BEAST

What BEAST is

BEAST is a digital synthesizer and music creation system with multi-track editing, unlimited undo, real-time synthesis, and MIDI automation. It supports Linux Audio Plugins (LADSPA) and works with WAV, AIFF, Vorbis, Soundfont 2, Gus Patch, FLAC, and MP3 files. Listed audio capabilities include 32-bit rendering, full duplex support, multi-core rendering, SIMD utilization, sample-granularity timing, and FFT spectrograms. The project is primarily developed on Linux and supports both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. A Windows port has been started, and the project is seeking volunteers. Releases are available as source code tarballs and binary packages, with source licensed under LGPL-2.1+. The 0.15.0 release announcement names JACK as a PCM driver. Support options include a mailing list, email, IRC chat, and GitHub issue reporting. The project says a new interface based on web technologies and Electron is in development. The latest release listed is version 0.15.0, dated November 5, 2019.

Who it suits

BEAST may suit music creators working on Linux who need synthesis, editing, and MIDI automation. Windows users should note that the port is underway rather than fully established.

Getting started

1. Visit https://beast.testbit.eu/.
2. Choose a release offered as a source code tarball or binary package.
3. Use Linux, the platform on which the project is primarily developed.
4. Review the project's listed support channels if you need help.

Verdict

BEAST combines synthesis and editing tools with broad audio-format support, particularly for Linux. Its listed release is old, and Windows support is still a work in progress.