Introduction
Back in the old days, recording and editing audio was not a simple task: mainly because not everyone had access to the required equipment and because of the limitations and high prices of the devices. Today, you can simply use a computer, audio editing software and a PC microphone (or the line-in on the sound card).
Of course, the latter isn't going to be a pro-task, but the majority of people who just want to record themselves or external equipment in a simple way, and be able to edit the recorded material in the digital world, will probably use the quick and cheap method mentioned above.
If you want to get more serious with your recordings and editing capabilities, investing in good audio equipment and/or extending the capabilities of your PC (via hardware and software), will bring you a big step forward into the pro audio recording and editing world. Presuming you already have a PC with a built-in sound card, and you want to record something and edit it later on, or you just want to edit an audio file that is on the PC already. Then you just need an audio editing software to make changes to the sound you want to manipulate.
These days one can achieve amazing results with relatively cheap equipment, and for those who wish to discover the world of sound recording and editing, and have at least the basic equipment (mentioned earlier), then you are settled to learn what audio editing is all about and what you can achieve with it.
Once you have selected one of the applications reviewed here, you should have everything you need to get started. That said, it depends on what it is you are hoping to record/edit and how good you can make or want that recording/edit to sound. The basic idea, you need to know, is your audio editing software you choose, and how good you can make something useful with it.
Either of the reviewed applications will allow you to: create; record; import audio data; and edit its contents with the help of a graphical representation. All software listed here will give you a true picture of your audio data. Whatever you will do, one of these applications should suit you, unless you are hoping to use more than 16 tracks simultaneously, in which case you might need to spend some cash for a pro application.
Commercial alternatives for multi-track recording and editing are not cheap, and if you are going to spend your cash on commercial wares of this type, it's best to spend a bit more rather than a little, but that's subjective for what you want to achieve. That said, you can get great results with cheap hardware/software if you know what you're doing.
Rated Products
Audacity
A multi-track audio editor and recorder can be as simple, or as complex as you want it to be
Platforms/Download: Linux | Mac OS | Windows (Desktop) |
Version reviewed: n/a
Gizmos Freeware
| Our Rating: 5/5 |
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Read more...
Platforms/Download: Windows (Desktop) |
Version reviewed: n/a
Gizmos Freeware
| Our Rating: 4/5 |
Read more...
Platforms/Download: Windows (Desktop) |
Version reviewed: n/a
Gizmos Freeware
| Our Rating: 4/5 |
Read more...
To be reviewed:
Ocenaudio, an easy, fast and powerful audio editor across multiple platforms including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
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This software review is copy-edited by Ian Richards. Please help edit and improve this article by clicking here.
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Comments
I have downloaded Audacity -- but it seems to catch/record all the ambient sound - Can anybody give me any suggestions on how to focus the recording on ONLY what sound that is coming thru the computer???
[Commercial references removed]
Sorry for the late post, but I just came to this page. The sounds you pick up while recording will be almost entirely based upon the microphone you choose. PZMs, for example, are very directional: http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/microphones/pzm.html.
I have a bunch of old PZM mics, and they pick up everything. Their main claim is they don't pick up reflections from nearby floors or table tops, so there is no strange comb-filtering effect that puts nulls in your frequency response. (That Media College blurb misstates this effect as "reverberation", which is way different.)
What you want to reduce extraneous sound is a directional mic. Cardioid is usually the best you can get in a cheap mic, but unidirectional ones have tighter patterns. A paraboloid reflector is better yet, for faraway sounds (think bird calls). But usually you will get the best sound by putting your mic as close to the source as possible. Use a clip-on mic or headset-mounted.
Audacity is not compatible with Win 10. They are reportedly working on it.
Many thanks for the quick reply. I've downloaded the program and it's exactly what I've been looking for. It's easy to use as well. As a software junkie, Gizmo's is marvellous. I always read the links every day and there is always a relevant and helpful article. Keep up the good work.
All the best,
Alex
Hi,
I've tried to download Kristal Audio Engine without success. Every time I try to access the download, the page won't load. Anyone know of a way round this as I would like to try this program.. Thanks in advance
Alex
I have an iMac 10.9.3 and have used Audacity on several occasions. I have used Peak LE for many years, but it is no longer in business and freezes very frequently. Peak was perfect for my use since mostly I am recording a voice concert on a digital recorder and then editing and adding tracks to make a CD. When I now use Audacity, tracks is another matter since it is set up to do multiple tracks. Is there an easy and quick way to separate songs for CD tracks when editing?
I just did this with a cassette tape of our choir. I connected my cassette player into the line in of my pc, and recorded it to one file (didn't need to babysit it, just let it run). I opened the file and by zooming in I can see where songs begin and end. I highlight what looks to be one song with the mouse and copy and paste that one song (and a little extra) to a new file. I trim it to just the right length, apply any filters etc. then save as a mp3 and wav file (for CD).
I used OcenAudio on LinuxMint, but Audacity should work the same way.
I still think OcenAudio beats Audacity, most of the time. Better set of tools, and smaller download. I just installed the latest version on LinuxMint, piece of cake.
I just downloaded OceanAudiox64 after seeing your comment, it went well with my Win 10x64. Even the authors do not publicize this; strange!