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A virtual studio that lets you edit audio files and import sounds for free

A virtual studio that lets you edit audio files and import sounds for free

Vote: (265 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Audacity

Version: 3.4.2

Works under: Windows

Also available for Mac

Vote:

Program license

(265 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Audacity

3.4.2

Works under:

Also available for

Windows

Mac

A Review of Audacity

There have been many different sorts of editors that have come along over the past couple of decades of popular computing. You have a range of photo editors, and also a ton of different video editors. Though did you know that they also have audio editors out there? Audacity is one of the most popular audio editing programs to ever come along, and it has so many positive points that you really have to dig to find the negative aspects of the program.

It's a program that is entirely free to download and use. You can use the full array of features and take advantage of every single thing the program offers you, and you will never be prompted to pay for it. It's also very lightweight in how it operates, not sapping up any of your computer's resources at all. More than anything, it really is a joy to use for people who need to edit audio files. The program can do so much in terms of improving audio quality, layering tracks, changing your voice, and so much more.

Audacity also plays well with an incredibly wide range of add-on programs and plug-ins. This means that you can find third-party software on the web to use in conjunction with Audacity and greatly expand its capabilities as a program. It's such a staple in audio editing that most of the web's biggest video-makers use it to separately record and edit their audio for video presentations. It's also used a lot in the professional world.

What is Audacity?

Audacity is billed as an audio editing program, but that's selling the program very short. Audacity is the number-one, most-popular audio editing program in the history of the Internet. Even big-name companies like TechSmith and Adobe have failed to release any audio editing program that rivals Audacity. It scores huge points due to just how much that users can actually do with the program. There are hundreds of different features with this program, and there are infinite combinations of filters and effects that can be applied to audio files.

The program is also praised for how easy it is to begin using at a rudimentary level. With so many features, of course, it takes people a long time to master Audacity. Though in terms of just getting started, it really is as easy as dragging and dropping an audio file into the program's window. It's also a program that allows you to record your own audio. You aren't stuck just having to edit pre-existing audio. If you have a microphone, you can use it to record your own voice, or your own instruments, and the sheer number of features allows you to create recordings that sound very professional.

Audacity works with multiple formats, such as MP3, WAV, AIFF, and more. You can layer multiple tracks in the system, and you can edit them independently or combine them. You can change so much about a track to completely transform it, or you can just work to enhance it. This is a very involved program.

You will need a bit of space on your computer to download Audacity. While the program operates with a very light footprint, it's a little on the large side to initially download. The program is around 70MB. This isn't huge; it's smaller than a lot of movie files that you might download. However, it's still taking up quite a bit of room, and so you want to ensure that you have the space for it.

How Audacity Works

Audacity is a weird program, insofar as it's a bit of a dichotomy in terms of how it operates. For instance, it's very simplistic to get started with. You merely open it up and begin using it. You can drag and drop an audio file, or you can press the obvious "Record" button on the interface to begin speaking. So, on that end of the spectrum, it's very easy to operate. On the other end of the spectrum, the actual editing process is what's going to take users a bit of time to get the hang of. Being able to crop, cut, layer, add effects, etc; this is all going to require a bit of know-how. However, it mostly boils down to actually using the program and tinkering around with the features.

There aren't a whole lot of basic tutorials about Audacity, in terms of beginner "how to" videos. This is because most people get an organic feel for it as they use it. Now, when it comes to using the many features and applying filters, you'll find entire digital libraries worth of tutorials. This is just an easy program to use, but a difficult one to master.

One of the most positive comments users have about audacity is how smoothly it runs. It doesn't have a large footprint at all, and it requires minimum processing power to operate. In fact, the only time it's going to draw resources from your computer is when an audio file is in the process of rendering for a save. At this point, most audio files are only going to be a few MB at best, and so this is a very quick process that doesn't really have enough time to drag your computer's performance down. It runs very light and can be left open in the background. Even if you're busy recording, the odds are good that you won't experience any sort of glitches or freezes with Audacity.

The Features of Audacity

When it comes to the features of Audacity, you're either going to have to use the program yourself to see just how many there are, or you're going to have to read an entire encyclopedia's worth of literature to learn about them. Audacity is truly one of the most feature-rich editing programs to ever be created. Luckily, almost all of the program's key features are laid out on a user-friendly interface that you can figure out easily.

For instance, the first feature of Audacity is the program window itself. This acts as a feature because it allows for drag-and-drop functionality. This means that you won't have to go into the "File" tab in the top-left of the screen and manually add a file. You can certainly do it this way, especially if it's more convenient for you, but you can just drag an audio file into the open window and it will load into the program.

The top toolbar of the program is another feature. In fact, it's an entire set of features. Most programs have these sorts of features that allow you to change certain settings. With Audacity, you have control of hundreds of different features from this bar. It starts with the "Edit" feature, which is ideal for cutting and cropping audio. For instance, if you have dead space in an audio recording that you want to remove, you can just drag the screen to highlight the section you want removed, and then you can cut it from the Edit feature. This will automatically sync up the existing audio. There are also plenty of other functions you can perform with just the edit feature, including most people's favorite feature, the "Undo" feature for when you make a mistake or add a bad effect.

Speaking of effects, the "Effect" tab is really where most of the magic happens with Audacity. There are just so many useful effects here. You can normalize your audio, run a noise reduction profile, change the pitch of your track, change the speeds, and just so much more. You can add in bass and treble, or take it away. You can add reverb and echo effects to make your recordings sound like they were done in a real studio. There are even very advanced effects you can take advantage of, like phase and customizing a spectrogram mode and performing a frequency analysis of your audio. As mentioned above, this is the dichotomy of the program. There are plenty of features a beginner can figure out, while also having professional-level features for experts.

Under the "Tools" tab is where you're going to find the functionality for a lot of different add-ons and plug-ins. This is where really knowing the program helps a lot. What you're able to do here really depends on what sort of third-party programs and plug-ins you get to use along with Audacity. So, the sky's the limit.

Another great feature with Audacity is the ability to layer tracks in its main window. You can layer multiple tracks, and you can add different effects and edits to each one individually for a full render of a seamless track. This works out great if you're doing any sort of music. You can layer the guitar, vocals, and other instruments independently. If you need to tweak a certain track to make it sound better, you can easily do this and have it become a seamless part of the final track. Layering multiple tracks also gives you a better guide to edit. The way the audio plays comes through visually as a wave on the platform, which means you can visually see where your audio track has a flat spot in it, or a spike that goes too high and disrupts the track. You can see what's not matching up. By laying your tracks, you can adjust and have a reference point of what track B is supposed to look like go along with track A. You can also name these tracks independently so that you know which is which without having to listen, which works out great if you're doing a long project.

Another great feature with Audacity is the ability to magnify what you're doing on screen. As mentioned above, you can visually see how the track plays by looking at the wave on the screen. When you magnify the track on the screen, you can see that each individual beat is represented by a visual graphic. The more you magnify, the more prominent each individual beat becomes. So, if you're trying to match up audio exactly, or if you have some sort of abrupt foreign noise in the file, you can magnify and highlight that one specific area of the track, even if it's only for a single beat. From there, you can actually highlight this portion and remove it, or you can apply some sort of edit to it that makes it less noticeable. This is a very smart feature for an audio editor.

Audacity's features are certainly plentiful. You can set time scales, generate a range of different tracks, transport, import, export, and so much more. You have various file extensions and plug-ins you can use to add even more to the program.

Is Audacity Worth Having?

If you have any sort of need to edit audio files, Audacity is probably a wise download to choose. As long as you have the room to spare on your computer, Audacity is a program available 100% free of charge that runs very smoothly, so it's never going to be a hassle for you to keep. When you need to edit a file, it's going to be there.

Many people have professions that require recording audio constantly and editing audio tracks. If this is the case, Audacity is likely the only editing program you would need. It has that many useful features.

Pros and Cons of Audacity

Pros of Audacity

  • Free to download and use
  • Incredibly feature-rich, giving you countless options
  • Works with multiple file extensions
  • Runs very light and clean
  • Good for beginners and pros alike

Cons of Audacity

  • Updates can knock your plug-ins and add-ons off
  • You can find bugs and glitches in loading at times
  • Microphone input can sometimes be a pain to register