Audacity 3.00
Windows 8.1 or 10
Audacity is a powerful, open-source tool that lets you record and edit audio. Version 3.00 (select the Audacity Windows Installer option at the top of the Download section at the URL above) is a major release that introduces a range of new features, but the design remains remarkably similar to its first release back in 2000 (if it ain’t broke…). Note that although Audacity runs on Windows 7, it’s not officially supported – you can see a list of known compatibility problems at www.snipca.com/37715).
One of the biggest new features is the Label Sounds tool, which makes it much easier to split long audio recordings (such as an entire album that you’ve digitised) into individual tracks. This tool is a simpler alternative to using the separate Sound Finder and Silence Finder tools of the previous version (though these are still available). Once the Label Sounds process is complete, Audacity will add labels to each track that it has found. You can then edit these labels (renaming them with the track titles) and export them as separate MP3 files (see below).
Audacity projects are now saved in the new
AUP3 format. Unlike the previous AUP format, which saved associated data files for each project in a separate folder, AUP3 stores everything in one file, which makes it easier to move your Audacity projects from one PC to another. The new format also improves performance when applying effects, albeit only slightly (adjusting the pitch of an hour-long track took us 15 seconds compared with 18 seconds in the previous version).
Other improvements (all referred to below) include faster transitions when using the Noise Gate tool (this lets you add a background track that fades in and out over a voice recording), Mixer Boards that now always stay on top of the main Audacity window, and the ability to create backups of your projects.