8 best audio editors for music and voice tracks

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Online services and programs for Windows, macOS and Linux that will help you record and process sound.

Online services

1. Sodaphonic

• Price: is free.
• Who is it for: For those who need to quickly record and clean up a voice track.

Nice web-based audio editor with a dark interface and a minimum of functions. Microphone recording and hotkey combinations are supported. In Sodaphonic, it is easy to highlight pieces of audio for deletion: it can help when cleaning up pauses and breaths.

There are almost no effects: you can apply a smooth fade in and out to a certain part of the audio, turn it backwards or replace it with silence.

Go to Sodaphonic →

2. Hya-Wave

• Price: is free.
• Who is it for: for those who need to quickly cut out unnecessary pieces of audio and process the result with effects.

A simple and nimble audio editor with nothing superfluous. Only one track is available for processing. This means that you won't be able to mix a podcast here, but it's easy to process a take, cut out silence and apply effects.

The interface doesn't require a lot of scrutiny, and all you need to remember is the keyboard shortcuts. This will make it faster to process the track. To edit, you just need to drag and drop audio from your computer folder into the Hya-Wave workspace. You can also record sound from the microphone and process it.

Hya-Wave is distinguished from the previous audio editor by a set of effects - there are 18 of them. Among them are frequency filters, compressor, signal amplifier, delay, overdrive and others.

Go to Hya-Wave →

3. Bear Audio Tool

• Price: is free.
• Who is it for: For those who need minimal audio processing and have a hard time working with the English interface.

A more advanced audio editor that supports importing multiple tracks at once. True, in single-track mode - this means that you can glue several fragments of different audio files, but not mix them so that they sound simultaneously. Microphone audio recording is also available.

Bear Audio Tool does not boast a pleasant and logical interface, but the service has several features that are not available in Hya-Wave and Sodaphonic. Among them, support for the Russian language, a built-in base of sounds for design and an audio converter based on the service.

Go to Bear Audio Tool →

4. TwistedWave Online

• Price: Free - when processing audio in mono and up to 5 minutes. If you need to edit a file in stereo and from 5 minutes, you will have to buy a subscription. The most budgetary one is $ 5 per month.
• Who is it for: for those who need a serious audio editor, but for some reason cannot install the software on their computer.

The web versions of TwistedWave do things that simple online audio editors can't. Here you can import and export files from Google Drive and SoundCloud, select a sound source and audio interface, add markers to a track, change the tone and speed of a track. There is also a VST tab in the effects, although the editor will not allow you to import your plugins and will offer its own list of possible add-ons for processing.

TwistedWave Online has one drawback - it is conditionally free. To really turn around and handle long stereo tracks, you'll have to purchase a subscription. Without it, you can glue a ringtone for a smartphone or process a short voice take. If you get used to the interface and want something a little more serious, a full-format program for macOS or a mobile app for iOS will do.

Go to TwistedWave Online →

Offline programs

1.ocenaudio

• Platform: macOS, Windows, Linux.
• Price: is free.
• Who is it for: for anyone looking for a simple and lightweight program for advanced single-track audio processing.

For a full-fledged processing cycle of a podcast or turnkey audiobook, there is not enough multitracking mode here, but it is easy to do everything that paid programs offer within one track.

In ocenaudio, you can put markers, carry out FFT analysis, turn on the spectrogram view to detect amplitude-frequency problems on the track, and wind up external VST plug-ins for processing. There is a solid array of built-in effects, including noise cancellation and 31-band equalizer. The program is fully Russified.

Go to ocenaudio website →

2. Audacity

• Platform: macOS, Windows, Linux.
• Price: is free.
• Who is it for: For those looking for a simple multitrack recording program and don't need complex audio post-processing.

This program is popular with podcasters because of its simplicity and the ability to record up to 16 tracks simultaneously. This is convenient if there are several speakers and everyone speaks into their own microphone. Audio output to headphones is also available when recording.

There are all the functions that you may need for post-processing: warping (changing the length of a segment without changing the tone), spectral analysis to identify problem areas, standard effects and support for external VSTs. However, Audacity is not as user-friendly as more advanced audio editors - it does not have a very logical and attractive interface.

Go to Audacity website →

3. Adobe Audition

• Platform: macOS, Windows.
• Price: 1,352 rubles per month for one program and 3,414 rubles for all Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
• Who is it for: For Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers looking for the most user-friendly, feature-rich audio editing software.

Adobe names Audition as the best software for professional correction, restoration and accurate editing of audio. It's hard to argue with that: in the audio editor market (aside from full-blown music production software), Audition offers one of the most comprehensive feature sets. Multitrack recording, mixing, external VST installation, built-in effects, easy track automation - it's all available.

Everything is clouded at the cost. Having to pay a hefty monthly fee automatically makes Adobe Audition a program for professionals willing to pay for a work tool and for those already subscribed to the Creative Cloud suite.

Go to the Adobe Audition website →

4. WaveLab Elements

• Platform: macOS, Windows.
• Price: 99, 99 euros or about 7 thousand rubles. When bought in a box on Russian-language resources, it may come out a little more expensive.
• Who is it for: someone who is looking for a program no worse than Adobe Audition, but is not ready to pay for it on a monthly basis.

A multifunctional program that has everything you need to mix podcasts, audiobooks and commercials. Three stereo tracks are open for processing, where you can place voice, backing and sound effects. The main advantages: an intuitive interface and a powerful set of standard plug-ins, which have become a separate property of WaveLab. For example, Master Rig for mastering with five effects, allowing you to get a seamless and detailed mix of multiple tracks.

The program is expensive, but requires a one-time purchase and can replace all other audio editors for many years.

Go to WaveLab Elements website →