Tracktion Waveform
Waveform, previously known as Tracktion,[3] is a digital audio workstation for recording and editing audio and MIDI. The software is cross-platform, and runs on Apple macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Raspberry Pi. It is freemium software, offering a free version with standard features (Waveform Free) and a paid version with more advanced features and additional content (Waveform Pro).[4] It also offers paid feature expansion packs with selections of features from the paid version.[5]
History
Tracktion was developed by independent UK designer/programmer Julian Storer and was released in 2002 by UK-based Raw Material Software.[6] In 2004, US-based Mackie, a division of LOUD Technologies specializing in studio recording and live sound products, took over the distribution of Tracktion.[7] It was sold in standalone, boxed retail versions and bundled with Mackie, Tapco, and Echo Audio computer-audio interfaces and digital-capable mixing boards.
Around the late 2000s/early 2010s, although no official word came from Mackie, the users' understanding was that Tracktion had been discontinued as the company had issued no updates, communication, or announcements on it since January 2008. However, at the January 2013 NAMM Show, Tracktion's original developer Julian Storer announced he had reacquired control of the software and would continue developing Tracktion with his new Tracktion Software Corporation.[8]
In 2017, Tracktion Software Corporation rebranded the DAW to be called Waveform.[3]
User interface, workflow, and unique features
Waveform was designed to be transparent and intuitive. Track object controls and parameters are context-sensitive; effects, MIDI instruments, and other software objects can be added to tracks or applied directly to individual audio and MIDI clips using a drag-and-drop system of filters. Complex chains of filters can be created, stored, and recalled for later use as rack effects, analogous to a saved channel strip settings in a traditional DAW/sequencer.[9]
Waveform, as Tracktion, represented a move away from the modal dialog boxes, multiple menus, and cluttered windows common to legacy MIDI sequencers and digital audio workstations, in favor of a streamlined, single-screen approach that presented the user with minimal options at any time. In this way, Waveform is similar to Ableton Live, but while the latter has two separate work areas (Session and Arrange), Waveform has fully context-sensitive windows that automatically appear or hide depending on the current task or can be manually togged. Both are also noted for their more abstract visual styles, in contrast to the photorealistic style of other interfaces (like Reason) which imitate the appearance of real world recording equipment and effects units.
It also supports user customization of keyboard shortcuts, coding custom shortcuts,[10] and modifying the color scheme,[11] similar to Cockos’s REAPER.
Open source library
The underlying C++ code developed to create Tracktion's graphic and audio capabilities was later released as an open-source library, JUCE.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "Waveform Pro DAW What's New - Tracktion". Archived from the original on June 27, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "Tracktion release Waveform 13.5". Tracktion release Waveform 13.5. July 10, 2025. Archived from the original on July 10, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ a b "NAMM 2017: Tracktion DAW becomes Waveform, and now works on Raspberry Pi". www.musicradar.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
- ^ "Compare Waveform Versions - Tracktion". Compare Waveform. Archived from the original on June 27, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Waveform Free Expansions - Tracktion Software". www.tracktion.com. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
- ^ "Raw Material Tracktion released". KVR Audio. 2002-11-14. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
- ^ Editors (2004-01-27). "Mackie Distributes Tracktion to Interface With Control Universal". Mixonline. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Rogerson, Ben (25 Jan 2013). "NAMM 2013: Tracktion 4 DAW announced". NAMM 2013: Tracktion 4 DAW announced. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 31 Jul 2025.
- ^ Staff, M. P. V. "macProVideo.com". macProVideo.com. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "NAMM 2019: Tracktion Waveform 10 brings Actions, Macros, Groups and a lot of plugins - gearnews.com". 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
- ^ "Waveform Pro DAW What's New - Tracktion Software". www.tracktion.com. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
- ^ "tracktion_engine". Tracktion Engine module. 29 Jul 2024. Archived from the original on 29 Jul 2024. Retrieved 31 Jul 2025.