Alternatives to Hydrogen
Program drum patterns with a desktop sequencer and drum machine. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Hydrogen
Program drum patterns with a desktop sequencer and drum machine.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Hydrogen.
LMMS
A free digital audio workstation with a piano roll, beat sequencer and a pile of built-in synths.
LMMS is also free and open source on Windows, macOS and Linux, adding a piano roll, song editor, mixer and over fifteen instruments beyond drum pattern sequencing.
FL Studio
Beat-making focused DAW known for its lifetime free update policy.
FL Studio is a paid, closed-source beat-making DAW for Windows and macOS with lifetime free updates, replacing Hydrogen's drum focus with a full pattern-based production environment.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Ardour
A full digital audio workstation for recording, editing and mixing, with no subscription and no dongle.
REAPER
Full digital audio workstation for multitrack recording, editing, mixing and MIDI.
Tracktion Waveform Free
Free full-featured DAW with no track limit for music production.
GarageBand
Apple's free music creation studio for recording, playing and mixing songs and podcasts on a Mac.
JACK Audio Connection Kit
Connect audio and MIDI applications through an audio server.
MuseScore Studio
Free sheet music notation software that plays back what you write and prints it properly.
