Complete mixer with crossfade between two tracks. Real time equalization per load with mute Integrated Automix. Automatic syncronization between the decks based on BPM Automatic Beat Detection Three effects per load (Echo, Flanger, Wha). Three memory banks pero load for CUE points or Loops. Three samples per load. Auto Loop from ¼ to 32 Beats. Scratch with an integrated wheel. Advanced traklist with two levels (Explorer and / or Playlist). Resizable to the end of the screen. Ultra-fast "Search" to scan your music library. Complete Audio Set Up (include Audio Support). Customize DJ ProDecks: Put your name into the Skin. Supported Files: MP3, MP2, MP1, WAV, OGG, AIFF, WMA, FLA, AAC.

Designed by DJs. Easy to use. Advanced features. Freeware without activation. New and attractive Multi-Wheel Good integration of the music library. Recording. You can mix for yourself with professional features (Autoloop Effects, Sampler), but also you can use Automix fuction with Shuffle and Multi-List. Customize your skin with your name or some text (max 15 characters)

The target of use is an universal user, normally music fan who wants to mix their songs without cost.

Download DJ ProDecks 2.0 in Softonic

Looking like a classic DJ set-up, with a mixer and two decks, Virtual DJ will be instantly accessible to DJs and newcomers alike.

Features

You can sample and loop tracks live, add effects, and there's a very natural-feeling scratch mode. For the adventurous, there's a lot you can add to your mixes with Virtual DJ.

Usability

Quality

Virtual DJ is accessible to beginners and packed with extra features. The downside of the software is that it sticks too much to what a physical DJ setup is - other programs offer four decks and more user-friendly interfaces - small knobs may be great for your fingers, but they're less use on a screen.

Conclusion

Download Virtual DJ Free Home Edition 7.4 in Softonic

The main tab contains a virtual sound studio to which you can add different modules (machines) with just a right click. The Pattern editor tab lets you create patterns to control the instruments in the studio. The Sequencer tab stores all the patterns you’ve created and adds them to a queue for the machine to play it. And finally, the HD Recorder tab is a multi-track app, capable of recording streaming audio in DarkWave Studio.

Besides working with VST and ASIO plug-ins, DarkWave Studio also supports other modules such as MIDI input and a mixer. These modules can all be connected by dragging a virtual wire with your mouse from their bottom connections.

DarkWave Studio features a neatly organized interface, but it’s quite confusing for newcomers – and the scarce documentation doesn’t help either.

DarkWave Studio is a great assistant to create your own music in your computer.

Download DarkWave Studio 4.1.7 in Softonic

Mixxx is a free open source DJ app that allows you to mix your MP3 collection together, for parties, clubs or just for fun.

Installation is simple, all you have to do is specify your music library (you can add other later if you want). Mixxx will then import your collection, which may take a few minutes if you have lots of files, but it will only do this once.

Mixxx's interface might be a bit intimidating for beginners, but if you're eager to learn, it's not difficult to get the hang of it. There are two channels, and you load tracks into them with a right click. Each channel has its own controls, from play and pause to tone control. In the center are the global controls, with volume, balance and most importantly the cross-fader which allows you to mix between the two channels. The music waveforms are arranged one on top of the other, like Virtual DJ, which can make beat matching easier.

Mixxx is controlled either with the mouse or hot keys, which are specified in the included manual. In terms of help for beginners, each channel has a "sync" button, which will attempt to synchronize the BPM (beats per minute) of one track with another. The user still has to start the track in time with the other one, so Mixxx won't do the mixing for you!

Mixxx is a solid DJing application, with good BPM estimation, and controls that are easy to pick up for anyone who's seen a mixer before, and intuitive enough for a beginner to learn.

Download Mixxx 1.10.1 in Softonic

Adobe Audition is a multi-track recording studio that offers all the refinement you expect in Adobe products but may leave beginners floundering in technical jargon.

After the initial installation, Adobe Audition searches for compatible audio formats on your hard drive but asks you which file types you want to associate with it. Otherwise the program would detect every single sound file on your hard drive meaning your Adobe Audition library would be a jumbled mess.

Adobe Audition's interface is clean, with the active window highlighted by a red border. Each window is separated by tabs to keep the File, Effects, Main and Mixer sections separate and easy to revert to. If you don’t like the layout then Adobe has provided an Unlock Panel option which allows you to detach and move these windows to a position of your choosing. You can save your own rearrangements as workplace templates according to the type of project you are working on.

To really get the most out of Adobe Audition, you’ll need a pretty good sound card. For those concerned with MIDI support, Adobe Audition doesn’t offer a great deal in this area and many users report this as one of the most confusing aspects of the program to configure.

To describe all the editing possibilities of Adobe Audition would involve going into the minute technicalities of audio composition and compression but there are four main modes to get to grips with. The first is Waveform Display which displays the wave in graphical form. Second is Spectral Frequency Display which graphically displays the frequency range with colors. Logarithmic Display does exactly the same but obviously displays the wave as a Logarithm. For producing stereo-sound, there’s also Spectral Pan Display and Spectral Phase Display which enable you to get stereo sound perfectly synced.

Editing is performed using the time-honored cut and paste functions common to most audio and video editing programs. You simply mark an in and out point and cut and paste the audio until it’s as you want it. However, the Adobe Audition is much more advanced than this as it's able to detect beat patterns and rhythms and set in and out points accordingly. To use this function though, you’ll have to spend a long time studying the Help guide (which fortunately is very clear and detailed). You can also use a relatively new function in the audio editing field called Frequency Space Editing which means you can edit certain frequencies of the sound rather than the wave as a whole. There are also of course a heap of effects that you can apply to sounds ranging from complex distortions to pitch bending specific frequencies.

Adobe Audition has been updated with a host of new features. Pick of the bunch is probably the way Adobe have improved multitrack editing, added new effects and enhanced noise reduction. They've also added phase correction tools plus VSTi virtual instrument support and native 5.1 surround support. The multi-track editing suite has been improved to save time and maintain consistency by grouping clips into a Multitrack View. From here you can trim and fade much more easily. You can also batch save all audio files applying specific file formats, locations, filename templates, and more.

Adobe Audition is a very advanced program designed only for those who are serious about multi-track audio production. If you are looking for a simple sound editor, then this is way too advanced and will only leave you frustrated. If however you want to take your first few steps into professional editing, the extensive Adobe help guide will ensure that you get the most out of this rich and complex program.

Download Adobe Audition 5.0 in Softonic

Whether you want to rock your bedroom or the club, Traktor Pro is a very complete program that does pretty much everything you might want. It's highly configurable, which makes it very flexible but also pretty inaccessible to beginners. There is extensive documentation for Traktor Pro, but even that is pretty scary!

As well as controlling external sources, Traktor Pro allows you to mix from your computer on up to four decks at once. Importing your music library is really simple, and it works with iTunes libraries too. Tracks are analyzed when loaded into a deck, and appear as a wave form that can be moved with the mouse, alongside the beats per minute (BPM) and much more information. Traktor Pro is pretty accurate when it comes to finding BPMs, but if it is wrong, you can set them manually.

All the usual mixing tools are present, with pitch control, crossfader effects, and levels. There is extensive hotkey mapping, which is fully configurable, but takes a lot of time to do. Once you get used to Traktor Pro, it reveals itself as an incredible DJ tool. With some practice you'll be able to create fantastic mixes, which you can record from within the program.

Traktor Pro is an excellent and incredibly powerful DJ application with a steep learning curve that is worth climbing.

Download Traktor Pro 2.5.1 in Softonic

CyberLink Director Suite combines many useful tools for working with videos and other multimedia files. CyberLink Director Suite's all-in-one package performs many tasks that go beyond the basics.

CyberLink Director Suite consists of four programs that work with various types of multimedia content:

PowerDirector video editing

With PowerDirector you can edit video you've taken with your own camera. The program allows you to edit existing material, merge with other videos, and also burn the finished movies onto a DVD or Blu-ray disc.

The program includes sample materials, is very well-document, and will allow you to export to sites like YouTube and Facebook, all in a nicely organized interface.

PhotoDirector

PhotoDirector lets you develop digital raw images. The software is compatible with a variety of different image formats and allows you to retouch images to perfection. You can also export the images to various social networks and create a custom slide show of pictures.

ColorDirector

ColorDirector helps correct incorrect lighting and unnatural lighting in your videos, to name a few features. You can also cast the entire scene in an entirely different light tone, or target specific areas in each frame. A unique keyframe features allows for precise color corrections.

AudioDirector

AudioDirector can help get your sound and video synced up properly. In addition, this tool can allow you to eliminate unnecessary noise and offers a multi-channel mixer. Sound is processed with up to 99 tracks in one video.

It would have been nice if CyberLink Director Suite's interface had been more unified. Instead, CyberLink Director Suite simply offers you all four programs in one download package, which might not be to every user's preference.

If you have a variety of different multimedia files that need editing, or even integrating with one another, CyberLink Director Suite is a good option.

Download CyberLink Director Suite in Softonic

Interface

Let's first take a look at the FL Studio interface. Users familiar with FL Studio will instantly recognize the dark green tone and rounded windows of past versions. However, the structure of the program can be difficult for a first-time user to grasp.

The browser window on the left is your resource for any file you will need, from presets to projects and scores. Clicking on an item will open up a drop down selection of specific elements.

This library can be filled with more of your own loops and samples and carries an impressive amount of plug-ins like DirectWave, EQUO or Fruity Squeeze. FLStudio has a smart search function to quickly find any track, tool or effect.

Usability

To edit your tracks with FL Studio you can use the original pattern window, which contains all the instruments you have selected. You will have to create the pattern desired for each instrument.

You can also use the playlist window, divided into patterns at the top and audio tracks at the bottom. The playlist view features a handy paintbrush tool to color in your pattern. You can also decide to edit your tracks with the piano roll view, quite handy if you have a midi keyboard plugged in.

Anyone interested in connecting real instruments will appreciate that FL Studio also handles multiple midi-ins and features foot pedal sustain support. The FL Studio mixer features a good number of presets and you can fine tune your track with a high degree of precision.

Quality

FL Studio can be tricky at first; however those familiar with sequencers should have no trouble with it. All instruments and samplers are stereo, so to have multiple outputs you will have to create the desired number of instances.

Conclusion

FL Studio is a very good sequencer for anyone looking to create beats. The handy browser view and multiple editing windows like playlist, piano roll or pattern let you work how you feel best. A finely-tuned mixer and a large library of plug-ins also make this a very exciting audio editing application.

Download FL Studio 10.0.9c in Softonic

Download Acoustica Mixcraft 6.196 in Softonic

The Gemini Groove interface isn't very slick, and reminded us of some of Gemini DJ's older mixing software, like CD DJ. There are 2 decks and a simple mixing console between them. Each deck has its own pitch, loops and effects console, three cues and the song's progress bar. In the center, you'll find a three-range equalizer, the master volume, individual volume controls and an excellent cross-fader.

Gemini Groove also includes an excellent automix function, which allows you to apply just the right amount of fade. You can also control the duration and style of fades via the options menu.

In the upper part of the Gemini Groove interface you'll see a small screen with a graphic representation of the songs that are playing, making it extra easy to make small BPM adjustments to your mixes. Below, you'll see your track library.

Despite just falling short of professional programs like Traktor and Torq, as well as showing a few notable failings (not great on effects, no auto BPM, no skinning), Gemini Groove is still a solid app for those starting out in the world of mixing.

If you're thinking about taking your DJing to the next level, Gemini Groove is a good place to start.

Download Gemini Groove Pro Edition 5.6.3 in Softonic

Download Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder 3.3.4 in Softonic

Download Acoustic Labs Multitrack Plus 1.6.4 in Softonic

Does DJ ProMixer stand out from the crowd?

There are lots of mixing apps for budding DJs, from high end programs like Traktor Pro and Virtual DJ to the open source Mixxx and other free options like CrossDJ. DJ ProMixer NB Netbook is designed to be lightweight enough to run smoothly on netbooks, and it does seem to be fairly light on resources. It offers a two-deck mixing interface, with a central mixer, effects and sampler console.

Interface.

Under the mixing desk is the library, split into DJ ProMixer NB Netbook saved playlists, and an explorer for your Netbook's hard drives. There is no support for iOS devices. The explorer isn't great - Traktor's system of allowing you to open your iTunes library is much simpler, for example. Searching through your Windows folder tree is a pain.

Once you've found your music, loading tracks into the mixing desk is simple. BPMs are automatically calculated, and generally quite good. There are plenty of functions, and a switch to activate well mapped keyboard controls. despite its name, DJ ProMixer NB Netbook doesn't look great on a small screen. The interface is detailed with lots of small buttons that simply aren't ideal for netbook monitors.

Download DJ ProMixer NB Netbook Free Home Edition 1.5 in Softonic

Interface

With a clear, light grey interface, CrossDJ Free looks good. There are two decks, with waveforms displayed for each. Above the decks both waveforms are shown together, so you can easily see how beats match up. There are quite a lot of controls squeezed into CrossDJ Free's interface, but they are all useful. Each deck has cue and play controls, and you can save up to six play locators for each track.

Beats per minute are automatically calculated, and can be changed if incorrect. We found the beat detection to be as good as most mixing apps - when CrossDJ Free sets the wrong first beat of a bar, it's really easy to correct too. Controls are mapped to your keyboard, although in this version you cannot edit them yourself. This version doesn't allow recording or the use of midi controllers.

Great for beginners

Download CrossDJ Free 1.7.1 in Softonic

MAGIX Music Maker 17 Premium offers all functions and many exclusive extras, including more than 3,500 sounds and loops from the studios of international top producers.

Step-by-step to your own song: With audio building blocks, many Premium instruments and real studio effects – your first hit is just a few clicks away!

• PREMIUM! More than 3,500 new sounds & loops


• PREMIUM! 4 Vita Solo instruments: Grand piano,
  saxophone, ambient synthesizer, JazzDrums


• NEW! New design with improved handling and a new FX rack


• NEW! Upload your songs with a click to Twitter™,
  Facebook, MySpace™, etc.


• NEW! Song Maker 2: Ideal for easy dubbing of videos & websites


• NEW! YouTube® templates: Perfect presets with cover and more


• NEW! Integrated MIDI Editor: Composing made easy


• PREMIUM! MAGIX Print Studio: Create your own CD covers


• PREMIUM! Music Editor 3: Detailed sound editing

Download MAGIX Music Maker Premium MX in Softonic

If you're a singer or songwriter, you're going to want to be able to create and record your own songs from the comfort of your own home, if possible. Much like programs such as Easy Audio Mixer and Storm Music Studio, MAGIX Music Maker MX Production Suite can provide you with the ability to do just that.

MAGIX Music Maker MX Production Suite includes many more than 10,000 professional sound and video effects for you to make use of in your song creation or recording. These samples are great ways to get you started.

Unfortunately, the program can be a little intimidating for beginners to start out using. There are a lot of different features and sadly not much tutorial help for people who needs suggestions on where to start. Users of MAGIX Music Maker MX Production Suite are going to need to be willing to put in the time to learn about all of its varied features before they can truly get the most out of this multi-faceted tool.

MAGIX Music Maker MX Production Suite is a really comprehensive tool to create and record your own songs, if you're willing to deal with the initial learning curve.

Download MAGIX Music Maker MX Production Suite 18 in Softonic

The application offers six different preset modes from audio, movies, and gaming to external speakers, on-board speakers, and headphones. The different configurations create varied audio playback and some audio settings actually work better than their presets depending on what type of video is being watched.

SRS Audio Essentials is simple to use with the standard options, but the full version of SRS Audio Essentials features customizable sliders that affect the treble, bass, and sound dimensions. SRS Audio Essentials also features a simulated 5.1 surround sound option that can be used with most video playback.

But how did SRS Audio Essentials compare to the on-board audio?

SRS Audio Essentials was tested on an Alienware MX11 that uses Realtek High Definition Audio as the default audio processor. Two sets of headphones were used: Altec Lansing ear buds and WESC over-the-ear headphones.

Audio

With iTunes, four different songs from two different genres were tested. Hip-hop and rock music have comparable audio attributes, and the four songs chosen contain both a good amount of high and lows.

Across the board, SRS Audio Essentials beat Realtek High Definition Audio by producing a wider spectrum of sound and highlighting the higher pitches and solid lows. The hip-hop songs sounded heavier with the increased bass and the rock songs had new life brought to them with the percussion and smaller recorded sounds becoming more vibrant by SRS Audio Essentials.

Movies

For the video tests, Media Player Classic Home Cinema (in the K-Lite codec pack) and Windows Media Player were used to compare playback. SRS Audio Essentials is compatible with most media players and natively works with Windows Media Player while Media Player Classic had to be configured to recognize the program to process the sound.

Using three high definition music videos, SRS Audio Essentials again produced more impressive audio. Using two pop songs and one hip-hop song, SRS Audio Essentials was able to create a wider and more expansive sound. The pop song’s heavily layered instrumentals contained more depth while the vocals sounded much more natural and comprehensible. The hip-hop video played with an enjoyable amount of bass and the treble also presented small cues not heard with Realtek High Definition Audio.

The only problem with SRS Audio Essentials is that the presets do not work well with music video audio. In the case of both pop videos, there was a noticeable amount of cracking during playback that sat right behind the melody of the song and even adjusting the advanced option sliders did not remove the issue.

A dialogue-heavy movie was also tested and with presets (movie and headphones), the audio came across clean and audible. SRS Audio Essentials was also able to create more virtual surround with small background noise like crickets being easily heard. Considering the source was from DVD, it was impressive that SRS Audio Essentials processed the smaller noises not heard during playback.

Gaming

The Binding of Issac was tested with SRS Audio Essentials. Containing both an introduction containing lots of dialogue and the game containing a heavy soundtrack, it was the perfect game to test. Once again, SRS Audio Essentials bested Realtek High Definition Audio by expanding and improving on the experience of the game through the sound. In the simplest case: the game sounded a lot more epic.

Since SRS promotes SRS Audio Essentials as a program that is for music, movies, and games primarily; the testing of the three different types proved that SRS Audio Essentials is actually an essential add-on to anyone’s computer that does not contain a discrete soundcard.

While SRS Audio Essentials is not absolute perfection, it is the closest possibility through software.

Download SRS Audio Essentials 1.0.45.0 in Softonic

Serious music production requires serious tools. Reason provides all you need to set up your own virtual music on your computer: a synthesizer, arpeggiator, sequencer and groove mixer.

Reason's synthesizer comes with six oscillator types, four different filters, a step sequencer and a modular matrix. The monophonic arpeggiator can play in multiple modes and includes a pattern section. I was also very much impressed with Reason's sequencer, which features multiple lanes, vector automation and dedicated device types. The 32 channel mixer completes a set of powerful tools.

Reason is not for beginners, and this is obvious the moment you open up the application. However if you have some knowledge of music production, you'll welcome the wealth of tools available and the flexibility they give you when working with music and sounds.

Reason can easily be integrated with other software and hardware you already use, making it a versatile choice.

If you're seriously into music production, Reason is the tool you need.

Download Reason 6.0.1 in Softonic