Free, open-source audio editing
I’ve been writing and reviewing technology for PCMag and other Ziff Davis publications since 2005, and I’ve been full-time on staff since 2011. For six years, I was the editor-in-chief of ExtremeTech. I’ve been on CNBC and NPR’s All Things Considered talking tech, plus dozens of radio stations around the country. I’ve also written for two dozen other publications, including Popular Science, Consumer Reports, Computer Power User, PC Today, Electronic Musician, Sound and Vision, and CNET. I’ve written five books about retro gaming and computing:
If you're looking to get started in podcasting or recording music, it's tough to go wrong with Audacity. A powerful, free, open-source audio editor that's been available for years, Audacity is still the go-to choice for quick-and-dirty audio work.
If you’re looking to start a podcast or record music, or if you just need a tool to assemble and convert some audio samples, it’s tough to go wrong with Audacity. A powerful, free, open-source audio editor that’s been available for years, Audacity works smoothly with up to 32-bit/384kHz audio, complete with built-in dithering. The program lets you easily import, mix, and combine audio tracks (stereo, mono, or even multitracked recording) and render the output as one. It also offers flexible editing down to the sample level as well as spectrogram and spectral views for analyzing frequency response. While you get unlimited undos and redos, Audacity’s edits are almost always destructive, so it won’t replace a proper digital audio workstation like the Editors’ Choice pick Avid Pro Tools. Even so, Audacity is still many people’s go-to for quick-and-dirty audio work, and in testing, it’s easy to see why.
Audacity is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The system requirements are so minimal that it’s not even worth mentioning them; if your PC turns on and was built sometime in the past 10 or 15 years, it should be fine. I tested Audacity 3.1.3 on a MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021, M1 Pro) with 16GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 (2nd Gen) audio interface, a Nektar Impact GX61 MIDI controller, and a 27-inch monitor. To get started with Audacity, either drag a sound you want to edit into the main window or click the record button to start recording from your computer’s built-in microphone or attached audio interface.
You can quickly select between the available audio sources via the drop-down menu underneath the sound level meters on top. Audacity allows you to set a timer to begin recording after a small interval, in case, for example, your recording position is somewhere away from the computer itself. Audacity can also record when it hears a sound at a certain threshold; even if the recording starts early, you can simply chop the offending part off later. The meters clearly display clipping (if there is any) and are easily visible from across the room.
Audacity lets you record in either 16-bit or 24-bit audio. One of Audacity’s best qualities is that it can smoothly convert and combine any sounds you drag in, regardless of sample rate and formats. As for editing, users can cut and paste, duplicate, or delete audio, arrange multiple clips on the same track, and draw in edits right down to the sample level. The envelope tool allows you to add custom fades as well.
Audacity features a tremendous number of basic effects right out of the box. Preset EQ curves (such as AM Radio, Telephone, or 100Hz Rumble) are a click away, with a real-time preview in the dialog box; there are also simple Bass and Treble adjustments as well as high- and low-pass filters. A simple compressor, limiter, phaser, reverb, and wah-wah effects also appear among the options. Reversing audio or truncating silence takes just a single click. An Auto-Duck feature lets you add voiceovers on a podcast or radio track. Perhaps best of all, Audacity supports batch processes using chains of commands. For example, you can tune up a series of sound effects or stabs all at once without having to repeat the same tasks over and over.
Over the years, Audacity has added features such as improved automatic crash recovery, clip handle bars to move clips around more easily, snap guides, playback looping, punch-in recording, a drag-and-drop playhead, and resizable volume and speed toolbars. For version 3, it also switched over to the .AUP3 project format, which integrates all the scattered little data files that used to plague saving your work in progress. And as always, the Audacity team continues to stomp out bugs—well over 160 since the last time we tested the app in late 2019.
Nearly all edits are destructive, which is Audacity’s biggest limitation and the reason you may eventually want to step up to something else, like Apple Logic Pro X, Adobe Audition, or Ableton Live. While Audacity lets you edit audio in all kinds of ways, each edit can’t be undone or tweaked later unless you step through the Undo history and lose all the work you had done in between.
A simple, built-in mixer lets you get the relative levels and stereo position correct. You can also mute and solo individual tracks (these adjustments are not destructive), and new Smart Clips let you adjust the trim handles non-destructively while working. But while multitrack layering with Audacity is possible, a non-linear editing program like Reaper or GarageBand (with real-time effects) is better suited.
The useful Contrast Analysis feature compares the average RMS (root-mean-square) volume between different tracks for balancing a voice-over against background ambience or music effectively. For more than this, step up to Adobe Audition, especially if you need to adhere to broadcast standards for film, television, or radio.
Audacity imports and exports WAV, AIFF, AU, FLAC, and Ogg Vorbis files. You can now import and export MP3s natively; for the first time in version 2.3.2, the LAME MP3 encoder is finally bundled with Audacity now that the patent on the former has expired. An optional FFmpeg library lets you export AC3, AAC, and WMA files. Audacity also supports third-party VSTs and Audio Unit effect plug-ins. however, if you’re at this point, a nonlinear editor like GarageBand or Avid Pro Tools is probably a better option, so you don’t have to commit changes in sequence.
Since our last review update, Muse Group has acquired Audacity and updated its privacy policy to imply the company could share your personal data with employees, law enforcement, the US government, and Muse Group’s main office in Russia, which has provoked an outcry from the app’s fans. So far, no ill effects have materialized, and we’re still confident in recommending Audacity. It’s a capable editor that gives you much of the same power you used to have to pay good money for with Sony’s Sound Forge or the (long-departed) Bias Peak.
Audacity won’t replace a proper digital audio workstation or other nonlinear audio editors like the Editors’ Choice picks Apple Logic Pro and Avid Pro Tools, nor can it replace Propellerhead Reason when it comes to composing music with virtual instruments. However, if you want to start a new podcast or trim a batch of 100 sound effects for an indie game, Audacity should be your first stop. If your needs are light enough, Audacity could well be your last.
If you're looking to get started in podcasting or recording music, it's tough to go wrong with Audacity. A powerful, free, open-source audio editor that's been available for years, Audacity is still the go-to choice for quick-and-dirty audio work.
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I’ve been writing and reviewing technology for PCMag and other Ziff Davis publications since 2005, and I’ve been full-time on staff since 2011. For six years, I was the editor-in-chief of ExtremeTech. I’ve been on CNBC and NPR’s All Things Considered talking tech, plus dozens of radio stations around the country. I’ve also written for two dozen other publications, including Popular Science, Consumer Reports, Computer Power User, PC Today, Electronic Musician, Sound and Vision, and CNET. I’ve written five books about retro gaming and computing:
Adventure: The Atari 2600 at the Dawn of Console Gaming
Attract Mode: The Rise and Fall of Coin-Op Arcade Games
Breakout: How Atari 8-Bit Computers Defined a Generation
Faster Than Light: The Atari ST and the 16-Bit Revolution
Starflight: How the PC and DOS Exploded Computer Gaming 1987-1994
Before all this, I was in IT supporting Windows NT on Wall Street in the late 1990s. I realized I’d much rather play with technology and write about it, than support it 24/7 and be blamed for everything that went wrong. I grew up playing and recording music on keyboards and the Atari ST, and I never really stopped. For a while, I produced sound effects and music for video games (mostly mobile games in the 2000s). I still mix and master music for various independent artists, many of whom are friends.
Read Jamie’s full bio
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