- Best Professional Sound Editing Software Download
- Best Sound Editing Software
- Best Pro Audio Editing Software
- Professional Movie Editing Software
- Best Professional Sound Editing Software
When it comes to editing audio on your computer there are several options out there and most of the best ones cost quite a bit of money.
If you want to produce and mix music then you might need to splash out, but if you want to establish a podcast of even do some home music recording then there are a few cheaper and even free options for you to consider.
A self-described 'swiss army knife of sound editing,' Amadeus Pro is a multi-track audio editor for Mac with a focus on user-friendliness. An attractive interface displays only a handful of icons for the most basic operations, including playback controls, the record button, and a few multi-track functions like adding new tracks or splitting. It offers a great control over the sound data. With different monitoring tools like: channel meters, loudness meters, spectrum analysis, and hardware meters, SoundForge brings a professional sound recording and editing experience. If you are a professional sound editing expert, you will also like the keyboard shortcuts.
- In fact, some software is better suited to mixing and editing audio for film and videos, recording and editing ADR and/or inserting sound effects and Foley in addition to working well for music composition and looping sounds. In this article, we’ll look at the best audio editing software for video editors.
- For many, Pro Tools is the best audio editor. It certainly suits large studio set ups and has become somewhat an industry standard used by hundreds of professionals worldwide and has traditionally been the software editor of choice for the music industry since its introduction.
Simple audio editing from other sources can definitely be done for free on some of the software below. But if you want to input your own audio, be it through microphones, live instruments or MIDI, there’ll be a specific product that suits you best.
Best free options
Audacity
Sign up here
Free on PC, Mac, Linux
The most well-known of the free audio editors has its reputation for a reason. Audacity manages to bring the all the building blocks of decent multitrack recording software and present it in an intuitive way, with tons more features than you’d expect hidden under the surface. It’s great for podcasting, simple music editing, and other basic audio needs.
It has been around for 20 years and remains open source, meaning it works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. This also means developers add new features and plug-ins all the time, so it’s not lost relevancy.
As with all audio editors it’ll work best if you have a fairly large display, but hopefully you’ll be able to afford one given Audacity is totally free. If you’re just starting out, start here. The software gets enough updates to keep it relevant for a wide range of needs.
Best Professional Sound Editing Software Download
Ocenaudio
Sign up here
Free on PC, Mac, Linux
This simple and clean audio editor is a decent alternative to Audacity and is slightly faster to run.
Like Audacity it comes with a lot of effects that you can add to your recordings, and bests Audacity (and others) by being able to listen to effects changes in real time – other editors work destructively by modifying your audio files, but Ocenaudio lets you apply effects and hear them straight away.
A downside is that it doesn’t let you record several instruments and mix them as it only supports single stereo or mono files. That means its suitable for editing stereo music files or mono audio files.
Check both Ocenaudio and Audacity out to see which is the best fit for your free audio editing needs.
GarageBand
Sign up here
Free with every Mac
The Windows vs Mac debate will rumble on for the foreseeable future but one thing the Mac has Windows beat for is the free software you get just by buying one. GarageBand is one of the best reasons to fork out for a MacBook or iMac because it is extremely capable and might well be all you need if you want to record your own music.
It comes with a slick looking interface that lets you easily multitrack instruments, whether that’s via a plugged-in instrument, ambient mic, or MIDI keyboard.
Apple also continuously adds to its massive sound effects and loops library that comes with the software meaning you can quickly build a great sounding recording without needing every instrument under the sun at your disposal.
With more advanced features such as 24-bit recording, it’s a step up from Audacity for musicians but not as fully featured as paid-for software like Apple’s own Logic Pro X or Adobe Audition.
Audiotool
Sign up here
Free for PC, Mac, Linux
Audiotool is a music editor that differentiates itself by being an in-browser, online, cloud-based music audio editor. You can use a Chrome plug-in to access it, but otherwise the freedom to log in from any web browser on any computer is attractive if you don’t want to rely on one install on one machine.
It’s a good option if you want access to royalty free samples, which Audiotool has in spades thanks to partnerships with Loopmasters and Newloops that boasts over 250,000 of them.
The software’s modular look and feel is quite similar to GarageBand, so it makes Audiotool a good pick if you don’t have a Mac. With several virtual synthesizers and drum machines it’s an excellent audio creator as well as editor, and you can record short samples yourself to mix in with the preset instruments.
Best paid audio editors
Adobe Audition CC
Sign up here
For PC or Mac
From AU$29.99 per month
Adobe Audition has a rightfully excellent reputation as the best software for audio restoration sound removal, and noise reduction but it isn’t our top choice for music editing as it lacks MIDI support, but you can record instruments directly into it.
Think of Audition like the more advanced version of Audacity: it is a great post-production tool but not the best for direct recording. Audition works best if you’ve captured audio from other sources and then need to upload and mix down a final product. This is why it’s a popular choice for TV and radio professionals.
Like Adobe’s Photoshop and other software, it might put you off that Audition is part of the company’s Creative Cloud (CC) suite, so you have to pay a fairly high monthly fee for it rather than a one-off lump sum. It means it’s a flexible way to pay for pro-level audio editing, but you might prefer to splash on Logic or Ableton and be done with it.
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Logic Pro X
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Only on Mac
AU$319.99 one-time payment with free updates
The gold standard for music production on Mac for most people is Logic Pro X. Unless you’re a music pro who needs compatibility with Pro Tools, Logic is the one to go for.
Compared to other pro editing software Logic has a fairly friendly learning curve, and the interface is intuitive enough that you’ll be able to get recording and editing fast. You can run it on the base iMac or even a MacBook at a push, but remember for multi-track processing of large compositions you’re going to need a powerful machine.
The software is also not bound with copy protection like rivals, so you can log in to a new Mac when you upgrade and easily redownload Logic without pesky product keys and verification.
The latest version of Logic has incredibly accomplished sampler, sequencer, and Remix plugin that lets you easier input tricky transitions. Along with algorithmic drum and reverb options as just the tip of the icerberg, Logic comes at a reasonable price considering how fully realised it is.
Avid Pro Tools
Sign up hereFrom US$29.99 per month or $599 one-time payment with 1 year of updates
https://shop.avid.com/
For many, Pro Tools is the best audio editor. It certainly suits large studio set ups and has become somewhat an industry standard used by hundreds of professionals worldwide and has traditionally been the software editor of choice for the music industry since its introduction.
This is down to the fact it tends to handle the recording of live instruments better than Logic Pro X. Pro Tools’ Beat Detective is one of the editor’s main advantages with the software having the ability to intelligently detect the right beat in audio tracks, which lets you easier fix timing problems across tracks.
Compared to Logic it doesn’t have as many preloaded synth and sound effects, meaning if you want them, you’ll have to pay more for third party instruments.
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Whether you are a musician, audio-editor or someone who is looking forward to creating ringtones for a phone you need an audio editing software depending on your requirement and budget. Earlier audio editing used to be a complicated job as the tools used to high priced and not readily available. Have you thought about the sound effects in a horror movie? If you have a computer and the right professional audio editing software, you can create the desired audio results. Audio editing software will perform functions which include recording audio from different sources, edit the soundtrack, add special effects in real-time and more. Finding the right tool for editing audio is not an easy task as each software comes with specific features. Don’t worry, listed below are some of the best audio editing software for you.
![Best Professional Sound Editing Software Best Professional Sound Editing Software](https://cdn.windowsreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/FL-Studio-windows-10-audio-editor.jpg)
Best Audio Editing Software
1. Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition is an impressive and the number one in the list of best audio editing software The Adobe Audition comes with a superb professional user interface and let you do the multi-track editing and mixing to enhance your audio experience. Remove or reduce background recordings for your audio file in the real-time, import third-party effects, add tracks or empty the tracks as per your requirement and more. Adobe Audition also features Auto- Ducking which users AI and machine learning to lower the volume of background sound automatically to make conversation and other sounds clear.
Adobe Audition has support for various audio formats like MP3, AC-3, WAV, OGG, AIF, AIFF, AIFC and video formats like MOV, AVI, MPEG-1. There are tutorials also for beginners to help them out with various features.
Adobe Audition is available for Mac and Windows users.
2. Logic Pro X
Logic Pro X is Apple’s professional audio editing tool for Mac users which comes with an intuitive and friendly user interface. Logic Pro X brings various advanced features like Smart Tempo to match the timing of different tracks, new plugins to add creative effects, reverb, Brush Drum Kits, and Drummers to add jazz feel to your music. With Logic Remote feature wirelessly connect your iPhone to Mac and add effects to your musical tracks anywhere. If you have used Garageband app on your iOS device, it is the time to upgrade to Logic Pro X to bring out the musical genius in you.
Logic Pro X is priced at $199.99 for Mac.
3. Audacity
Searching for audio editing free software? Audacity is a free, cross-platform and open source music editing and recording tool with a plethora of feature. Whether you are a pro or a newbie, the tool will help not only in editing music but also recording live music. Import or export, edit your music files in various compatible formats and view effects in real-time in high-quality.
If you want to avail premium features without spending a dime, Audacity should be on your list. Audacity supports Windows, Mac, Linux.
4. Reaper
Affordable audio editing is your requirement? Reaper is one of the flexible, powerful and affordable tool loaded with features worth trying. Reaper comes with multichannel support, and you can easily install and run the tool from your portable drive. Free open software. It supports third-party plugins, various effects, and virtual instruments.
One of the best features of Reaper is its fully customizable user interface letting you change colors, toolbars, icons as per your choice.
Best Sound Editing Software
You can download and try a free version of Reaper for 60 days while the paid version is available at a discounted price of $60. It is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux (experimental).
5. FL Studio
FL Studio is another popular and the favorite audio editors by artists like Zimmerman and others. It supports multi-track audio recording and tracking, more than 80 plugins which include plugins for automation, synthesis, compression, delay, equalization filtering and more. The Mixer feature helps in creating effect chains, sidechain control, audio sends. Send note and automation data to plugin using Piano Roll.
FL Studio also features live performance, clip triggering, and supports VST standards to add more plugins and instruments. It has excellent community support for music artists.
The tool is available in four different editions: Fruity Edition, Producer Edition, Signature Bundle, and All Plugins Bundle for Windows, and Mac.
6. Ocenaudio
Ocenaudio is audio editing free software having simple, fast, and easy to use interface available for a download for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Analyzing and editing audio files using Ocenaudio is a breeze; you get to preview effects in the realtime. The multi-selection feature lets you listen to different audios, edit audio files, and add effects at the same time. Efficiently edit large audio files without compromising on the quality of the output at ease. Spectrogram option provides a waveform view of audio files.
Ocenaudio also comes with support for VST plugins to add more functionalities. If you think Audacity is not for you, Ocenaudio is a great free option.
Ocenaudio can be downloaded for Windows 7 and above.
7. Cubase
Best Pro Audio Editing Software
Whether you are a music composer or a music producer, Cubase will fulfill your professional music editing requirement. How to make a spreadsheet on macbook pro. Cubase, Digital Audio Workstations (DWA) by Steinberg is used by Zimmer, Junkie XL, Zedd, and others to compose, sequence, record, edit, and mix audio files. Prominent features include audio alignment, channel strip to mix and make your songs, chord pads to compose in realtime using chords, drum editor to add beats and grooves, VariAudio for MIDI-style note editing.
Cubase is available for Windows, and Mac.
8. Presonus Studio One
Developed by Presonus Studio One is another DAW with features worth mentioning, Studio One 4’s Chord allows songwriters to create and change Chord progression. It also features built-in chord detection, ingenious Chord Selector helps you to come up with new chord ideas, add any other hardware processors using plugins, create printable notes using Harmonic Editing.
Studio One has support for all MIDI, Impact XT brings new features like real-time stretching, beat quantization, synced start/stop. There is a Drum Editor too for fast editing Drum parts. Studio One is vouched by leading artists in the likes of Jonas Westling, Pete Stewart.
Studio One is available for Windows, Mac.
9. Ardour
Ardour is another powerful audio editing software which literally runs on any platform with full support for Linux. Apart from some basic editing features, Ardour makes it easy for you to record audio from microphone and MIDI devices, and unlimited undo or redos of your audio content as per your choice. Ardour is a great option for pro musicians who can use the mixing feature of Ardour providing access to automate, fader, EQ, monitor, insert.
Ardour is open-source with great support from the community. To avail full features of this open source sound editing software you need to pay at least $1.
10. AVS Audio Editor
Last but not the least AVS Audio Editor is one of the most advanced audio editors. The audio editor features more than 20 built-in audio effects, ability to record audio from any input device, export audio from video, create a ringtone for iPhone. AVS Audio Editor supports editing and saving audio files in different audio formats.
If you are looking for an audio editor for Windows go for AVS Audio Editor.
Professional Movie Editing Software
Above mentioned are the best audio editing software which includes both free and paid software. Choose the audio editing software based on your requirement, expertise, and budget. Did you know you can do audio editing online?