Audacity 2.0 for Linux Icon

Audacity 2.0 Review for Linux

Audacity for Linux is a free, easy-to-use and multilingual audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems.
You can use Audacity to:

  • Record live audio.
  • Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
  • Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files.
  • Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together.
  • Change the speed or pitch of a recording.
  • And more! See the complete list of features.

Recording

  • Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from cassette tapes, vinyl records, or minidiscs. With some sound cards, it can also capture streaming audio.
  • Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
  • Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
  • Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel hardware).
  • Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording.

Import and Export

  • Import sound files, edit them, and combine them with other files or new recordings. Export your recordings in several common file formats.
  • Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files.
  • Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad.
  • Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library.
  • Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD.
  • Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile.
  • Open raw (headerless) audio files using the “Import Raw” command.
  • Note: Audacity does not currently support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted file formats.

Editing

  • Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete.
  • Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps.
  • Very fast editing of large files.
  • Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks.
  • Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points.
  • Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool.

Effects

  • Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
  • Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
  • Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects.
  • Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects.
  • Other built-in effects include:
  • Echo
  • Phaser
  • Wahwah
  • Reverse

Sound Quality

  • Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples.
  • Record at up to 96 kHz.
  • Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
  • Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime.

Plug-Ins

  • Add new effects with LADSPA plug-ins.
  • Audacity includes some sample plug-ins by Steve Harris.
  • Load VST plug-ins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
  • Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.

Analysis

  • Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
  • “Plot Spectrum” command for detailed frequency analysis.

Free and Cross-Platform

  • Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
  • Runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and GNU/Linux.

audacity-freeworld supports MP3!

See Also