Audacity is a free audio editor and audio recorder for Windows and Mac. Audacity can be used for many purposes: - Cutting, copying, splicing and mixing sounds together - Editing Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files - Converting tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs - Recording live audio - Changing the speed or pitch of a recording. |
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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.
- 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
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.
- Load VST plugins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
- Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.
Analysis
- Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
- “Plot Spectrum” command for detailed frequency analysis.
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How to allow Audacity to export MP3 files?
Follow these instructions to use the free LAME encoder to export MP3 files with Audacity.
1) Go to the LAME download page http://lame.buanzo.com.ar/.
2) Under "For Audacity on Windows", left-click on the link "libmp3lame-win-3.97.zip" and save the zip folder to anywhere on your computer.
3) When you have finished downloading the ZIP folder, unzip it and save the file lame_enc.dll that it contains to anywhere on your computer.
4) The first time you use the "Export as MP3" command, Audacity will ask you where lame_enc.dll is saved.
Optional Downloads:
You can download and install plug-ins to add extra effects to Audacity. Plug-ins appear at the bottom of the "Effect" menu. To install new plug-ins, place them in the Plug-Ins folder inside the Audacity installation folder. This is usually under "Program Files."
VST Plugins
Audacity can load VST effects using the optional VST Enabler.
1) First, download and install the VST Enabler. http://audacityteam.org/vst/vst-bridge-1.1.exe
2) Place your VST plug-ins, into the “Plug-ins” folder in the Audacity installation folder. (it is usually under Program Files)
You can find VST effects on many plug-in sites: Hitsquad, KVRAUDIO, Plugins Directory
3) The next time you start Audacity, your VST effects will appear at the bottom of the “Effect” menu.