Audacity: Free Sound Editor and Recording Software

What Audacity can't do

Like any program, Audacity has its limits that can't be broken. Each of the following would be best done in a different program.

1. Audacity can't effectively tag MP3s

Look at Audacity's tag editor and you'll notice some missing fields, especially the cover art field. Use a different program like MP3Tag (free for Windows) or ID3 Editor ($15 for Windows and OS X) for tagging your audio files.

2. Audacity can't make good podcast MP3s

LAME is the best MP3 encoder! But it's the best for music, and only when you use variable bitrate (VBR). This isn't very compatible for podcasts, and using LAME any other way produces poor quality MP3s. That's why I recommend that you export as WAV and create your MP3s with iTunes.

3. Audacity can't make music

Audacity can import MIDI files, but it won't be a friendly interface like GarageBand or other music-making apps. Audacity also lacks loops, sequencers, and a host of other features found in other apps.

4. Audacity can't publish or share [via Bob Boufford]

Export is your only option with Audacity. There aren't any one-click publishing or sharing options. You'll have to do that yourself.

5. Audacity can't apply real-time or editable effects

If you apply an effect in Audacity, you have to apply it to your audio before you hear it. And once applied, you can't change the settings later unless you undo and re-apply.

5 1/2. Audacity can't get any cheaper [via David Dell]

You don't have to pay to use Audacity or its plugins. But do remember that “free” comes at a price: the cost of your time to do what might be easier or quicker in paid software.

What Audacity doesn't do without workarounds

Audacity has limits, but they can be bypassed with plugins or tweaks.

6. Audacity doesn't record multiple devices

Audacity can record as many tracks as a single device supports. But if you want to simultaneously record multiple devices, you'll have to have special drivers on Windows (I don't know of any) or make an “Aggregate Device” on OS X.

7. Audacity doesn't offer multiband compression

Audacity offers an audio compression plugin, and I always suggest Chris's Dynamic Compressor. But if you really want a multiband compressor, you'll have to look at another plugin—C3 Multiband Compressor. It similar to Adobe Audition's multiband compressor, but C3 is free and works with Audacity.

8. Audacity doesn't support WMA, AAC, or other formats

With the FFMPEG plugin, you can import and export M4A (AAC), AMR, WMA, and AC3.

The show-stopping big one

9, ANY audio-editor can't make bad audio sound good

No matter how much you spend on kitchen equipment, you can never make poop brownies good. If you give Audacity or any other audio-editor bad audio, you can't make it sound good. You can enhance what you record or even fix some glitches (like removing noise). But there's no replacement for getting good audio in the first place.

Testimonial on podcast cover art

I designed custom podcast cover art and a website header for author M.E. Anders and she shared this great testimonial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chNLjAWjsBc

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About the Author
As an award-winning podcaster, Daniel J. Lewis gives you the guts and teaches you the tools to launch and improve your own podcasts for sharing your passions and finding success. Daniel creates resources for podcasters, such as the SEO for Podcasters and Zoom H6 for Podcasters courses, the Social Subscribe & Follow Icons plugin for WordPress, the My Podcast Reviews global-review aggregator, and the Podcasters' Society membership for podcasters. As a recognized authority and influencer in the podcasting industry, Daniel speaks on podcasting and hosts his own podcast about how to podcast. Daniel's other podcasts, a clean-comedy podcast, and the #1 unofficial podcast for ABC's hit drama Once Upon a Time, have also been nominated for multiple awards. Daniel and his son live near Cincinnati.
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Scott
Scott
12 years ago

If you were going to recommend podcast (only) editing software that was NOT audacity, what would it be?

Thanks.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago

1. Don't know (yet), I am in the process of organizing what I need (to get and to learn)
2. My audio podcast will be used for 2 things, reviewing products and interviews
3. $4.55 😉 if I had to purchase software I would hope to keep it at no more than $100
4. Windows

I had planned on using Audacity (which brought me to you) and as I will be producing my podcast I will need to learn the software, and I would rather start with what I need at the very beginning as opposed to "swapping horses in the middle of the stream".

Thank you for your time and response.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago

Well, I thought it (Audacity) would be fine and have installed it and the plug-ins you recommend (like Chris’s Dynamic Compressor) but I took this post as a negative and thought maybe I should reconsider before I was in too deep.

But I trust your judgment, I like what I read here and what others have said about you, so if you think Audacity is the way to go, then that's what I'll do.

In the audio of this post it sounded I liked your Photoshop layers analogy, so if I could run with it a bit more… if I save an audacity file with its different tracks (layers) before I export it was a wav file, I could always go back, open the saved Audacity file, tweak it and then re-export it?

Staying with the Photoshop theme, as a photographers the rule is never to edit the original file, copy it and work on the copy, sounds like the same rules should apply to audio files.

Okay, off to learn Audacity.

Thanks again.

JD_RadioCSS
12 years ago

Great episode Daniel! Lots of valuable info for those of us who use Audacity.

I have an Audacity question for you.

A few months ago I upgraded my desktop PC from an old Win XP box to a new custom built Win 7 machine. Since then, Audacity always "forgets" where to grab the incoming audio from. In other words, I run the output from my mixer into the line in jack on the PC, but if that cord is ever unplugged and then plugged back in, Audacity doesn't recognize the line in input and I have to restart the machine with the cord plugged in and then Audacity has no problem seeing that audio input.

Have you heard of this or similar issues? Any ideas on what might be the problem?

Thanks!

-JD

JD_RadioCSS
12 years ago

I have already done the things you suggested, but to no avail. It's more than a little frustrating. I have no idea what else to try.

But it's free software so I guess I can't complain too much.

zipdrive
12 years ago

Hello Daniel,
I’m a first time listener and stumbled onto your site when searching for a compressor plug-in for a friend new to podcasting.
I’ve been podcasting for over 4 years and I found this list spot on – actually, it taught me something new regarding the inadequacy of LAME in Audacity- I just had a conversation about MP3 quality with another podcasting friend who uses VBR to get better quality than my poor 64 Kbps CBR. I was wondering how podcasts like Security Now have such nice quality using 64Kbps and that’s probably the answer.

On a completely different note, while I found the actual content of your podcast excellent, I found the presentation lacking- specifically you repeated the points way too many time- why go over points 1-4 then 1-5 then 1-6 then 1-7 then 1-8 then again 1-9? I think you’ve just added an unnecessary 5-10 minutes to the podcast length (especially as episode 56 is essentially a bullet-point list).

Lastly, I wanted to note that using software workarounds in Mac or Windows to mix several devices to put into Audacity misses out on one of the chief advantages of multi-device recording – being able to edit tracks from different devices separately. I found a piece of freeware called Krystal Engine that allows me to record multiple devices, which I then import into Audacity for editing.

Thanks for the podcast!

BarbaraEdelmanvoice@gmail.com
BarbaraEdelmanvoice@gmail.com
11 years ago

It can’t do punch and roll edits. If you can figure a way around this you would be a hero.

Bruceblake1
Bruceblake1
11 years ago

were can i see your art, your very smart and i’d love to match a sound with an art piece, just an old musician, wrapping it up. 

Some Dude
Some Dude
11 years ago

I agree that Audacity needs more tools for music such as actual MIDI and maybe better tools than “pluck”, etc. I think that one of the best comments is that Audacity effects can only be applied once and aren’t kept track of for later editing. This and Audacity’s inability to effectively create good-sounding music somewhat cripples it. Audacity is mainly good for effects and cleaning up sound.

On the other hand, the point about publishing/sharing is a very lazy complaint. Would it be so hard to find your favorite networking site to publish/share? Besides, Audacity won’t know what sites you want to publish on and it’s nowhere near their focus. Your “show-stopper” point is kind of generalized and obvious one. I don’t see a problem with it, nor do I see a point. I would say that podcasts are definitely not the point of Audacity anyway.

Ron Hyatt
Ron Hyatt
11 years ago

One thing Audacity does very well, better than commercial products is time compression. at 12-15 percent, there is none of the chorus like effect that other programs like mixcraft exhibit. This is important for spoken word, especially when you have exactly 3 minutes to fill and your News Guy goes 3:28 consistently. *SQUASH*

hiphop
hiphop
11 years ago

WAV. Files are better than MP3. Files and are more used by musicians so exporting files as MP3 are pretty useless anyway.

socialistweasel
socialistweasel
10 years ago

Hello Daniel. I use Audacity to make DJ mixes and it does most everything i need. Why though did they change it so i can’t chose the export bitrate anymore!? Its always at 128 and sometimes you can hear the quality loss

socialistweasel
socialistweasel
10 years ago

Nevermind, I was using the Beta Unicode 1.3 version and didn’t realise there was a new version which fixes this issue.

TaTheWriter
TaTheWriter
10 years ago

I like audacity and I disagree that you can’t make “good” music with this program. I have made some major hits using audacity!!

Geoffrey Sparkes
Geoffrey Sparkes
9 years ago

I’ve loaded Audacity to a Win 7 machine and the input selection box is greyed out. It only allows MIC but I am running line input resulting in severe clipping of the audio. Does any one know what I’m doing wrong, or is there a work around? Thanks guys

Davo
Davo
8 years ago

You have a point with the MP3 encoding/quality, and the real time effects.. but Audacity can’t make music? It can generate a click track and multiple tones, what is music again? Your bias is showing.

amber
amber
8 years ago
Reply to  Davo

Like he said. It can’t make music.

trackback

[…] November 07). 9 Things Audacity Doesn’t or Can’t Do. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/tap056-9-things-audacity-doesnt-or-cant-do/ Unknown. (n.d.). Audacity®. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from […]

Surfermensch
Surfermensch
7 years ago

Pfffff, I made an entire music album with audacity

j7ndominica0
j7ndominica0
7 years ago

I don’t understand how Audacity has become almost everyone’s editor of choice. It feels very work in progress and linuxy to me; basic functions that other programs have had for years require updating to the latest version. I tried to look at Audacity a few times. Zooming in to the waveform with Ctrl-1, Ctrl-3, really? No 24-bit recording? One thing they have done right is using wxwidgets for the UI.

In Windows I like to use Reaper multi-track DAW, which can be practically used for free, or at a low price, and comes with quality real-time plugins including compressors, and midi editing and VSTi capabilities. The plugins alone are actually freeware. I migrated to Reaper from Sound Forge, and it feels intuitive. One doesn’t lose a lot of flexibility by using a DAW instead of a stereo editor, because Audacity is project-oriented already.

I can’t speak about low bitrates, but LAME is excellent at 320 kbit CBR, and better than Fraunhofer. Speech, especially with an obvious and distrating noise gate, or with occasional stereo music, actually is the kind of signal that VBR would be useful for. Music is relatively constant throughout.

I think that a big obstacle with recording from multiple devices is sync between their clocks. The recorder would have to do sample rate conversion behind the scenes, which would add latency or compromise quality.

Alex
Alex
3 years ago

“I have high-end audio gear that cost over $1,200. But I still use Audacity because it’s free and gets the job done very well. I and most other podcasters really don’t need software any better than Audacity,”
“Yes, this post could seem negative, and I tried to be objectively critical, but I still use and recommend Audacity since most people won’t face the issues I mentioned above,”

Nerd Lewis.

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