Audacity

Audacity is a free audio editing studio for Windows computers. This software boasts a very easy entry-level audio editing interface while still including some professional audio editing features for the more advanced users. Simply upload an audio file from within the app, and the soundtrack is visualized for you, often with separate streams for the right and left speaker. From here you can select from a menu of simple audio editing features to trim, copy, paste, or even draw audio.

Users can zoom in or out on a selected portion of audio, or specify (by starting and ending time) a portion of audio to fit the window. Once the user has selected the audio portion that they want, there is a host of options they can select, ranging from simple sound effects to professional tuning. From a menu labeled "effect," the user can choose to modify the bass or treble, amplify the sound, change pitch, change speed, change tempo, fade in or out, add echo, remove noise, reverse, reverb, truncate silence, or a multitude of other effects.

Users can also upload multiple different audio tracks, muting and enabling different tracks as they please. The separate audio tracks will display in a queue, and will go dark if they are muted. This allows for the very simple creation of mix tracks, copying and pasting portions from different tracks while adding effects or playing back multiple tracks simultaneously. Different audio tracks can also be set at different relative volumes to one another, allowing some tracks to play in the background and others more dominantly.

Audacity also supports adding audio tracks from microphone input, if the user wants to sing along or add their own sound effects or any variety. The controls feature a large "record" button and the microphone audio is added to the queue as a new track automatically. Both playback volume and microphone sensitivity can be configured from the main controls.

Once all the audio tracks are uploaded and edited, the user can play back their creation from within the app. A visual display shows the balance of audio in the left and right speaker. If the user is pleased with their creation, they can export the resultant audio in a variety of formats, including AIFF, WAV, MP3, OGG, FLAC, MP2, M4A, AC3, AMR, and WMA. The bit rate and quality can also be selected at the time of export. If users are not ready to export their audio, they can save the entire Audacity project for later and pick up exactly where they left off.

PROS

• A free Windows tool that still includes professional audio editing features.
• A good introductory tool for the aspiring audio editor.
• Exports audio in a variety of formats, including AIFF, WAV, MP3, OGG, FLAC, MP2, M4A, AC3, AMR, and WMA.
• The ability to work with numerous tracks at once and overlay multiple audio streams.
• Tools ranging from the simple cut and paste to sophisticated audio manipulation.
• A quick and easy solution to making mash-ups, silencing background noise, and other everyday tasks.

CONS

• Audacity does not have all the features of a professional studio.