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- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: November 17, 2006
- Total Downloads: 3,335,093
- Downloads last week: 11,644
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 544 votes
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CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
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.
Publisher's description
From Audacity Developer Team :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.
Version 1.2.6 enables FLAC support and contains some bug fixes.
What's new in this version:
Version 1.2.6 enables FLAC support and contains some bug fixes.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.4 stars out of 544 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 304 user reviewsSee all 304 user reviews
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11 out of 14 people found this review helpful
Version: Audacity 1.2.6
"I think its great; especially for podcasting"
Pros: Its great because its open-source and very easy to use. It also somes with some great editing features you usually don't get for free in normal studio software editors!
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12 out of 12 people found this review helpful
Version: Audacity 1.2.6
"One of the best sound editors at any price"
Pros: This one is up there with the very best commercial software, and preferable to several major editing suites. Totally flexible: every functional aspect of the software can be configured to suite whatever project, and whatever hardware setup, you are working with. Seamless export to major formats; basic plugins for every sort of post-production work come as part of the download. A separately downloadable package of LADSPA plugins takes this to full professional post-production standards.
Cons: Interface is very plain, certainly quite free from eye-candy of any sort, and can look a little daunting at first acquaintance. Use the excellent help file though, and the downloadable manual - and a little patience - and it will all make sense.
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18 out of 19 people found this review helpful
Version: Audacity 1.2.6
"One of the best, if not THE BEST, audio production software available"
Pros: Free with no limitations and no malware, perfect for recording analog to digital (audio cassettes to audio CDs or .mp3 format), good for audio editing before finalizing projects, a lot of built-in effects, low memory usage, mini pop-ups when hovering over a button is a great help, HELP file is excellent, one of the best written
Cons: Graphic user interface (GUI) is very basic, could be more user-friendly (more of an audio novice problem?)
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2 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Version: Audacity 1.2.6
Pros: When its about sound editing, I dont think i need more!
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0 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: Audacity 1.2.6
- See all 304 user reviews Write review
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