Whether you're producing podcasts or creating
highly sophisticated sound recordings, one of these open source apps
will suit your needs.
Image: iStockphoto.com/Sergey Nivens
A
solid audio editor might not seem to belong at the top of your
must-have list. It is, however, a tool that can go a long way toward
helping you with your business. How? With an audio editor, you can add
audio to your business website, create and edit a podcast to help
promote your service or product, record and submit audio for radio ads,
and more. But what software titles are available from the open source
community? Believe it or not, some of the finest audio editors available
are open source and offer power and options you might expect only in
costly, proprietary software.
Let's take a look at five open source audio editors and see if there's one that will fit your bill. Note: This article is also available as an image gallery.
1: Audacity
Audacity (Figure A)
is the software I've been using for years to record Zombie Radio. It's a
powerful multi-track recording app, and it's easy to use. Audacity
allows you to record live audio, record from your desktop, convert old
tapes/records, edit various formats, cut/copy/splice/mix audio, add
effects, change speed/pitch, and much more. At first blush, you might
think Audacity is an out-of-date application. But do not let appearances
fool you. Audacity is one of the single best recording apps I've ever
used. For features and ease of use, you can't beat this recording tool.
Audacity is available for Linux, Windows, and Mac.
Figure A
2: Ardour
Now we're talking real recording power. Ardour (Figure B)
is a digital audio workstation that isn't for the faint of heart. It is
to musicians, engineers, soundtrack editors, and composers what
Audacity is to podcasters -- the best tool for the job. Not only can you
record audio from multiple inputs, you can cut, move, stretch, copy,
paste, delete, align, trim, crossfade, rename, snapshot, zoom,
transpose, quantize, swing, drag, and drop. The caveat to all of this
power is that Ardour comes with a steep learning curve, and It's
overkill for podcasters and those wanting to create simple sound
recordings.
Figure B
Hundreds
of plugins are available for this amazing piece of software. The best
way to experience Ardour is by downloading and installing Ubuntu Studio or installing on OS X.
3: Traverso
Traverso (Figure C)
leans more toward Audacity, but it relies upon the same underlying
system that Ardour does: Jack. So although the interface is vastly
easier to use than Ardour's, the foundation for connecting to devices
(mics, instruments, etc.) is far more complex than Audacity.
Figure C
You
can use Traverso for a small scale recording session on a netbook or
scale up to recording a full-blown orchestra. One outstanding feature
that's built into Traverso is the ability to burn your recording
straight to CD from within the UI itself. Once you're finished with a
project, just burn it and you're done. Traverso is available only for
Linux.
4: QTractor
QTractor (Figure D)
is another digital audio workstation that requires the Jack Audio
Connection Kit. QTractor is a multi-track audio and MIDI sequencing and
recording studio. It requires a much better understanding of Jack than
Traverso does. But it also delivers a level of power you won't find with
lesser applications.
Figure D
QTractor
lets you drag, move, drop, cut, copy, paste, paste-repeat, delete,
split, and merge. It offers unlimited undo/redo, has a built-in patch
bay, and much more. QTractor is a great solution for anyone who wants
the power of Jack but not the massive complexity (or flexibility and
feature set) of Ardour. QTractor is available only for Linux.
5: Linux Multimedia Studio (LMMS)
Linux Multimedia Studio (Figure E)
is geared toward songwriters, offering a beat editor and an FX mixer.
LMMS includes an incredible array of effects and an impressive number of
instruments. With LMMS you can compose entire songs without plugging in
a single instrument. Just drag and drop an instrument plug-in to the
song editor and you're good to go.
Figure E
LMMS does
have a fairly steep learning curve, so be prepared to spend some time
getting up to speed with the interface and tools. The name Linux
Multimedia Studio a bit misleading, as it is actually available for both
Linux and Windows.
Audio tasks?
If you're looking for an
audio editor, and you don't want to shell out the money for proprietary
software, you don't have to worry about losing features or power. The
five editors listed here will get your job done and done right.
How
do you make use of audio? Do you use it for training, marketing, PR? Or
is audio yet to make its way into your business plan?
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