Audacity - Audacity 3

Description

Audacity 3.0.0 is a major update on our previous Audacity 2.4.2. We’ve changed the format in which we save Audacity projects! Previously we saved projects as a sometimes large number of small files, with an ‘.aup’ file to coordinate the lot. This way of doing things is sometimes called ‘pile of files’ storage.

The problem, which happened all too often, was that data files and .aup file parted ways. Users quite reasonably expected the .aup file to contain the entire project. Well, the new .aup3 file does contain the data as well. The technical detail is that we are using an open-source database, SQLite3, to store everything in one .aup3 file. That all happens ‘behind the scenes. SQLite3 is open source, and it is a delight to work with. Nevertheless, this was a huge change, and we decided it was too risky to include many other changes we wanted to make at the same time – so 3.0.0 is almost entirely about this big format change.

Working with .aup3 projects editing audio should on most machines be a little faster than before, because there are fewer files being worked on. Finishing and closing a project at the end of working can be quite a lot slower since there is more to do when a project is closed. We think the trade-offs are worth it.

Importantly note that you can open your older .aup projects in Audacity 3.0.0 where they will be converted to the new .aup3 format.

Features

• Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from other media.

• Import, edit, and combine sound files. Export your recordings in many different file formats, including multiple files at once.

• Supports 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit. Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.

• Support for LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST and Audio Unit effect plug-ins. Nyquist effects can be easily modified in a text editor – or you can even write your own plug-in.

• Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete. Also unlimited sequential Undo (and Redo) in the session to go back any number of steps.

• Real-time preview of LADSPA, LV2, VST and Audio Unit (macOS) effects. Plug-in Manager handles plug-in installation and addition/removal of effects and generators from the menus.

• Tracks and selections can be fully manipulated using the keyboard. Large range of keyboard shortcuts.

• Spectrogram view mode for visualizing and selecting frequencies. Plot Spectrum window for detailed frequency analysis.