Podium
Podium is a Windows digital audio workstation for recording and editing audio and MIDI, and hosting VST instrument and effect plugins.
What Podium is
Podium is a Windows digital audio workstation for recording and editing audio and MIDI, and hosting VST instrument and effect plugins. Projects can contain unlimited arrangements that share sequences and sounds. It can record any number of MIDI and audio inputs simultaneously, with loop recording on audio input tracks. Its hierarchical track engine supports group tracks, multicore plugin processing, automatic delay compensation, and up to 100 mixer bus instances. Podium handles Wave and AIFF files with up to 32 channels, as well as RF64 files larger than 4 GB. It supports VST 2.4 plugins and includes zPEQ, zReverb, and zPitch. External MIDI and audio devices can be routed through the track hierarchy with latency compensation. Podium Free is available, but disables ReWire, surround playback, the 64-bit mixer option, and plugin multiprocessing, and limits MIDI setup to one input and one output. The maker lists Windows 7 or Windows 10 among minimum system requirements. Podium does not support audio warping or VST3.
Good
- Records MIDI and audio inputs simultaneously.
- Projects can contain unlimited arrangements.
- Supports Wave, AIFF, and RF64 files.
- Routes external devices with latency compensation.
Watch out
- No audio warping support.
- No VST3 support.
- Free edition limits MIDI setup to one input and output.
- Free edition disables plugin multiprocessing.
Who it suits
It suits Windows users who need audio and MIDI recording, editing, and VST 2.4 plugin hosting. Users who require audio warping or VST3 support should look elsewhere.
Verdict
Podium offers broad audio and MIDI recording and mixing functions, with a free edition and paid licenses. Its lack of audio warping and VST3 support, along with free-edition restrictions, are important fit considerations.
Plans and prices
From Podium's own pricing page, checked 19 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Single-User Software License | $50 a month | Includes a free upgrade period · Includes a licensed Tone2 Warmverb VST plug-in |
| Podium Free | Free | Fully functional freeware edition · MIDI setup limited to one input and one output · 64-bit mixer, plugin multiprocessing, ReWire, and surround playback disabled |
| Podium single-user license (1 year upgrade period) | $50, paid once | Single-user license · Includes free upgrade period and licensed full version of Tone2 Warmverb |
| Podium single-user license (2 year upgrade period) | $75, paid once | Single-user license · Includes free upgrade period and licensed full version of Tone2 Warmverb |
| Podium single-user license (3 year upgrade period) | $90, paid once | Single-user license · Includes free upgrade period and licensed full version of Tone2 Warmverb |
| Podium renewal (1 year period) | $351, paid once | Available only to license owners · 20% discount on early renewal |
| Podium renewal (2 year period) | $602, paid once | Available only to license owners · 20% discount on early renewal |
| Podium renewal (3 year period) | $753, paid once | Available only to license owners · 20% discount on early renewal |
The facts
Each one read from Podium's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Audio formats
- Podium supports Wave and AIFF files with up to 32 channels and RF64 files larger than 4 GB.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Demo
- The Podium demo page lists version 3.4.2, released April 2, 2022; demo reminders appear, audio drops temporarily every 60 seconds, and preset import and export are disabled.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Hardware routing
- Podium can route external MIDI and audio devices in its track hierarchy and compensate for their latency.checked 8 Oct 2026
- License terms
- The maker says Podium licenses cannot be sold or transferred, and an expired upgrade period does not end the license to use versions already downloaded.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Mixing
- The hierarchical track engine supports group tracks, multicore plugin processing, automatic delay compensation, and up to 100 mixer bus instances.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Payment
- Zynewave says PayPal handles online payments and that customers can pay by credit card on PayPal without having a PayPal account.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Plugins
- Podium supports VST 2.4 plugins and includes zPEQ, zReverb, and zPitch.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Product
- Podium is a digital audio workstation for Windows that records and edits audio and MIDI and hosts VST instrument and effect plugins.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Project structure
- Projects can contain unlimited arrangements that share sequences and sounds.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Recording
- Podium can record any number of MIDI and audio inputs simultaneously and supports loop recording on audio input tracks.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Security and activation
- The maker states Podium has no copy protection and does not require software activation or further authorization after installation.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker directs users to Podium forums for technical support and discussion, with a separate VIP forum for license owners.checked 8 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The maker lists Windows 7 or Windows 10, an 800 MHz CPU, 512 MB system memory, a graphics card with 32 MB memory, and an ASIO or MME sound driver as minimum requirements.checked 8 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2004checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Denmarkchecked 28 Sep 2026
- Maker and founding
- Frits Nielsen says he founded Zynewave in 2004 to release Podium, which he had been developing since 1990.checked 8 Oct 2026
Money
- Free edition limits
- Podium Free disables ReWire, surround playback, the 64-bit mixer option, and plugin multiprocessing, and limits MIDI interface setup to one input and one output.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 19 Sep 2026
