Audio editors

Shashank Sharma admits to knowing less than most about “dem phat beatz”, but he can still help you find the right audio editor for your needs.

While Shashank Sharma readily admits that he’s no expert in “dem phat beatz”, he’ll still show you what to look for in an audio editor to suit your needs.

Desktop applications such as web browsers, media players and office suites often hog all the limelight and are at the centre of discussions about open source software. But the Linux ecosystem boasts a varied number of specialised software as well, aimed at a select group of professionals and hobbyists, and they are therefore considered of little importance by the masses. Audio editors is one such class of overlooked software.

Traditionally thought of as the exclusive domain of musicians, the rising popularity of podcasts and vloggers has brought audio editors from the more obscure into the mainstream. Whether it’s combining audio files, trimming out unwanted sections or tweaking the pitch or tempo, the audio editors that are featured in this Roundup can do it all, and more.

Although audio editors and digital audio workstations (DAW) are often used to describe the same applications, they are distinct software. Our selection is a mix of feature-heavy audio editors and popular DAWS. You can almost think of the latter as audio editors on steroids, with more specialised features and capabilities that are required for music production.

If you find yourself torn between two or more of these projects, nil desperandum! The wisdom of the internet suggests that most professionals use a number of different projects for performing different operations