Free Software Tools

As audio and video professionals ourselves we tend to use certain software to do specific tasks, so why not share some of these gems with you!

Audio Editing

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to record live audio, convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs, edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files, cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together, change the speed or pitch of a recording and more!
For Windows, OS X and Linux

Ardour is a digital audio workstation that can handle: multichannel recording, non-destructive editing with unlimited undo/redo, full automation support, a powerful mixer, unlimited tracks/busses/plugins, timecode synchronization, and hardware control from surfaces like the Mackie Control Universal. If you've been looking for a tool similar to ProTools, Nuendo, Pyramix, or Sequoia, you might have found it.
For OS X and Linux

Sweep is an audio editor and live playback tool for GNU/Linux, BSD and compatible systems. It supports many music and voice formats including WAV, AIFF, Ogg Vorbis, Speex and MP3, with multichannel editing and LADSPA effects plugins.
For Linux

LMMS aims to be a free alternative to popular programs like FruityLoops/FL Studio, Cubase and Logic allowing you to produce music with your computer. This includes creation of loops, synthesizing and mixing sounds, arranging samples, having fun with your MIDI-keyboard and much more. (Downloads Page)
For Linux

Traverso DAW is a cross platform multitrack audio recording and editing suite, with an innovative and easy to master User Interface. It's suited for both the professional and home user, who needs a robust and solid DAW.
For Windows, OS X and Linux

Video Editing

Avidemux is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It supports many file types, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files, MP4 and ASF, using a variety of codecs. Tasks can be automated using projects, job queue and powerful scripting capabilities.
For Windows, OS X and Linux

Jahshaka lets you edit with flexibility and speed, create effects in real time, animate with unlimited features, paint and design on moving video, create music with all the tools the pros use ... all while sharing files, projects and clips with users on your network or around the world, and all using a single, open source application where the code is yours. (Downloads Page)
For Windows, OS X, Linux and SGI IRIX

VideoLAN (VLC) media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. It doesn't need any external codec or program to work.
For Windows, OS X, BeOS and Linux

Heroine Virtual Ltd. presents an advanced content creation system for Linux. Cinelerra takes what normally is a boring server - studied in computer science classrooms, hidden in back offices - and turns it into a 50,000 watt flamethrower of multimedia editing.
For Linux

Prompt! is a simple teleprompter application for public speakers used by CEO's of banks, heads of religious organizations, radio deejays and alike either on camera or in front of a live audience. Prompt! gives you the additional support which provides that little bit of confidence one needs in a public speaking environment.
For Windows and OS X

Lighting

QLC, the Q Light Controller, is used to control DMX and analog lighting equipment like scanners, dimmers, and other effects. The goal is to produce free software that replaces hardware lighting desks.

SLight is a DMX-512 theater lighting control system based on the DMX4Linux drivers. It is inspired by ETC Entertainment's Horizon show control software, but has much less functionality and much less feature bloat. It does not control moving lights.
For Linux

GlowControl is a small GTK2-based application designed to be used for light control applications, typically in theater situations. With little effort, it should for example be possible to control dimmer packs that speak the DMX-512 protocol. I'd like to hear if someone manages to extend GlowControl. Project files are stored in XML format which makes it very easy to generate them or use them in other ways.
For Linux

TopLight is designed to aid lighting designers and electricians in the theatre. It facilitates the quick setup of pipes and whole theatres, auto-numbering of circuits, auto-patching, and other things you don't want do but have to.
OS Independent

Now that you have all the free software how about free documentation of helpful information on any of your Audio/Video projects just click the link below to our blog.

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