Image-Line FL Studio
Best for Making Beats
4.0 Excellent

Why We Picked It
Image-Line's FL Studio, known affectionately by long-term fans as FruityLoops (the app's original name when it debuted in 1998), has matured into a powerful DAW. Although it's still clearly geared for electronic music production "in the box," instead of recording live musicians playing acoustic instruments, you can record or create just about any audio project with it. If your memory of FL Studio is closer to its roots—when the Belgian company's program looked more like a 1980s Amiga tracker than a proper DAW—prepare to be amazed at how far the program has come.

Who It's For
FL Studio lets you produce some of today's slickest beats right up to full electronic dance music tracks. If that sounds like your style, FL Studio could be key to unlocking your creativity. It caters to step sequencer and pattern-based playlist fans more than those expecting a more linear multitrack recording experience.

Do your tastes lean toward the electronic and synthesized realm? Ableton Live and FL Studio are inspired choices with plenty of built-in synths, though you can produce electronic music with just about any of these programs. Digital Performer is a perennial favorite for film scoring, although several other DAWs can also do it (if not quite as ably). If you're interested in mastering finished recordings or classical music editing, the high-end Magix Sequoia is unparalleled.