Best Linux apps: music & audio

• Ardour

  Free multitrack recording and mixing studio for music and podcasts, with MIDI, automation and plugin support.

  Free · Open source

• Audacity

  Free audio recorder and editor. The same Audacity as on Windows, for podcasts, voice notes and tidying up recordings.

  Free · Open source

• Bitwig Studio

  Paid music production studio with an official Linux version, built-in instruments and a modular sound builder.

  Paid

• Easy Effects

  Live audio effects and microphone processing for Linux. Adds an equaliser, compressor and noise gate to any app.

  Free · Open source

• LMMS

  Free beat and melody maker with a piano roll, step sequencer and more than fifteen built-in synthesisers.

  Free · Open source

• Lollypop

  Modern music player for your own song files, with artwork, lyrics and party mode.

  Free · Open source

• Mixxx

  Free DJ software with two or four decks, beat matching and support for many DJ controllers.

  Free · Open source

• MuseScore Studio

  Free sheet music notation program. Write a score, hear it played back and print or export it as PDF.

  Free · Open source

• REAPER

  Full recording and mixing studio with an official Linux version, a 60-day free trial and a low one-off licence.

  Paid

• Rhythmbox

  Simple music player for a collection of files on your own disk. Often already installed on GNOME systems.

  Free · Open source

• Spotify

  Spotify has a Linux desktop app, but the company says Linux is not a platform it actively supports.

  Free with paid extras

• Strawberry

  Music player and collection organiser for people with large local libraries, with tag editing and artwork lookup.

  Free · Open source