Recording and EffectsĪudacity lets you record in either 16-bit or 24-bit audio. The meters clearly display clipping (if there is any) and are easily visible from across the room. Audacity can also record when it hears a sound at a certain threshold even if the recording starts early, you can simply chop the offending part off later. Audacity allows you to set a timer to begin recording after a small interval, in case, for example, your recording position is somewhere away from the computer itself. You can quickly select between the available audio sources via the drop-down menu underneath the sound level meters on top. 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. Start Recording Podcasts and MusicĪudacity is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. 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. 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. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.

Audacity spectrogram editing