Articles

  • DAWs & editors
  • Free tools

GarageBand for Windows: 10 alternatives that actually work

Apple has never released GarageBand for Windows, and the download sites claiming otherwise are not safe. Here are ten real alternatives for PC — free and paid — matched to what you actually wanted GarageBand for.

  • Audacity
  • Podcasting

Audacity noise reduction: how to remove background noise

Remove hum, hiss and room noise in Audacity — the classic three-step Noise Reduction method, what each slider really does, the free AI alternative that needs no noise profile, and the noises none of them can fix.

  • Fundamentals
  • Mixing & mastering

What is a limiter?

A limiter stops audio from passing a set ceiling — a compressor taken to its extreme. Here is how it works, how it differs from a compressor and a clipper, and where it belongs in your chain.

  • Mixing & mastering
  • Fundamentals

How to use a compressor: settings that actually work

Threshold, ratio, attack, release and makeup gain — what each control does to the sound, a method that works from the gain-reduction meter, and starting points for vocals, drums, bass and guitar.

  • Fundamentals
  • Mixing & mastering

What is mastering in music?

Mastering is the last stage before release — the pass that makes a track hold up on phone speakers and festival systems alike, and sit consistently beside the other songs on a record. Here is what it changes and what it can’t.