Best Sound Design Software for Windows
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Compare the Top Sound Design Software for Windows as of July 2025
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What is Sound Design Software for Windows?
Sound design software allows users to create, manipulate, and edit audio for various media, including films, video games, music, and virtual environments. It offers tools for synthesizing sounds, layering audio tracks, adding effects, and shaping soundscapes, enabling designers to craft unique and immersive auditory experiences. The software typically includes features such as multi-track editing, real-time audio processing, and a wide range of effects like reverb, distortion, and modulation. Sound design software is widely used by audio professionals to enhance creative projects and deliver high-quality sound that aligns with visual elements or storytelling. Overall, it provides powerful capabilities for creating, editing, and refining sound in a flexible and creative environment. Compare and read user reviews of the best Sound Design software for Windows currently available using the table below. This list is updated regularly.
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1
Reaper
Cockos
REAPER's full, flexible feature set and renowned stability have found a home wherever digital audio is used: commercial and home studios, broadcast, location recording, education, science and research, sound design, game development, and more. REAPER's full, flexible feature set and renowned stability have found a home wherever digital audio is used: commercial and home studios, broadcast, location recording, education, science and research, sound design, game development, and more. From mission-critical professional environments to students' laptops, there is a single version of REAPER, fully featured with no artificial limitations. You can evaluate REAPER in full for 60 days. A REAPER license is affordably priced and DRM-free. -
2
Audacity
Audacity
Free, open source, cross-platform audio software. Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. Developed by a group of volunteers as open source. Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from other media. Import, edit, and combine sound files. Export your recordings in many different file formats, including multiple files at once. Supports 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit. Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering. Support for LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST and Audio Unit effect plug-ins. Nyquist effects can be easily modified in a text editor – or you can even write your own plug-in. Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete. Also unlimited sequential Undo (and Redo) in the session to go back any number of steps. Real-time preview of LADSPA, LV2, VST and Audio Unit (macOS) effects. Plug-in Manager handles plug-in installation.Starting Price: Free -
3
DaVinci Resolve
Blackmagic Design
DaVinci Resolve is an all-in-one post-production software that integrates professional editing, color correction, visual effects, and audio post-production into a single platform. Its intuitive interface makes it accessible to beginners while offering advanced tools for professionals, making it the go-to solution for filmmakers, television editors, and content creators. DaVinci Resolve is known for its Emmy-winning color grading capabilities and industry-leading audio processing with Fairlight. The software includes dedicated workspaces for each task—editing, color grading, visual effects, and audio—enabling users to seamlessly switch between tasks. Its powerful features are enhanced by AI tools and real-time collaboration capabilities, allowing teams to work simultaneously on the same project without the need for complex file transfers or conversions.Starting Price: $295 -
4
Ableton Live
Ableton
Live organizes multiple passes of an audio or MIDI performance into individual takes. Pick the best moments of each performance and combine them to create your perfect take. Or approach sound design in a new way by splicing together random samples from your library. Link two or more tracks to edit their content simultaneously. This makes editing multi-tracked instruments or performances with multiple musicians easy and fast whilst keeping everything in time across tracks. This feature also works for MIDI tracks. Plug in your MPE-capable controller and immediately add bends, slides and pressure for each individual note in a chord. Add subtle expression variations, morph between chords and create evolving sonic textures. MPE stands for MIDI Polyphonic Expression. This way of using MIDI allows MPE-capable devices to control multiple parameters of every note in real-time for more expressive instrumental performances. -
5
PreSonus Studio One
PreSonus Audio Electronics
Record, produce, mix, master, and perform all from a single, intuitive application. Designed with ease of use at its core, Studio One® 5 is your creative partner from studio to stage. The Start Page provides what you need to begin your creative process, including a dashboard with all your songs, projects, and shows, plus a personalized user profile that allows you to add custom metadata to all your creations. Test out remix ideas or just capture a synth riff without affecting your arrangement or creating a new session. Patterns reinvent step sequencing, letting you effortlessly create drums, basslines, and synth leads using variable sequence lengths, unlimited variations, and more. Edit multitrack drums blazingly fast thanks to advanced transient detection, slicing, and time-stretching. -
6
Reason
Reason Studios
Reason is a powerful collection of fantastic instruments, synthesizers and effects for you to create endless amazing sounds and music. Use it as a plugin with your favorite DAW or produce music in Reason standalone. Sound Packs are like musical building blocks that just sound perfect together. Sound Packs are filled with Reason patches (aka presets) that are powerful combinations of various Reason devices, made by world-class sound designers. With new Sound Packs every week, you’ve always got somewhere to turn for some inspiration. -
7
Cubase
Steinberg Media Technologies
Do you want to start creating your own music, bring your production up to a professional level, or streamline your workflow for short deadlines? Whatever you need, Cubase helps you to reach your full creative potential. From Hollywood blockbuster composers and Billboard Hot 100 producers right through to keen beginners, the world of music production trusts the comprehensive feature set, straightforward tools and unrivaled sound of our acclaimed music production software. -
8
Pro Tools
Avid
Your talent and artistry know no bounds. Take your sound further with software and hardware that let you focus on what you do best. Meet Pro Tools. Get everything you need to make beats, write songs, record vocals and instruments, and mix studio-quality music that’s ready to be heard across the world’s most popular streaming platforms. Pro Tools makes music creation fast and fluid, providing the GRAMMY® winning DAW toolset and plugins the pros use to create your favorite songs and albums. Build up songs quickly and create more realistic-sounding tracks with easy-to-use MIDI tools. Add loops that auto-conform to your session tempo. And freely create and experiment without stopping playback. Share ideas and work on projects with anyone, anywhere, with Cloud Collaboration. And take your music to any producer or studio around the world, as the Pro Tools session format is the industry’s universal language. -
9
AudioDirector
Cyberlink
No production is complete without sound design. Visually intuitive and stocked with tools and effects to master your production, AudioDirector is the comprehensive audio workstation for multi-tracking, mixing, editing and sound restoration. Export your entire audio project from AudioDirector directly into PowerDirector and vice versa. Your audio and video project edits synchronize perfectly between the two apps. Let powerful AI tools create the perfect recording environment, anywhere. Remove wind gusts, reverb, and echo from audio clips intelligently so dialogue and ambient sounds are clearly heard. Throw your vocals through professional tone filters – or create your own. Instantly fix pitch issues and achieve perfect intonation. Want to use a music track without the distracting vocals? Extract pristine instrumental tracks from your favorite songs. Get the most out of your mix with complete track control and comparison. Combine and apply multiple effects at the same time.Starting Price: $96.99 -
10
HOFA SYSTEM
HOFA
It’s time to create your own channel strips & FX. HOFA SYSTEM offers you 32 high-end plugins, that you can use in your DAW or connect them with each other in the revolutionary SYSTEM environment. For mixing, mastering and sound design. With premium dynamics, EQs, reverbs, FX, modulation and saturation effects and utilities. Intuitive and fast workflow for multiband, mid/side, parallel and dual mono routings. All plugins can be used as inserts and within HOFA SYSTEM. Buy now and get 3 upcoming plugins for free! It has never been easier or faster to change the signal flow of your plugin chain. You can use multiband, mid/side, parallel and dual mono tools anywhere, just drag and drop the plugins around. You want to use an equalizer only on the side signal? Or saturate the signal above 200 Hz? No problem, SYSTEM can do that in no time. More than 300 carefully selected presets not only provide you with a starting point for your own creations, they also sound great!Starting Price: $169.90 one-time payment -
11
Krotos Reformer Pro
Krotos
Design, automate, and perform sound effects in real-time. You do your best sound design work when you get the right sound from your head in sync with the scene. Reformer Pro offers a new and intuitive way of designing sound, helping you achieve this as quickly as you can think of it. Discover inspirational ways to refine your sound design workflow. Reformer Pro’s patented technology allows you to quickly perform Foley, add textures, and easily replace any sound, saving you hours of editing time. Perform your Foley, animal, sci-fi, or impact sound effects instantly and intuitively within your DAW, saving you hours of editing. Easily capture subtle movement and nuance that elevate your project’s quality. Reformer Pro’s award-winning patented technology allows you to quickly add textures, easily replace any sound and discover inspirational new ways to maximize your sound design workflow.Starting Price: $399 one-time payment -
12
Krotos Dehumaniser 2
Krotos
Dehumaniser 2 gives sound designers the tools to process countless vocal scenarios from within one plugin. No need for additional software. Dehumaniser 2 is a powerful vocal processor for designing complex vocal sound effects and processing dialogue. Create creatures, monsters, and robots easily and quickly with Dehumaniser 2’s intuitive and modular workflow. Customize and combine effects modules for unlimited creative possibilities, or get started straight away with 100 ready-to-go presets. Dehumaniser 2 is the all-in-one solution that puts vital vocal sound design features at your fingertips, making it the ideal plugin for use in film, TV, video games, live performance, and more. This versatile vocal processor eliminates the difficulty of setting up complex processing chains and allows designers to jump right into their creative work. Use Dehumaniser 2 to sound design voice processing that reacts to the dynamics of the incoming signal.Starting Price: $399 one-time payment -
13
Krotos Concept 2
Krotos
Concept 2 is everything you want in a modern synth plugin, beautiful sounds without the complexity of operation found in many other synths. Your time is valuable, and so we wanted to give you access to a rich sound design palette without having to spend time learning how to use it. With Concept 2, you can get lost in the music, not the manual. We designed Concept 2 for musicians, producers, composers, sound designers, and post-production professionals who want to create sounds fast. Here are just some of the highlights of the benefits of creating sounds with Concept 2. With tons of great-sounding presets from top artists, including Roni Size, Richard Devine, and Kayla Painter, there’s every chance you’ll find a sound that works right out of the box. Cinematic lush pads, organic soundscapes, stirring strings, killer bass synths, screaming leads, and more. Presets are a great starting point, but Concept 2 gives you access to almost limitless routing parameters to shape the sound.Starting Price: $149 one-time payment -
14
Krotos Igniter
Krotos
Igniter is a one-stop solution for designing, performing, and automating vehicles directly in your DAW. From everyday vehicles, sports cars, motorbikes, planes, helicopters, spacecraft, drones, or anything you can imagine. Select from over 20 high-quality performable vehicles including Ford F150, Harley Davidson, Audi R8 and more. Process vehicle sound effects as part of a powerful, hybrid workflow using granular, synth, one-shot, or loop modules. Igniter will save hours of editing and will allow you to perform your vehicle sound effects via MIDI or change the length or type of sound in a complex vehicle scene in seconds. Design vehicles with automation and eliminate the time-consuming elements of vehicle sound effects. Follow along to your footage on-screen as you design, with a flexible and quick workflow. Add a doppler effect to any preset in Igniter instantly, and perform the movement of a vehicle through a space, or as it moves past the viewer.Starting Price: $478.80 one-time payment -
15
Tonsturm
Tonsturm
Tonsturm is a software company specializing in sound design tools and effects, primarily for professionals working in film, video games, and music production. Their products, such as TRAVELER, Whoosh, and DopplerPRO, are known for precisely modeling acoustic phenomena like the Doppler effect and providing tools for creating dynamic audio effects such as whooshes and pass-by sounds. Tonsturm's software offers features like real-time control, advanced sample playback engines, and extensive presets, making it ideal for creating immersive and realistic sound environments. The software supports various formats like VST, AAX, and AU, ensuring compatibility across platforms like Windows and macOS.Starting Price: $99 one-time payment -
16
VCV RACK
VCV RACK
VCV RACK simulates a modular synthesizer where each module itself can be a challenge to simulate on a modern computer, whether it’s a virtual analog model with hundreds of analog components to simulate, or a digital module designed to be run on an ARM microprocessor similar to your smart phone’s. A common patch of a hundred modules can require billions of floating point calculations per second to simulate and millions of 2D path elements to draw using OpenGL. Use VCV Recorder to record audio or video. It operates in engine “time”, not real-time, and therefore does not record real-time audio hiccups/stuttering. This means that any hiccups/stuttering you hear in real time will not be present when the recording is played back. Plugins extend VCV RACK functionality by adding one or more modules to use in your patch. Plugins are typically installed via the VCV Library. Save, share, edit, and move around selections of modules.Starting Price: $19 per month -
17
Krotos Weaponiser
Krotos
Stun your audience with unique sound effects. Create original sound effects in a matter of seconds. Weaponiser is a powerful sound design sampler that lets you design, customize, and perform a huge range of sound effects quickly, all from within one plugin. Create assets and fully-fledged sounds quickly and effortlessly with a drag-and-drop, multi-sample interface. Hundreds of presets and thousands of assets, with the ability to easily import your own sounds. Four powerful sample engines that can trigger up to 80 audio files in countless variations. Plus, with three built-in synthesis engines also included, the sound design possibilities are truly endless. Trigger your sounds with MIDI for speed and precision. Perfect for spotting pictures as well as designing sounds. Choose from a diverse range of included sound libraries, all of which are easily accessible through the built-in browser. Incorporate them into your design via simple drag-and-drop functionality.Starting Price: $199 one-time payment -
18
nvk.tools
nvk.tools
Discover the fastest sound design workflow for Reaper. Generate precise doppler automation based on item peaks. Tweak times and curves for multiple items or groups. Write automation for any plug-in with custom mode. nvk.tools is a suite of Reaper scripts designed to improve the workflows of sound designers working in game audio. They are built for speed and efficiency, allowing you to focus on what matters most creating amazing sounds. The scripts on nvk.tools are entirely focused on the specific needs of game audio. They have been tested by game audio professionals around the world and have been used to ship dozens of titles. They are designed to be intuitive, efficient, and flexible enough to fit your workflow, no matter how complex it may be. The goal of nvk.tools is to help others in the game audio community by providing tools that make their lives easier. Through the use of these tools, sound designers can spend less time on tedious tasks and more time on the creative aspect.Starting Price: $49 one-time payment -
19
AudioThing
AudioThing
AudioThing is an audio software company focused on audio plugins (VST2, VST3, AU, AAX). We are committed to developing professional yet affordable products for every kind of composer, producer and sound designer. We offer a wide range of audio plugins, including vintage tape and valve emulations, analog tape echos, analog drum machine emulations, complex convolution processing effects, and more. Our copy protection is simple and user-friendly, no iLok, no dongles, no internet required. To activate a plugin you can choose between online and offline authorization. Create an account, log in through the plugin to activate, or download your license file for offline activation. Motor is a plugin effect that uses side-chaining to combine signals in new and interesting ways. Put in any two signals and they will dance around each other like courting birds drunk on fermented cherries.Starting Price: $35 one-time payment -
20
Blindfold EQ
AudioThing
Blindfold EQ, a plugin designed for you to mix with your ears. Blindfold EQ is a freeware EQ plugin inspired by a quote by Matt Wallace from the book Recording Unhinged by Sylvia Massy. It has 4 bands (LowShelf, LowMid, HighMid, HighShelf), but each knob is blind. There are no indicators or numbers to show frequency values, gain values or Q values. Multi-band resonant filter, lightweight on CPU, preset system with randomizer. Blindfold EQ is a freeware plugin. Just put your email address in the form to get your download links. No connection required to activate. We offer a wide range of audio plugins, including vintage tape and valve emulations, analog tape echos, analog drum machine emulations, complex convolution processing effects, and more. We are committed to developing professional yet affordable products for every kind of composer, producer and sound designer. -
21
Roland Cloud
Roland
Roland Cloud is an evolving cloud-based suite of software synthesizers, drum machines, and sampled instruments for modern creators. Harness the vast power of the ZEN-Core Synthesis System and dive deep into the world of custom sound design with ZENOLOGY Pro. For nearly fifty years, Roland has delivered memorable, genre-defining sounds. And a big part of that sonic footprint is our unique approach to effects processing. The swirling JUNO chorus, feedback-drenched tape echo, and other sounds have left their mark on countless tracks over the decades, and with ZENOLOGY FX, you can now add that flavor to any keyboard sound or instrument track right inside your DAW. With over 90 processors to choose from, there's a wealth of ways to make your synth sounds come alive. Add delays to arps, larger-than-life modulation effects to chord progressions, and twist and distort basses and lead tones that leap from the speakers. -
22
Reaktor
Native Instruments
Experiment with rack-style modular patching using blocks. Discover 70+ included instruments plus thousands of sounds in the user library. Reaktor 6 is the ultimate creative toolkit for deep sound exploration, featuring cutting-edge DSP and high-fidelity sound. Reaktor is the beating heart that gives life to synths like Native’s Razor and Monark, as well as third-party releases from Twisted Tools, Tim Exile, Blinksonic, and many more. It’s a sandbox for sound creation – a limitless platform for experimenting and diving into new sound directions. Simply put, Reaktor lets you build instruments to replicate the sounds in your head – in a way that existing instruments can’t. Reaktor's trademark sound quality is unmistakable. From anti-aliased oscillators and ZDF (zero delay feedback) filters to granular synthesis engines, a team of leading developers builds every component in Reaktor from the core level up.Starting Price: $199 one-time payment -
23
Kithara
Native Instruments
An eclectic collection of guitars and plucked string instruments from across the world. Shape and layer up to four different instruments at once for immersive and evolving soundscapes. Craft organic granular textures with the fragments engine. From classical, flamenco, and steel guitars to the balalaika, cuatro, and ronroco, enter a world of cinematic guitars with Kithara. Each instrument is recorded in stunning detail, creatively performed, and transformed with rich sound design. From e-bow pads to granular mandolin soundscapes and rhythmic tremolos, Kithara blends raw, organic tones with modern possibilities, letting you craft everything from delicate plucks to sweeping textures. Kithara’s four-layer engine offers deep control of over 350 sound sources. The attack layer delivers crisp plucks and short elements like a marcato, while the sustain layers introduce depth with textural loops, strummed beds, e-bow drones, and pads.Starting Price: $199 one-time payment -
24
Kontakt
Native Instruments
Imagine any sound, Kontakt lets you find it, create it, and transform it. The latest edition of our revolutionary sampling platform combines a brand-new set of intelligent tools with countless sound design options, redefining how you generate ideas and make music. Kontakt hosts the world’s largest range of virtual instruments. With thousands of libraries, it's the gateway to quality sound from Native Instruments, our official partners, and scores of indie developers. Plus, everything is completely tweakable, so you can make any sound your own. Our most feature-packed release yet is here to transform the way you generate, modulate, and playback sound. Plus, it’s packed with performance updates so you can work faster than ever. Tools add a completely new layer of creative features to get the ideas flowing. They also work with any Kontakt instrument, old and new. For our first drop, we’re launching MIDI content and randomization features with chords and phrases.Starting Price: $299 one-time payment -
25
Bitwig Studio
Bitwig
Bitwig Studio inspires you to take greater control of your music, giving you access to every aspect of your production. Streamline your creative process and quickly evolve your ideas into complete songs, tracks, and compositions. Record and arrange, improvise and perform, or do it all at once. Linear and non-linear workflows for sound design, recording, live performance, and beyond. Enjoy over 10 GB (and counting) of world-class sound content from Bitwig and selected partners. The modulation system in Bitwig Studio allows you to use Macro controls, Note Expressions, LFOs, and Envelopes to modulate any device, VST plug-in, or hardware parameter. With 30+ modulators (and counting) the potential for creative expression is endless. -
26
Wavosaur
Wavosaur
Wavosaur is a cool free sound editor, audio editor, wav editor software for editing, processing and recording sounds, wav and mp3 files. Wavosaur has all the features to edit audio (cut, copy, paste, etc.) produce music loops, analyze, record, batch convert. Wavosaur supports VST plugins, ASIO driver, multichannel wav files, real time effect processing. The program has no installer and doesn't write in the registry. Use it as a free mp3 editor, for mastering, sound design. The Wavosaur freeware audio editor works on Windows 98, Windows XP and Windows Vista. Go to the features page for an overview of the software. All classic editing functions, cut, copy, paste, paste mix, paste replace/insert, paste to new file, trim/crop, delete, undo. Many processing options, mute, channel convert (stereo->mono, mono->stereo), insert silence, change volume, normalize level, fade in/out, invert/flip, undo. -
27
Soundminer
Avosound
Contemporary media production demands efficient and intuitive workflows. Soundminer offers powerful programs that interface with archiving and production software. The Soundminer programs offer comprehensive tools and features for the administration of audio material (both music and sound files). Even large archives are easily and efficiently administered and browsed thanks to the unified metadata structure of many sound effects and music labels. Modern workflows not only demand a dependable search engine for the archive, they also need the complete and guaranteed integration of Soundminer programs with industry-standard production systems. You can search for sound files with Soundminer and transfer them directly to your editing system. It's simple and uncomplicated. The Soundminer versions offer a multitude of features to administrate sound and music archives. -
28
Cecilia
AJAX SOUND STUDIO
Cecilia is an audio signal processing environment aimed at sound designers. Cecilia mangles sound in ways unheard of. Cecilia lets you create your own GUI using a simple syntax. Cecilia comes with many original built-in modules and presets for sound effects and synthesis. This version mainly fixes Windows 64-bit version that crashes when trying the open a MIDI device. Cecilia uses the pyo audio engine created for the Python programming language. Pyo allows a powerful integration of the audio engine to the graphical interface. Since it’s a standard python module, there is no need to use an API to communicate with the interface. In the MIDI tab, the user can choose a MIDI driver and a MIDI controller for input. The user can choose a sound file player (or audio sequencer), a sound file editor and a text editor to be used with Cecilia5. The Speaker tab offers different options related to the audio parameters of Cecilia5.
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