Digital audio workstations (also known as DAWs) are the computer-based systems that make it possible for modern day music producers and audio engineers to record, edit, mix and master professional audio.
Just a few years ago, anyone aspiring to create professional-sounding audio tracks on a Mac computer would have had to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to assemble a worthy digital audio workstation. Notwithstanding the cost of a new Mac computer, such a DAW typically consists of an expensive audio interface connected to a computer running costly professional digital audio workstation software (such as Digidesign's Pro Tools or Apple's Logic Pro).
While the retail prices of computers and audio interfaces have declined somewhat over the past decade, the cost of professional audio production software has plummeted. It is now possible to produce high-quality audio on a Mac computer without spending hundreds of dollars on the latest version of Pro Tools, etc. In fact, there are several free pro audio production software programs available for today’s Mac users.
Apple GarageBand
GarageBand is Apple’s popular music production program. This streamlined DAW is included as part of the Apple iLife software bundle that is pre-installed on all new Mac computers. For those looking to add GarageBand to an older Mac system, the cost is around $79 for the entire iLife ’09 suite which includes GarageBand '09.
GarageBand has many of the standard features found in most professional audio DAWs – including the ability for multi-track recording and editing of 24-bit audio, MIDI-controllable high-quality virtual instruments and plug-ins, and notation printing. But what makes GarageBand so desirable is the ease at which it allows the Mac user to create coherent music productions – regardless of previous musical training or experience. In this sense, it is more valuable as an audio sketchpad or rehearsal tool than as a full-fledgd digital audio workstation.
A new version of GarageBand is released each year. With each revision comes added features aimed at attracting new users. For example, the GarageBand ’09 release has the capacity to host music lessons taught by famous artists such as Sting and Ben Folds.
Ardour Digital Audio Workstation
Whereas GarageBand is more of a niche DAW, Ardour is meant to be a free alternative to the major full-fledged DAWs such as Cubase, Pro Tools and Logic Pro. Ardour not only includes the usual feature set found in the top DAWs, but goes beyond that by offering powerful new features such as its flexible “anything to anywhere" routing system.
Besides being completely license-free, Ardour is also an open source application. This means that it is a perpetual “work in progress”. Anyone inclined to experiment with the programming behind the Ardour DAW is more than welcome to download the code and try their hand at making improvements.
For those who want to record, edit and mix audio in a professional software environment for free, this DAW is a great place to start. Fans of Ardour should be reminded that the coordinators of the project do ask for donations to keep the project running.
Traverso Digital Audio Workstation
Traverso is another license-free DAW available for Mac users. Like Arbour, Traverso is open source software based on a Linux-foundation. The set of features found in Traverso is not as deep as Ardour's feature set but covers all the necessary areas. And because of this "lightweight" approach, Traverso is less taxing on the host computer processor(s) than other DAW software.
The highlight of Traverso has to be its "contextual interaction interface". This refers to the way the graphic user interface has been designed to work in conjunction with both the mouse and the keyboard to improve workflow and increase efficiency. Instead of only using the mouse to click and drag, the keyboard becomes a big part of controlling the Traverso environment – a concept derived from the computer gaming world.
Traverso's interface may take a little bit of getting use to but it should immediately strike a chord with any users suffering from repetitive computer-related wrist or joint injuries.
Other Options for Free Professional DAW Software
GarageBand, Ardour and Traverso are not the only free DAW options for Mac users. Audacity and Koblo Studio are examples of some of the other freeware DAWs currently available.
Besides freeware, another way to work on a professional DAW for free is to download the "demo version" of one of the major DAWs. For example, Ableton allows potential users to download and use a version of their flagship DAW free of charge for 14 days. Although the saving and exporting functions are disabled in this Ableton Live 8 demo version, users can still try out the main features of the DAW before deciding if it is worth the money to buy the "full" version.
Between the demo versions and the freeware, there are plenty of inexpensive ways to record, edit, mix and master audio on today's Mac computers.
Clayton Worbeck - Clayton is a professional music producer, engineer and musician specializing in electronic and rock music. He has worked as an audio ...
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