Digital audio editor

A digital audio editor is a computer application for audio editing, i.e. manipulating digital audio. Digital audio editors are the main software component of a digital audio workstation.

For use with music

Editors designed for use with music typically allow the user to do the following:

• Record audio from one or more inputs and store recordings in the computer's memory as digital audio
• Edit the start time, stop time, and duration of any sound on the audio timeline
• Fade into or out of a clip (e.g. an S-fade out during applause after a performance), or between clips (e.g. crossfading between takes)
• Mix multiple sound sources/tracks, combine them at various volume levels and pan from channel to channel to one or more output tracks
• Apply simple or advanced effects or filters, including compression, expansion, flanging, reverb, audio noise reduction and equalization to change the audio
• Playback sound (often after being mixed) that can be sent to one or more outputs, such as speakers, additional processors, or a recording medium
• Conversion between different audio file formats, or between different sound quality levels

Typically these tasks can be performed in a manner that is both non-linear and non-destructive.

For use with speech

Editors designed for use in speech research add the ability to make measurements and perform acoustic analyses such as extracting and displaying a fundamental frequency contour or spectrogram. They typically lack most or all of the effects of interest to musicians.

Table of audio editing software

Name	Creator	Linux	Mac OS X	Unix	Windows	Free Software	Note
Acoustica	Acon Digital Media	No	No	No	Yes	No
Amadeus Pro	HairerSoft	No	Yes	No	No	No
Ardour	Paul Davis	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	DAW
Audacity	Dominic Mazzoni	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audiobook Cutter Free Edition		No	No	No	Yes	Yes	MP3 audiobook splitter
Audio Dementia	Holladay Audio	No	No	No	Yes	No
Audition	Adobe Systems	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Previously known as CoolEdit
BIAS Peak	BIAS	No	Yes	No	No	No
Creative Wavestudio	Creative Technology	No	No	No	Yes	No
Diamond Cut DC7	Enhancedaudio.com, Inc.	No	No	No	Yes	No
Ecasound	Kai Vehmanen	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	DAW
Eko	Peter Semiletov	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Freecycle		Yes	No		No	Yes	beat slicer
Fast Edit	Minnetonka audio	No	No	No	Yes	No
Fission	Rogue Amoeba	No	Yes	No	No	No
FlexiMusic Wave Editor	FlexiMusic	No	No	No	Yes	No
Goldwave	Goldwave Inc.	No	No	No	Yes	No
Jokosher	Jokosher community	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	DAW
LMMS	Tobias Doerffel	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Aims to be similar to Fruity Loops
Logic Pro	Apple	No	Yes	No	No	No	DAW
MAGIX Music Maker	MAGIX	No	No	No	Yes	No
Media Digitalizer	Digitope	No	No	No	Yes	No	Intended to facilitate recording cassette tapes to digital formats
mp3DirectCut		Yes (WINE)	No		Yes	Yes	lossless MP3 editing
MP3 Stream Editor	3delite	No	No	No	Yes	No
MusE		Yes	No		No	Yes	DAW
n-Track Studio	FAsoft	No	No	No	Yes	No
NU-Tech	Leaff Engineering	No	No	No	Yes	No
Pro Tools	Avid	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	DAW
Pyramix	Merging Technologies	No	No	No	Yes	No	DAW
Qtractor	Rui Nuno Capela	Yes	No		No	Yes	DAW
QuickAudio	Sion Software	No	No	No	Yes	No
Reaper	Cockos / Justin Frankel	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	DAW, Unlimited Free Trial
ReZound	Davy Durham	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Rosegarden		Yes	No		No	Yes	DAW
SADiE	SADiE	No	No	No	Yes	No	DAW
Sample Wrench	dissidents	No	No	No	Yes	No
Samplitude	MAGIX	No	No	No	Yes	No	DAW
Sequoia	MAGIX	No	No	No	Yes	No	DAW
Snd	Bill Schottstaedt	Yes	Yes		No	Yes
SndBite	Bill Poser	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sound Forge	Sony	No	No	No	Yes	No	Formerly from Sonic Foundry
Soundbooth	Adobe Systems	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Intel only
Soundscape 32	Solid State Logic	No	No	No	Yes	No	formerly from Soundscape Digital Technology
SoX		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	CLI
Sweep	Conrad Parker	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Total Recorder	HighCriteria	No	No	No	Yes	No
Traverso	Remon Sijrier	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	DAW
Virtual DJ	Atomix Productions	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Free & Pro Versions Available
WaveLab	Steinberg	No	No	No	Yes	No
Wavosaur	Wavosaur Team	No	No	No	Yes	No
WavePad	NCH Software	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
WaveSurfer	Centre for Speech Technology at KTH	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
XO Wave	XO Audio	Yes	Yes	No	No	No

See also

An audio production facility at An-Najah National University

• Audio processing
• Digital audio workstation
• Music sequencer
• Software synthesizer
• Free audio software
• Software effect processor