Audacity
Audacity is a free,
easy-to-use audio editor and recorder.
Audacity
is cross-platform, using the wxWidgets software library to provide a
similar graphical user interface on several different operating
systems.
It is currently used in the OCR National Level 2 ICT course
for the sound creation unit.
Audacity won the SourceForge.net 2007 Community Choice Award
for Best Project for Multimedia.
Features include:
Recording
Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer,
or
digitize recordings from cassette tapes, vinyl records, or minidiscs.
With some sound cards, it can also capture streaming audio.
- Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
- Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
- Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel
hardware).
- Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and
after recording.
Import and Export
Import sound files, edit them, and combine them with other
files or
new recordings. Export your recordings in several common file formats.
- Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files
- Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad
- Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library
- Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD
- Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile
- Open raw (headerless) audio files using the
“Import Raw”
command
- Full support for FLAC
- Fast "On-Demand" import of WAV/AIFF files if read directly
from source
- Optional FFmpeg library for import/export of AC3/M4A/WMA
and import of audio from video files.
- Note: Audacity does not
currently support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted
file formats
Editing
- Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete
- Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps
- Very fast editing of large files
- Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks
- Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points
- Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool
Effects
- Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa
- Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background
noises
- Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass
Boost effects
- Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize
effects
- Other built-in effects include:
- Echo
- Phaser
- Wahwah
- Reverse
- Vocal Remover
Sound Quality
- Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point)
samples
- Record at up to 96 KHz
- Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality
resampling and dithering
- Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and
Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime
Plug-Ins
- Add new effects with LADSPA plugins
- Audacity includes some sample plugins by Steve Harris
- Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming
language
Analysis
- Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies
- “Plot Spectrum” command for detailed
frequency analysis
- Improved label tracks with Sync-Lock Tracks feature in the
Tracks Menu. Multiple clips per track. Tracks and selections can be
fully manipulated using the keyboard. Many more keyboard shortcuts
- Device Toolbar to manage inputs and outputs
- Automatic Crash Recovery
Return
to Audio Home Page
Audacity also features in our 'Linux
Equivalents to Windows Software' section. The category
selector below allows you to filter the different types of software
included
in that separate article.
Last Updated Sunday, March 18 2012 @ 07:01 AM EST
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