Could the future still be the web? Maybe.
But following the announcement that FL Studio is developing a browser-based version of their DAW, it’s worth considering some of the pioneers that staked out this territory. Among the best is the free, open source and incredibly solid AudioMass.
Debuting during the pandemic, AudioMass is a project that functions entirely in a browser window without any obvious limitations. It’s definitively not a DAW, but is best described as an “audio editor”: a place to record and edit waveforms quick and on the fly. There is no account registration necessary or even possible. There’s no “pro” version, either. Among old heads it’s drawn comparisons to another no-nonsense app: Cool Edit Pro, which spread virally among beat makers in the early ’00s before it was purchased by Adobe and transformed into the dull app now known as Adobe Audition.
There’s no tutorial to use AudioMass, but it’s easy to pick up. The developer also provides a sample track — a small detail but lets you get hands-on right away. You can close this right now, go to audiomass.co and start figuring it out.
The latest version of AudioMass introduced multitrack editing. Among the features, you can drag multiple audio files and automatically create multiple channels, expanded presets for effects, tempo tools, seemless loop tools and a more deeply developed “offline” mode. AudioMass has an extremely compact codebase, which means you can do real work in Chrome or Firefox without an internet connection.
⚪️ more music making apps and plugins /
⚙ Rick Wade Launches Harmonie Keys, a Sound & Idea Generating App
⚙ Getting Started with Vital, the Outsized But Totally Free Soft Synth
⚙ TapeLite adds a warm magnetic vibe to your music
⚙ Make dense, dreamy sound design with Lunacy’s free Haze
⚙ Random Acts of Acid with Sting 2
⚙ Emulating the classic Rhodes sound with Magic Tines
⚙ Granular synthesis made beautiful with Motion: Fractal
5 Mag Issue 225
Out Now
elevate: First published in 5 Mag Issue #225 featuring Nico Lahs, Dam Swindle cover mix, 100 releases on Heist, Point Winona Sound Labs and more. Become a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right now…
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