Audacity is a free, open source digital audio editor and recording application. 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.
You can use Audacity to:
- Record live audio.
- Record computer playback on any Windows Vista or later machine.
- Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
- Edit WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP2, MP3 or Ogg Vorbis sound files.
- AC3, M4A/M4R (AAC), WMA and other formats supported using optional libraries.
- Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together.
- Numerous effects including change the speed or pitch of a recording.
- Write your own plug-in effects with Nyquist.
- And more! See the complete list of features.
What"s new in Audacity 2.3.0:
- New feature – “Punch and Roll Recording”
- Pinned-play-head can now be repositioned by dragging
- Play-at-speed now can be adjusted whilst playing.
- Toolbars controlling volume and speed can now be resized for greater precision
- Macros (formerly ‘Chains’) substantially extended
- New Macro palette
- Macros can be bound to keyboard keys
- New commands
- New ‘Tools’ menu
- New ‘Scriptables’ commands
- Nyquist gains AUD-DO command
- Nyquist effects are now translatable and translated
- More dialogs have help buttons now
- Increased legibility of trackname display
- Half-wave option for collapsed tracks
- Sliding Stretch
- Dialog (option) for entering labels
See: 2.3.0 New Features for longer descriptions and links on how to use the new features.
Over 90 bugs that were in 2.2.2 fixed, including
- Windows: Queen Mary 1.7.1 Vamp plug-ins crash Audacity on opening Plug-in Manager – bug #1244
- Inconsistent behavior when recording with a selection defined – bug #1839
- Ctrl + M does not open label for editing – bug #1852
- Vertical Zoom in by clicking in the vertical Scale, or context menu, in waveform views is inconsistent – bug #1810
- Deletion of all tracks cannot be undone – bug #1845
- Timer Record with a selection present can get a truncated recording with data loss – bug #1851
- Duplicate shortcuts can be created – bug #1786
- Labels longer than 260 characters are now supported – bug #1905
- Using Spectrogram Settings in TCP or using Preferences causes Audacity to reset Project Rate to default rate in Quality Preferences – bug #1977
- Cut Preview should play all selected/sync-locked tracks, respecting Mute/Solo during preview – bug #231
Download: Audacity 2.3.0 | 25.5 MB (Open Source)
Download: Audacity 2.3.0 Standalone | 12.3 MB
View: Audacity Home Page