openDAW is a next-generation web-based Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
See the code
openDAW is a next-generation web-based Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) designed to democratize music production and to resurface the process of making music by making high-quality creation tools accessible to everyone, with a strong focus on education and data-privacy.
Subscribe to our Newsletter for regular updates.
New to the codebase? introduction.md maps every component of this repository and how they depend on each other.
We are committed to transparency and community-driven development.
The source code for openDAW is available under AGPL v3 (or later)
openDAW stands for radical simplicity and respect.
We welcome contributions that follow the existing style and conventions of the project. AI-assisted code is fine, but
every contributor must understand every line of code they submit. If you use AI tools, please document your process
in /plans. Keep pull requests small and focused. Large
PRs will not be reviewed. Split big contributions into smaller commits that add requirements gradually and maintain
operations of the app.
If you are interested in helping, here are areas where we need support:
We always appreciate help on open issues: https://github.com/andremichelle/openDAW/issues
To discuss contributions, book a call: https://calendly.com/andremichelle/opendaw-on-tour
To everyone who has contributed feedback, reported bugs, suggested improvements, or helped spread the word — thank you! Your support is shaping openDAW into something truly powerful!
Thank you @ccswdavidson, @Chaosmeister, @jeffreylouden, @solsos, @TheRealSyler, @Trinitou, and @xnstad for testing the repositories and identifying issues during the installation of openDAW!
Special shout-out to the biggest bug hunters: kanaris, @Chaosmeister and BeatMax Prediction. Your relentless attention to detail made a huge difference!
Huge thanks to our ambassadors, whose dedication and outreach amplify our mission!
Stephen Tai, Pathfinder, One Sound Every Day (santino), kanaris, Oli Larkin, @Robert Anthony
Cal Lycus, Jetdarc, Truls Enstad, Polarity, Ynot Etluhcs, Mats Gisselson, Ola, SKYENCE, BeatMax_Prediction, Kim T, Nyenoidz, Steve Meiers, 4ohm, Yito, Shawn Lukas, Tommes, David Thompson, Harry Gillich, OxVolt, Wojciech Miłkowski, skyboundzoo, JHINZ, Mark Dammer, fork-kun, Martin Eigel
openDAW hosts WebCLAP plugins, CLAP plugins compiled to WebAssembly, as
instruments and audio effects. Their original interfaces open in floating windows, all parameters can be automated, and
the plugins travel with the project into bundles, cloud backups and Live Rooms. Pick a plugin from the openDAW cloud or
import your own .wclap bundle.
openDAW tries to avoid external libraries and frameworks. The following is a list of the external libraries we currently use in the web studio:
Before starting, ensure you have the following installed on your system:
rustup, >= 1.82) is required to build the WASM
audio engine (@opendaw/studio-core-wasm). Without it, npm run build / npm run dev:studio fails to
resolve that package (a Vite pre-transform error), because packages/studio/core-wasm/dist never gets built.
You need:
wasm32-unknown-unknown target — rustup target add wasm32-unknown-unknownrust-src component (the device crates build with -Zbuild-std=core) —
rustup toolchain install nightly && rustup component add rust-src --toolchain nightlywasm-opt, used to size-optimise
the WASM modules (brew install binaryen, or apt install binaryen). If it is missing, the build still
succeeds and ships unoptimised modules.git clone https://github.com/andremichelle/opendaw.git && cd opendaw
npm run cert (only for the very first time)npm run clean (to revert to clean slate, removes all node_modules and dist folders)npm install (for the first time and after npm run clean)npm run build (for the first time and after npm run clean)npm run dev:studio | npm run dev:headless (start dev server)
Watch Polarity's Video "there's a new FREE DAW in town"
openDAW is available under two alternative license terms:
| Option | When to choose it | Obligations |
|---|---|---|
| A. AGPL v3 (or later) | You are happy for the entire work that includes openDAW to be released under AGPL-compatible open-source terms. | – Must distribute complete corresponding source code under AGPL. – Must keep copyright & licence notices. – Applies both to distribution and to public use via network/SaaS (§13). – May run openDAW privately in any software, open or closed (§0). |
| B. Commercial Licence | You wish to incorporate openDAW into closed-source or otherwise licence-incompatible software or SaaS offerings. | – Pay the agreed fee. – No copyleft requirement for your own source code. – Other terms as per the signed agreement. |
How to obtain the Commercial License
andre.michelle@opendaw.orgwith your company name, product description, and expected distribution volume.
If you redistribute or run modified versions of openDAW for public use without a commercial license, the AGPL v3 terms apply automatically.
AGPL v3 (or later) © 2025 André Michelle
(top 24 of 40)
199 followers · starred Mar 2026
396 followers · starred Sep 2026
5,452 followers · starred Oct 2026
481 followers · starred Mar 2026
openDAW is a next-generation web-based Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
See the code
openDAW is a next-generation web-based Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) designed to democratize music production and to resurface the process of making music by making high-quality creation tools accessible to everyone, with a strong focus on education and data-privacy.
Subscribe to our Newsletter for regular updates.
New to the codebase? introduction.md maps every component of this repository and how they depend on each other.
We are committed to transparency and community-driven development.
The source code for openDAW is available under AGPL v3 (or later)
openDAW stands for radical simplicity and respect.
We welcome contributions that follow the existing style and conventions of the project. AI-assisted code is fine, but
every contributor must understand every line of code they submit. If you use AI tools, please document your process
in /plans. Keep pull requests small and focused. Large
PRs will not be reviewed. Split big contributions into smaller commits that add requirements gradually and maintain
operations of the app.
If you are interested in helping, here are areas where we need support:
We always appreciate help on open issues: https://github.com/andremichelle/openDAW/issues
To discuss contributions, book a call: https://calendly.com/andremichelle/opendaw-on-tour
To everyone who has contributed feedback, reported bugs, suggested improvements, or helped spread the word — thank you! Your support is shaping openDAW into something truly powerful!
Thank you @ccswdavidson, @Chaosmeister, @jeffreylouden, @solsos, @TheRealSyler, @Trinitou, and @xnstad for testing the repositories and identifying issues during the installation of openDAW!
Special shout-out to the biggest bug hunters: kanaris, @Chaosmeister and BeatMax Prediction. Your relentless attention to detail made a huge difference!
Huge thanks to our ambassadors, whose dedication and outreach amplify our mission!
Stephen Tai, Pathfinder, One Sound Every Day (santino), kanaris, Oli Larkin, @Robert Anthony
Cal Lycus, Jetdarc, Truls Enstad, Polarity, Ynot Etluhcs, Mats Gisselson, Ola, SKYENCE, BeatMax_Prediction, Kim T, Nyenoidz, Steve Meiers, 4ohm, Yito, Shawn Lukas, Tommes, David Thompson, Harry Gillich, OxVolt, Wojciech Miłkowski, skyboundzoo, JHINZ, Mark Dammer, fork-kun, Martin Eigel
openDAW hosts WebCLAP plugins, CLAP plugins compiled to WebAssembly, as
instruments and audio effects. Their original interfaces open in floating windows, all parameters can be automated, and
the plugins travel with the project into bundles, cloud backups and Live Rooms. Pick a plugin from the openDAW cloud or
import your own .wclap bundle.
openDAW tries to avoid external libraries and frameworks. The following is a list of the external libraries we currently use in the web studio:
Before starting, ensure you have the following installed on your system:
rustup, >= 1.82) is required to build the WASM
audio engine (@opendaw/studio-core-wasm). Without it, npm run build / npm run dev:studio fails to
resolve that package (a Vite pre-transform error), because packages/studio/core-wasm/dist never gets built.
You need:
wasm32-unknown-unknown target — rustup target add wasm32-unknown-unknownrust-src component (the device crates build with -Zbuild-std=core) —
rustup toolchain install nightly && rustup component add rust-src --toolchain nightlywasm-opt, used to size-optimise
the WASM modules (brew install binaryen, or apt install binaryen). If it is missing, the build still
succeeds and ships unoptimised modules.git clone https://github.com/andremichelle/opendaw.git && cd opendaw
npm run cert (only for the very first time)npm run clean (to revert to clean slate, removes all node_modules and dist folders)npm install (for the first time and after npm run clean)npm run build (for the first time and after npm run clean)npm run dev:studio | npm run dev:headless (start dev server)
Watch Polarity's Video "there's a new FREE DAW in town"
openDAW is available under two alternative license terms:
| Option | When to choose it | Obligations |
|---|---|---|
| A. AGPL v3 (or later) | You are happy for the entire work that includes openDAW to be released under AGPL-compatible open-source terms. | – Must distribute complete corresponding source code under AGPL. – Must keep copyright & licence notices. – Applies both to distribution and to public use via network/SaaS (§13). – May run openDAW privately in any software, open or closed (§0). |
| B. Commercial Licence | You wish to incorporate openDAW into closed-source or otherwise licence-incompatible software or SaaS offerings. | – Pay the agreed fee. – No copyleft requirement for your own source code. – Other terms as per the signed agreement. |
How to obtain the Commercial License
andre.michelle@opendaw.orgwith your company name, product description, and expected distribution volume.
If you redistribute or run modified versions of openDAW for public use without a commercial license, the AGPL v3 terms apply automatically.
AGPL v3 (or later) © 2025 André Michelle
(top 24 of 40)
199 followers · starred Mar 2026
396 followers · starred Sep 2026
5,452 followers · starred Oct 2026
481 followers · starred Mar 2026