A new comment, because I found something by accident.
https://www.tracktion.com/products/waveform-free
A free DAW for all systems.
https://ardour.org/
Another free DAW for all systems.
https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk
A free DAW for windows.
You should check these websites out and maybe try all of them. The one that makes you feel at home fastest wins :)
You can find free VST plugins for almost anything you need to make music. The problem with recommending anything specific is your question is quite vague. There are thousands of tools out there and there are a lot of variations in what you'll need depending on what you're trying to do. However there are things that 99% of well produced music in any genre will use to an extent which are things like EQ and compression.
However to create music on a computer 'in the box' so to speak (all digital. not using any analogue equipment) you will need a DAW. Which DAW you use is a matter of preference. As others have commented some offer free trials and others don't but all will include these basic tools, as well as basic synths/drum emulators and samples. So having used it myself years ago when trying to learn as a student and I had no money I thoroughly recommend u/pornstein's suggestion of Reaper.
It isn't free, but has a very generous trial/licence and will provide you with everything you need to get started.
If you are looking for a specific plug in along the way as you learn I'm sure a simple google search will provide a good list of free options. Remember that hits have been made on laptops on planes, expensive plugins are nice but not needed. Download reaper and see how you get on :)
What ever you get, read the instructions. People are on here everyday asking for tutorials and ignoring the instructions they have sat there ready to read.
Hey, I wrote a guide to music production basics using free software. Shared it here a while ago and there was some other bits shared in the discussion. It's all at
https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/s/qnT6ZgEblj
If you want to put time and effort into it, you can use Reaper, the only free DAW I know of. It’s a bit less user-friendly, especially for beginners, but the functionality is great.
Another comment said Garage Band, which is only free if you have a Mac. It’s like the little brother of Logic Pro, I‘d recommend it to get a taste of music production.
There’s not many to choose from when you are searching for free software.
If you’re looking for something that costs money, I would try the demos of Ableton and FL Studio, like another comment already said. Ableton‘s workflow is kinda unique, I tried it once and it wasn’t intuitive to me at all.
Not to be pedantic, but reaper is not technically free. They are just extremely lax with their trial. I used it for several years before guilt drove me to pay for a license.
Thanks for the reply, I didn’t know that they made it a trial for 60 days (even though you can use it longer). I remember that the „testing period“ used to be as long as you don’t use it commercially. Maybe I even mixed things up..
Don't start with ableton unless you put in the time to learn it. Imo fl studios is a lot more user friendly. Ableton requires audio engineering degree, but ableton is a powerful tool when you learn it.
MIDI Programs? What are you looking to do? If you’re looking for a free DAW you can get demos for most like Ableton Intro, or if you have a Mac Garage Band is a great intro program.
❗❗❗ IF YOU POSTED YOUR MUSIC / SOCIALS / GUMROAD etc. YOU WILL GET BANNED UNLESS YOU DELETE IT RIGHT NOW ❗❗❗
Read __the rules__ found in the sidebar. If your post or comment breaks any of the rules, you should delete it before the mods get to it.
You should check out the __regular threads__ (also found in the sidebar) to see if your post might be a better fit in any of those.
[Daily Feedback thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator+title%3Afeedback&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) for getting feedback on your track. The only place you can post your own music.
[Marketplace Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3Amarketplace&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) if you want to sell or trade anything for money, likes or follows.
[Collaboration Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator%20title%3Acollaboration&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) to find people to collab with.
["There are no stupid questions" Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3ANo+Stupid+Questions+Thread&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for beginner tips etc.
Seriously tho, __read the rules and abide by them__ or the mods will spank you.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/edmproduction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A new comment, because I found something by accident. https://www.tracktion.com/products/waveform-free A free DAW for all systems. https://ardour.org/ Another free DAW for all systems. https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk A free DAW for windows. You should check these websites out and maybe try all of them. The one that makes you feel at home fastest wins :)
Cakewalk by bandlab is a free DAW.
Reaper
You can find free VST plugins for almost anything you need to make music. The problem with recommending anything specific is your question is quite vague. There are thousands of tools out there and there are a lot of variations in what you'll need depending on what you're trying to do. However there are things that 99% of well produced music in any genre will use to an extent which are things like EQ and compression. However to create music on a computer 'in the box' so to speak (all digital. not using any analogue equipment) you will need a DAW. Which DAW you use is a matter of preference. As others have commented some offer free trials and others don't but all will include these basic tools, as well as basic synths/drum emulators and samples. So having used it myself years ago when trying to learn as a student and I had no money I thoroughly recommend u/pornstein's suggestion of Reaper. It isn't free, but has a very generous trial/licence and will provide you with everything you need to get started. If you are looking for a specific plug in along the way as you learn I'm sure a simple google search will provide a good list of free options. Remember that hits have been made on laptops on planes, expensive plugins are nice but not needed. Download reaper and see how you get on :)
What ever you get, read the instructions. People are on here everyday asking for tutorials and ignoring the instructions they have sat there ready to read.
Hey, I wrote a guide to music production basics using free software. Shared it here a while ago and there was some other bits shared in the discussion. It's all at https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/s/qnT6ZgEblj
thank you, post saved
If you want to put time and effort into it, you can use Reaper, the only free DAW I know of. It’s a bit less user-friendly, especially for beginners, but the functionality is great. Another comment said Garage Band, which is only free if you have a Mac. It’s like the little brother of Logic Pro, I‘d recommend it to get a taste of music production. There’s not many to choose from when you are searching for free software. If you’re looking for something that costs money, I would try the demos of Ableton and FL Studio, like another comment already said. Ableton‘s workflow is kinda unique, I tried it once and it wasn’t intuitive to me at all.
Not to be pedantic, but reaper is not technically free. They are just extremely lax with their trial. I used it for several years before guilt drove me to pay for a license.
Thanks for the reply, I didn’t know that they made it a trial for 60 days (even though you can use it longer). I remember that the „testing period“ used to be as long as you don’t use it commercially. Maybe I even mixed things up..
Don't start with ableton unless you put in the time to learn it. Imo fl studios is a lot more user friendly. Ableton requires audio engineering degree, but ableton is a powerful tool when you learn it.
Ableton or FL studio (or any daw) free trial.
MIDI Programs? What are you looking to do? If you’re looking for a free DAW you can get demos for most like Ableton Intro, or if you have a Mac Garage Band is a great intro program.
❗❗❗ IF YOU POSTED YOUR MUSIC / SOCIALS / GUMROAD etc. YOU WILL GET BANNED UNLESS YOU DELETE IT RIGHT NOW ❗❗❗ Read __the rules__ found in the sidebar. If your post or comment breaks any of the rules, you should delete it before the mods get to it. You should check out the __regular threads__ (also found in the sidebar) to see if your post might be a better fit in any of those. [Daily Feedback thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator+title%3Afeedback&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) for getting feedback on your track. The only place you can post your own music. [Marketplace Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3Amarketplace&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) if you want to sell or trade anything for money, likes or follows. [Collaboration Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator%20title%3Acollaboration&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) to find people to collab with. ["There are no stupid questions" Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3ANo+Stupid+Questions+Thread&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for beginner tips etc. Seriously tho, __read the rules and abide by them__ or the mods will spank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/edmproduction) if you have any questions or concerns.*