It was a lonely quiet night. I hadn’t slept for 20 hours. My coffee was depleted and my energy even more so.
That’s not completely true. On Last.fm you can find a section with free music downloads. It has plenty of genres that you’ll see in the left column. Choose a genre and check what tracks you can get. When you find something great, you need to only click a blue Free Download button to get this song onto your PC. Unfortunately, music quality is not stated, but you can listen to a track before downloading it. Funky driving beat with a pounding synth bass line, pop/slap electric bass, melodic synths and funky clean guitar. Rocky Balboa motivational sports training montage music. Memories Royalty Free Music. Composer: Benjamin TISSOT (also known as Bensound) Nice royalty free music composition featuring piano, synths, drums and strings. Ideal for a travel or adventure video. Image copyright: Galyna Andrushko - Shutterstock.
Despite this, I had just spent the last 3 hours of my life searching for an audio editor that would do what I needed.
I had over twenty different pieces of software that had audio editing capabilities. Yet none of them could perform the simple task that I wanted to carry out.
Eventually I found an application that did exactly what I wanted with minimal effort. To be frank, I was ecstatic.
That event inspired me to try out every free audio editor out there and compile this list.
If you are thinking about setting up your own home studio, and you want to start looking at the available free audio editing software out there, you are in the right place.
But before we continue, I’m guessing you’re here because you want to make music that sounds professional in your home studio.
Finding the right audio editor is important, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
That’s why I created this new free workshop for people who want the entire framework for pro mixes.
Inside, I share the only 7 steps you need to go through if you want your mixes to sound professional.
You will also learn the #1 mistake that musicians make when it comes to recording their own music.
So, if you just want a shortcut to pro-quality mixes, watch this free training now:
But if you just want to learn all about audio editors specifically, keep reading.
Contents
Which Audio Editor Do I Use?Audacity (Windows, Mac, Linux)
This is the godfather of free audio editing software. You can multi track to an extent (have more than just one stereo track e.g. a full band recording). There are a range of effects and plugins, and it’s easy to use once you get used to it. It’s by far the most popular free audio editing software. Volume automation is easy using the envelope. Deleting and muting sections of audio is also a breeze. Recording is easy too. Tip: Reset all the gain sliders if you want to do a gain staging/ track balancing. You might also like our post on how to eq vocals.
It does have its drawbacks though. The user interface is not particularly appealing, and there a lot of features that you’ll rarely use that clutter the tool bar.
It looks a bit ancient, but it gets the job done. This is an awesome starting point for anyone wanting a free editor.
Link: Audacity
ocenaudio (Windows, Mac, Linux)
This new simple audio editor has a clean and colourful user interface. It’s so easy to use! It’s fast and it’s lightweight compared to Audacity.
It’s bundled with loads of effects (including compression, EQ and reverb) that you can apply and tweak in real-time.
This is a huge benefit as most free editors are destructive (they record effects straight to the audio) so you have to rely on a ‘preview’ button. This is how Audactiy works, for example. But in ocenaudio you can play with the parameters of the effect and hear the changes instantly.
The editor has VST support so you can use your own plugins. It’s easy to record audio straight in to the software as well. There are lots of useful tools (such as a spectogram) for the more advanced user.
One downside of this software is that it only supports single stereo/mono files. You can’t have a multi-track session and record several instruments in your home studio and mix them. More on recording voice and mixing vocals here.
But for editing stereo music files, or mono audio files (such as a voice recording) this is awesome. It’s also relatively simple in terms of features compared to Audacity, although they aren’t trying to compete on that front.
Link: ocenaudio
Hya-Wave (Chrome)
This is a member of the new wave of online audio editors that run in your internet browser. And it’s my favourite of that bunch.
Released in January 2015, I only discovered this a few months ago. The interface is clean and user friendly and the learning curve is pretty much non-existent. Three cheers for simplicity!
It doesn’t support multi-tracking but you can copy, paste, cut, clear and crop your audio. You can load and save in the cloud, apply live effects and share to social media or via URL (take a listen to a song I applied some compression and a high-pass filter to here: )
Browser based DAWs could be the future of audio editing. There are several out there for music composition already and now more audio editors are appearing too. Click here to see how to master a song at home.
This is ideal if you are recording or editing on the fly and don’t want to install large programme on to your laptop.
Link: Hya-Wave
WavePad (Windows, Mac, iPad, Android)
A slightly older DAW, but still highly useful. The interface may not be as sleek as some of the editors listed here, but it makes up for this in features.
It’s easy to install and easy to use. There are lots of bundled effects including noise removal, compression and reverb. There are also some great analysis tools for more advanced users. Reverse reverb: here’s how to create this cool trick.
Pitch and speed changes are possible. So is audio scrubbing, which can be very handy. It doesn’t support multi-tracking so you can only edit stereo or mono audio files.
My absolute favourite feature of this software is the batch processing (which I discussed in the introduction). You can apply compression, reverb, EQ or any effect to a number of audio files at once. This can save you HOURS in the right situation.
Link: WavePad
TwistedWave (web app, Mac, iPhone)
Another awesome online web application for editing sound. Again, it can’t multi-track, but it makes up for this with usability and features.
It’s easy to normnalize your audio and the effects are easy to apply.
Quick tip: like a lot of audio editing software, if you delete a section of audio the rest will ‘shuffle’ back so that there aren’t any gaps. If you want to remove noise without shuffling the audio, you need to ‘mute’ or ‘silence’ the section with noise.
In TwistedWave you can do this easily by highlighting the section of audio that you want to mute and hitting ‘s’ on your keyboard!
Link: TwistedWave
Wavosaur (Windows)
This one is a bit ancient. Dinosaur… Wavosaur… get it?!
It’s looks like the missing link in the evolutionary chain between tape cutting (prime apes) and modern best DAWs (humans).
Joking aside, this application may be basic, but it works. The download is only 1.3MB. Now that is small!
And it’s not that old. The latest version was released in 2013. It’s a good piece of classic Windows music production software. No frilly bits, no messing about. Straight to the point.
It supports VSTs but doesn’t come with any. If you want to apply effects you’ll need your own. There are loads of great analysis tools and volume automation is easy.
It’s very basic and doesn’t look great. But if you just want to get the job done without downloading a huge application, it’s perfect.
Link: Wavosaur
Soundation (web app)
This is a great online application that also functions as a multi-track DAW. This means you can have several audio tracks playing at once.
The interface is attractive. It’s easy to record. Volume and pan automation are easy to perform. You can change the color of the tracks to keep them more organised. Time stretching is also supported and there are a range of effects and plugins.
There is an awesome looping feature reminiscent of Logic Pro. This application is geared just as much to music composition and arrangement as audio editing.
Yet this may be it’s downfall when considered an audio editor – it’s features and workflow are perhaps better suited to arranging music.
Link: Soundation
Acoustica Basic (Windows)
Easy to set up a project and start recording. It has a scrub tool which can be extremely useful! Unfortunately the basic edition does not support multi-tracking but there are some great analysis tools.
This is also the only free audio editor that I have come across that comes with a convolution reverb (a special type of digital reverb you can use to semi-accurately model any room). You have to use your own impulse files though.
Link: Acoustica Audio Editor
Audio Cutter Pro (web app)
If you just need to crop some tracks and add some fades, this tool is perfect. It’s simple, the interface is great and the keyboard controls are intuitive.
You can also import files from Dropbox or Google Drive so it fit’s in perfectly with cloud based storage.
Link: Audio Cutter Pro
Nero Wave Editor (Windows)![]()
Another simple and free audio editor. There’s nothing particularly special about this one, but it will meet basic audio editing needs.
You can apply effects non-destructively which is pretty useful. You can also create your own presets.
Link: Nero Wave Editor
WaveShop (Windows)
WaveShop supports multi-channel audio (up to 18 outputs) which could be useful in the right situation. It also claims to be ‘bit-perfect’, so samples aren’t changed needlessly.
I can’t think of any more reasons why you would want to use this over any of the other editors listed here. But it’s worth taking a look if you want a simple Windows application for basic audio editing.
Link: WaveShop
Qtractor (Linux)
A colourful and sleek UI, multi-track support and even a mixer! This one is perfect for Linux users.
Unfortunately I don’t have anything running Linux so I can’t give this a try myself. It has some great reviews though.
Link: Qtractor
Audio MP3 Cutter Mix Converter (Android)
If you need to make edits on the move, check out this Android app.
It has over 1 million downloads, 55,000 ratings and a range of features.
Link: Audio MP3 Cutter Mix Converter
Does your editor really matter?
So, now you know what software is available.
But this is just one small part of the process. You can do this perfectly and still end up with mixes that sound like bedroom demos if you’re missing a crucial step (it took me 10 years to learn this).
There is SO MUCH that goes into a good mix. It’s actually pretty overwhelming.
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Once you’ve found a good piece of software, there’s a lot of other stuff you need to get right if you want your music to sound professional.
But what if I told you that you don’t have to be an expert (with years of experience) to make radio-ready music at home?
Well…
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That’s the truth.
It’s likely that you’ve already wasted time, money and effort on the wrong things. I know I did. I wasted years focusing on the wrong things.
So, what should you focus on if you want fast results?
Inside this new free training, I share the secret to making radio-ready music at home.
After I stumbled upon this new approach, I knew exactly where to spend my time and energy. I was no longer confused and overwhelmed by the recording and mixing process.
Honestly, I was annoyed I didn’t learn this stuff sooner. It would have saved me at least 7 years.
This new approach hasn’t just worked for me either…
One of my students – his name is Patrick – was pretty new to home recording when he came to me for help. I shared this idea with him and he went from his first ever home recording to high-quality, professional mixes in just 2 and a half months.
This same approach has worked for hundreds of other musicians too.
Now it’s your turn.
If you want to learn the *exact* steps that will take your mixes to a professional standard in under a year…
Watch this free workshop now:
It’s only playing for a limited time – we’re always updating the site and this could get removed soon. So go and check it out now.
What did you think of this post? Please give it a rating below.
Audio professional, musician and founder of Musician on a Mission.
PRODUCT DISCLOSURE $
Using free video editing software is a convenient way to edit your videos. Plus, most of them are so easy to use that they're great for beginning editors.
You might want a video editing program if you need to extract audio from a video or add different audio, cut out parts of the video, add subtitles, build a DVD menu, merge video files, or fade a video in or out. Most vloggers need a video editor of some kind.
Because most free video editors limit their features to advertise their professional versions, you may find roadblocks that stop you from making advanced edits. For editors with more-advanced features but that aren't free, check out mid-level digital video software or top professional video editing programs.
If you need to convert your video files to different file formats such as MP4, MKV, and MOV, this list of free video converters has some great options.
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OpenShot (Windows, Mac, and Linux)What We Like
What We Don't Like
Editing videos with OpenShot is extraordinary when you see everything you can do with it. You can download it free for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
The supported features in this free editor include desktop integration for drag-and-drop, image and audio support, curve-based keyframe animations, unlimited tracks and layers, and 3D animated titles and effects.
OpenShot is also good for clip resizing, scaling, trimming, snapping, and rotation, plus motion picture credit scrolling, frame-stepping, time-mapping, audio mixing, and real-time previews.
The fact that you get all of this for free is reason enough to download it yourself and try it out before you purchase a video editor.
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VideoPad (Windows and Mac)What We Like
Another video editing software program for both Windows and Mac is VideoPad, from NCH Software. It's free for non-commercial use.
It supports drag-and-drop, effects, transitions, 3D video editing, text and caption overlay, video stabilization, easy narration, free built-in sound effects, and color control.
VideoPad can also change the video speed, reverse the video, burn DVDs, import music, and export movies to YouTube and other similar sites and a variety of resolutions including 2K and 4K.
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Freemake Video Converter (Windows)What We Like
What We Don't Like
Freemake Video Converter is a free video converter with simple and easy-to-use editing features that set it apart from some of the more complex and confusing editors.
Being able to do light editing to your videos with the same tool you use to convert the file to a variety of other formats, or even burn the files directly to a disc, is convenient.
Some of the video editing features of this program include adding subtitles, clipping out sections you don't want in the video, removing or adding audio, and merging or joining videos.
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VSDC Free Video Editor (Windows)What We Like
What We Don't Like
VSDC is a full-featured free video editing tool that you can install on Windows. A fair warning though: This program might be a little hard to use for beginners because of the sheer number of features and menus.
However, if you poke around for while and play with your videos within the editor, you'll find that it's not quite as daunting as it seemed when you first opened it.
There's even a wizard you can run to make things easier. Use it to do add lines, text, and shapes, as well as charts, animations, images, audio, and subtitles. Plus, as any good video editor should, VSDC can export videos to a variety of file formats.
The VSDC Video Editor setup lets you easily install the company's video capture program and screen recorder. These are optional, but they may come in handy in certain projects.
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iMovie (Mac)What We Like
Montage Music Royalty FreeWhat We Don't Like
iMovie is free for macOS users. It offers many options for editing video and audio plus adding photos, music, and narration to your videos.
One of the best features of iMovie is its ability to make 4K-resolution movies. You can even start doing so from your iPhone or iPad and then finish on your Mac. That's pretty cool!
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Movie Maker (Windows)What We Like
Movie Maker was Windows' pre-installed free video editing software. While it is no longer pre-installed, you can still download this application from some third-parties and use it to create and share high-quality movies.
It's included in this list because it's already on lots of Windows computers, which means you might not even need to download anything in order to start using it.
Online-Only Options
If you've tried out these video editing programs but prefer some other options or you're more interested in editing videos online for free than downloading software, there are several online editors that function in the same way as these downloadable tools:
If You Need to Edit a Video, Check Out These Free Websites
These services are great for re-editing and remixing web videos, and some even let you produce DVDs of your videos.
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