toward the electronic and synthesized realm? FL Studio, Reason, and Ableton Live
Often, it comes down to the details and the editing philosophies. Do you prefer pattern-based recording for electronic music? FL Studio is going to have plenty to offer. Would you rather have a 'do-it-all' DAW with a large built-in sound library at a low price? PreSonus Studio One beckons. Do you want to not just be able to bring projects into major studios, but collaborate online and also open sessions directly as you work on them with others? It's impossible to top Avid's Pro Tools for this. Is the music already done, and you work in post-production and want to produce more professional podcasts or videos? Adobe Audition is a prime contender for these tasks. And if you've got a Mac, it's worth giving the free GarageBand a spin, if only because it's more powerful than it ever was and you already own it.
How Much Do You Want to Spend?
Closely correlated to the bundled instruments and effects is price, and that's a factor that can cloud the issue a bit. Many of the top-tier packages also have less expensive (or even free), feature-limited editions available. It's not as simple as saying 'Reaper is a budget DAW at $60 and Studio One 3 is a professional-level DAW at $399,' because you can also buy the stripped-down (but still pretty feature-rich) Studio One Artist for $99. What do you lose? What do you gain? We try and touch on this as much as possible within each review.
Which DAW Is Right for You?
In short, read our reviews (linked below) and try some demos where you can. But otherwise, don't sweat it too much. We spent countless hours testing these products and putting together both the reviews and this guide. Despite the complexity of the software here, we've found it's honestly tough to go wrong. It's not like computers or cameras, where you can clearly see that of the latest crop of products, a few perform well and a few don't perform as well as the leaders. These are all mature, well-established products, each with thousands of fans.
As a result, more than half of the packages in this roundup score at least four out of five stars. You can get professional-level results with all of them. Each has some specific workflows that work really, really well for some people—hence the endless 'X is the best and Y is garbage' arguments on the internet—but they all can work for just about anyone.
Even so, we single out two DAWs, one on the Mac and one on the PC, for Editors' Choice awards: Apple Logic Pro X, for its absolutely unbeatable value with its built-in instruments and effects plug-ins, and Avid Pro Tools, for its seamless audio editing and suitability up and down the pro studio chain. But we'd happily use any of the programs listed below for new projects. Choose one, learn its secrets, and get to work creating and editing amazing music and audio projects.
Best Audio Editing Software Featured in This Roundup:
Avid Pro Tools Review
MSRP: $599.00
Pros: Still the cleanest audio editing workflow on the planet. Fast 64-bit recording and mixing engine. New cloud-based project collaboration tools. Robust, useful track freeze and commit options. High-end hardware and support policies are tops in the industry.
Cons: Lacks built-in pitch correction. No VST plug-in support or instrument track presets. USB dongle-based copy protection. Monthly fee required for new software patches past 12 months.
Bottom Line: Avid stays the course with Pro Tools and maintains its status as the standard cross-platform solution for professional audio editing work for music, film, games, and broadcast.
Read ReviewImage-Line FL Studio Review
MSRP: $299.00
Pros: Vector-based interface is attractively animated, and supports 4K, multi-monitor, and multitouch configurations. Brilliant loop and pattern-based MIDI composition tools. Visible automation clips are easy to manipulate. Light memory footprint. Free lifetime updates.
Cons: Convoluted, inflexible audio recording (in higher-priced versions). Must manually assign instrument tracks to mixer channels. Built-in sound library could use some updating. Lacks notation editor.
Bottom Line: If you want to produce some of today's slickest beats, right up to full electronic dance music tracks, FL Studio could be the ideal key to unlock your creativity.
Read ReviewAdobe Audition CC Review
MSRP: $20.99
Pros: Strong audio-restoration, sound-removal, and noise-reduction tools. Excellent stereo waveform editor. Useful visualization tools. Adheres to film and television broadcast standards for audio.
Cons: Lacks MIDI support. Only available via an expensive monthly subscription.
Bottom Line: Audition is a comprehensive audio editor for video post-production, podcasts, and audio restoration. It's expensive for what you get, though, and makes the most sense as a supplement to a video editor or as part of an existing CC subscription.
Read ReviewSteinberg Cubase Pro Review
MSRP: $559.99
Pros: Comprehensive editing and automation support. Robust plug-in bundle. Powerful mixer. Rock-solid stability.
Cons: Expensive. Dongle-based hardware copy protection.
Bottom Line: Steinberg Cubase Pro is a top-notch digital audio workstation particularly suited to MIDI and virtual instrument composers.
Read ReviewAbleton Live Review
MSRP: $749.00
Pros: Inspirational clip-based live and composition workflow. Fast navigation. Powerful automation. Suite version contains plenty of sample material to work with.
Cons: No track comping. No notation view. No pitch correction tool. Mixer view could be more robust.
Bottom Line: In its latest iteration, Ableton Live is a powerful all-in-the-box solution for composing music, particularly electronic-influenced, but it's not for everyone.
Read ReviewPreSonus Studio One Review
MSRP: $399.00
Pros: Fast workflow for music composition and audio recording. Robust included sound sets. Attractive drag-and-drop interface. Powerful free version. Multitouch-enabled on the Windows side.
Cons: No notation editor. No easy way to import session data or save I/O templates. MIDI editing is still weaker than the competition. Cluttered mixing console.
Bottom Line: PreSonus reinvented the common digital audio workstation in 2008 with Studio One; the latest version is the most inspired yet.
Read ReviewPropellerhead Reason Review
MSRP: $399.00
Pros: Versatile array of bundled instruments. Awesome sound set serves as instant inspiration for new electronic tracks. Fast composition workflow. SSL-style mix compression and EQ.
Cons: Aging rackmount-and-patch-cable UI idiom. No surround or scoring features. Track editing still lags the competition.
Bottom Line: Despite its flaws, it's tough to knock Reason as an all-in-one recording, mixing, and mastering tool, particularly if you're into electronic or hip-hop music and want a tremendous array of sounds and beats right out of the gate. It's still as much fun to use as it has always been.
Read ReviewCockos Reaper Review
MSRP: $60.00
Pros: Multi-channel audio recording, mixing, and mastering at a bargain price. Heavily customizable. Fast. Extremely light memory footprint.
Cons: No built-in instruments or loops. Uninviting, unintuitive interface.
Bottom Line: Reaper offers nearly all of the features and flexibility, if not the ease of use or visual appeal, of powerhouse digital audio workstations like Pro Tools at a fraction of the cost.
Read ReviewApple Logic Pro X (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $199.99
Pros: Excellent value. Stunning array of bundled instruments and effects. Terrific interface. No copy protection, unlike many competitors.
Cons: A few older plug-ins still need a UI makeover.
Bottom Line: Apple Logic Pro X 10.4 is a tremendous update to an already-excellent digital audio workstation, and if you own Logic Pro X, it's free.
Read ReviewAudacity Review
MSRP: $0.00
Pros: Free. Lots of editing options ideal for dialogue, sound effects, and trimming music tracks. Supports multitrack audio and batch processing.
Cons: Destructive editing only. Multitrack audio support is exceedingly basic.
Bottom Line: If you're looking to get started in podcasting or recording music, it's tough to go wrong with Audacity. A powerful, free, open-source audio editor that's been available for years, Audacity is still the go-to choice for quick-and-dirty audio work.
Read Review
Best Audio Editing Software Featured in This Roundup:
Avid Pro Tools Review
MSRP: $599.00Pros: Still the cleanest audio editing workflow on the planet. Fast 64-bit recording and mixing engine. New cloud-based project collaboration tools. Robust, useful track freeze and commit options. High-end hardware and support policies are tops in the industry.
Cons: Lacks built-in pitch correction. No VST plug-in support or instrument track presets. USB dongle-based copy protection. Monthly fee required for new software patches past 12 months.
Bottom Line: Avid stays the course with Pro Tools and maintains its status as the standard cross-platform solution for professional audio editing work for music, film, games, and broadcast.
Read ReviewImage-Line FL Studio Review
MSRP: $299.00Pros: Vector-based interface is attractively animated, and supports 4K, multi-monitor, and multitouch configurations. Brilliant loop and pattern-based MIDI composition tools. Visible automation clips are easy to manipulate. Light memory footprint. Free lifetime updates.
Cons: Convoluted, inflexible audio recording (in higher-priced versions). Must manually assign instrument tracks to mixer channels. Built-in sound library could use some updating. Lacks notation editor.
Bottom Line: If you want to produce some of today's slickest beats, right up to full electronic dance music tracks, FL Studio could be the ideal key to unlock your creativity.
Read ReviewAdobe Audition CC Review
MSRP: $20.99Pros: Strong audio-restoration, sound-removal, and noise-reduction tools. Excellent stereo waveform editor. Useful visualization tools. Adheres to film and television broadcast standards for audio.
Cons: Lacks MIDI support. Only available via an expensive monthly subscription.
Bottom Line: Audition is a comprehensive audio editor for video post-production, podcasts, and audio restoration. It's expensive for what you get, though, and makes the most sense as a supplement to a video editor or as part of an existing CC subscription.
Read ReviewSteinberg Cubase Pro Review
MSRP: $559.99Pros: Comprehensive editing and automation support. Robust plug-in bundle. Powerful mixer. Rock-solid stability.
Cons: Expensive. Dongle-based hardware copy protection.
Bottom Line: Steinberg Cubase Pro is a top-notch digital audio workstation particularly suited to MIDI and virtual instrument composers.
Read ReviewAbleton Live Review
MSRP: $749.00Pros: Inspirational clip-based live and composition workflow. Fast navigation. Powerful automation. Suite version contains plenty of sample material to work with.
Cons: No track comping. No notation view. No pitch correction tool. Mixer view could be more robust.
Bottom Line: In its latest iteration, Ableton Live is a powerful all-in-the-box solution for composing music, particularly electronic-influenced, but it's not for everyone.
Read ReviewPreSonus Studio One Review
MSRP: $399.00Pros: Fast workflow for music composition and audio recording. Robust included sound sets. Attractive drag-and-drop interface. Powerful free version. Multitouch-enabled on the Windows side.
Cons: No notation editor. No easy way to import session data or save I/O templates. MIDI editing is still weaker than the competition. Cluttered mixing console.
Bottom Line: PreSonus reinvented the common digital audio workstation in 2008 with Studio One; the latest version is the most inspired yet.
Read ReviewPropellerhead Reason Review
MSRP: $399.00Pros: Versatile array of bundled instruments. Awesome sound set serves as instant inspiration for new electronic tracks. Fast composition workflow. SSL-style mix compression and EQ.
Cons: Aging rackmount-and-patch-cable UI idiom. No surround or scoring features. Track editing still lags the competition.
Bottom Line: Despite its flaws, it's tough to knock Reason as an all-in-one recording, mixing, and mastering tool, particularly if you're into electronic or hip-hop music and want a tremendous array of sounds and beats right out of the gate. It's still as much fun to use as it has always been.
Read ReviewCockos Reaper Review
MSRP: $60.00Pros: Multi-channel audio recording, mixing, and mastering at a bargain price. Heavily customizable. Fast. Extremely light memory footprint.
Cons: No built-in instruments or loops. Uninviting, unintuitive interface.
Bottom Line: Reaper offers nearly all of the features and flexibility, if not the ease of use or visual appeal, of powerhouse digital audio workstations like Pro Tools at a fraction of the cost.
Read ReviewApple Logic Pro X (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $199.99Pros: Excellent value. Stunning array of bundled instruments and effects. Terrific interface. No copy protection, unlike many competitors.
Cons: A few older plug-ins still need a UI makeover.
Bottom Line: Apple Logic Pro X 10.4 is a tremendous update to an already-excellent digital audio workstation, and if you own Logic Pro X, it's free.
Read ReviewAudacity Review
MSRP: $0.00Pros: Free. Lots of editing options ideal for dialogue, sound effects, and trimming music tracks. Supports multitrack audio and batch processing.
Cons: Destructive editing only. Multitrack audio support is exceedingly basic.
Bottom Line: If you're looking to get started in podcasting or recording music, it's tough to go wrong with Audacity. A powerful, free, open-source audio editor that's been available for years, Audacity is still the go-to choice for quick-and-dirty audio work.
Read Review
Video Editing Software For Mac
- What is the best alternative to YouTube Video Eidtor in 2019?
- Are there some free video editing software for YouTube available in the market?
- What is the best video editor for YouTube free?
YouTube is not only a great place to watch videos, but also an awesome platform to share your own created videos with friends all over the world. Uploading videos to YouTube is easy, but it is not an easy task for creating an awesome video. So more and more YouTube users want to find a professional video editing software for YouTube free or paid.
Can't Miss: What Video Editing Software Do YouTubers Use
Yes, you will come across very many free or paid YouTube video maker or editor software over the internet for working with. All YouTube video editing software have their distinct features that you should lookout for as well as pros and cons. The following top 5 free video editor for YouTube will give you a good starting point.
In short: If you're looking for the best video editing software for YouTube (like me), you'll love this guide.
Now, let's get started.
Filmora Video Editor - Best YouTube Video Maker [Free or Paid]
Filmora Video Editor for Windows (or Filmora Video Editor for Mac) is the best video editing software for YouTube on Mac or Windows. This video editor for YouTube has very many effects that you can use to personalize your video when editing. They include intro/credit where you will get to enjoy multiple templates, transitions to help come up with a flawless exchange from one scene to another, sound effect and filters. The selection will be all yours to make and you should be very keen on what you decide to use with your video. Furthermore, this powerful YouTube video editing software has support for very many file formats and guarantees high quality to edited files.
Key Features:
- This video editing software for YouTube has video color correction which allows for adjustment of brightness, saturation and contrast.
- Green screen is another feature that makes it possible to replace the background.
- Scene detection helps to know when changes have been made to scenes.
- Face off offers fun faces for making a video funny.
- PIP effect makes it possible to overlay more than one video together.
- A wide range of video and audio effects and very handy video editing tools.
- Various output options help you directly upload video to YouTube or Viemo for sharing as you like.
Easy Steps to Use This Best Video Editing Software for YouTube
The Filmora YouTube Video Editing software is very affordable and can edit both videos and audios. With this software you can edit the YouTube video according to you, it helps in applying effects or customize your video.
Step 1. Import the Video for YouTube
At first, you need to download the Filmora Video Editor from the official website. After the installation, you can import the video clips by 2 methods. Click the 'FULL FEATURE MODE' from the main window, you can directly drag your videos to the software or click on the 'Import Media Files Here' button to import all video clips to Filmora Video Editor.
Step 2. Edit Your Video Clips
Drag the video clips to timeline directly, now you can adjust the order of the video clips by click on the video clips and drag, and you can also trim unwanted video clips.
Step 3. Add Effects to Your Videos
After you cut and splice the video clips to a complete video you want to post to YouTube, you can choose to add some effects on the video to make it amazing.
For example you can add filters to the video, click on 'FILTERS' option from the menu, and you will see all the filter in the Filmora Video Editor. Select a suitable filter and drag it to timeline to apply.
In addition to the filter, there are many other effects you can apply to your videos including transitions, overlays, audio effect and others as follows:
- How to overlay videos (picture in picture)
- How to make a split-screen video
- How to make cool videos with effects
Step 4. Export the Videos to YouTube Directly
After you are satisfied with the editing of your video, you can preview the excellent video in Filmora Video Editor firstly, and then export it to YouTube directly.
Bonus:
If you wanna to learn more techinical skills about how to perform the Filmora Video Editor, please check the below video tutorial to find something you might not know before:
Top 4 Free YouTube Video Editing Software for Windows, Mac OS X
iMovie (Mac)
When you are looking for the best free YouTube video editing software program to use with Mac, iMovie will be the best choice to consider. This free video editing software for YouTube allows for easy importing of videos as well as editing in terms of adding effects, inserting titles and adding sound tracks. A simple drag and drop will help you add files to the program.
Pros:
- This video editor for YouTube is very easy to use. And it is the best alternative to YouTube Video Editor.
- This video editing tool has a friendly interface and allows for sharing of edited videos online. Those are the standout advantages you will enjoy.
Cons:
- One of the biggest disadvantages of iMovie is inability to import files in MP4 format.
- It is not readily available because of its price tag that ranges around $14.99.
Windows Movie Maker (Windows)
This YouTube video editing software is another best video editing software for YouTube videos and it's designed by Microsoft. You can create, edit and publish your videos using this program on online sites like YouTube and Facebook. That will help in enhancing your overall editing experience. It has support for very many transitions, effects and titles to help customize video.
Pros:
- Key advantages of using this software program are availability for free.
- This video editor for YouTube is easy for beginners to learn.
- This video editing tool offers a variety of editing tools and functions as well as perfect for photos slide shows.
Best Audio Editing Tool For Mac
Cons:
- When you choose this program, expect to enjoy limitations on the number of features you will enjoy because it comes for free.
- This video editing tool is not good for advanced users.
- It is highly prone to crashing down thus not reliable enough.
YouTube Video Editor (Windows and Mac)
This free YouTube video editor allows for easy customizing of video files through specialized tools and effects. You should choose a good combination of those that will suit your video editing. Also, the program helps in trimming down the size of videos.
Pros:
- You will have an easy time learning how to use this program.
- This video editing tool works at high speeds and it is available for free as well as allowing adding music to video.
Cons:
- Its availability for free means this program comes with limitations on some features.
- You will enjoy only the basic features.
LightWorks (Windows and Mac)
Best Audio Editing Software For Mac Free
This free editing software is a professional free video editing software for YouTube that you can use to work on any YouTube files. It's non-linear and has support for resolutions amounting to 4K. It works well with videos on both HD and SD formats. If you have a film that you want to edit, LightWorks will be a good choice to consider at any given time.
Pros:
- Ability to customize is the biggest advantage for using this software program.
- Other pros are support for different platforms.
- Support for professional video editing and availability as paid or free versions.
Cons:
- This video editing tool lacks FireWire support for Linux.
- The pro version has changes in pricing and does not offer any help with basic hints alone.
Write in the End
Although some online video editors or editing apps for YouTube provide most promising results but there aren't as good as professional video editors available for Windows and Mac. One of the biggest disadvantage is that if you don't have an internet connection, you will not be able to edit the videos. Moreover, if your video needs a lot of editing, you can't perform all the functions using online video editors.
So, if you want to create an awesome video, or you have some requirement of the YouTube video, then, I'd like to strongly recommend the Filmora Video Editor or Filmora Video Editor for Mac for your reference. It can help you quickly make a cool video with effects.
[Attention]
This post is foucused on the video editing software for YouTube, so, if you want to find video editor for other platform like Chromebook, etc., you can view the recommendation in this site.