Download the free microtonal DAW
Download DonutStudio
DonutStudio is in open beta. Download an installer and activate Free with your email. If you have a Pro beta code, enter it in the app.
Free · Windows, macOS & Linux
Install DonutStudio
DonutStudio runs standalone and inside your DAW as a free plugin. Current Windows and Linux builds and the experimental macOS beta are available above.
Windows
Windows 10 (1909) or later, 64-bit. Run DonutStudio-Windows-Setup.exe, choose VST3, CLAP, standalone, and the optional Bitwig bridge (send-only, beta) in the wizard, then restart your DAW. Free starts on first launch with an email.
macOS Beta
Experimental x86_64 beta for macOS 11 Big Sur or later. Extract DonutStudio-macOS.zip, open Terminal in that folder, then run chmod +x install-macos.sh && ./install-macos.sh. Includes standalone, VST3, CLAP, and Audio Unit formats.
Linux
Self-extracting installer for modern desktop Linux. Run chmod +x DonutStudio-Linux-Installer.sh && ./DonutStudio-Linux-Installer.sh, or run install-linux.sh from the extracted portable zip. Installs VST3, CLAP, standalone, a desktop launcher, and optional soundfonts.
Audio I/O
Standalone supports ASIO, CoreAudio, JACK, ALSA, and PipeWire. Plugin mode uses your DAW's audio engine.
Plugin formats
VST3 and CLAP plugin formats are available alongside the standalone app, with Audio Unit included in the macOS beta. Per-note tuning travels through the best channel your host supports: VST3 note expression, MPE pitch bend, and MTS-ESP, so DonutStudio can retune other plugins live across a session and receive tuning as an MTS-ESP client.
GPU acceleration
Vulkan / Metal renderer for the piano roll with a CPU fallback, so scroll and zoom stay smooth on thousand-note projects. The video editor is GPU-composited, so a capable GPU is recommended for video editing and export, and more so for the Pro Media Machine's shaders.
Project format
.arbit files round-trip every harmonic link, tuning root, pitch-bend and vibrato curve, pan, fade, expression lane, and per-note audio sample. DAWproject import/export preserves microtuning through frequency and pitch-bend data, and plain MIDI export keeps your tuning as MPE-style per-note pitch bend.
What you need
The MIDI and audio tools run on modest hardware. Video editing needs more memory and GPU power. RIFE interpolation needs a Vulkan driver on Windows or Linux; macOS support is in progress. Without Vulkan, preview uses Frame Blend and export keeps full quality.
| DAW / MIDI: Minimum | DAW: Recommended | Video Editor: Minimum | Video: Recommended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit · macOS 11 · Linux (glibc 2.35+, e.g. Ubuntu 22.04) | Latest Windows, macOS, or Linux | Windows 10 64-bit · macOS 11 · Linux (glibc 2.38+, e.g. Ubuntu 24.04) | Latest Windows, macOS, or Linux |
| CPU | 64-bit dual-core | Quad-core | 64-bit quad-core | 6-core or better |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB (16 GB for DiffSinger / UTAU voices and large soundfonts) | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | Any. OpenGL 3.2 piano roll, CPU fallback otherwise | Any modern integrated or discrete GPU | OpenGL 3.3 (integrated is fine); without Vulkan, interpolation uses Frame Blend | Discrete GPU with a Vulkan driver (AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA) for RIFE Speed Warp; OpenGL 4.3 for the Pro Media Machine |
| Disk | ~500 MB | A few GB (voice packs and soundfonts can be several GB each) | ~1 GB plus media | SSD with room for media and exports |
Add audio transformation too
DonutStudio Free includes the full DAW + video editor + export. Pro adds the production layer (sampling + vocals + Media Machine).
Free · Windows, macOS & Linux