Gear Of The Year: Best freeware of 2021

Freeware helps music-making stay accessible to all, and this brand stole the show this year.

Spitfire Audio LABS

WINNER: Spitfire Audio LABS

Price: Free
Contact: Spitfire Audio

We commend Spitfire’s mission to put creative instruments in the hands of music-makers at no cost, but it’s the sheer quality of the LABS series in itself that helps it earn the win.

This year’s drops is representative of the series’ eclectic tastes: LA Atmos warped the found-sounds of Los Angeles to offer melodic and percussive textures; Ondes Musicales and Folk Harp put rare instruments in the plug-in folders of the masses, while Bass Guitar and Percussion made classic sounds widely available. It’s certainly gotten us excited about what’s to come in 2022.

Read our full review here.

Also nominated:

  • BandLab 10
  • Cakewalk by BandLab
  • Tracktion Waveform Free
  • Surge 1.9.0
  • VirtualDJ
  • Audacity
  • Vital

To check out other GOTY categories, click here.

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