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Processing audio files is considered to be the domain of specialists, musicians, and sound engineers. A few years ago this was the case. Radio programs were prepared and commercials were created. Music was born in the studios, solo and vocal parts were recorded. As a result, the wave editor market has not been rich in simple, affordable software products that you can try and get started right away.

Time does not stand still. Despite the apparent complexity of a significant proportion of modern wave editors, the majority of their users today do not even have basic knowledge of musical literacy. The popularity of mobile phones that support playback of MP3 melodies is causing increased attention to audio processing tools.

The girl bought a fashionable phone. There are constantly advertisements on TV and radio encouraging you to send an SMS and receive a new ringtone. Of course, this service costs a lot of money, and once you get into the habit of ordering a large amount of music, you can even go bankrupt. Loading original MP3 songs into your phone will quickly fill up your memory. Few people buy additional flash cards for their mobile friend, preferring to be content with the few tens of megabytes that are available by default. Additionally, mobile device processors are much slower than desktop computers, and processing large amounts of data will greatly slow down your phone.

Surprisingly, the main user base of wave editors are young girls who perform simple operations on MP3 files. The desire to stand out, to show their friends a new melody that no one else in the world has yet, drives young ladies to their personal computers. And after loading the wave editor, the melody opens, a fragment is selected and saved to the hard drive with a lower data flow rate. As a seasoning, you can add various effects, record your voice from a microphone and put it on music, or make a medley of several compositions.

Tons of music are stored on our computers, and downloading new mp3s is not a problem. But sometimes we are not satisfied with the existing variety and really need to cut the music to create a ringtone for the phone or edit a song for some special occasions. You may need to trim the mp3, apply sound effects such as a fade-out effect, change the audio speed, or cut out an unnecessary fragment.

That's why convenient audio editors were invented that will help you do all this with music files quickly and easily. Just a couple of clicks - and the edited track is already playing in your favorite audio player.

Shuangs Audio Editor

Shuangs Audio Editor - free an audio editor that is quite simple and lightweight with minimal functionality: if you need to trim mp3, wav or wma and apply simple effects, then it is for you.

At the top of the window of this mp3 editor there is, in fact, the file being edited, and at the bottom there are playback control buttons and an equalizer.

It's nice that this audio editor is in Russian, albeit with some problems, but still. Now about the effects. Fading, decreasing/increasing the volume - it’s all there and can be applied very simply to a selected section of music, you just need to designate this very section by placing the start and end markers in the desired place of the track.

As already mentioned, the Shuangs Audio Editor has minimal capabilities, but they are the most necessary.

Download mp3 editor Shuangs Audio Editor.

Free MP3 Cutter and Editor

Free MP3 Cutter and Editor It can also be called a “light” audio editor, because it contains only standard functions for programs of this kind - cutting, fading, volume. Saves files in wav and mp3 formats. Cheap, to be more precise for free, and angrily.

During installation, it tries to install some emoticons for Facebook and other “load” - just uncheck the corresponding boxes.

Selecting a track is also done using the mouse, very simply, and then the desired effects are assigned.

Free MP3 Cutter and Editor also allows you to convert mono to stereo and vice versa.

Download audio editor Free MP3 Cutter and Editor.

Audacity

But here is a real monster among free audio editors - Audacity. Suitable both when you need a deep edit of an mp3 file, and just for cutting/pasting. The sound editor works with MP3, WAV, AIFF, AU and Ogg Vorbis formats.

Using the audio program is easy. We select a fragment of the song with the mouse and do whatever we want with it - attenuation, tempo, timbre, noise removal, normalization, strengthening of bass frequencies, smooth changes in frequency and tone, filling with silence, noise, phone tones, echo... And, of course, all operations with cutting and trimming.

In addition, Audacity's audio editor includes microphone recording, multi-track playback, and professional-grade features such as frequency response analysis, Fourier transform spectral analysis, and track mixing.

In general, I recommend this free audio editor with such a great set of functions to everyone.

Download audio editor Audacity.

Expstudio Audio Editor

Considered an excellent music file editor EXPStudio Audio Editor. Trimming songs, adding special effects, setting fade modes - all this is no problem for him. With a significant number of features, this audio editor can handle many tasks. It can convert a female voice into a male one and vice versa, display the amplitude-frequency response of a track, convert to different formats, and much more.

Unfortunately, the product does not have a Russian-language interface, so you will have to understand it in English, however, this is not difficult, given the simplicity and convenience of the program. It comes in two versions: free and Pro costing $34.95. However, there are not many differences between them, the main thing concerns the number of formats in which the resulting file can be saved. In the free version you can save in wav and mp3 format, in the Pro version this list is significantly expanded.

Download audio editor Expstudio Audio Editor.

Conclusion. So, we have offered you a choice of 6 free audio editors, we hope that among them you will find the best one for yourself.

08/26/2014 at 12:07

Any sound engineer/beatmaker has to process digital audio, just like a photographer has to edit images. The sound engineer simply needs to mask unsuccessful or damaged fragments, remove noise, and use filters. In general, audio processing is not an easy task, and today I have compiled a list of the most convenient and popular audio editors to help you.

Sony Sound Forge Pro 11.0 build 234

He has been considered the best professional editor for many years. Many masters use it to make the sound better. SONY Sound Forge Pro is the number one choice for a generation of artists, producers and editors. Its popularity and high-quality processing make it one of the most advanced audio editors.

Adobe Audition CC

This program offers fairly intuitive tools for audio editing, mixing, restoration and effects creation. There is a Sound Remover that allows you to remove sounds from an entire file by analyzing a small selected area. It is possible to create gorgeous soundscapes with sound design tools. Worth a try.

Adobe Audition CS6

And this audio editor is highly productive. There are powerful features like real-time clip stretching and automatic speech alignment. Helps you save a lot of time.

GoldWave v5.67

This professional sound editor is capable of processing complex sounds, restoring, enhancing and converting.

Many users would like to not only enjoy beautiful music, but also write it themselves. Various computer programs will help in implementing this task, allowing you not only to create your own track from scratch, but also to edit the melodies we have. In this material, I will list the most popular programs for editing audio files, describe their capabilities, and also provide a link to a resource where you can download them.

The wealth of available music editing programs can be divided into several main types:

  • amateur or professional solutions;
  • specialized tools for creating mixes;
  • programs for writing music using notes;
  • other relevant tools.

To work with such programs, you will have to spend significant time learning their functionality. A simplified template for modifying a composition consists of loading the song into the program, transferring it to the editing panel, and making all the necessary changes there.

If you write an audio track from scratch, you will need to use the set of basic samples provided by the program, create them yourself, or use other tools designed for this. Let's now look at the most popular audio editors.

Audacity is a popular audio editor

The Audacity program is the “godfather” of free software for editing music files, one of the most famous programs for audio editing. Its capabilities allow you to work with many popular formats (mp3, wav, flac and others), it supports advanced multi-tracking, recording from a microphone, mixing audio tracks with various quality characteristics and other useful features.

This software is easy to use and has a large number of effects and plugins. At first glance it may seem a little archaic, but Audacity does its job very well. This is a great starter program for free music editing. There are versions for Windows, Mac, Linux OS.

Studio One 3 - convenient software for working with audio recordings

The Studio One 3 program has become very popular in the last couple of years. And this is no wonder, since this DAW has everything you would expect to see in a modern digital audio station. It is fast, convenient, has a friendly drag-n-drop interface, and is simply created for creative people.

The software is a powerful audio editor and midi sequencer, containing tools for mixing and mastering finished tracks. Supports VST effects, music mixing, VCA faders and sound saturation with support for analog modeling and other convenient features. The program runs on Windows and Mac.

Pro Tools 12 - Professional Music Editing

Pro Tools 12 is probably the most popular DAW (digital audio workstation) in the world. This product is the professional standard for mixing and audio editing. Lots of people have either total love or total hate relationships with Pro Tools.


The plugins built into the program are quite good, but the editor itself suffers from the lack of a built-in multiband compressor, which for many becomes a significant problem.

Pro Tools supports WAV, AIFF, AIFC, mp3 and legacy SDII audio formats. The program's functionality also includes the ability to edit video files, so users can import and work with high-definition video formats such as XDCAM, MJPG-A, PhotoJPG, DV25, QuickTime and others. The product runs on Windows and Mac OS.

Ableton Live - high-quality editing of electronic tracks

The world's top electronic music producers use Ableton Live, a convenient and multifunctional software for conducting life sets. Although the program lacks some advanced editing and mixing capabilities, its tools are regularly used by many famous DJs. You can use this product both in studio work (arranging, mixing) and during live performance (DJ-ing).

The program supports different variations of audio output (Core Audio, Asio) and audio plugins (Audio Units), as well as “Rewire” technology. Like other DAWs, the program boasts various audio effects, as well as a library of presets that support them. The product runs on OS Windows and Mac.

Cubase Pro - innovative software for audio editing

"Cubase Pro" is a popular music editor based on innovation, stability and user friendliness. The program works based on a number of proprietary technologies, such as “ASIO Guard” (eliminates sound dropouts under heavy loads) and “render in-place” (allows quick rendering of a fragment of audio or MIDI track to a new track).


Working with Cubase Pro

This software works well with internal windows, supports VCA faders, VST plugins, and has other useful features.

Cakewalk Sonar - Audio Editing Software Tool

“Cakewalk Sonar” runs exclusively on Windows OS, has an excellent user interface and many possibilities for working with sound.

Product functionality includes:

  • multi-channel recording and parameter automation using envelopes and midi messages;
  • flexible signal routing;
  • double precision audio processing.

The program has many stereo and surround effects from Vozengo and Sonitus, an editable instrument selection menu is available, and instrument formats such as DX/DXi, ReWire and others are supported.

This software also uses proprietary AST technology, which allows you to control virtual instruments in accordance with the hardware controller available in the system.

Oceanaudio - a simplified editor for working with sound

"Oceanaudio" is a new and fairly simple music editor with a simple and quite colorful user interface. The product is easy to use, fast, and is a kind of simplified version of the famous Audacity. This program supports many effects (including compression, EQ, and reverb) that you can use in real-time editing.

Many free music editors are destructive (recording effects directly onto audio), so when working with them you have to rely on the “pre-listen” button. This is how, for example, the above-mentioned “Audacity” works. But in the "Ocenaudio" I'm reviewing, you can change the parameters of the effect, and immediately listen to the changes you make.

This program supports VST, so you can easily use your own plugins. It provides many other features (such as a spectogram) that will be useful for more advanced users. There are versions of the program for Windows, Mac, Linux OS.

Conclusion

In this material I have listed the most popular programs for editing music tracks. If you are just starting your journey in music processing, then you should start with programs like Oceanaudio or Audacity, and if you are interested in professional solutions, then opt for Pro Tools 12 and other tools with an abundance of specialized capabilities.

If you are passionate about music and would like to practice creating interesting mixes yourself, then you should definitely check out the advanced Virtual DJ program. It is used not only by beginners in this business, but also by experienced DJs. The application resembles a real DJ console, but unlike it, it provides much more opportunities for mixing audio compositions.

Virtual DJ can replace an audio studio; it contains everything you need for professional DJing. With multi-deck support, you can mix multiple tracks at once, and the built-in multi-band equalizer allows you to always achieve excellent sound. It is noteworthy that the program is compatible with external controllers, mixers and other DJ equipment, making work in it easier.

With it, you can mix not only audio, but also video files in real time, using various audio and video effects, transitions, samples and other DJ bells and whistles. Many DJs know how important the speed of playing tracks is, so this product has built-in automatic adjustment of the sound speed, of course, if it does not work as you would like, then you can always adjust everything manually.

  • Multimedia
  • Audio editors

ocenaudio 3.6.2.0

ocenaudio is a cross-platform audio editor. This free program provides users with ample opportunities for audio processing. With its help, you can edit not only musical compositions, but also audio recordings made with a voice recorder, etc. For ease of use, audio files in the application are presented in the form of waves, i.e. visually.

Of course, the editor supports common audio formats. By loading a file into it, you can process it entirely or select the area you need to edit. It provides all the necessary tools for trimming, joining, deleting, copying and pasting audio fragments.

Effects and filters deserve special mention; thanks to them, it becomes possible to do noise reduction, normalize sound, add echo, convert frequencies, etc. In addition, to evaluate the applied filter or effect, and indeed after any changes, you can immediately listen to the result.

  • Multimedia
  • Audio editors

Audacity 2.3.1

To work professionally with sound, you need a powerful digital audio editor, which is exactly what the free Audacity program is. This software provides users with enormous opportunities for editing and processing audio tracks, and in its functionality it is practically not inferior to such audio editing giants as Adobe Audition and Sound Forge. It is worth noting that the product in question is cross-platform, so it can be used on all popular operating systems.

Audacity supports recording and digitizing sound from different sources and can work with both one and many tracks simultaneously. Using this editor, you can perform the most common operations on audio files, for example, cut or copy part of a track and paste it elsewhere, change the playback speed and pitch of a musical composition, convert audio tracks into the required formats, listen to the result without interrupting other operations (recording, processing, etc.).

Initially, the application can open and record files in MP3 and WAV formats, but after connecting the FFmpeg, LAME and libsndfile libraries, it begins to work with AAC, AC3, WMA, etc. formats. In general, despite the large number of functions, the editor’s capabilities can be further expanded thanks to using various plugins. Also worth a special mention are the effects, the use of which will allow you to get exactly the sound that you need.

  • Multimedia
  • Audio editors

Wave Editor 3.8.0.0

The Wave Editor program was released specifically for beginners; it is a small audio editor with a very friendly interface. With its help it is possible to perform the most necessary operations on audio files.

For example, thanks to this application you can easily create a cool ringtone for your phone or increase/decrease the volume of your favorite musical composition to achieve a suitable sound.

Wave Editor has the usual functionality for such programs; it allows you to select, copy, delete, paste or cut the desired fragment of an audio file, tracks of any audio format are supported, and the result is saved in mp3 or wav.

  • Multimedia
  • Audio editors

TagScanner 6.0.32

TagScanner is a useful program for music lovers; with its help you can create and edit music collections. As the name suggests, the utility allows you to work with tags and supports the following types: APEv2, ID3v1, ID3v2, MP4, Vorbis Comments, WMA. In addition, if necessary, using this application you can batch rename audio files.

Thanks to support for Amazon and FreeDB databases, Tag Scanner automatically searches and collects information for your music compositions. In addition, if you need to change tags in several files, the program allows you to use batch mode, which significantly saves the user’s time. The built-in tag editor provides extensive capabilities, for example: changing the case of letters, searching and replacing text in track names and tags.

  • Multimedia
  • Audio editors

mp3DirectCut (mp3 Direct Cut) 2.25

Very often, users need to quickly cut a piece of audio from an MP3 file, for example, to create a ringtone. The mp3DirectCut program is perfect for these purposes; it is an audio editor in which you can perform various operations with MP3 files.

A distinctive feature of mp3 Direct Cat is the preservation of the original audio quality, i.e. after editing the song, it will not be re-encoded; this approach makes it possible to obtain a musical composition without loss of quality.

The application allows users to: cut a specified piece of an audio track, create an effect of increasing or decreasing sound volume, copy a section of a song for subsequent insertion, record a signal directly from a sound card.

  • Multimedia
  • Audio editors

MuseScore 2.3.2

If you are a musician and are looking for a convenient application for working with sheet music, meet MuseScore. It is a sheet music editor for convenient visual management of musical scores.

MuzSkor allows you to add notes to a specially marked page in a ruler from a PC keyboard and MIDI keyboard; in addition, you can use a computer mouse for the same purpose.

Speaking about musical lines, it is worth noting that you can change their number; there are no restrictions in this regard. Those. if necessary, you can add or remove them, creating the desired page layout.

  • Multimedia
  • Audio editors

Free Audio Editor 2015 9.2.7

Free Audio Editor is an advanced audio file editor. The program allows you to edit two audio tracks at once. The editor will help you process the required audio material.

The Free Audio Editor application can capture sound from various sources (microphone, headset or line-in). After recording, the track opens in the program window, where you can immediately edit it.

That is, thanks to this software, it becomes possible not only to import and export audio files, but also to create them. The audio recording in the work area looks like a sound wave and its selected segment can be stretched or compressed.

  • Multimedia
  • Audio editors

Free Audio Editor 1.1.36.831

Free Audio Editor (formerly Free Audio Dub) is a small audio editor with which you can perform simple editing of audio files. A special feature of the application is editing files without losing quality.

The program allows you to cut certain parts from audio. This can be useful when you want to create a ringtone for your phone. This product can work with the following audio formats: aac, m4a, mp2, mp3, ogg, wav, wma.

Using the audio editor is quite simple and to cut a track the user must perform the following operations: select the source and output audio file, determine the part of the track that needs to be cut (this can be done using the built-in audio player), indicate what needs to be done with the selected part of the track (cut it and leave everything else or vice versa).