Audacity Review 2024 – Audio Editor and Recorder

Audio processors have become one of the most commonly used tools in our daily life and work. When looking for a reliable audio tool, many people may come across the popular choice of Audacity. It is an open-source audio recorder and editor that has been around for years. It has now become the first choice for many users who need to record audio. So, what is Audacity and how to record audio on PC with Audacity and edit it? Is it free? Is it really a good audio editor and recorder for your needs?

This blog gives Audacity review in detail and shows you how to record audio with Audacity. In addition, you can find a more convenient alternative that use for hassle-free audio recording and editing!

What is Audacity?

Audacity is free audio editing and recording software. Anyone can make a free Audacity download with no restrictions on its use. It offers many powerful features for handling a large number of audio tasks, including editing, mixing, fixing noise, applying effects, and more. Its main features include:

• Recording: Audacity recorder can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from other media, supporting 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit of rates.
• Export/Import: Import, edit and merge sound files. Export your recordings in many different file formats, including exporting multiple files at once.
• Editing: Make simple edits with cut, copy, paste and delete. There is also unlimited continuous undo (and redo) in a session, going back any number of steps.
• Effect plug-ins: LADSPA, LV2, Nyquist, VST and Audio Unit effect plug-ins are supported. Nyquist effects can be easily modified in a text editor - or you can even write your own plug-ins. You can preview the effects of LADSPA, LV2, VST and Audio Unit (macOS) in real time.

How to Record Audio with Audacity

Here is an example of recording with Audacity to show you how to use this open-source software.

Step 1. Install Audacity on your computer and make sure that your internal/external microphone is working properly.

Step 2. Launch Audacity, select the microphone to record from the list of available recording devices in the "Audio Setup" toolbar to record voice with Audacity.

Step 3. Click on "Tracks" > "Add New" and choose the type of track you want.

Step 4. Turn on monitoring to test your sound before you start. If there is a green bar moving it means there is no problem, then click the red button to record voice with Audacity.

Is Audacity a Good Thing?

For those who don't want to spend a lot of money on professional audio editing software, Audacity is kind of a good thing. It runs on a variety of operating systems and is enough for general audio recording and editing needs. However, its interface is not simple enough compared to many audio recording software today. For novice users, it's not easy to understand and master all the functions.

Also, Audacity has relatively few features compared to some professional audio editing software, and lacks some advanced features and professional effect processing tools. It also has limited official technical support. Users may need to rely on community forums and online resources to get help and solve problems.

Another major concern of users is "Is Audacity safe?". Its new privacy policy is concerning. Audacity may collect your data and send it to 3rd party software. Since it is open-source software, technical support is not perfect. So for privacy and security, more users want to find the best alternative to it.

Best Audacity Alternative in 2023

There has been some recent controversy regarding ownership changes and privacy issues with Audacity, which may lead to user concerns about the future development and security of Audacity. Also, based on the various limitations mentioned above, users are eager to find alternatives to Audacity for audio recording and processing tasks. After a comprehensive comparison, we recommend iTop Screen Recorder.

iTop Screen Recorder - Record Audio Without Background Noise

• Record system audio or external microphone flawlessly
• Record streaming audio without quality loss
• Remove background noise of audio recording
• Save audio recordings as MP3, AAC, FLAC and WMA

Free Download Buy Now

iTop Screen Recorder is free but versatile audio recording software that will help you record the sound of your speakers or microphone with no delay. Let's take a closer look at what iTop Screen Recorder can do for you:

Record PC audio for free

This screen recorder is the best free software that allows you to record audio. You can use it to easily record all the sounds on your computer, including system audio, microphone, streaming audio, soundtracks from games/TV series and music player, etc. You can also adjust the volume of the recorded voice.

Capture PC audio in high quality

With advanced recording technology, this screen recorder helps you capture PC audio with Chrome audio capture in HD output quality. You can record PC audio from internal speakers or microphone with very clear quality and bit rates up to 320Kbps at 48,000Hz. It comes with a powerful denoiser, which helps to successfully remove background and current noise.

Exporting audio to multiple formats

This free audio recorder – iTop Screen Recorder supports multiple audio export formats including MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC, etc. Its Video Editor allows you to directly extract the audio from the video to convert the MP4 file to MP3.

Professional audio editor

iTop Screen Recorder can help you quickly trim, split copy and merge the recorded audio. You can also use it to set fade in and fade out times. In the editor, you can also add video to the recorded audio to make a brand new video file.

How to Record and Edit Audio with iTop Screen Recorder

Step 1. Free download iTop Screen Recorder on your PC and launch it.

Step 2. Customize the audio recording settings.

Before you start recording audio, go to Settings by clicking the three lines icon. Then select "Format" > "Audio". Select Export Audio Format and customize the bitrate, frequency and channels to suit you. Click Save.

Step 3. Stat recording audio with iTop Screen Recorder.

Then go back to the home page and click "Record" > "Only Audio". Select the device you want to record audio from - either a microphone or speaker. Then press the REC button to start recording.

After recording, the captured audio file will be added to My Creations. You can further edit it with a bunch of audio editing features.

The Bottom Line

In summary, this blog gives you a comprehensive review of Audacity. Although it is a popular free audio tool, it has limited features and is not very friendly to novice users, so some people are eager to find Audacity alternatives. Therefore, we highly recommend iTop Screen Recorder as the best Audacity alternative for making audio recordings. Hurry up and download it now to get high-quality recordings!