Over the years, I’ve bookmarked hundreds of free online resources which can be incredibly useful if you’re away from your main music workstation. Things like online BPM counters, tuners, virtual instruments and web based music sequencers can be life savers when you’re making music or recording audio outside of your studio.
All of these free goodies are compiled here, in a huge list which is meant to be updated and improved with your help. I’ve also added some of my favorite tutorials, music theory guides and various other tools which can be helpful for music producers and artists. Feel free to submit your own favorite freebies in the comments section below!
If you prefer making music with free software which you can install on your computer, take a look at our huge lists of freeware VST/AU plugins and free VST host applications. We also cover free samples and loops in our daily updated news section. Enjoy!
Free Sounds
Free Samples
99Sounds | Free sound design label offering free sound effects and instrument samples.
Samplefino | Free drum samples processed with tapes and tube preamps.
Freesound Project | Download thousands of royalty free sounds.
Loopmasters | Offering a royalty free pack with 500 MB worth of sounds to subscribers.
Prime Loops | Get 500 MB worth of free audio loops and samples on their freebies page.
Ghosthack | Hundreds of free dubstep loops and samples.
A Sound Effect | Over 2 GB of free sound effects and field recordings in a single download.
NHF Sample Pack 002 | Over 3 GB of royalty free sounds crafted by Neurohop Forum members.
Converse Sample Library | A huge collection of stems and one shot samples, completely royalty-free.
Goldbaby | Legendary collection of free drum machine samples.
AfroDJMac | Over 100 free instrument racks for Ableton Live.
Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra | Free orchestral sample library.
NASA Audio Collection | Tons of sounds from NASA space missions. Also available on SoundCloud.
Acoustic Drum Samples | Our huge archive of free acoustic drum sample packs.
Free Patches
ADSR | A huge selection of free preset packs from leading sound designers.
Rekkerd | A huge archive of free patches for virtual instruments.
KVR Audio | Database of patches and sound banks submitted by KVR Audio members.
AudioBombs | A fresh archive of free synth patches and sound banks.
BigTick Zen | Manage and launch all your synth patches from a single plugin.
>> Click here for our list of freeware virtual synthesizers in VSTi plugin format.
Music Tools
Online Instruments
Patatap | A free jamming and beat making tool.
BlokDust | An impressive online modular environment for music making (Chrome)
KiKi | Online tool for sampling and chopping.
Theremin | A free touch friendly synthesizer which works great as a dub siren.
WAVE-PD1 | Another touch friendly virtual instrument.
Tibersynth | Make totally weird noises and swooshes with your mouse.
Websynths | Powerful VA synthesizer with a built-in preset manager.
106.js | A Roland Juno-106 emulation with MIDI support in Chrome.
WebModular | Play a modular synthesizer in your web browser.
TrueGrid | A complex modular synthesizer with patch saving and audio export.
Tanguy | Virtual analogue synthesizer capable of processing external audio.
Patchwork | An awesome experimental modular synthesizer. Build your synth from scratch.
Acid Machine Beta | A pair of TB-303 bass modules and one TR-909 drum machine.
AngryOctopus | A collection of web-based virtual instruments (requires Java).
PatternSketch | Cool grid based sequencer with several kits and export functionality.
Tonematrix | A simple tone matrix from the makers of Audiotool.
Otomata | Another matrix sequencer for jamming and inspiration.
PulseBoy | Free Game Boy style tracker.
Seaquence | A totally weird generative music sequencer.
SiON FM Synthesizer WF-1 | Neat FM synthesizer with a mouse controlled filter.
WebSID | Browser based Commodore 64 style synthesizer.
MiniGoog | A Minimoog Google Doodle in celebration of Robert Moog’s 78th birthday.
Sample-stitch | Re-create iconic hip hop tunes with your computer keyboard.
Musical Keyboard | A really simple online piano keyboard.
>> Click here for our huge directory of freeware VST/AU plugins.
Online Drum Machines
WebAudio Drum Machine | Online drum sequencer with several kits and effects.
HTML5 Drum Machine | Create classic drum machine loops and export the results to WAV.
FL 909 | Free Roland TR-909 emulation.
808 | A simple Roland TR-808 kit for online jamming.
Sequence | Free drum pattern generator with over 100 free drum samples.
Monkey Machine | A simple free drum machine from the creator of MauSynth.
Qwerty Beats | Online drum machine with a freaky mouse controlled synth.
JS-909 | Web based drum machine (requires QuickTime).
Drum Kit | You, your computer keyboard and 26 weird samples.
Sound Generators
Bfxr | Creates 8-bit sound effects which you can download in WAV format.
Text to Speech | Convert any text to speech and download the result as an MP3 file.
Online Tone Generator | A handy test tone generator.
Sweep Sine Tone | Sweep tone generator for testing your monitors and room acoustics.
Noisli | A wonderful background noise generator to help you relax and focus.
Defonic | Another free noise generator to help you relax.
Online DAWs
Probe | The best online audio editor available at the moment, made by Audiotool.
Audiotool | A modular online music studio with a set of virtual synthesizers and effects.
AudioSauna | Free online workstation for making music on the go.
Soundation Studio | Online sequencer with audio and MIDI processing.
TwistedWave Online | A free online audio editor for editing mono audio files.
Free DAWs
Studio One Prime | Free edition of Studio One, no VST support.
Podium Free | VST plugin support, limited to a single CPU core.
>> Click here for our round-up of freeware VST host applications.
>> Click here for our in-depth list of downloadable free audio editing software.
Online Collaboration
Clyp | A completely free (no registration required) to share your music online.
Splice | Online platform for music creation and sharing.
Musistic | A free plugin that lets you collaborate online through your DAW.
Indaba Music | Free online music collaboration platform.
Ohm Studio | The first free online collaboration platform for musicians.
Blend | Collaborate online and create remixes (powered by Dropbox).
Kompoz | Collaborate with musicians from around the world.
Livegit | A free online collaborative DAW.
JAM with Chrome | Jam with your friends in Google Chrome.
Plink | A fun way to pass time and make music with total strangers. :)
Ear Training
EQ Your Ears | Identify specific frequencies with this online tool.
EQ Match | Simple graphic EQ trainer.
Note Ear Training | Identify notes by ear.
Pitchimprover | Absolute pitch training.
The Music Intervals Tutor | Recognize music intervals by ear.
EarTeach | Various ear training utilities.
Blind Listening Tests | Various tools to test your ears.
Other Tools
Autochord | Chord progression generator based on key and playing style.
Interactive Circle of Fifths | An easy to use online circle of fifths.
Interactive Frequency Chart | Interactive frequency chart with an ear sensitivity graph.
Metronome Online | Free online metronome and tone generator.
Tap for BPM | A free tap tempo tool to calculate BPM.
Music Calculator | Convert BPM values, calculate transpose ratios, etc.
Tunerr | Free tuner tool which uses the microphone input on your computer.
Online Guitar Tuner | A simple online guitar tuner from Fender.
Pedalboard.js | Process the line-in of your sound card with four guitar FX pedals.
Guitar Tab Creator | An online guitar tab making tool.
Noteflight | A powerful music notation platform which runs in the browser.
Blank Sheet Music | Create and print blank sheet music for free.
Tutorials
Music Production
Introduction To Music Production | Free music production course by Berklee College of Music.
Pro Audio Essentials | Video tutorials and music production practice tools by iZotope.
How To Make Electronic Music | An epic intro to electronic music production.
EQ Masterclass | In-depth series of EQ tutorial videos by ADSR.
Thinking inside the Box | Great beginner’s guide to EQ.
Compression 101 | Great beginner’s guide to compression.
Compress to impress | Compression tutorial for the electronic musician.
Kim Lajoie Blog Dump | PDF archive of Kim Lajoie’s music production tips.
3 Mixing Secrets From The Legendary Andy Wallace | A reminder to keep it simple.
Synthesis
How to Make a Noise | A legendary free eBook guide to synthesizer programming.
Synthesis Fundamentals | Free tutorials for absolute beginners by the Bob Moog Foundation.
Synth Student | Beginner’s guide to subtractive synthesis.
Synthesis types | Understand different types of sound synthesis.
How To Bass | A series of tutorials for creating heavy bass sounds (by SeamlessR).
Syntorial | Software for learning synthesis. First 22 lessons are free.
Music Theory
Music Theory for Musicians and Normal People | A lighthearted intro to music theory.
Ravenspiral Guide to Music Theory | One of the finest free music theory books (here’s the PDF).
Music Theory: The TL;DR Version | Music theory guide for EDM producers with short attention spans.
Music Theory for Songwriters | A comprehensive guide to music theory for songwriters.
Open Yale Courses | A useful collection of free music video courses by Yale University.
10 Chord Progression Tips | Interesting chord progression tips from a jazz musician.
Music Theory Cheat Sheet | A handy TXT file cheat sheet for music theory.
More Goodies
Making Music | Free chapters from Ableton’s epic book for musicians and music producers.
A Club Track’s Frequency Map | A cool print friendly frequency chart by FutureMusic.
EQ tips Cheat Sheet | EQ cheat sheet available for download in PDF format.
RealTraps | A guide to testing room acoustics with free software.
D/A and A/D Digital Show and Tell | Explains various digital audio myths.
Artist Toolbox
Streaming Platforms
SoundCloud | The most popular online platform for uploading and sharing your music.
Bandcamp | Build your artist profile and share your music with your fans.
sfx.io | The Imgur of audio, a quick way to upload and share your music.
Online Marketplaces
AudioJungle | The largest online marketplace to sell your music.
iStock | Sell royalty free stock music and recordings.
Pond5 | Another online marketplace for selling royalty free music.
Synthmob | A marketplace for synth presets, audio loops and samples.
Sampleism | Sell your samples and other sound design work.
Backup & Productivity
Wavestack | Backup your recording sessions and share them with collaborators.
Dropbox | A great free solution for backing up your files online.
Hive | Upload and share your music and other materials.
Evernote | Take notes of all your projects and ideas in one place.
Trello | A great tool for managing your projects and collaborations.
Google Keep | Use this online note saving tool to keep track of your ideas and tasks.
Toggl | Time tracking utility to help you stay focused and measure your productivity.
Pocket | Easily save online resources (such as this article) for offline reading.
Graphic Tools
Artwork Creator | Create your album artwork for free.
CD Cover | Make a simple CD cover with your printer and a bit of paper.
Hipster Logo Generator | A free logo generator. Also works for simple album art and covers.
Squarespace Logo | Another simple logo generator.
Facebook Cover Collection Freebie | Nice looking PSD templates for Facebook cover images.
Pixlr | Great free online image editor similar to Photoshop.
Canva | Incredibly cool free graphics editor to make covers and promo images.
Video Tools
Sonic Candle | Completely free tool to generate an HD music video with a spectrum display.
Audio Visualizer Creator 2.0v | Free music visualizer generator (requires Adobe After Effects).
Blender | Free alternative for After Effects. Loads of tutorials available on YouTube.
Website Tools
WordPress.com | A powerful free blogging and blog hosting platform.
Strikingly | Build a beautiful looking free portfolio or artist website in minutes.
FourFour | Free website platform made specifically for musicians.
Flavors.me | Make a free artist website with links to your social media profiles.
MailChimp | Build a free mailing list for up to 2000 subscribers.
SharedCount | Monitor the social media stats of your releases or artist profiles.
This list will be updated with new content on a daily basis. Feel free to suggest your own favorite online resources in the comments section below. Thanks for reading BPB!
30 Comments
Arne
onGreat List! Would be awesome if you could add more awesome Sites and Blogs like bpb, like krv audio and stuff.
Thanks a lot for this share!!
I was looking for something like “Audio Visualizer Creator 2.0v” (Free music visualizer generator) but it seems to be a paid software now (5 USD) according to http://mocarg.com/audio-spectrum/, too bad :/
Razz
onGreat list.
I reccomend http://www.hooktheory.com under music theory. Awesome site that show the theory behind songs. Some options are free.
Razz
onGreat list.
I reccomend http://www.hooktheory.com under music theory. Awesome site that shows the theory behind songs. Some options are free.
I’ve been making this free web synth: http://www.websynths.com
Tomislav Zlatic
onWow, what a fantastic synth! I wish the parameters were a bit easier to access with less scrolling, but the synthesizer itself is awesome. I’ve added it to the list, thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks for adding it to the list. I got MIDI working on it last night, which makes it even more fun.
LANDR.com for free mastering!
Suleiman
onExcellent work as always, Tomislav ! Great reference to have….
I have come across this site today, might be worth it adding it to the list:
http://errozero.co.uk/acid-machine/
Cheers :)
DCC Studios
onWow amazing overview! Found some very handy collaboration tools for our producers. Thanks Tomislav, you did a great job!
rommel david masilamani
onjesus bless you brother abundantly, congrats
Mary
onI’d add Musistic http://musistic.com/ under the Online Collaboration section as well. It has a free account option as well as other paid ones.
So many awesome free resources for producers! Thanks for putting this great list together.
Lee TNB
onWow, you have really gone above and beyond with this list, but you forgot one essential resource:
http://www.bedroomproducersblog.com
;)
Lee TNB
Alex
onThis is a great collection. Thanks a lot for all the work you did :)
Alex
Kelly
onGreat list and great resources selection!
May I also How To Make Electronic Music under tutorials.
It helped me understanding music production processes.
Sameer Bankar
onThe amount of effort you’ve put into putting toghether all this information is just rewarding.Hats off dude.
VSTJuNkiE
onThanks for continually updating this. Amazing!
sushant
onAmazing world of music and amzaing peoples like you makes us……..curious explorers.Thanks!
Natalia
onHey Tomislav! :) Great article, thanks for the effort, loved the section about music theory, the first one with the infographics (my secret passion haha).
I am working for http://www.sofasession.com/, an online music collaboration platform which you haven’t listed here yet. What’s different on sofasession: you don’t need any other program and or to download tracks and upload them again. You have all you need in the browser, just plug-in your instrument/microphone and can jam or record or contribute to music made by others online, people from everywhere joined already :)
We’d be super happy if you could list us and I am looking forward to your new articles :) Have a great day.
Natalia
Brian C. Hamilton
onThank You So Much For The Time and Effort To Present All of This.
Tomislav Zlatic
onThanks for reading! :)
Jane
on“Musicradar” is a good site for RoyaltyFree Samples !
http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/free-music-samples-download-loops-hits-and-multis-627820
rspl
onwow, tomislav! talk about comprehensive lists! thank you so much for this – will be my no 1 to go bookmark! <3
Tomislav Zlatic
onHey, you’re welcome! :)
Vitas
onNice!
___________________________
ufo3d.com
alexender
onThank You So Much (y) (y)
Ruffaro
onNice Article! You guys should check out the /r/MusicProduction subreddit @ https://www.reddit.com/r/musicproduction/
pramod
onmarket
Tina
onyou bless me :) xx