Perfect and clear sound is crucial to the wonderful of a musical masterpiece. You must remove any noise, low pitch, and distracting elements with audio editors.
If you don’t have the budget to pay for an expensive paid version, I’ve helped you find and choose the right one!
In this article, I will provide in-depth reviews for choosing a free audio editor. Continue reading my analysis and recommendations to find the suitable option for the sound effects of the project files you are working on.
1. Audacity
Specifications
- Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac
- Publisher: MuseGroup
Key Features
Audacity is my top recommendation in the list of best audio editing software with plugin support. I use it for my music projects because it allows me to create many new and unique effects.
Ease of use is its big plus. It has an intuitive interface design and a scientific layout of keys, which I think is very useful for users to access tasks quickly.
Due to its tendency to develop as open-source software, this editing tool has become an indispensable choice for professional creators.
In particular, this software also comes with volume level monitoring, which means it can identify problems as soon as you start recording.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://www.audacityteam.org/download/
Pros
- Free
- Easy to use
- Effective plugin support
- It comes with many advances.
- Features wide compatibility
Cons
- Many inconsistent features
2. Adobe Audition CC
Specifications
- Platforms: Windows, Mac
- Publisher: Adobe
Key Features
If you are looking for free programs with the best audio editing capabilities, Adobe Audition CC is not the wrong choice. I chose this software because many television, radio, and film professionals use it.
My biggest impression is its ability to record multiple channels from many different inputs simultaneously. In particular, it has many great tools to make my project stand out, such as reducing noise, mixing audio, and adding effects.
So far, I have had hundreds of music projects in the media production field. These successes are partly due to the help of this modern tool.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://www.adobe.com/products/audition.html
Pros
- Amazing effects
- High editing ability
- Friendly support service
- Powerful tools with high performance
Cons
- Difficult to use for beginners
- Inconsistent interface
3. Ocenaudio
Specifications
- Platform: Windows
- Manufacture: Ocenaudio
Key Features
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned audio editor, choosing easy-to-use support software is essential. With this in mind, I highly recommend the Ocenaudio software for its simplicity and low system resource requirements.
This helper tool has completed many projects in less than two hours. That said, it gives me spectral options and allows me to simultaneously make multiple changes to a single file.
Plus, it has a window pane showing a list of files and projects I’m using. It is handy when I need to organize files into a group for quicker editing and working.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://www.ocenaudio.com/
Pros
- Easy to use
- Fast performance
- High-quality spectral options
- Lots of fantastic filters and effects
Cons
- Not open-source software
4. Audiotool
Specifications
- Background Platforms: Windows, Mac
- Development Team: Audiotool
Key Features
If you are a severe professional with high demands on output recording quality, don’t miss this Audiotool editing software. The version provides the leading tools for creating, mixing, editing, and exporting professional music.
One standout feature unique to this software that I’ve found is connecting talented musicians worldwide and collaborating on tracks in real time. I have been with this feature since using it to learn and get more creative inspiration,
This software has given me a few surprises, one of which is the perfect bassline synthesizer.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://www.audiotool.com/
Pros
- Modern toolbox
- Sign up for free
- Integrate many artistic effects
- Include over 1 million great songs
- Quickly create and design your sounds.
Cons
- Term many features in the free version
5. Acoustica
Specifications
- Platform: Windows
- Provider: Acoustica
Key Features
I use Acoustica for recording, audio editing, and managing multiple files. Unexpectedly, it does the job well and always gives me a lot of great experiences.
It has a well-organized interface, and the tools are always at my fingertips. Therefore, I have a good impression and appreciate the consistency of this software.
Another outstanding advantage that is hard to ignore is the effect sequence. It provides a variety of high-quality effects and allows me to stack and use existing results simultaneously. Moreover, I can manually download many formats with plugin support.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://acondigital.com/products/acoustica-audio-editor/
Pros
- The effective layering of effects
- Fast performance
- Simple and easy-to-use tools
- Non-destructive editing
Cons
- Lacks some features
- Quite inconvenient for beginners
6. WavePad
Specifications
- Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac
- File Format Support: VOX, WMA, OGG…
Key Features
WavePad is the ideal solution to perform fast and efficient audio file conversion tasks efficiently and quickly.
This software comes with a simple, easy-to-use interface and has all the necessary tools and features such as equalizer, auto-blur, crop file to the desired format, add the content, and finally export the project.
Like Acoustica, this software also comes with a community forum to exchange, inspire and brainstorm ideas among like-minded people. It has many features, controls, and resources to help you handle many complex tasks.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html
Pros
- Rich resources
- Fast file conversion
- Great plugin support
- Simple, easy-to-use interface
- Many useful features and controls
Cons
- Knot supports editing multiple files at the same time
7. Ableton Live
Specifications
- Platform: Windows, Mac
- Manufacturer: Ableton
Key Features
Ableton Live is an essential standard for professional music creators. It provides controls and tools for recording live performances or music studio creation.
I used it with the desire to create a project with a modern EDM music style. As the standard version supports more than 256 connection channels with other advanced features, this software is the perfect choice for all my needs.
Plus, it’s packed with unique power-shifting, performance tweaking, and looping of new instruments.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://www.ableton.com/
Pros
- Experience
- Record or create live music
- Conveniently work with multiple tracks
- Support hundreds of quick tones, instruments, effects
Cons
- High cost for versions upgrade later
8. TwistedWave
Specifications
- Platform: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows
- Provider: TwistedWave
Key Features
Finding the audio editors with broad compatibility is necessary if you don’t work permanently on a particular platform.
Based on this criterion, I would like to recommend you the version of TwistedWave, which is the best for the operating platform.
When working on Mac, it is a powerful tweaking program with many advanced tools and features that are easy to use. When used with an iPad or iPhone, it becomes a portable receiver at home and can do anything from any location.
I also tried running it on other online platforms. It works great and doesn’t require me to install or download any complicated task because its simple interface is full of those things.
One of the versions works great on many platforms and has excellent flexibility.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://twistedwave.com
Pros
- High flexibility
- Easy to use
- Wide compatibility
- Free download and registration
- Many efficiency enhancement tools and features
Cons
- Few effects and filters
9. Fission
Specifications
- Platform: macOS
- Publisher: Rogue Amoeba
Key Features
Rogue Ameba, a brand known for providing excellent music editors, has successfully created Fission software for macOS systems. I love the lightweight, simple structure with fast editing and lossless features of this software.
I tried cutting, concatenating, and editing several projects on it right after the free installation. It gives quick access to various editing tools, performs batch fine-tuning, and instantly publishes recordings in one go.
The intelligent split feature is worth noting. It allows me to split my audio files quickly and automatically remove unnecessary components.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://rogueamoeba.com/fission/
Pros
- Many smart features
- Provide metadata editing
- No data loss when editing
- Compact structure and easy to use
Cons
- Only suitable for macOS systems
10. Wavosaur
Specifications
- Platform: Windows XP
- Manufacture: Wavosaur
Key Features
I love this software’s audio recorder and support for many input audio formats such as wave, mp3, and 8svx. It helps me make the project edit different files efficiently and quickly.
This software also includes advanced features to serve complex requirements such as 3D analysis, statistics, ultrasound, and frequency spectrum. Therefore, I am always proud of every first recording, out of a more precise and vivid quality.
I tried mixing multiple sounds and then proceeded to edit and add effects to the song. It is worth mentioning that it has all the advanced functions and features I need to complete that challenge.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://www.wavosaur.com/
Pros
- Vivid effects
- Excellent mixing features
- Clear quality recordings
- Well fulfills complex analysis requirements
- Support a wide variety of input audio formats.
Cons
- Interface and some quite complicated options
11. Reaper
Specifications
- Platform: Windows
- Integrated support: TranzPort, AlphaTrack, MCU
Key Features
I work in a live broadcast and have a home commercial studio. Therefore, I always look for an audio editor with a complete feature set, floating stability, and flexibility. And you should consider Reaper software if you are like me and have high requirements for these features.
Without worrying much about the operating platform, this software installs and runs well on both network and removable drives. For most professionals, this feature is essential.
Besides, it gets third-party plugin support with thousands of stunning effects that allow me to process the audio to output quality recordings efficiently.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://www.reaper.fm/
Pros
- Fast downloads
- Efficient to use
- Super smooth internal sound processing
- Easy to customize keyboard layout and interface
Cons
- Too many updates per week
12. FL Studio
Specifications
- Platform: Windows, iOS, Android
- Provider: FL Studio
Key Features
I use FL Studio to create and save projects and export them to different formats to share with the world.
This software uses many plugins and effects, so I always have many tweaks and opportunities to develop and improve my music creation skills.
Another feature unique to this software is the ability to work well with all different resolutions and sizes, from TV screens to smartphones. It adds even more flexibility to its interface design.
Last but not least, it also gives me many suggestions and the best ways to output the final quality recording.
Price: Free
Website Link: https://www.image-line.com/
Pros
- Flexible interface
- Fresh, dynamic effects
- Remote collaboration capabilities
- Easily publish recordings in many formats
Cons
- Paid for updates Update
How To Choose?
When choosing audio editing software, you should consider many factors, such as recording, add-ons, export methods, and editing. Let’s see via this section!
Recording options
Whether you need to record from the outside or through separate channels, I strongly recommend choosing software with many recording options.
Plugins and add-ons
Plug-ins and add-ons are critical to the scalability and functionality of any music editing software. Besides, consider what you will pay as not every option is free.
Export options
Each format, such as wav, mp3, or podcast, requires a separate project resolution and output option. So, quality is what matters in the end.
Editing features
Everyone’s recording needs and design are different. Therefore, check what you are doing to choose the software that provides the most appropriate and effective editing features support.
The number of channels supported.
The audio editors’ purpose and frequency will determine the number of support channels you need.
If you’re producing podcasts, I recommend choosing between 3 and 4 tracks. Dozens of channels are the bare minimum when you use them in big bands.
Conclusion
Many people argue that the free audio editors are often tricky to use. However, many free versions are relatively easy to use and helpful for beginners.
Audacity is the perfect template that can be compatible with many recording patterns. Also, Fission offers the ability to subdivide the editing sound layer.
Finally, let me know your opinion on the ideal option in the section below.
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