Top 10 Best Audio Mixers and Synthesizers for Windows PCs
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DUNE 3
Create powerful and melodic leads with the help of this intuitive synthesizer that comes with many presets and adjustable parameters.
You can create a lot of good music just by playing with the sounds that come with your DAW. But once you start looking for ways to create a distinct sound, you may soon find that virtual synths may be the best solution for creating unique melodies. Remember though that most synths have distinct sounds of their own, so that doesn’t mean that your work will be easier; you still have plenty of parameters to tweak before you’re satisfied with your originality.
But let’s get back on track. Today, we’re going to take a look at DUNE 3, a synth that you can use to create bright and powerful digital sounds,
He who controls the spice controls the Universe
No, not that Dune. DUNE 3 is actually the successor of DUNE 2, a popular soft synth in its own right, and with a name also written in Caps. After you launch it in your DAW, you may notice that DUNE’s interface is very intuitive. All the modules are well-organized and their purpose becomes clear almost immediately, even to those who have little experience with such plugins.
Still, that doesn’t mean that DUNE 3 isn’t a complex instrument. At its core are three oscillators; the first two are versatile modules that enable you to shape your waveforms any way you wish. You can choose to work with either virtual analog synthesis, frequency modulation synthesis, or wavetable synthesis; if you choose the latter, you also have the possibility to edit your own wavetables. The third oscillator is less complex, but it also doubles as a white / pink noise unit.
Hardcore vibes… That I run things… Aye!
No, not that Dune either. But there may be a connection here since it’s easy to recommend DUNE 3 to those who wish to create melodic dance anthems. Among the synth’s more important features are two FX buses, three LFOs, two arpeggiators, and a simple modulation matrix, but the list can go on. Actually, it’s easy to recommend DUNE 3 to anyone who wants to play with an intuitive modern-sounding virtual synth.
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StationPlaylist Creator
A comprehensive application designed to help you choose the playlists and tracks that you wish to be automatically rotated during your Internet radio broadcasting.
If you listen to radio and, more specifically, you listen to the same radio station on a daily basis, then you surely know how annoying it can be when tracks repeat themselves over and over, following the same pattern.
That said, if you want to offer your radio audience something more than just randomly shuffled songs, then you might find StationPlaylist Creator of great worth.
Forthright and advanced app for building radio station formats using playlist rotations
In just a few words, StationPlaylist Creator is a comprehensive and relatively lightweight piece of software that allows you to create entertaining radio playlist formats by creating advanced scheduling plans for your music and ads using useful rotation methods.
The application can be deployed on your computer's system just like any other, run-of-the-mill application thanks to a streamlined installer. Subsequently, when you first launch the app, you are met by a very useful and appropriately-named 'Initial Setup Wizard.'
Packs an intuitive, while not that modern-looking, interface, and a useful configuration wizard
It is recommended that you undergo this wizard without having to worry about a thing since you can change all the arrangements later on from within the app. You are required to firstly choose the player for loading playlists, select a song folder for each category, as well as create schedules with determined rotations.
You are bound to discover that StationPlaylist Creator sports a fairly outdated user interface. Even though a small adjustment period may be required, you should not be put off by this fact, since the UI is actually very well-thought-out with an intuitive layout and self-explanatory feature sections.
Schedule specific playlists for various times of day with the help of this useful utility
Taking everything into consideration, StationPlaylist Creator certainly deserves your attention since it is a comprehensive application that allows you to create and schedule versatile and entertaining playlists with no more than a few mouse clicks.
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Sound Show
Customize this soundboard application for use with any project you've got going on, or simply enjoy playing with sounds you create for the sake of it.
Working with sounds is quite important, especially depending on the message you're trying to convey to your audience. It does not matter if you're speaking, singing, or simply making sounds to entertain those who follow you.
This is exactly why in these lines of work you could make use of soundboard applications such as Sound Show. This interesting program allows users to create a database of sounds that might come in handy in various types of speaking-related projects.
The interface and how it works
Once the application is up and running, you'll notice a fairly organized interface before your eyes. The centerpiece revolves around various sound categories and brightly-colored, accurately-labeled sound buttons. The program comes with a limited amount of preset tones and jingles.
The rest of them are up to you to add, import, or create. From the top area, one can adjust the sound balance for the selection that will follow or for the whole sound playlist. Allow the app to mix your sounds or add them in the order you desire. Activate or deactivate your microphone for on-the-spot, originally-created inputs.
The app works with your own vision
By no means does this program force you to use the provided preset sounds. On the contrary, you're encouraged to create your own. Head on to the sound menu, and start adding categories, labels, and sounds. Arrange them in a neat and organized way.
You'll always know where everything is. Further app adjustments can be made in the settings menu. Change the language, although translations seem to be a bit flimsy. Adjust main and secondary output, as well as fade-in and fade-out duration. Decide whether you'll allow sounds to be activated by using your keyboard.
Customisability seems to be a strong point with Sound Show. Not only can you adjust keyboard controls for volume adjustment, output change, and fade options, you can also independently assign sounds to keys. The "F" keys work as favorite presets, while the rest of the keyboard awaits for whatever sounds you want to link.
Sound Show might not look that appealing, and its translations are not that great, but the functionality it offers is solid, and customization options are more than enough for any amateur or pro to find the program a great aid in whatever project might be under development. Chances are you'll be more productive and competitive in a scene where being the best is what it is all about.
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Mixpad Music Mixer and Recording Studio
Mix audio tracks and add them effects to create interesting sounds, cut sections and merge clips together, record clips, and more.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Computers offer a great variety of methods to make music. As such, Mixpad Music Mixer and Recording Studio comes as a tiny application that enables you to mix several audio tracks, by using professional tools in a simple manner.
Record tracks, load existing items, and process files
The user interface of the program is quite simple, compared to other audio editing tools. In order to get started, you must create a project that consists of one or more audio tracks (you can also add tracks via the drag and drop method).
Each one of them has its own set of controls displayed on the left side of the window (volume, pan, record, mute, live effects, audio options).
You can record a track (advanced options include automatic, auto start, auto trim, voice active and threshold recording), load an existing clip from your hard drive, from a CD, Stock Library or video files (i.e. audio extraction), split and merge clips, access clip manager, and more.
Apply effects and define output format
The filters you can apply to your audio files include chain effect, crossfade, amplify, dynamic range compressor, chorus, high-pass filter, flanger, distortion, echo, reverb, and VST plugin support.
Once you have completed a project, you can export it in various formats (including WAV, MP3, AAC, AMR, FLAC, OGG and RAW), and even burn them directly to a CD.
In theory, Mixpad Music Mixer and Recording Studio should be mainly used by experienced individuals, but even first-time users can learn the audio editing rules by checking out the well-drawn help file.
Furthermore, the program uses a moderate amount of CPU and system memory, and it did not fail us during our tests.
A few last words
Taking everything into consideration, we can state that Mixpad Music Mixer and Recording Studio is a powerful application with which you can record sound from your sources and mix them together into a neat song.
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Download Hubs
Mixpad Music Mixer and Recording Studio is part of these download collections: Audio Mixers, Audio Synthesizers
Serato Studio
Create the best music with a beat maker that supports MIDI pattern insertions and drum pattern customizations, and offers extensive library packages of built-in sounds and templates from experienced sound engineers and famous artist.
Serato Studio is the perfect choice for those who need a tool that is complex enough to allow for music-making experimentation and post-production editings on a plethora of musical styles and diverse audio patterns.
Create your beats, remixes, and personalized patterns
Making your favorite music can be quite challenging, especially for beginners. Serato Studio is an extra-versatile tool that can easily adapt to any kind of user. When opening the tool, you should select the type of project you want to create: you can start making music from scratch or you can choose from a wide range of templates, categorized by distinct genre.
No matter your experience and level of expertise, you still need a program capable of delivering fast results in a quick, comprehensive, and simplistic manner. The tool has plenty of features that will help you spend less time on technical adaptations and more time on music-making — BPM synchronization, preexisting drum setups and patterns, easy key shifting, a versatile mixing channel, and the smoothly-working sample deck and sequencer.
Plugins and extensive music samples
Serato Studio offers a lot of free resources for all those who need to experiment with different styles and sound effects. As a beat maker, DJ, or sound engineer you can choose from a wide range of sound packages from major high-class producers. There are libraries for different music styles, such as trap, electronic dance music, hip-hop, house, and many others.
The tool also has built-in sound effects and ready-to-use kits for many instruments, special loops, sound samples, and drum kits. Serato Studio supports the following types of plugins: VST (Virtual Studio Technology — cross-platform plugins) and AU (Audio Units — macOS plugins). For splendid outcomes, the paid version of the program has incorporated a mastering plugin from iZotope that allows for advanced sound editing and polishing.
A free, post-production editing tool for professionals and amateurs
To summarize, Serato Studio is a beat maker and a DJ editing utility that can easily be used by both professionals (sound engineers and producers) and beginners/music-making enthusiasts. The tool works smoothly, looks really good, and is super intuitive for the level of complexity it offers. Above all, the program is free and allows for testing, experimentation, resource grouping for fast retrieval, and easy accessing of sound packs and kits.
For those who are totally new to music-making and audio engineering/sound post-production editing/mastering, Serato Studio offers free learning materials and resources that can be accessed here.
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FamiStudio
Create 8-bit music like you heard in video games from the Nintendo Entertainment System era with the help of this simple application.
The launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1985 marked the beginning of a revolution that led to the global success of the video game industry. The initial success was due to a new standard in the quality of the games, a standard that helped birth gems such as Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Castlevania, Contra, and countless other classics.
Apart from the colorful graphics and the simple but challenging gameplay, many players will remember the catchy soundtracks. The sound quality was limited to 8 bits, but it was this exact limitation that made the music so beautiful and memorable. It surely left a mark on many musicians who created whole styles centered around 8-bit sounds, but it probably left an even bigger mark on the fans; I’m sure that there are very few among you who can’t hum the Super Mario Bros theme flawlessly.
So what’s FamiStudio about?
To put it simply, FamiStudio allows you to create NES-style 8-bit music. Its name is derived from Famicom, which is the name of the Nintendo game console that was only available in Japan and after which the NES was modeled. FamiStudio’s interface features a sequencer and a piano roll reminiscent of a professional DAW. However, when it comes to usability, things aren’t as smooth.
When you try to add the first notes in the sequencer, if you click on any of the bars, you don’t get just one note, but a whole infinite bar of that note, which you must stop yourself by adding a stop note (Ctrl + Click). This really isn’t an intuitive way to write music with mouse clicks; I’m sure that most digital musicians would be more at ease with creating a single note with one clicking and then dragging that note as they please.
Other features
You can only use four tracks for your compositions: two tracks made of square wave sounds, one track made of triangle wave sounds, and another track made of noises. There’s also a fifth DPCM track which can help modulate the other sounds, and you also have a very small number of effects.
FamiStudio isn’t necessarily a bad program. It sounds pretty good, and I’m sure that once you get used to the unusual workflow, you can actually compose something nice with it. But even though I like the colorful interface, I would probably stick to other plugins or synths that are dedicated to creating 8-bit music.
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Virtual DJ
An MP3 mixing tool that provides pitch control, full karaoke support and many other features that can be used by all music enthusiasts.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Virtual DJ might be a great starting point to build up your career, as it helps you create amazing mixes and tunes to astonish your audience.
A mixing tool that enables you to work with multiple tools
Virtual DJ is not a composition application, but you can use it to remix the music that's already on the market, so you can easily bring your very own touch to the latest hits released by your favorite artists.
Virtual DJ's interface is complex, organized in such a way that it allows you to work with multiple tunes at the same time and thus get the most out of your talent. From one interface, you get standard controls, pitch controls, a BPM calculator, a virtual scratch and a dynamic beat visualizer.
Packs several parameter editing features
The application also integrates 3 band equalizers, real scratch simulation, OSC network synchronization, karaoke support, Master Tempo pitch algorithm and a BeatLock engine.
With the automatic seamless loop and the synchronized sampler, DJs will be able to perform live remixes like never before, not to mention that the cues allow for the visualization of song structures.
To make things even more interesting, the software brings a rich collection of skins, so you never get bored of its looks.
An app for beginner musicians and professionals alike
All in all, Virtual DJ includes an astonishing set of mixing tools, which makes it a reliable choice for professional DJs and a good challenge for those making the first steps into the music industry.
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Download Hubs
Virtual DJ is part of these download collections: Karaoke Player, Open VST, DJ Tools, Audio Mixers
iZotope RX Post Production Suite
Audio editor with rich effects and plugins for tonal balance, mixing, mastering and loudness control wrapped in a single package.
RX Post Production Suite is an audio processing package that contains four tools: RX Advanced Audio Editor, Neutron Advanced, Insight, and RX Loudness Control. Just as the name suggests, it can be used for all post-production steps involved in sound processing, from editing dialog to mixing audio and saving files.
Audio editor with many effects and handy plugin for controlling tonal balance
All tools are wrapped in a modern interface that takes a sophisticated approach and dark theme. RX Advanced Audio Editor is a standalone audio editor that has many nifty effects up its sleeve, from de-noise and de-click to de-clip and de-hum. Filters can be applied to individual audio tracks or in batch processing mode.
Neutron Advanced is a plugin facilitates a solution for viewing and controlling the tonal balance of audio tacks. It has a visual mixer that shows the sonic activity and gives you the possibility to adjust the volume level, stereo width, and panning mode. Other tools include a track assistant and soft saturator.
Plugins for audio mixing, mastering, and loudness control
Insight is another plugin, which assists post-production users in mixing and mastering with the help of comprehensive tools dedicated to audio analysis and metering. For instance, it can determine the loudness meter and keep track of trends in a history graph, as well as record activity to log files or graphs that can be saved to the disk.
RX Loudness Control is an iZotope plugin made to check the loudness level of music files, to make sure it passes the loudness standard, and to normalize this level if necessary. It has some built-in loudness standard but also gives you the possibility to tweak the parameters.
Taking everything into account, RX Post Production Suite is ready to meet the audio post-production needs of any serious user.
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Soundop
Seamlessly record audio samples that you can edit and add into your mixes later on using this simple and straightforward software solution.
Soundop is a lightweight application that enables you to record audio samples or edit the ones that you already have and add them to the mix you are working on.
Comes with a rugged, but intuitive working space
The setup is quick, uneventful and does not require any special attention from your part. The program comes with an outdated interface designed with mild tones of gray. Nevertheless, the UI is user-friendly and you are unlikely to encounter any issues while recording or mixing.
Upon launch, you come face to face with a welcome screen that displays the projects that you are working on. You will be glad to learn that the program allows you to create and customize several working spaces and switch between them with just one click. The option can be useful if you enjoy experimenting with your audio samples.
Allows you to create and edit new tracks
In addition to letting you customize your mixing space according to you preferences and equipment, the program enables you to create new audio files using the desired channels and samples rates. Then again, you should know that the sample rate options are between 16,000 and 48,000, whereas the channels available are stereo and mono.
The new file can be saved in various file formats, namely FLAC, OGG, PCM, RAW, WAV, MP1, MP2 and MP3. Moreover, you can add various FX rack effects, such as chorus, compressor, delay, echo, reverb, rich verb, phaser or limiter, just to name a few. In addition, you can adjust the volume, stretch, pitch and remove noise using advanced features.
A handy tool for recording and mixing audio samples
In spite of the fact that it is not a looker, the utility includes several features that allow you record the audio samples you need for your next tracks. In case you are not fully satisfied, then you can enhance them using the vast array of editing and mixing effects.
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SAM DJ
Professional DJ application that allows all those who are serious about making and playing music to turn their computers into powerful mixing studios
SAM Party DJ is a reliable application that comes bundled with professional tools designed for audio mixing.
Upon initiating the software, follow a quick wizard in which you can add audio files to the media library, default special effects and demo files, as well as select playback and recording audio devices.
The interface may seem overwhelming to beginners, since the software is mainly developed for advanced users. SAM Party DJ includes features such as beat matching, instant song search, and album cover support.
Several components are visible in the user interface: two decks, auxiliary, clock, fade control, sound effects, voice effects, voice-tracking, queue, history, playlist, and tracks in selected category, but you can also enable the option to view of video display and event log.
First you have to organize music into specific categories (create them in the playlist window). Music can be added via the drag and drop method, from queue, or from other categories.
Songs can be organized according to their type (from the right-click menu), and these include normal song, karaoke, station ID, promo, jingle, and advertisements.
The playlist is configured by setting Playlist Rotation Rules from the Config window in File menu. If you leave the usage of ghost queue enabled, SAM Party DJ will cache the next song into its memory, thus making the loading faster.
In Configuration, you can change preferences for the audio mixer pipeline, cross-fading, gap killer, playlist rotation rules, and general settings. The playlist rotation logic module is either based on web scripting, clock wheel (category rotation), or on weight.
Unfortunately, the program's online help page mainly focuses on the organizational aspect of SAM Party DJ, so if you do not have basic experience in audio mixing, it will be very difficult for you to learn how to use this application.
The program uses a medium amount of system resources, and it did not cause any errors during our tests. We strongly recommend SAM Party DJ to power users.
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Download Hubs
SAM DJ is part of these download collections: DJ Tools
