Whether you are an amateur producer, hobbyist music maker, or learning how to use a DAW for the first time, it’s worth checking out what these seven online DAWs can do.
What Is a Browser-Based DAW?
A browser-based DAW lets you produce, edit, and mix audio straight in your web browser. In the past, DAWs required powerful computing to do this, and the software is still expensive to own, but all that has changed, thanks to cloud processing and storage.
If you’ve never used a DAW before, then an online DAW is a great place to begin. The interface is usually a lot less complex than a traditional software DAW, while still giving you the option to play software instruments, add plugins, effects, and much more.
Benefits include being able to access the DAW from anywhere that has an internet connection and being able to collaborate with other people on a project. This is really useful if you are looking to start a remote podcast, for example.
Each browser-based DAW that we list below is different and the best way to find out which one will work for you is to take it for a test drive. To help you narrow down the choice, we’ve also written about some of the best features that each one has to offer.
1. BandLab
Anyone who has experience with a DAW might be surprised to discover how many features BandLab has to offer, especially considering that it’s entirely available for free. Besides being fully capable of editing and producing audio, it also connects directly to BandLab’s own music platform for sharing and discovering music with others.
In less than 30 minutes, you can create an account, lay down some beats, and publish your new tracks directly to the BandLab platform. From there, you can share or embed your audio track to your website or social media. Thanks to a highly user-friendly layout, you can practically do all of this without watching a single tutorial.
2. Soundtrap
Soundtrap is a freemium online DAW with subscription fees starting from $7.99 for the Music Maker plan and $13.99 for the complete works. While not all functions are available in the free version, you still get unlimited projects, tons of instruments, and loops to try out.
The layout of Soundtrap is quite minimal with most editing tools and functions kept inside the menus. The clean look keeps everything looking user-friendly, however, some odd design choices make it less intuitive to navigate. The playback buttons, for example, are at the bottom of the screen when almost every traditional DAW has them placed at the top.
A list of features includes a pattern sequencer for making beats, a nice MIDI editor roll, and a modest collection of audio effects. Soundtrap can definitely do plenty of things for an online DAW, but we recommend using the free version before deciding to buy a subscription.
3. Amped Studio
Amped Studio is a freemium online DAW with the pro version costing just $4.99 per month. In both options, there is a small but curated set of instruments and effects focusing on quality over quantity. Don’t let that put you off, however, because it easily has one of the best layout designs for an online DAW.
Unlike many other online DAWs, the editing timeline and extra window panels are well proportioned and fit neatly inside a browser window. This makes a huge difference to your workflow, especially if you’re using a laptop on the go. Add to this a fantastic collection of video tutorials, and a detailed user manual, and Amped Studio is extremely easy to learn.
4. Audiotool
Audiotool is quite different from any other online DAW because of its graphic interface and ability to lay any device on the screen. When you add a synthesizer, for example, an image of the synth will appear in the workspace, complete with all the interactive buttons and dials that you would find on the hardware version.
While it’s not particularly easy to navigate using a computer and mouse, it does mean you can connect synths and effects in quite interesting ways by dragging cables to and from inputs/outputs. In fact, this was how it was traditionally done before software instruments came along.
It’s a highly detail-oriented DAW that requires a lot of patience to navigate, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just means you are more likely to produce unique sounds instead of generic, pre-designed samples. If you’ve never used a synth before, downloading a few free synthesizer apps for the iPhone is a great place to start learning.
5. Soundation
With Soundation, you can expect a sound library full of excellent, organic-sounding samples that have been well recorded. A lot of the samples and instruments are available in the free version, too, where you can create up to three projects. After using the free version, you have the option of upgrading to the $9.99 Starter plan, $14.99 Creator plan, or $49.99 Pro plan.
Well organized and easy to navigate, there’s not much that is missing from the layout except for color-coded tracks. If you click on the Get Started button in the editing timeline, you can learn more about the DAW as you go by clicking on topics labeled “Make a Melody” or “Record Audio.” It’s another DAW that will help you get up and running in no time.
Another useful feature is the CPU and Memory display that allows you to easily monitor how well your computer is coping with the audio processing. Even though many audio functions rely on cloud processing, learning about how a sound card works will help you to get the best sound from your computer.
6. GridSound
What is nice about GridSound is you don’t need to create an account to start tinkering around in this browser-based DAW (unlike most other options). In fact, it’s currently an open-source project with all the code available to look at on the GridSound GitHub page.
It is important to note that it’s still a work in development, with new features slowly being added over time. However, there is still plenty to occupy your time, including a drum sequencer, synthesizer, mixer, and arrangement window.
Tying it all together is a fun, retro-feel design that features a modular interface. In other words, most windows can be dragged and moved around the screen, or minimized if you don’t want them in view.
You won’t find any samples or pre-designed software instruments here just yet, so this DAW is perhaps best suited to people who already know a thing or two about sequencers and FM synthesizers.
7. Scribbleton Live
What sets Scribbleton Live apart from the rest is that it’s an entirely code-based DAW. This means that all operations are typed out, including everything from changing volume to inputting notes.
This isn’t your average, user-friendly DAW, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you have programming experience. The creators behind Scribbleton are hoping that people will use this DAW to experiment with making music in new ways and by throwing the traditional DAW layout out the window, there’s no other choice.
Future plans even include integrating AI and machine learning to produce sounds using a shared human and computer creative model. If that’s something you are interested in, make sure to check out Scribbleton Live.
An Easy Way to Start Making Music
The competition between browser-based DAWs is starting to heat up, which means that there are plenty of choices. Pick a few to test out, or choose a DAW based on the feature you want the most. No matter where you are or what computer you use, browser-based DAWs are there for you when inspiration strikes.
