FxSound vs Splitwave

FxSound is a free Windows audio-processing application founded in 1999. It adjusts timbre, volume, spatial balance, and dynamics, with an equalizer, effects, and presets for shaping sound. The maker lists music, gaming, transcription, video, calls, and general listening as uses, and mentions Zoom calls. Audio routing and volume controls let users tailor output for their hardware. Windows downloads are offered for Intel/AMD x86/x64 and ARM64 systems. FxSound includes noise reduction, virtual surround, and equalizer controls, but no app-specific profiles. The maker says the project became free in 2022 and open-source in 2023. Its website does not use cookies or sell or rent personal information. Contact messages may contain details users provide and may support customer service. FxSound says contributors fund development, hosting, and maintenance, and invites donations. The listed plan is FxSound at free for Windows PCs.

Splitwave is a free desktop audio router for connecting sources, effects, and outputs in a real-time node graph. Sources include microphones, system audio, individual app audio, WAV files, and virtual-device loopback. Its listed effects include noise suppression, EQ, compression, gating, reverb, and delay, and it can record audio to files. Splitwave can host CLAP and VST3 plugins as nodes; Audio Unit hosting is available only on macOS. For network audio, WebRTC peers connect in both directions, while UDP sender and receiver nodes support Opus or raw PCM. Splitwave creates virtual audio devices on macOS and Linux; Windows users need VB-Cable or a similar virtual cable. It supports macOS 13 or newer on Apple Silicon or Intel, Linux x86_64 with PipeWire, and 64-bit Windows 10 or newer. Processing is local unless a network node directs audio to a peer. The desktop app does not transmit audio streams, personal files, or usage telemetry to an external server. It is free and open source under the MIT license.