Audacity Powerfull,Free Cross-Platform Sound Editor

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Audacity Powerfull,Free Cross-Platform Sound Editor

With so many audio editors out there, finding the right tool for the job can be tricky. The multiplatform, open-source editor Audacity has leaped to the top of our list with its clean interface, excellent features, and support for 32-bit floating-point audio. Audacity succeeds at being both feature-rich and flexible, while keeping the toolbar and work space uncluttered. It does this by relegating most functions–such as effects, edits, and project management–to handy drop-down menus.

Audacity supports uncompressed audio standards such as WAV and AIFF in addition to OGG and MP3 files. A full complement of basic effects such as reverb, delay, and compression are included. Virtual Studio Technology (VST), Linux Audio Developers Simple Plugin Architecture (LAPSDA), and Nyquist plug-ins also are available if you’re looking to expand. Another eye-catching feature is the Beat Analyzer, which helps you peg the beats per minute of a phrase.

The performance of most functions is quick–even CPU-hogging tasks such as exporting to MP3 or adding complex effects. Though Audacity doesn’t offer advanced effects or features out of the box, its usability and price set this freeware wonder above the crowd.

Audacity is free, open source software, the editor can record and play sounds and import and export WAV, AIFF, MP3, and OGG files. Edit your sounds using cut, copy, and paste features (with unlimited undo functionality), mix tracks, or apply effects to your recordings. The program also has a built-in amplitude-envelope editor, a customizable spectrogram mode, and a frequency-analysis window for audio-analysis applications. Built-in effects include bass boost, wah wah, and noise removal, and the program also supports VST plug-in effects. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.

I find myself constantly using Audacity for the same chores, and chances are, if you are making a podcast, you will too. First, I use it to record audio from a microphone or from some other source, like a tape deck or turntable. Then, if I recorded vocals, I edit the mistakes out, remove unwanted noise and pops between phrases, and create a composite of the best takes.

Sometimes I apply a few simple audio effects, like a compressor, to even out any peaks in the sound. The effects seem adequate, but they are only average to me. The biggest weak point here is that effects can only be applied destructively, which means you permanently change the audio when you effect it. You can not go back latter and turn a compressor off or tweek an EQ again the way you can in more advanced packages.

I can use Audacity to bring music beds in, create intros, and use sound effects, and then convert my finished project to MP3 format. Sometimes, I also import audio files that are giving me trouble, and view their waveforms to see if there are any visual clues as to what the problem might be.
The Tech Specs

Audacity can record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples, and up to 96 KHz. sample rate. What this means is that although some of it’s tools are simplistic, Audacity’s audio quality is no slouch; it performs up to professional standards.

There are unlimited Undo (and Redo), and the only limit to the number of tracks you can edit and mix are the limits of your computer’s processor and RAM. The program comes with several installed effects, including one that can help remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises. You can also load and use VST plug-ins with the add-on VST Enabler, which gives you access to the very big world world of free VST plug-ins online (although these will still be applied destructively).
What Audacity is Not

Audacity is not made for complex music production. I wouldn’t use Audacity for using loops or multi-tracking if I had a choice. One big reason why is because the different tracks in the work pane are not truly synced together. Each time you overdub a previous track with another recording, the track you record will be slightly out of time and behind the preexisting track.

This is not really a big deal for most podcasting jobs, where you can slide elements around, and it’s not that important to have them perfectly in sync. However, for multi-track music, this is a big problem. Audacity’s manual suggests making a sharp percussive sound (like the clack from a director’s board) on the first track, and hitting that sound again in time on the succeeding recordings, and then lining everything up visually. If you you hit the sync sound late on your take, you’re out of luck. This is pretty privative, so I hope an enterprising, open source code guru tackles this problem in the next release.
Bottom Line Time

Although it is not the end-all be-all of audio editors, Audacity has a simple tool set that works well, and many people decide to stay with it because it works for them. For those ready to take a step up to a more powerful audio editor, Adobe’s Audition offers tremendous power and flexibility, which has earned it the top spot among radio stations everywhere.

But many podcasters don’t need Audition’s firepower. For them, Audacity fills a niche for quality, free software from a trustworthy source, and I’m sure it enables many people to start podcasting who otherwise wouldn’t or couldn’t. And that’s definitely a good thing.

This editor can record and play sounds and import and export WAV, AIFF, MP3, and OGG files. Edit your sounds using cut, copy, and paste features (with unlimited undo functionality), mix tracks, or apply effects to your recordings. The program also has a built-in amplitude-envelope editor, a customizable spectrogram mode, and a frequency-analysis window for audio-analysis applications. Built-in effects include bass boost, wah wah, and noise removal, and the program also supports VST plug-in effects. Visit us for more software guide and software review.

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Originally posted 2010-04-25 21:35:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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