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Audacity
Audacity is a free audio editor. You can record sounds, play sounds, import and export WAV, AIFF, and MP3 files, and more. Use it to edit your sounds using Cut, Copy and Paste (with unlimited Undo), ...
Average of 57 user ratings:
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- Jan 23, 2009
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Simply...the best audio editor! 
Who doesn't know Audacity? It has to be the best free audio editor around. Very easy to use, very simple, very fast, and offers many features.
- Oct 20, 2008
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Better and better 
The newer it's versions, the better it becomes. It's as good as superior. Very nice program to record e.g. old cassettes and LP's to digital format [preferably mp3, 128mbits, 44khz, dual-channel]. In the case of recording old things to new things, try (to learn to use) the functions 'denoise' [remove background noise] and 'normalize' within the program. Some things ask some figuring out, but they usually work swell. Very good musical programming effort!
Review by: PogMoHon (4)
Read all 4 reviews by PogMoHon
- Sep 04, 2008
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Audacity perfection 
Oh yeah, if there is a tool I use for audio, it's this one. I won't use others but have tried them. Audacity is numero uno. It's sound capture, sound enhancement, and anything else right down to editing sounds, is just the best. It works fast, saves easily, turns some terrible sounding music to great or bearable, assuming you know how to use it of course. Audacity is only as good as the user, meaning, get to know it, it won't disappoint! I could never believe it's free but hey, I am not complaining!
Review by: gimpguy (369)
Read all 369 reviews by gimpguy
- Aug 04, 2008
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Outstanding! 
Although it's not listed as working under Vista, it has performed very well on my Compaq while editing very large mp3 files. I tried other editing software, some were shareware with free trial time, and their asking prices were from $29 to $99 and they did not perform as well as Audacity! Thank you for such a great program!
Review by: Jims2cheap4you
First post
- Apr 22, 2008
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Get this one! 
The best free audio editor in my humble opinion.
Review by: gusimio (26)
Read all 26 reviews by gusimio
- Mar 30, 2008
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Nice easy piece of software 
Have been using this for a while without too many problems. It does have limitations when playing back edited portions of music in that it plays such a small section of your changes you don't get a feel for how the changes will come out. Thank goodness for the undo function. I still use this as a main tool for editing wav files, In particular the editing of wave files taken from records. I have found it useful for this due to the click removal tool which is quite effective. For a free program this is a nice piece of software if you are like me and don't have much money. Would still highly recommend this to anyone who needs to do some wave editing and converting.
Review by: Philipgrey (10)
Read all 10 reviews by Philipgrey
- Aug 30, 2007
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Greatest free audio tool 
It may not have all the features of Garageband (Mac) or Mixcraft (Windows) but for free it works great for basic editing for my family blog.
Review by: TrevorY (2)
Read all 2 reviews by TrevorY
- Jul 18, 2007
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Useless for editing 
It looks good, has lots of functions but if you want to do any editing, look elsewhere. The whole point of editing is to be able to listen to the track as you are adjusting it. You can't do this at all with Audacity. It's a complete waste of time.
Review by: OnionTerror
First post
- Jun 08, 2007
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Very well done! 
Very well done program for capturing audio then mixing it. I helped a clint record or rip all of old record collections to MP3 format. Very easy to use. This also comes in a USB version that works just great as well!
Review by: hrwasp (56)
Read all 56 reviews by hrwasp
- May 01, 2007
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Check this out. 
Audacity is a great program for mixing music, but it needs a bit of fixing. Sometimes when you have made a lot of work it freaks out, shots down, and you loose all the work you have spend ours making. It has happened to me more than once. Theres also some graphical problems. For instance when you shrink the tracks to get "the big picture" while listening, it chops up the music. If you want to gain the volume in part of a track (effect - amplifi), its not possible, because it amps way to much in just one step. But besides that its a great program, and i will highly recommend that you check it out. If you record from internet radio stations (with Station Ripper for instance) you often get the end of the previous track in the beginning, and loose the end of the track youre recording. With Audacity you can make cool megamixes of these tracks.
Review by: Acidfreak (2)
Read all 2 reviews by Acidfreak
- Apr 11, 2007
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Audacity, all studio you need! 
If you like to play your instrument and not are so in to moving small cubes hither dither as you create your music i highly recommend this open source program Audacity. Its probably mainly created to edit talk or such but its the best PLOINK creator there is.
Review by: jimjimblund
First post
- Apr 08, 2007
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Powerful and usable 
I've used Audacity to convert WAVs into high bit-rate MP3s, to record off vinyl LPs, to adjust volume (amplitude), and to play with some sound files "creatively." It's a good, stable application, and I prefer it to NTi's wave editor (which I paid for). With version 1.2.3 there is a problem with memory management-- trying to convert edited WAVs to MP3s, I got "out of memory" errors (with XPpro and 1GB RAM?); the easy workaround is to close Audacity after finishing one file, before starting another (XP will take care of RAM use, then). And newer versions may have fixed this problem (I just haven't done any monster files recently); even if not, restarting the application between files is a small price to pay for such an otherwise versatile and dependable [and free!] audio editor.
Review by: D_Spider (27)
Read all 27 reviews by D_Spider
- Jan 17, 2007
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Nice and simple! 
Does what it needs! Crop, paste copy parts of audio files. Can have a GOOD zoom and its VERY easy to use. Just remember that you'll need to download lame_enc.dll file in order to export MP3.
Review by: R2-D2_ (14)
Read all 14 reviews by R2-D2_
- Dec 13, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.6
Just a great tool! 
I was looking for a program to record and play around with mp3 files. After installing the lame_enc.dll it's exactly what I want. Easy to handle, small and intuitive. And the best, it's free.
Review by: steve33
First post
- Nov 22, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4b
Get audacity - it is awesome... it is free 
I highly recommend Audacity. If you need to record or work with audio, get it. It's the best around for the price, and if you are into music and on a budget, this will get the job done. I have other high-end audio software, but sometimes they are just overkill for sketchpad song recording, or smaller tasks. I have successfully used it for years with no troubles. Get it. Use it. Love it. Be thankful that someone out there took the time to create this for us. Thanks, M
Review by: IPushHard
First post
- Nov 19, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4b
It is buggy 
While this program features decent digital multitracking format, there are a few qualities associated with the program that make me think there are a lot of better ones out there. Of course you lose quality as you record onto a real time format from whatever source you are coming, but since there is no graphic equalization, you lose so very much when you rec. onto audacity, and you dont get to take advantage of all that might be there. The biggest problem i have with audacity is that when the tracks get too long, audacity frequently crashes losing all data you put into it. I have been using audacity recently to reformat and archive my drum machine tracks/patterns so the limit on file length is a big problem, especially if (and most people would)you want more than one tempo per pattern. The program does have recovery software, which is far out, but it probably wont work. It is buggy, and asks for details that are not available to computer users who havent taken a class. I lost art!
Review by: kylaudio
First post
- Nov 10, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4b
You cannot top this tool 
I've been using Audacity for years. You can't buy a better audio editor. True, the lame encoder is not included. To do that, they would have to license it, and Audacity wouldn't be free, would it? Search for lame.dll in another folder on your PC, or download from any of 100's of web sites. It's free for users, not for distribution. If you don't like Audacity, it's out of your league.
Review by: Cinema_Man
First post
- Oct 08, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4b
Give it a try, i did. great. 
Recommended to me,so I gave it a try. Soon found out you need lame dll [ available in Snapfiles ]. Very easy to make a ringtone, save to a folder, then IR or Bluetooth to your mobile. l use it to tart up my tracks to put into Powerpoint. Easy to use, if result not quite right, it is easy to work back and redo till you get what you want. In short, very good.
Review by: LenTheWizard (8)
Read all 8 reviews by LenTheWizard
- Sep 24, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4b
Can't be beat ! 
I'm usually verbose about my reviews. Not here: Audacity is one of the truly great freeware, open-source products. It supports 16, 24, 32-bit audio, multiple tracks, and every conceivable function. It's free, and thankfully free of adware, extra unwanted features or services that run in the background. It is better than other competing software, including those costing $1000-2000; and includes many offbeat functions like Karaoke extraction. It's my first choice for any audio editing or augmentation. Unbeatable.
Review by: CharlesK (11)
Read all 11 reviews by CharlesK
- Sep 22, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4
Awesome freeware audio editor 
Very intuitive and works great. The first thing I grab when I need to make more complex edits to audio files. Possibly the best program of its type.
Review by: TerryP (56)
Read all 56 reviews by TerryP
- Aug 12, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4
Best damn program ever 
This program lets you cut and paste segments, record multiple layers of tracks while hearing the once you are mixing with, record from your mike, speakers, or a cd, and it has unlimited recording time, unlimited undoing, and it can even record while other audio devices are in use!!!
Review by: Azguard98 (18)
Read all 18 reviews by Azguard98
- May 27, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4
The most powerful!!! 
The best I have ever used!!
Review by: Daveinsuncity
First post
- Apr 06, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4
Tested audacity 
I already have a couple of audio editors and decided to give this one a try.The only problem that arose was when I tried to save my hours of work to an mp3, a message said, I needed to acquire ( LAME ). I already have it on other software and don't want to disturb it.It can be found on the internet if you want to go look for it, but,I found it easier to uninstall it and get an editor with it. Otherwise I'd recommend it to anyone. ( They should include the Lame program in their program ).
Review by: truthwins (3)
Read all 3 reviews by truthwins
- Mar 04, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4
For personal use you won't need more 
This have everything you need if you are not a professional.
Review by: ruleworld (6)
Read all 6 reviews by ruleworld
- Feb 03, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4
I use it for church recording 
I use this program to record and edit our sermons at my church. it is amazing
Review by: duck88
First post
- Jan 19, 2006
- For version:
- 1.2.4
Great!!!! 
Am a novice at recording found program extremely easy to use, great features. No problems with installation
Review by: The7thRaven (3)
Read all 3 reviews by The7thRaven
- Dec 01, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.4
Very very nice, and free! 
Great for just converting files to different format, recording music :), or editing music, very nice, and it's free!
Review by: Ghost_grey (56)
Read all 56 reviews by Ghost_grey
- Nov 20, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Great software 
One of the best freely available audio capture program on the net.
Review by: Fortra (11)
Read all 11 reviews by Fortra
- Nov 16, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Great program 
This is a great program.Theres nothing left to say.
Review by: thundermavs (2)
Read all 2 reviews by thundermavs
- Oct 20, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Perfect! 
I've tried many multi-recorder tools like record *what u hear* this software is the best i've seen in four years.. its free, full options and better then any others commercials softwares but dont take my word for granted, just try it !
Review by: alpha9 (2)
Read all 2 reviews by alpha9
- Oct 01, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Makes great ringtones 
You can use this program to make ringtones for your cell phone (as long as your phone can support MP3 tones aka realtones). Just select the section of the song you want to use and convert it to a 32kbps MP3 file. Upload the file to your website and use your phone's browser to point to that URL; it should start downloading right away. You might even be able to email it to your phone.
Review by: shatterstar (6)
Read all 6 reviews by shatterstar
- Aug 22, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Better than the big buck programs 
I record alot of stuff here at home. Live music, songs etc. and frankly after using high end stuff like Adobe Audition, this has everything I used in Adobe but a hell of a lot less CPU stress. Adobe does a big 26M where audacity uses a mere 5!! Multi tracking is easy and frankly with shelling out 3 bills for and upgrade to Adobe 1.5, I said "it time for a change" Every single piece of software on my PC is Freeware or open source and I donate!! HATS OFF to Audacity and open source...I'd rather pay (donate) to the free stuff and get a product like this...OUTSTANDING WORK!!!! If you record, dub or just play with audio than try, get and support this software...you will not be disappointed!!!
Review by: MiCKinCanada (4)
Read all 4 reviews by MiCKinCanada
- Aug 19, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
The best 
This program is perfect. It makes editing tracks simple.
Review by: NCSUCo
First post
- Jul 03, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Top program 
I give this program 5 stars lol. Use the along with the lame encoder and you can record anything that you hear through your speakers and export it in mp3 format. Quality of the sound is very good. :-)
Review by: MarkSmith
First post
- May 03, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Great sound mixing and editing 
The software is great! The only problem is the apparent lack of help and tutorials... I haven't been able find any real guides on using plugins and all the features, so I am just figuring it all out. This software is truly exceptional and free! You can record, edit, mix, enhance and export you music out to all the popular format. Audacity is A+
Review by: jeriku
First post
- Apr 28, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Fan dancing tastic! 
I would not use Audacity as a music mixing software as I compose music using Trackers such as FT2 (Fast Tracker 2) and midi programs such as Cakewalk. However, when it comes to making samples for the music or .SBK files for my SBLIVE, it's absolutely fantastic! I also had the crippled version of ... and for a while used ..., but they do not come close to the ease of use and power of Audacity. The speed in which Audacity converts files, or adds an effect was astounding and I pity anyone that has had to pay for something like ... Well done to the Author and Snapfiles for making it easily available. Who says that these days you don't get anything for free? Cheers from Aussie land guys.
Review by: dessnr (3)
Read all 3 reviews by dessnr
- Apr 23, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Exellent multitrack recorder/editor 
I've been recording/editing/mastering/mixing sound for almost 30 yrs. Audacity is a A1+ sound recorder, configured right it is as good/better than most bought sound recorders/editors out there. Professional musicians I know have installed Audacity on their home PC's & have told me that it works very good for them. It allows you to create your own music without the $$$ some sound studios want. Excellent product. I recommend it to anyone & everyone involved in audio recording/mixing/mastering.
Review by: dejc/aadservices
First post
- Apr 10, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Audacity totally rocks 
This totally rocks! Finnaly...i've found the program to mix sounds. You gotta download this! [Ultra-Extreme Recommended]
Review by: agent52 (2)
Read all 2 reviews by agent52
- Mar 21, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Audacity, the name says it all, check it out. 
Never thought that this little FREEWARE was really formidable,though when starting out it seemed like I could not figure it out but just takes a little patience and you have the best little DAVID going against all the big Goliath's. It's just phenomenal, easy to use and the best Audio Freeware ever tried out yet and competes any time with Sharewares. Just try it out and you'll experience it's Effects and excellent sound. Audacity yes, very Audacious.
Review by: Alfredo (11)
Read all 11 reviews by Alfredo
- Feb 17, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Simply awesome! 
As long as Ive know Audacity to be available on SnapFiles, I cant believe that I never took the time to give this dandy application a review. My review title says it all: Simply Awesome! I have never had one single error, crash or corrupted audio file using this application. This is the best. And its a breeze to use. My young children were recording audio and mixing sound effects within minutes.
Review by: Geejay (21)
Read all 21 reviews by Geejay
- Jan 30, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
It compromised my laptop 
For some reason, the sound system on my IBM laptop failed while using Audacity so now no sound can be heard. Also the volume controls on input and output are buggy. Without that, it would be a fair recorder.
Review by: Amiduffer
First post
- Jan 22, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Very excellent piece of freeware! 
One word to describe this freeware ... Nice!
Review by: homeflash (54)
Read all 54 reviews by homeflash
- Jan 02, 2005
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Very good-for very cheap 
Actually its free. Very simple to use and numerous features. Better than some software the costs money.
Review by: fraggedbylaggers
First post
- Dec 26, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Audacity outstanding 
What a superb product! as a novice, I was looking for a simple program to shorten wav files (to use in a Flash movie) but this program makes me itch to know more. Truly outstanding. Thanks to audacity and SnapFiles. Vincent
Review by: vincent (4)
Read all 4 reviews by vincent
- Dec 20, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.3
Audacity, beautiful! 
It's better then the commercial ones!
Review by: James-007 (2)
Read all 2 reviews by James-007
- Nov 16, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.2
Great audio editing software 
I'm a music producer, and I was looking for a free but complete audio editing software to record and edit samples. Audacity's interface is very user-friendly and it doesn't take more than half an hour to familiarize one self with all the features/functions. Highly reccomended.
Review by: Philip (8)
Read all 8 reviews by Philip
- Oct 15, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.2
Perfect 
This program is just perfect, it looks like a professional program for absolutely nothing! i use it for every audio project i do
Review by: Smogersnots (8)
Read all 8 reviews by Smogersnots
- Oct 11, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.2
Easy, simple, effective, freeware. 
Easy, simple, effective, freeware...and uuuhh i can save my recordings to mp3 format..thats great!
- Oct 11, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.2
Audacity is a wonderful program! 
I am very happy to have found this download! I was able to export Mp3s and get them where I needed them quite easily.Thanks to the folks at Audacity and to everyone at WebAttack! I appreciate your generosity.
Review by: prymate1 (4)
Read all 4 reviews by prymate1
- Oct 03, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.0
Incredible! does the lot, and it's free! 
I read the other reviews (thanks guys) and tried it. Used it for capturing and upgrading my precious vinyl onto CD, cleaning up sound etc. Also, improving video soundtracks before burning to DVD. Replaces several other good tools with just one, and there's still a bunch of interesting FREE plugins I haven't tried yet.
Review by: mikesantana (34)
Read all 34 reviews by mikesantana
- Sep 21, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.0
I can't believe it's not shareware! 
This program is brilliant! I've used it to make .mp3s and .wavs recorded from line in & mic input and edit multiple tracks at one time, cut from one and paste into another. I can plug my guitar into my amp modeler and that into my computer and record myself playing and *really* hear where my mistakes are. :) I used Cool Edit for a while, the crippled version, but now I can use Audacity and record, play, edit, apply various effects, import audio and save in the format I choose. Try it and I bet you'll want to burn it to a CD.
Review by: Carter (4)
Read all 4 reviews by Carter
- Sep 10, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.0
Also a great extractor! 
Audacity was able to do alone what Game Audio Player, Extractor, Multiripper, and JetAudio were unable to do all together: extract the audio files from a favorite PC game (through its Import Raw Data feature), and convert them to MP3 and WAV. Thanks!
Review by: ranprieur
First post
- Aug 23, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.0
Elliott 
This is a terrific piece of software. Easy to use and very effective
Review by: Elliott
First post
- Aug 12, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.0
A keeper! 
I have used Polderbits (very simple, excellent for LP's to CD's copying, no effects, you have to buy after a trial period); I used WavePad (advanced yet easy to use, has effects, you have to buy after a trial period); but I am using Audacity (more difficult to use - is more advanced, but has excellent features for mixing music e.g., for dancing performance or for removing cracks from my LP's copied tracks). With Audacity I did not have any problem with installation; you may need to read the manual on the features since it's more advanced; you have to download lame_enc.dll for .mp3 use but it works fine). I am very happy with it - can do a lot with it. I recommend to anybody!
Review by: tomaashe (10)
Read all 10 reviews by tomaashe
- Jul 28, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.0
Good program 
I use Audacity to edit wav and MP3 files. I like it alot. Be sure to download the free Lame software to be able to save edits to MP3 files. Lame can be accessed from the Audacity web site. The Audacity web site also has VST Enabler free download so as to support VST plug-ins. You will want it too.
Review by: GeorgeH (12)
Read all 12 reviews by GeorgeH
- Jul 13, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.0
A great recorder! 
This program is great! I've used it to record records and it does a SUPER job at it. It's the best program that I've found around.
Review by: pepsiboy69_69
First post
- May 25, 2004
- For version:
- 1.2.0
Great utility 
I started looking for recorder so I could record my LP's to MP3 I have tried a lot and Audacity is the one I stayed with. It has all the features I want especially when working with LP's or Cassettes. The only thing I do not use it for is cutting the finished files for that I use MP3directcut also available from Snapfiles. It works for me and I have recorded over 200 LP's using Audacity Thank You Audacity!!
Review by: woyliam (5)
Read all 5 reviews by woyliam
