Audacity 2.0.5 is a free, cross-platform application that can record, edit and export audio files with ease. You can also import, edit and save various audio files and apply many different effects to them. This app can process MP2, MP3, WAV, AC3, AIFF, AU, FLAC and OGG audio files and supports 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit samples. All sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering. On top of that, you can use it to record audio through a microphone or from a line input, USB device, etc.

Features

• Records live audio from any source

• Imports and exports to many audio formats

• Supports 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit samples

• Provides simple editing tasks

• Adds several built-in effects

• Native plug-in support

• Works on Windows, Linux and mac OS X

Multiple channels can be recorded at once with Audacity if you have the appropriate hardware. Users are provided with time recording and sound activating features. Streaming audio can also be captured and all tracks with different sample rates or formats are converted automatically in real time. The editing with this app is easy as long as you can only cut, copy, paste or delete audio fragments. Users can go back unlimited number of steps as well as they are allowed to have multiple clips per track. Every user can rely on a large range of keyboard shortcuts which can speed up a lot the processing time.

Interface

The interface that Audacity offers is neither complicated nor simple. All playback control buttons are placed on top. Several useful icons are located nearby the playback buttons. Every channel level is separately displayed and you can easily control their volume levels. The wave tracks are displayed further down. It is quite easy to understand every button function, since you can try it and if you do not like the result, to go back a step or two.

Rich audio effects can change the way your track sounds. Noise processing, equalization, bass, high/low pass filters, fade in/out, normalize, reverse, echo and phaser filters are some of the effect you can use. Both channel frequencies can be visualized with their spectrogram views. Each channel is shown as a separate track, but you apply to both of them the effects you want.

Basic Operations

Audacity is a highly configurable program. There are a lot of program settings and options that can be tweaked in order to provide you with excellent recording, editing and exporting capabilities. Other than that, you can use it to create voice-overs for podcasts or DJ sets using the Auto Duck effect. Removing vocals from suitable stereo tracks in not a difficult task too.

Conclusion

To sum things up, Audacity is great for all types of users. It has everything a decent audio editor includes, but at the same time it is not hard to use at all. Only first time users may face little problems, while learning its functions, but after that, they also will be able to use it like pros. If you got interested so far in it, we advise you to give it a try and if you like it, spend some more time with it and begin your new carrier as an audio editor.