Whether it's creating a ringtone from your favorite song or creating a mix of songs for the party or listening to music in a personalized way, with any effective and simple audio editing software you can create any kind of modification, even professionally.
Choosing a solution for audio editing would be quite difficult, given the different capabilities that each instrument has and given the costs of some professional programs.
So let's discover the best audio editing software, each suitable for unique purposes, possibly free.
In this list of the best free programs to edit audio files that can be recordings or music tracks, highlighting the main features of each one, allowing us to obtain the right tool for your particular use.
READ ALSO: Mix the microphone audio with PC sounds and music
1) The main program that everyone should have installed on their computer, even just to perform trivial operations such as cutting or raising the volume of a song, is the Audacity audio editor program .
With Audacity ( free and opensource for Windows and Mac ) it is possible to process any audio file, view its wave structure and then perform modification operations such as cutting or eliminating noise or noise.
Its operation is greatly simplified by the interface that can be used easily with the mouse, selecting the parts to be modified or cut and applying the desired filter or effect.
There are options to change the pitch and speed of music playback, audio fade effects, accessories to clean up a recording from noise, bass enhancements and much more.
Obviously it is a program that can be fully understood by those who are familiar with the technical jargon of audio but it is also excellent for making simple changes.
Audacity is also useful for recording audio from a microphone or other sources that can be connected to the computer's sound card.
If you have the right tools, it can also handle the recording of 16 channels at one time.
The program is extensible, therefore, if a feature is not found, most likely it can be added via a plugin which, however, will be sought.
Overall, Audacity therefore has a simple interface (although as a program it is very complex), a lot of effects and a great ability to record from external audio sources.
The defects concern the lack of an easy-to-understand user manual and a plugin repository to integrate all the most advanced features.
Audacity is a program that I have often mentioned in this blog in other guides such as:
- Record music from the LP disc or from a cassette
- Eliminate the voice from a song
- Cut, split and join mp3 music, audio and music tracks
- Transcribe an audio recording under dictation.
2) WavePad, by NCH Software, is a simpler audio editing program, an intuitive but professional solution.
You can use the tool to create a musical mix by mixing different tracks and create professional music through recording and various advanced and standard features.
WavePad offers support for almost all popular audio formats, such as MP3, WAV, VOX, GSM, WMA, OGG, AAC, etc.
For example, WavePad offers functions such as copying audio parts, inserting effects of parts of music into another, cropping, and many effects.
With WavePad you can also have fun editing music and songs thanks to a Sound Library or a collection of sound effects, gingles and music samples that can be freely downloaded in a click or two and used to improve a recording.
The program is free to download, although the free version has some limitations compared to the full paid version.
3) Wavosaur is a completely free program, a bit different from the others.
It is in fact a small portable program consisting of a single executable with a size of 560 KB.
Due to such lightness it is not surprising that the Wavosaur interface is very spartan and the buttons small.
The applicable effects are the simplest ones and most commonly required by non-professional users who need a basic audio editor but it is among the simplest programs to cut, divide and combine mp3 music, audio and music tracks.
In addition, Wavosaur also offers extraordinary features, various processing modes, the possibility of using different skins and advanced features such as the batch processing capability, the export of files via third-party software and much more.
Wavosaur also has support for VST.
4) Linux MultiMedia Studio, now known as LMMS, is an audio editor software also for Windows, which can be a superb alternative for FL Studio (paid) or Adobe Audition, to completely free.
LMMS offers an enormous number of extraordinary functions as a whole, including FX Mixer, Automation Editor, MIDI keyboard support, some effects and integrated audio instruments and compatibility with some standards in the production and editing of digital music.
The LMMS user interface is truly professional and the availability of plug-ins can bring more productivity.
LMMS is definitely one of the best free programs to mix music on PC like a DJ.
5) Music Editor free is one of those programs that stands out from the crowd.
The authors did not dedicate the program to experts only so there are tutorials that guide beginners to audio editing.
The interface is based on a tape that is also pleasant to look at (while the others are always very ugly graphically) and is easier to use .
You can select a part of the wave, right click and choose the operation to perform from those available in the menu.
The classic effects and audio editing tools are all there: amplification, normalization, equalizers, reverberation, echo, reverse listening, frequency conversion and others.
Music Editor free is also capable of burning audio CDs and converting tracks from CD to MP3.
The program cannot be expanded through plug-ins, but audio editing beginners and those who just want to cut a music or edit it to create a cell phone ringtone can easily use it and learn audio processing techniques.
6) Ocenaudio is a free cross-platform audio editor of the best we have ever used.
The user interface is simple and easy to understand, you can add a file for editing by dragging it from a folder directly to Ocenaudio, or from the File tab.
The View tab is where the user can change the appearance of the edit screen, from waveform to Spectral View or in a mix of spectral and waveform.
Editing the audio is not just about cutting and pasting, but adding effects to add sounds that are included in the program.
In the Effects tab you can choose from the many options in the list where there is also the one for the reduction of background noise.
In the Preferences tab there are options to change the theme of ocenaudio and other aspects of the user interface and also to change the recording and playback device.
7) Ardor is a digital audio workstation that allows you to record, edit and mix tracks, using an interface that can be professional and easy to use at the same time, to record, edit and mix audio even from external sources.
Ardor can be useful for sound engineers, musicians, soundtrack composers and electronic music.
8) Hya Wave, is a web application, to edit an audio track on the fly or cut music without having to download a program.
This site doesn't even require you to register an account, it's all free and you just need to upload an audio file on the page to see it divided into waves and work on it.
If you want something more, here are the best paid professional audio editing software:
- FL Studio, with prices starting from $ 99.
- Adobe Audition, with Adobe Creative Cloud subscription of 30 Euros per month.
- SoundForge of Magix, at 60 Euros.
- Steinberg Cubase, from 100 Euros.
- PreSonus Studio One, 85 Dollars.
In another article, the list of programs for making free music (Windows and Mac) .
Choosing a solution for audio editing would be quite difficult, given the different capabilities that each instrument has and given the costs of some professional programs.
So let's discover the best audio editing software, each suitable for unique purposes, possibly free.
In this list of the best free programs to edit audio files that can be recordings or music tracks, highlighting the main features of each one, allowing us to obtain the right tool for your particular use.
READ ALSO: Mix the microphone audio with PC sounds and music
1) The main program that everyone should have installed on their computer, even just to perform trivial operations such as cutting or raising the volume of a song, is the Audacity audio editor program .
With Audacity ( free and opensource for Windows and Mac ) it is possible to process any audio file, view its wave structure and then perform modification operations such as cutting or eliminating noise or noise.
Its operation is greatly simplified by the interface that can be used easily with the mouse, selecting the parts to be modified or cut and applying the desired filter or effect.
There are options to change the pitch and speed of music playback, audio fade effects, accessories to clean up a recording from noise, bass enhancements and much more.
Obviously it is a program that can be fully understood by those who are familiar with the technical jargon of audio but it is also excellent for making simple changes.
Audacity is also useful for recording audio from a microphone or other sources that can be connected to the computer's sound card.
If you have the right tools, it can also handle the recording of 16 channels at one time.
The program is extensible, therefore, if a feature is not found, most likely it can be added via a plugin which, however, will be sought.
Overall, Audacity therefore has a simple interface (although as a program it is very complex), a lot of effects and a great ability to record from external audio sources.
The defects concern the lack of an easy-to-understand user manual and a plugin repository to integrate all the most advanced features.
Audacity is a program that I have often mentioned in this blog in other guides such as:
- Record music from the LP disc or from a cassette
- Eliminate the voice from a song
- Cut, split and join mp3 music, audio and music tracks
- Transcribe an audio recording under dictation.
2) WavePad, by NCH Software, is a simpler audio editing program, an intuitive but professional solution.
You can use the tool to create a musical mix by mixing different tracks and create professional music through recording and various advanced and standard features.
WavePad offers support for almost all popular audio formats, such as MP3, WAV, VOX, GSM, WMA, OGG, AAC, etc.
For example, WavePad offers functions such as copying audio parts, inserting effects of parts of music into another, cropping, and many effects.
With WavePad you can also have fun editing music and songs thanks to a Sound Library or a collection of sound effects, gingles and music samples that can be freely downloaded in a click or two and used to improve a recording.
The program is free to download, although the free version has some limitations compared to the full paid version.
3) Wavosaur is a completely free program, a bit different from the others.
It is in fact a small portable program consisting of a single executable with a size of 560 KB.
Due to such lightness it is not surprising that the Wavosaur interface is very spartan and the buttons small.
The applicable effects are the simplest ones and most commonly required by non-professional users who need a basic audio editor but it is among the simplest programs to cut, divide and combine mp3 music, audio and music tracks.
In addition, Wavosaur also offers extraordinary features, various processing modes, the possibility of using different skins and advanced features such as the batch processing capability, the export of files via third-party software and much more.
Wavosaur also has support for VST.
4) Linux MultiMedia Studio, now known as LMMS, is an audio editor software also for Windows, which can be a superb alternative for FL Studio (paid) or Adobe Audition, to completely free.
LMMS offers an enormous number of extraordinary functions as a whole, including FX Mixer, Automation Editor, MIDI keyboard support, some effects and integrated audio instruments and compatibility with some standards in the production and editing of digital music.
The LMMS user interface is truly professional and the availability of plug-ins can bring more productivity.
LMMS is definitely one of the best free programs to mix music on PC like a DJ.
5) Music Editor free is one of those programs that stands out from the crowd.
The authors did not dedicate the program to experts only so there are tutorials that guide beginners to audio editing.
The interface is based on a tape that is also pleasant to look at (while the others are always very ugly graphically) and is easier to use .
You can select a part of the wave, right click and choose the operation to perform from those available in the menu.
The classic effects and audio editing tools are all there: amplification, normalization, equalizers, reverberation, echo, reverse listening, frequency conversion and others.
Music Editor free is also capable of burning audio CDs and converting tracks from CD to MP3.
The program cannot be expanded through plug-ins, but audio editing beginners and those who just want to cut a music or edit it to create a cell phone ringtone can easily use it and learn audio processing techniques.
6) Ocenaudio is a free cross-platform audio editor of the best we have ever used.
The user interface is simple and easy to understand, you can add a file for editing by dragging it from a folder directly to Ocenaudio, or from the File tab.
The View tab is where the user can change the appearance of the edit screen, from waveform to Spectral View or in a mix of spectral and waveform.
Editing the audio is not just about cutting and pasting, but adding effects to add sounds that are included in the program.
In the Effects tab you can choose from the many options in the list where there is also the one for the reduction of background noise.
In the Preferences tab there are options to change the theme of ocenaudio and other aspects of the user interface and also to change the recording and playback device.
7) Ardor is a digital audio workstation that allows you to record, edit and mix tracks, using an interface that can be professional and easy to use at the same time, to record, edit and mix audio even from external sources.
Ardor can be useful for sound engineers, musicians, soundtrack composers and electronic music.
8) Hya Wave, is a web application, to edit an audio track on the fly or cut music without having to download a program.
This site doesn't even require you to register an account, it's all free and you just need to upload an audio file on the page to see it divided into waves and work on it.
If you want something more, here are the best paid professional audio editing software:
- FL Studio, with prices starting from $ 99.
- Adobe Audition, with Adobe Creative Cloud subscription of 30 Euros per month.
- SoundForge of Magix, at 60 Euros.
- Steinberg Cubase, from 100 Euros.
- PreSonus Studio One, 85 Dollars.
In another article, the list of programs for making free music (Windows and Mac) .
