A curated directory of software for music production — from digital audio workstations through virtual instruments and audio effects to AI tools, notation and open-source projects.

Every entry carries its price model, the formats it supports, an editorially checked short description and a direct link to the maker's page. Not an ad network and not an affiliate list.

By two routes. A research agent systematically searches makers' sites and trade portals — not only the same ten or fifteen hits a web search returns, but also the niche products of established vendors. And visitors can suggest a tool.

Both routes end in the same place: a find is first marked unchecked and is released editorially before it appears as a full entry.

No. A tool is listed because it belongs in the catalogue, not because somebody paid for it.

Separately from that, there are sponsored placements. Those are marked as such and stand first in lists. The marking is not a courtesy but a legal requirement.

The placement of this entry was paid for. It therefore stands ahead of the others in lists and visibly carries the label.

The marking is required by law and is always shown in the catalogue — it is visible in the backend too, so nobody accidentally ships a list without it.

The entry comes from an automatic find and has not been reviewed editorially yet. Its name, description and classification may be incomplete or wrong.

Such entries do not appear in the public catalogue — the mark is a working note, not a warning for visitors.

Five: Free, Open source, Purchase (pay once, use indefinitely), Subscription (a running payment; access ends with it) and Rent-to-own (instalments leading to ownership).

The filter bar groups them into three — free and open source stand together there.

Free means it costs no money. That says nothing about the source code — a free plugin can be closed, can require an account, or can cost money in its next version.

Open source means the source code is public and may be reused under a licence. Almost always such a thing is free as well — but one does not follow from the other.

Instalments leading to ownership: you pay monthly and own the licence once the full price is reached.

The difference from a subscription is the important one: cancel a subscription and you have nothing; cancel rent-to-own and you also have nothing — but pay it through and the licence stays yours.

Because a price would say nothing there. With services — session musicians, mixing jobs, mastering — pricing is tiered, negotiated or quoted on request.

In such categories the catalogue hides the price filter: three buttons, two of which find nothing, are not a filter but a misdirection.

Often yes. Many commercial libraries are not standalone instruments but need a sampler — usually Kontakt from Native Instruments, sometimes the full version rather than the free player.

The catalogue records this separately: the "host format" field says what a library needs in order to run.

Not for browsing. The whole catalogue is readable without signing in, and without signing in no cookie is set.

An account is needed to rate, comment, keep a bookmark list or suggest a tool.

German and English. The language stands in the address (/de/ or /en/) and can be switched at the top right.

Where an English version is missing, the catalogue shows the German one — better the text that exists than an empty space.

While signed in, via "Suggest a tool" in the account area. Name and the maker's address are needed; the editors add the rest.

A suggestion does not appear in the catalogue at once: it goes through the same review as an automatic find.

Report it via "Support" in the account area. The message lands in the editors' inbox and is answered there.

This is expressly welcome: part of the catalogue is produced automatically, and what a machine found, a machine can also have misunderstood.

No. The link to the official website is an ordinary link with no affiliate tag.

The only paid form is the separately marked sponsored placement.

The DAW decides, not the plugin. Pro Tools loads AAX only. Logic Pro and GarageBand load Audio Units only. Nearly every other host loads VST3 — on macOS usually Audio Units as well.

When in doubt: VST3 on Windows, Audio Unit or VST3 on macOS, AAX only for Pro Tools.

VST3 adds side-chain inputs, switches processing off during silence and manages parameters in an orderly way — automation and remote control become more reliable.

In practice something else matters more: Steinberg has issued no VST2 licences since 2018. New plugins ship as VST3; many hosts still load existing VST2 plugins.

A plugin runs only inside a host — usually a DAW — receives audio or MIDI from it and hands it back.

Standalone is the same tool as a program of its own. Handy for practice and on stage; getting something from it into a project takes a detour.

With a DAW and headphones. Everything else — instruments, effects, libraries — can be added without starting the work over.

Several DAWs are free or come with hardware. If in doubt, start there and switch later when something specific gets in the way — not before.

Mixing brings the individual tracks together into a whole: levels, panning, tonal shaping, space.

Mastering is the final step on the finished mix: level, tonal balance, delivery format. It does not replace a good mix — and it will not turn a bad one into a good one.