Whether you’re just getting started in the world of sound design or you’re a seasoned audio wizard looking to upgrade your software, there has never been a larger selection of software to choose from to design anything your heart may desire.

However, in this sea of options, what programs stand out among the rest for providing cutting-edge user interfaces, ultra-realistic virtual instruments, or limitless customization?

Thankfully we’re here to help. Here’s our picks for the best sound design software of this year, from crunchy synth samples to the best DAWs on the market.

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Digital Audio Workstations

The first thing any sound designer needs is a digital audio workstation or DAW. This is your mission control, the place where everything will come together to create your final product.

Pro Tools

Avid’s Pro Tools has long been a darling of the audio production and for good reason. This feature-packed workstation can handle everything from music production to foley for film and TV and everything in-between. 

You can customize your workflow to your heart’s content and edit on hundreds of individual tracks until you have a perfect mix.

Logic Pro

Logic Pro is another favorite of sound designers who favor the Mac OS. Developed by Apple, Logic Pro is designed to work seamlessly on Apple products and can even be used with iPad’s and iPhones which can be used like tactile control boards. 

With built-in effects, loops, and sampling software, Logic Pro has everything you need to hit the ground running on the audio projects of your dreams.

Audio Editor

Audio editors fall into a slightly different category from DAW’s in that they are slightly more suited to audio polishing and finishing as they work with a stereo audio file instead of a combination of audio files. They also offer features that some DAW’s do not like pitch stretching.

Adobe Audition

Adobe Audition sits in a sweet spot between DAW’s and audio editors. It has tons of features and if needed, can function as your all-in-one audio production workstation, but it can also be used in tandem with your DAW as your dedicated audio editing and mastering program. 

It’s great for audio cleanup, restoration, and precision editing, and is an essential tool for your sound design toolbelt.

Plugins & Modular Software

Plugins are where things get really fun. Depending on what you’re designing sound for, plugins offer unique sounds that can be bent and manipulated to your heart’s content until you have the perfect sound element for whatever it is you may be creating.

iZotope

You’ll want to save this page, because iZotope has a suite of handy plugins that will allow you to modify vocal effects, pitch, speed, timing and a host of other effects. 

They offer a Producer’s Club for a monthly fee that gives you access to royalty-free sounds, plugins, audio production courses and other benefits.

Vienna Smart Spheres

Vienna is most known for their beautiful orchestral samples, but with video game audio production on the rise, they’ve begun to stretch their boundaries and offer more futuristic audio sampling. 

Smart Spheres was sampled from Vienna’s existing orchestral collection to create an etheriel, other-worldly sound set that’s perfect for sci-fi projects.

Ambition

Ambition is a visual “virtual instrument” that can be used to create harmonic mixes and textures perfect for designing ambient sounds and scores. 

Favored by trailer music producers, Ambition is the perfect synthesizer tool to have in your toolkit for mixing emotional synth scores.

Cinesamples

If you’re mixing soundtracks for TV, film, or video games, you’ll want Cinesamples. 

Its sample library of crystal-clear virtual instruments delivers orchestra samples worthy of Carnegie hall, allowing you to create soundtracks that sound like they were created in a concert hall, not a CPU.