Review For: Audacity
Site Link: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Compatibility: Windows, Mac OS 9/X, Linux/Unix
License: Freeware (open source)
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2004
Rating: 
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Audacity is a free
audio editor that is highly flexible...
I can't begin to
express how much I love this program, and to make it even better,
it is FREE! This program has all the features that I would
get in any ordinary paid program for FREE! Ok, enough with
the free....
The Interface
The interface doesn't have too many
buttons on it, making most of the commands in the drop down menus,
which may make it easier for some people to learn the program. However,
this program isn't the most "prettiest" program
(excluding the big cartoon-like buttons for pausing, playing, and
stopping). However, a program like this has no need for a
fancy interface in my opinion. As for learning how to use
the program, it isn't that hard. After around 5 minutes of
playing around with it, I was already mixing and editing tracks,
however, for most people this may take a little longer. This
is because I have had experience with working with programs with
that type of interface this program uses.
How it Works...in a Nutshell
The program uses separate tracks to edit
your music. For example: You import some music, and then you
import another file with the words to the music you imported
previously. You will see
two separate tracks, one with the music and the other with the
words. Now, lets say you want to have the words come out on
your right speaker and your music come out on your left
speaker. All you do is move a little slider on each track to
either the left or the right, and "whala!", you are
done. Remember, through, there is a lot of other things you
can do with this program.
The Features
This program can do a lot. Other than what I mentioned in
the last paragraph, it can split left and right audio tracks,
supports other formats such as midi, ogg, and MP3, and to wrap it
all up, it has a easy to learn interface. Additionally, it
has this "Envelope Tool" (which allows you to have music
get louder or quieter), tons of filters, support for plug-ins, and
much more!
You may have noticed
I mentioned plug-in support. Well, according to the
program's website, it supports LADSPA plug-ins, Nyquist plug-ins,
and VST plug-ins. The advantage to the plug-in support, is
that you will be able to add yet more features to the program,
making this one of the best free audio editors I have seen
yet. Finally, I must note, that you should check out the site
for details on plug-in use and for some sites that offer plug-ins
you can download for free.
Some Misfortune
When I tried to import a Midi file, for
some reason whenever I tried to play it I get, "Error while
opening sound device...". This may just be my computer,
and not the program's fault, but I had to mention it. Other
than that, however, I have run into no problems or program crashes
yet.
In conclusion, this is one great piece of
software for anyone who wants to do audio editing. Additionally,
before buying some audio editing software, give this free program a
try first, because you may find that this program has everything
you would need and more!
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