LMMS

LMMS builds music from patterns rather than from one long timeline recording. Short patterns are written in a piano roll or a step sequencer, then arranged into a track in the song editor. Each instrument track carries its own plugin, its own note data and its own send levels into the mixer, where effect chains are applied per channel.

Instruments come bundled rather than sourced separately: subtractive oscillator synths, drum and bass-drum generators, a SoundFont player, sample playback, and emulations of older tracker and chip sounds. Effects cover filters, delay, reverb, compression and bit crushing. Automation tracks draw curves onto almost any control, and an LFO controller can be attached to a parameter instead of drawing it by hand.

LMMS is aimed at producing tracks from software instruments and samples. It is not designed for recording live audio through a microphone or for multitrack tracking, so vocals and real instruments are usually recorded elsewhere and brought in as samples. VST plugin hosting is available, with the level of support depending on the platform.