(Opens in a new window) Read Our Apple GarageBand (for Mac) ReviewĪudacity features a tremendous number of basic effects right out of the box. To get started with Audacity, either drag a sound you want to edit into the main window or click the record button to start recording from your computer's built-in microphone or attached audio interface. I tested Audacity 3.1.3 on a MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021, M1 Pro) with 16GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 (2nd Gen) audio interface, a Nektar Impact GX61 MIDI controller, and a 27-inch monitor. The system requirements are so minimal that it's not even worth mentioning them if your PC turns on and was built sometime in the past 10 or 15 years, it should be fine. Even so, Audacity is still many people's go-to for quick-and-dirty audio work, and in testing, it's easy to see why.Īudacity is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

While you get unlimited undos and redos, Audacity's edits are almost always destructive, so it won't replace a proper digital audio workstation like the Editors' Choice pick Avid Pro Tools.

It also offers flexible editing down to the sample level as well as spectrogram and spectral views for analyzing frequency response. The program lets you easily import, mix, and combine audio tracks (stereo, mono, or even multitracked recording) and render the output as one. A powerful, free, open-source audio editor that's been available for years, Audacity works smoothly with up to 32-bit/384kHz audio, complete with built-in dithering. If you're looking to start a podcast or record music, or if you just need a tool to assemble and convert some audio samples, it's tough to go wrong with Audacity.

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