The MUSIC N-family of sound compilers offers a flexible but complex set of tools for computer music composition. These packages are, in a general sense, difficult to grasp by the beginner. Their design is also based on an outdated paradigm of scores and orchestras. New alternatives to such systems are a current necessity. This paper presents the software Audio Workshop as a proposed design for a sound synthesis and processing system. This program has been developed for the Win32 platform, offering many synthesis and processing options in a simpler and intuitive way. The paper describes the elements of the program and discusses its design and applications.