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Durgesh K.
E-Learning, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Overall I have been very satisfied and continue to use the program both on windows and apple platforms.
Audacity is a free open source pro tool which provides all of the functionality that is present in a paid pro tool. The user friendly gui and the availability of audio effects and functions make Audacity the best tool for audio manipulation and editing.
The learning curve to learn the basics are a bit steep. The tool could use some of the modern day ux design but for all its limitations, the tool does its job very well which is editing audio.
Sassica C.
Music, self-employed
Used daily for 1-2 years
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This is a must have for freelancers. With everything going on right now, everyone is trying to save money and this program works well and adds value to my recordings. I use it personally and love that it is always improving. Occasionally I hit snags but that's common and is to be expected with open software. I have no complaints with this software and will continue to use it.
I love that it's easy to use. The best part for me is that you can download additional features and Plug-ins or even create your own if you know some coding. They make it easy to install Plug-ins and has built in support to help users out. I record live audio in different sessions. It doesn't limit how many projects I can work at a time like some other programs. Very flexible & allows me to use a bunch of different file format like WAV, AIFF, and MP3. The mixing tool is simple so I can easily mix tracks myself and bounce them out to cds or store for use in media players, or for uploading online. And I forgot to mention that it is 100% FREE!
It's an open software, which has some cons. Users make changes and adjustments which can impact the software negatively, and from time to time, you may have to download the latest version of the software for optimization. Since the update is not automatic like other programs, it can be time consuming. It didn't work well on my HP laptop, so I had to put the program on my computer which has faster programming and it seems to fix the issue.
Javier d.
E-Learning, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I've been using Audacity for nearly two decades now. When podcasts were something that radios wouldn't publish on their websites, I was part of a community that did the job of recording and "slicing" the most interesting parts of the programs of a new radio station which couldn't afford doing that job. And the program we used to do that was Audacity. Since that time, everytime I needed reliable software to edit audio files, I always came back to my trusted friend Audacity. It never disappoints. I use it now for my current job as a language teacher, in order to create my own podcasts or audio files to integrate in my videos or exercises for my students.
Best possible price (free). Easy to use and short learning curve. User friendly, yet effective. For a non professional use, it's better than most. For a professional use, there are better options, but there are also really expensive programs that are worse than Audacity. Reliable, solid and continuously updated.
I honestly have zero bad things to mention about this software. Could it be better? Yes, but having in mind the price (free), it's difficult. Asking for the moon, it would be great if Audacity could be used also as a proper audio file converter. That would make it even more awesome.
adam g.
Consumer Goods, self-employed
Used monthly for 2+ years
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When I need to learn songs sometimes the parts are complex. Audacity allows me to record my parts and slow them down to any speed I need to learn them. This made my life so much easier. Certainly there were and are a lot of costly programs that will do the same thing, but as the old saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Audacity solved my problem of needing something to help me learn my parts and so it as been invaluable!
For me personally I used it to help me learn my guitar parts for my band. It allowed me to capture audio from several sources and file them. I could then speed up, slow down as need be to learn and practice. Later on when I started to write some material it allowed me to create my own songs with multiple tracks. As I am still a noobie I am in awe of the people who can use Audacity to its fullest. My son writes all the music for his band and Audacity allowed him to write and record all the guitar parts as well as bass and drum tracks, mix and edit them. As well is allows him to write and record stems and store them for future use. He used Audacity for his first 2 cd's and I was amazed!
To be honest, I am such a beginner that there is nothing for me not to like. Perhaps if I had the time and need to really dive in I might find some things, but that is not the case. So far Audacity is everything I need and could hope for, and you can't beat the price!!
John BJ H.
Religious Institutions, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I have been very pleased with the capabilities of this program. It suits our needs to a tee.
Audacity is an affordable, feature-packed, editor that allows you to easily record, change, and enhance audio files. I love being able to take old audio tapes and record them directly into Audacity. Once in the program, it is simply a couple of clicks to eliminate background hiss. Easily import midi files directly from the source. Exports files in a wide range of common formats.
I would like a little more control over equalization while editing songs. Filtering out extraneous noise would be much easier. For example, I was trying to edit a background track for our church choir. The original recording had two beeps at one spot on the track. There is no way, that I can find, to eliminate that.
Cristhian Josue J.
Design, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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Personally, I use this software to record some voices in low spec PC's or when I need to record something quickly and easily, for these functions audacity is a great option, but when it comes to doing the full project I don't have the tools I would like to have, do I recommend audacity? Yes, but only as an alternative, not to use it as the main software.
Audacity is that software with most of us start in the audio recording and editing world, its facility of use and simplicity make it one of the most notable options for people who only want to record audio (plus it's free). Personally, I recommend this daw for people who only want to record voices for a podcast, or for musicians who only want to record demos in a quick and easy way, just by clicking the record button we will be doing everything we want.
Audacity is... very limited, it is good in its main function, but it really can't offer us much more, today there are daw's and free software more complete than audacity, searching in the web we can find advanced options for any musician, especially for people who focus on mixing and mastering, functions that are very difficult to do in audacity.
Stephen Zak P.
Information Technology and Services, self-employed
Used daily for 2+ years
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Audacity includes countless fundamental sound effects where you could also add various plugins. Preset EQ bends, are a major take away, with an ongoing sneak peak in the effects and features. There is an incredible Bass and High pitch changes as well as high-and low-pass channels. A basic compressor, limiter, phaser, reverb, wahwah and tremolo impacts likewise show up among the choices. Switching sound...
Audacity allows you to keep in either 16-digit or 24-bit sound. One of the most desirable characteristics that it can flawlessly change over and consolidate any sounds you haul in, paying little mind to test rate and organizations. Concerning altering, we can recorder, copy, or erase sound, orchestrate various sound effects on a similar track, and alter directly down to a sample level. The featuring functions permits you to add custom with fade in and fade out options also.
To be honest I don`t have anything that i don`t like about Audacity as it has always been my first choice for a pre production of my music and arranging the segments or stems for a fantastic collaboration or pre designed output.
Gary F.
Media Production, self-employed
Used daily for 2+ years
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With Audacity I'm able to do everything I need to do; manage the timeline, improve the quality of individual clips, equalize if I need more mid-tones, or move out too much bass.
Most, of course is the price - free. I appreciate that there's a huge amount of community support. You can master the program by watching YouTube videos.
I personally don't care for the fact you have to select your clip first before you can move it. Select the whole length of the clip you're moving. More drag and drop would be nice.
Joe K.
Media Production, 11-50 employees
Used weekly for 6-12 months
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I have had a joyous experience with Audacity.
Recording software is extremely expensive. Other brands can make it big impact on your financial situation. For a long time I have been a user of a very popular software editing program. My job requires me to have several computers. Many times I have faced the inability to install software on many machines. So I went with the next best thing. I looked for free stuff. I was so surprised when I started using Audacity. Not only did it have all the same functions, but it produced great sounding audio. Editing was simple, and I didn't have to go through complicated setups just to get the job done. It was like it worked right out of the box.
I really don't have anything to complain about Audacity. I would even recommend that this is the go-to software for anybody on a budget.
Guy P.
Architecture & Planning, self-employed
Used monthly for 2+ years
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At first, I was having trouble with another software when it came to converting the mix to an MP3 file. I downloaded the Audacity program and made the MP3 file in a few minutes. While, I was there, I saw other things it could be used for. In particular, the voiceovers. I also found it very helpful when collaborating with other artists.
Many times, software has a learning curve. (How long it takes to be proficient in what you bought the software for) I found Audacity to be quite easy to learn. The curve, for me was abbreviated.
I don't have a Con for this. Frankly, for the price, I didn't have a high bar set for it. But Audacity far exceeded my expectations.
Joel B.
Religious Institutions, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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Very positive. Nothing but good reviews.
Free. This the by far my favourite feature. It's a robust recording software for no cost!
There is nothing I don't like about it. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Eldar P.
E-Learning, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I mainly use it to record my voice and edit it, I also use it to fix the sound of my videos, it works well for my needs, it gives a lot of value for a free tool.
It's free software with many audio edit tools You can use it as a voice recorder with a microphone and also record sounds from the computer itself there are many effects and tools to change or fix your sound, I use it many times to clean the annoying "HISSS" noise from my tracks You can easily import and export your sounds with the formats: MP3, WAV, OGG, and MIDI and you can also use it as a sound format converter There is multi-language support.
It's not very user-friendly at the start, you need to use some tutorials on the web but it's not difficult to find, I recommend to start using it and looking for tutorials for your specific edit needs.
Debora T.
Animation, 11-50 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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My overall experience with audacity is a satisfactory one.
What I like the most about this software is that Is not expensive compared to other audio softwares.
I really didn’t dislike anything on this software.
Michael G.
Media Production, self-employed
Used other for 2+ years
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If you are looking for a great solution for editing sound files, look no further than Audacity. I'm not sure if there is a paid version but the free version is fully functional as far my observation in using the product. It makes it very easy to convert audio files to different formats, or perform most of the common and a lot of advanced tasks you would expect. With most users having their music collection in the form of mp3 files, Audacity is very for trimming files for length, increasing the volume, etc. Great all around audio editor.
So far I have not run across anything with the software that I feel is lacking or would improve. Certainly for the price (free!) it is great just the way it is.
Kris M.
Marketing and Advertising, self-employed
Used monthly for 1-2 years
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I sometimes have to use an audio editor for recording voiceovers for promotional videos I make for clients. Audacity is excellent for this type of simple task. However, it also offers many options and features that would make it ideal for jobs that require more finesse.
I love how easy this audio software is to use. I have used other audio editing software in the past and Audacity makes the process of recording and editing speech and music incredibly easy. If you have a relatively simple project and you just need a simple yet reliable audio editor, then Audacity will suit your needs, but also help you to accomplish much more when it comes to tasks that require a more sophisticated platform.
Unfortunately, the user interface is a little unimaginative and can look a little intimidating when you first begin using the software. However, when you're working, the grey UI means you will not easily become distracted and you'll definitely be able to focus on the task at hand.
Denisse B.
Research, 5,001-10,000 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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I find it great for its value. It covers the basics and even some details such as the noise reduction or echoes playing that I wasn't expecting. I like all the options for editing and creating compositions. It works without crashing my system and can render everything in no time. I create radio programs with it and the quality is amazing.
It has all the basics in a single place, has a great capacity and I can play with all its properties without having to sacrifice a thing. The organization is neat and without many distractors around. I can edit instruments, voices and make it sound as if everyone was in the same place creating incredible compositions for radio programs
It takes time to get used to all the basics and the help section isn't really useful when it comes to understanding what each thing does. Once you've passed this barrier you enjoy it
Verified reviewer
Information Technology and Services, self-employed
Used daily for 1-2 years
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Simple, easy to use, and very affordable!
It is free, easy to use, and has the basic effects needed for simple projects--and even some large ones (when compared to other software like ocenaudio). Also very useful for low-end laptops.
The export/rendering time is usually very long when compared to other software like Adobe Audition. The user interface also needs some work. Also can't use as many plugins as I would like to use.
Anna Y.
Media Production, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I'm sure I can get more precise editing features and tools with other (more expensive) audio editing software, but the fact that Audacity is free to use, I cannot complain about it. It has helped me with many voice over jobs and auditions.
As a voice over artist, I use Audacity to record and edit voice overs in my home studio, and then export them into mp3 or wav files. It does what I need it to do. I typically don't add filters or do much sound quality editing, outside of adjusting volume and cutting and pasting sections.
It is a little glitchy upon start up. I have to plug my Rode mic into the USB before opening the program, otherwise it will not detect the mic.
Neel Kamal K.
Online Media, self-employed
Used monthly for 2+ years
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I'm very satisfied with the features and ease of use. It helps me to remove background audio noise and enhance the voice quality for my YouTube projects.
Audacity is free and it offers great features for its price. It can used to remove background audio noise very effectively and easily. It also has plugins feature to enhance its features and create good sounding audio
The interface seems dated and also I would love to get a mobile app for it.
Elisa M.
Marketing and Advertising, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 6-12 months
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Firstly love that Audacity is free. Secondly, it is a high-quality value-packed product. I use it for recording podcast guests remotely and never have any issues. Easy to merge audio tracks for post-production.
It can be a little technical so if you are a complete technophobe Audacity probably isn't for you. I personally like the learning curve though.
Sarah S.
Environmental Services, 11-50 employees
Used other for 1-2 years
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It's a free downloadable program, and the quality/value you get for that is insane. Highly highly recommend, this is my go to editing software since I just do it for fun.
For a free audio editing software, this is absolutely fantastic. I can do so much to my recordings to make them sound more professional, and I am not a professional mixer. You can layer, loop, mute, add effects, etc. And it is an actual program you download to your computer as opposed to some others I've tried that are online based so you only get so much storage for your edited tracks.
There are a lot of options/effects that I don't know what they do or even how to do them. It would be nice if some tutorials were included explaining all the features.
Diptesh D.
Information Technology and Services, 201-500 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I have been using this software for more than 2 years now. It is best find for audio related problems. Which is also at zero cost
When I first time used this software, I was not aware of the functions that it provides. but after sometime you get used to it. you can reduce background noise in a large extent. also you can improve audio quality by using command "Normalize".
there are no such dislikes of this software. but if the research team can find how we can separate two noises from one audio file then it would great find.
Tiago M.
Accounting, self-employed
Used monthly for 2+ years
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Sometimes have input and output errors but i belive that's more frequent when i use it with older hardware laptop's , but it's required in all my devices for personal uses . Love it the most .
Audacity , the free tool that makes everything possible with a vast vst plugins to download for free in the web page , it's really useful and easy to produce musical content without having much knowledge .
Being often updated making less errors appearing , so i can't complaint it at all . Even when the software got an error the app automatically does an backup that it's really useful when using it in low end machines .
Sam Z.
Education Management, 51-200 employees
Used monthly for 2+ years
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Audacity helped me to provide high quality audio recordings to my stakeholders. I was able to repurpose the audio for multiple formats and found my overall experience to be highly positive. Audacity helped improve my ability to distribute information effectively and efficiently.
Audacity is easy to use. There are many high quality tutorials available for those who have an interest in learning how to maximize this platform. Audacity allowed me to record high quality audio suitable for distribution to large audiences with an average size of a round 1,000 listeners. I love the cost, free.
Integration of audacity into my daily routine was not difficult however it did require some intentional action. I needed to learn about the best ways to utilize this program to enhance my audio. I found learning to be easy and information accessible.
Gordon T.
Design, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I love audacity and would recommend it to everyone.
Audacity is a free and open source software. it is also a very competent audio editor.
Support is low. Interface has not chnaged mnuch after many years.