Audacity

Audacity: record and edit sound without paying

Audacity is free open-source software dedicated to audio recording and editing. It is the tool you reach for when you want to digitise a vinyl record, clean up a noisy file, trim a take or prepare a podcast, without stepping up to a full digital audio workstation.

What is Audacity for?

• Recording a sound source: microphone, instrument, mixing desk output
• Digitising a cassette or a vinyl record
• Removing background noise, hum or hiss
• Cutting, joining and crossfading audio files
• Exporting to WAV, MP3 or other common formats

Who is it for?

Audacity speaks to a very broad audience: the musician digitising their archives, the podcaster preparing a soundtrack, the teacher assembling a sound document, the student working on audio for a video project. Its simplicity is precisely what makes it useful.

Why choose open-source software?

Audacity is free, with no subscription and no time limit. It reads and writes standard formats, which guarantees your projects stay usable elsewhere. It is a durable tool.

Is it worth it?

The software is free, so trying it costs nothing and it answers the need straight away. For simple audio editing and digitising, it replaces paid solutions with no compromise on the essentials.

Frequently asked questions

Is Audacity really free?

Yes. It is open-source software, with no usage cost.

Can you record with a microphone directly?

Yes, it is one of its basic uses: pick the source, arm the track, record.

Does Audacity replace a digital audio workstation?

No. Audacity is a recording and editing tool. For composition and advanced multitrack mixing, a DAW remains the right answer: the two complement each other.

Can you restore old recordings?

Yes, it is one of its strengths: digitise, then clean up noise and crackle.