Podium
Podium · Denmark · founded 2004
What it is
Podium is a Windows digital audio workstation from Zynewave, the Denmark-based maker founded in 2004. It records and edits audio and MIDI, hosts VST instruments and effects, and supports projects with unlimited arrangements sharing sequences and sounds. The workstation can record any number of MIDI and audio inputs simultaneously and supports loop recording on audio tracks. Its hierarchical mixer provides group tracks, multicore plugin processing, automatic delay compensation, and up to 100 mixer bus instances. Podium handles Wave and AIFF files with up to 32 channels and RF64 files over 4 GB, supports VST 2.4 plugins, and includes zPEQ, zReverb, and zPitch. External MIDI and audio devices can be routed with latency compensation. Podium Free costs nothing but disables ReWire, surround playback, the 64-bit mixer, and plugin multiprocessing, while limiting MIDI setup to one input and one output. Paid licenses start at $50, paid once for a one-year upgrade period; the listed Single-User Software License is $50 a month.
For and against
For
- Records unlimited simultaneous MIDI and audio inputs
- Projects support unlimited arrangements
- Includes group tracks and delay compensation
- Handles multichannel Wave, AIFF, and RF64 files
- No activation or copy protection is required
Against
- Windows is the only listed platform
- Free edition limits MIDI interfaces to one input and output
- Free edition disables ReWire and plugin multiprocessing
- No VST3 or audio-warping support
The verdict
Podium provides a broad Windows recording and mixing toolkit with a functional free edition and several paid license periods. Buyers should account for the free edition’s disabled features and the lack of VST3 support.
Who it suits
It suits Windows users recording, editing, and mixing audio or MIDI with VST 2.4 plugins. The free edition is useful for exploring the workstation, while advanced mixer features require a paid license.
Plans and prices
Single-User Software License
Includes a free upgrade period · Includes a licensed Tone2 Warmverb VST plug-in
Read 19 Sep 2026 · zynewave.com
Podium Free
Fully functional freeware edition · MIDI setup limited to one input and one output · 64-bit mixer, plugin multiprocessing, ReWire, and surround playback disabled
Read 8 Oct 2026 · zynewave.com
Podium single-user license (1 year upgrade period)
Single-user license · Includes free upgrade period and licensed full version of Tone2 Warmverb
Read 8 Oct 2026 · zynewave.com
Podium single-user license (2 year upgrade period)
Single-user license · Includes free upgrade period and licensed full version of Tone2 Warmverb
Read 8 Oct 2026 · zynewave.com
Podium single-user license (3 year upgrade period)
Single-user license · Includes free upgrade period and licensed full version of Tone2 Warmverb
Read 8 Oct 2026 · zynewave.com
Podium renewal (1 year period)
Available only to license owners · 20% discount on early renewal
Read 8 Oct 2026 · zynewave.com
Podium renewal (2 year period)
Available only to license owners · 20% discount on early renewal
Read 8 Oct 2026 · zynewave.com
Podium renewal (3 year period)
Available only to license owners · 20% discount on early renewal
Read 8 Oct 2026 · zynewave.com
On the record
- Audio formats
- Podium supports Wave and AIFF files with up to 32 channels and RF64 files larger than 4 GB.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Demo
- The Podium demo page lists version 3.4.2, released April 2, 2022; demo reminders appear, audio drops temporarily every 60 seconds, and preset import and export are disabled.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Free edition limits
- Podium Free disables ReWire, surround playback, the 64-bit mixer option, and plugin multiprocessing, and limits MIDI interface setup to one input and one output.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Hardware routing
- Podium can route external MIDI and audio devices in its track hierarchy and compensate for their latency.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- License terms
- The maker says Podium licenses cannot be sold or transferred, and an expired upgrade period does not end the license to use versions already downloaded.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Maker and founding
- Frits Nielsen says he founded Zynewave in 2004 to release Podium, which he had been developing since 1990.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Mixing
- The hierarchical track engine supports group tracks, multicore plugin processing, automatic delay compensation, and up to 100 mixer bus instances.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Payment
- Zynewave says PayPal handles online payments and that customers can pay by credit card on PayPal without having a PayPal account.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Plugins
- Podium supports VST 2.4 plugins and includes zPEQ, zReverb, and zPitch.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Product
- Podium is a digital audio workstation for Windows that records and edits audio and MIDI and hosts VST instrument and effect plugins.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Project structure
- Projects can contain unlimited arrangements that share sequences and sounds.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Recording
- Podium can record any number of MIDI and audio inputs simultaneously and supports loop recording on audio input tracks.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Security and activation
- The maker states Podium has no copy protection and does not require software activation or further authorization after installation.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker directs users to Podium forums for technical support and discussion, with a separate VIP forum for license owners.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The maker lists Windows 7 or Windows 10, an 800 MHz CPU, 512 MB system memory, a graphics card with 32 MB memory, and an ASIO or MME sound driver as minimum requirements.zynewave.com · read 8 Oct 2026
