Simple editors only deal in basic uncompressed waveform audio (WAV) and common lossy formats (MP3, AAC). Lastly, support for a wide array of audio files and formats may be important to some users. The ability to manipulate and mix audio into a video file-known as 'muxing'-removes the need to render large video files for small audio edits. If you're editing audio for use in a broadcast, adherence to common broadcast standards should make life easier. Some editors even support external effects via plugins. These include compressing tracks to smooth out recordings that vary in volume, using an equalizer to boost or cut particular frequencies, and applying filters that drastically change the sound of your file. Effects are useful for repairing and enhancing your audio too. They also use more system resources than simple destructive waveform editing.Īudio editing isn't just about recording and moving around sound files. You might find these features handy if you're putting together a podcast and want to use sound effects or background music alongside your primary audio track. These may support the recording of multiple sources at once or non-destructive clip-based edits. Others offer one-click repairs to remove hiss and pops from your recording.įor more complex projects, a multi-track editor may be required. Some editors take this a step further and handle audio levels for you. An uncluttered interface and simple workflow ensure unnecessary features don't get in the way of the basics. Some apps make it easy for the less experienced audio editor.

Not all of these features are essential to everyone looking for audio editing software, and your final decision will depend on the task at hand and your overall level of expertise: We've selected a variety of apps that bring something unique to the table. These kinds of simple waveform edits are often referred to as destructive editing, where edits you make to the file overwrite the original when you click Save. You should be able to use any of these apps to trim an audio file down to size or merge two files together. This is the bread and butter of audio manipulation, including recording from a microphone, selecting audio on a waveform, copying and pasting, and deleting audio from the timeline. Every editor we've chosen has a full set of basic editing controls.

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