Recording For Free is a free resource for recordists of all levels. We believe that you can benefit in at least some way from the huge amount of free and extrememly low-cost recording gear available, regardless if you are a full-time, big-budget engineer or simply a student who fiddles with software a few hours a month. There are enough tools available that a beginner can, for example, learn what the controls do on an average compressor without ruining anything, while a pro might want to use a free reverb just for it's sound, not the free price.
There are several categories that this site will try to cover:
- Open Source Windows software
- Freeware for Windows
- Freeware for Macintosh
- Free Linux audio software
- Full free Linux audio distributions
- Low-cost hardware
A word about Open Source Software
We understand that with Open Source software their is a lot of focus on it's ethics and philosophy, but in the context of this blog we will focus on the simple truth that it is free to use, as in "I am under no legal obligation to pay for downloading and using it." The fact that it is also free in the sense of "free to be disassembled, improved upon or otherwise modified, and redistributed" (my paraphrase) is surely icing on the cake, but will not be our focus here. This site is mainly about making music for free and/or cheap, and that is how Open Source Software fits into our needs here.
Other like-minded sites, our vision
I also understand that there are numerous well-done and long-standing websites about these subjects, but my frustration has been that I have not found a site that covers it all. There are plenty of Linux audio sites, sites that include some good lists of Windows and Mac audio freeware, and a whole slew that talk about recording gear in general, but hopefully I will be the first to offer a "one stop shop" for any information that you may need to make recordings for free and/or cheap.
At first this blog will primarily consist of a directory of links to free and low-cost resources, making finally a simple endeavor to find and download what you need, regardless of where it might be on the web. The next phase, as time permits, will be more of a traditional blog with somewhat regular posts from myself and other users of recording gear. I hope to have a lot of how-to's, tips & tricks, tutorials, etc. to help make the vast amount of free resources easier to dive into. That's been one of the primary issues keeping from going even deeper into many tools, and I hope to make it easier for others.
Be sure to bookmark us and frequent back whenever you need to find some free software or other information. Eventually you'll want to stop by every day to see our new posts!
Tim