Audiotool

Audiotool - For any of you who have ever used synthesizing software like Fruityloops, Adelton Live, or Reaper (or who have wanted to but didn't have the money, or even maybe the right operating system in some cases for you Linux users out there,) Audiotool is a rich, diverse, feature-packed Chrome application available right here in your Google Chrome browser.

To put it into perspective, Live 9 ranges in price from $99-$749, Reaper from $60-$225, and Fruityloops from $99-$737 (USD in each case.)  I will give that these three platforms, and each with its own set of custom features and add-ons for the price increases, will most likely have a great deal more in the way of instruments, sound packs, and functionality but not enough of it to jump from free to the price of a small used car on Craigslist.

Just one of 3 prefab setups available at the launch
of the application - this should look familiar to any of you
who have used similar software and it is just as functional.

To the left is the layout you'll have if you select the second option when starting up the app (this choice is offered each time you launch the program.)  Or you can start with a clean slate if you already know what you're doing and just add the instruments, effects, etc. that you want for the piece you're making.

It is clean, intuitive, and very user-friendly; three things I did not expect from a 'simple Chrome application.'

On top of the feature-rich and frankly beautiful layout, you can also find links to YouTube tutorials for everything from the very basics to advanced techniques in sound design from right within the application.  I have watched and followed along with a few of these and they are very well done and concise.


This touches on the final feature I'd like to bring up regarding this software and that is the Audiotool community.  Vast and quite knowledgeable, Audiotool's community of users is diverse and more than happy to help.  From how-to videos to text tutorials, a quick Google search will find you (most likely,) a simple and easy to follow walk-through on whichever aspect of the program you are trying to understand.  Yes, the other packages I mentioned earlier each have a similar following, I'm sure, but you don't have to pay to be a part of this one and it's available anywhere your Chrome account is available (not functional on smartphones and tablets to my knowledge, but works great on my Linux box.)  So with it, you can mix a great track, sign into Chrome on a friend's computer and load that track up for them right there on the spot, no additional software or licensing required.  This might even be a viable answer for the traveling DJ who makes his/her own beats to back-drop, mix, and play between songs.

Give it a try and let me know what you think of this one.