For *audio editing*, look no further than open source wonder *Audacity*. You
can *record live*, *convert old records and tapes to digital*, cut, copy and
splice files and much more. This version is updated regularly, and despite
the 'beta' tag is very stable. *Interface* Whether you choose the stable or
beta series, Audacity is not very attractive, and can at first look complex.
However, with a little experimentation it soon becomes a very usable
application. For live sound and digitizing old media, you need to feed audio
into your computer via a cable. Your audio-in, or mic should be set up by
default, but otherwise can be found in Preferences. Recording is then as easy
as hitting the red button on the Audacity interface. *Easy to use* What makes
Audacity great in this regard is that editing recordings is really simple,
not tricky like some professional apps! Using the *Highlight tool* you can
quickly *cut*, *copy*, or *add effects* to parts of tracks. Make a mistake
and you can undo as many steps backward as you like, meaning you can
experiment knowing nothing can be broken! As you can use up to *16 channels*
at once, Audacity gives users lots of flexibility. *Editing MP3* and other
digital files is just as easy. Drag them into Audacity to open, and then do
what you like with them. Adding fade ins or outs is easy, and you can save in
whatever format you like. Audacity supports ID3 tags, so you can add all the
meta data you like to saved tracks. There is lots more to Audacity, and
luckily it has extensive documentation available online or to download.
*Conclusion* Audacity is the best free audio editing tool around. It's an
incredibly useful application, whether you're recording live or just editing
audio files. Despite it's unattractive interface, Audacity is an essential
download.Download *Audacity 1.3.14 Beta* in Softonic
