Qtractor
Qtractor is a Linux desktop application for multitrack audio and MIDI sequencing and recording, aimed at personal home studios.
What Qtractor is
Qtractor is a Linux desktop application for multitrack audio and MIDI sequencing and recording, aimed at personal home studios. Its non-destructive, non-linear editing supports unlimited tracks, overlapping clips, and unlimited undo and redo. Audio tools include fades, cross-fades, gain, normalization, export, time-stretching, and pitch-shifting; MIDI work includes a clip editor, piano roll, controller mapping, and SysEx setups. It supports OGG, MP3 playback, WAV, FLAC, and AIFF, plus LADSPA, DSSI, VST2, VST3, LV2, and CLAP plugins. Qtractor uses JACK for audio and ALSA for MIDI, with connection patchbay controls, and supports track mix-down, rendering, and merging. Sessions are described in XML files. It is free, open-source software under the GNU General Public License version 2 or later. The site lists version 1.6.4, released 2026-09-06, and provides binary downloads as well as CMake build instructions. The project says bugs remain while describing Qtractor as production/stable.
Good
- Free and open source under GPL version 2 or later.
- Unlimited tracks and overlapping clips.
- Supports VST3 and CLAP plugins.
- Includes audio time-stretching and pitch-shifting.
- Uses JACK for audio and ALSA for MIDI.
Watch out
- Linux desktop application.
- The project says bugs remain.
- Mandatory requirements include Qt, JACK, ALSA, libsndfile, and LADSPA.
Who it suits
Qtractor suits Linux users recording or sequencing audio and MIDI in a personal home studio. It may also suit users who need plugin support, non-destructive editing, or audio and MIDI export tools.
Verdict
Qtractor brings multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, and export into a free Linux application. Its extensive toolset is paired with a project notice that bugs remain.
Plans and prices
From Qtractor's own pricing page, checked 11 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Qtractor | Free | Free, open-source software · GPL version 2 or later |
The facts
Each one read from Qtractor's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Additional capabilities
- Features include a MIDI piano-roll editor, automation, clip fades, audio time-stretching and pitch-shifting, and track export.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Audio and MIDI connections
- It uses JACK for audio and ALSA for MIDI, and includes connection patchbay controls.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Audio formats
- Supported audio formats include OGG, MP3 playback, WAV, FLAC, and AIFF.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Audio tools
- Audio clips support fades, cross-fades, gain, normalization, export, time-stretching, and pitch-shifting.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Current release
- The site lists version 1.6.4, released 2026-09-06 as a Late-Summer'26 Hotfix Release.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The site lists version 1.6.4, dated 2026-09-06, as its latest release and links to downloadable binary packages on SourceForge.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Editing
- It supports non-destructive, non-linear editing, unlimited tracks and overlapping clips, and unlimited undo and redo.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Exports and sessions
- It supports audio and MIDI track mix-down, rendering, and merging, and stores session or project descriptions in XML files.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The site provides instructions to build from source with CMake and install the result.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Qtractor uses JACK for audio and ALSA for MIDI, and supports JACK transport synchronization and sessions, NSM, MMC, and MIDI Clock/SPP.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Known limits
- The maker says bugs remain, while considering Qtractor to be in a production/stable phase.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Known status
- The site says bugs remain but considers Qtractor to be in a production/stable phase.checked 11 Oct 2026
- License
- It is free, open-source software distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2 or later.checked 11 Oct 2026
- MIDI tools
- It includes a MIDI clip editor, supports Standard MIDI file formats 0 and 1, and provides MIDI controller mapping and SysEx setups.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Plugins
- It supports LADSPA, DSSI, VST2, VST3, LV2, and CLAP plugins.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Product
- Qtractor is a Linux desktop application for multitrack audio and MIDI sequencing and recording, aimed at personal home studios.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Recording and editing
- It supports multi-track audio and MIDI sequencing and recording, with non-destructive, non-linear editing.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to its SourceForge project page for bug reports, feature requests, forums, mailing lists, and development matters.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Track limits
- The feature list states that sessions can have unlimited tracks and tracks can have unlimited overlapping clips.checked 11 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Qtractor is a Linux desktop audio and MIDI multi-track sequencer aimed especially at personal home studios.checked 11 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2005checked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Linux requirements
- The listed mandatory build/runtime requirements include Qt, JACK, ALSA, libsndfile, and LADSPA.checked 11 Oct 2026
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