This program is really a hidden Gem.

Oh, impressive. This really is packed with WOW factor. There's lots to like about this new gem

This is a mandatory update for me!

Thanks! I need to update!

...Deb

Good news. I know a lot of people who use this program.

Since I use another audio editor, may I ask a few questions?

Is Audacity still free?
Does it support non-destructive editing?

Audacity is certainly free.

Their licence states:

Oh, forgot to mention. Non-Destructive Editing is definitely included:

Non-Destructive Editing

Oh, cool. Non-destructive editing will make me take another look at this. Thanks.

It’s still free and worth every penny. Nice to see that the new features catch up with apps I’ve been using for decades.

No thanks.

Thanks for sharing the video Dan.

That's for the post Dan, this looks like a good one!

Jeff

I like Audacity.

For my duo's backing tracks (http://s-cats.com) I make the tracks using MIDI, then record into Audacity. I export them as 192 mp3 files, and load them on a ThinkPad laptop to take to the gig.

Why mp3? I started this when 2G was the maximum RAM a computer could access.

I did a blind test with musicians, one who had her ears recently tested as perfect. Then I played them rendered as WAV and mp3 with various bit rates. 192 was the best compromise. The difference in the very high frequencies was barely noticeable, and in the noisy nightclub environment which I gig in, that would not be noticed.

If I had to start all over again, I'd choose WAV files.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

I've been using Acon Digital's Acoustica Premium Edition for years, and haven't looked at Audacity for a long time. But...I recently switched from Presonus' Notion (which has been stuck on v6 for a long time, and for a couple of years has failed to connect to its update server) to MuseScore v4. I never realized that MuseScore and Audacity were related. A couple of weeks ago, I uninstalled MuseHub because it irritated me, but I think I'll reinstall it and check out Audacity.

In my tests many years ago, 192 was a pretty good trade-off. I actually rendered everything at 320 because I could hear a slight loss of the very low end between 256 and 320 on the 9 speaker (8 plus a hefty subwoofer) Harmon Kardon stereo in my Nissan truck. I couldn't even hear any difference on my home DAW monitors at the time.

Now, it's .WAV or .FLAC. I have 7 TB of SSD, so I'm less concerned about disk space used. Also, Gig Performer added a Streaming Audio File Player (SAFP) with a recent update, so the whole backing track doesn't need to be loaded into RAM at once.

Gig Performer sure has some neat features.

If I had to do it all over again, that's what I'd use.

I can't bring 7TB of SSD in my laptop and bring it to the gig. We have over 650 songs in our playlist, and some of them have been recorded more than once at different tempos or arrangements to make them useful in different circumstances.

I'm thinking about 320, but I don't want the new songs we learn to 'outshine' the old ones. But I suspect the general public wouldn't notice.

I'm using ElectroVoice ZLX15P speakers on the gig, and they reproduce the sound quite well for the gig needs. I also use a BBE Sonic Maximizer which when used properly, brightens the highs without over EQing them, and with the low contour, I can add more bass punch if I need it for a particular gig.


Insights and incites by Notes ♫

I upgraded to Audacity 3.42 the day it was made available. Been using Audacity since the early 2000s. It's the closest thing I have to a DAW. With these new updates, it covers almost all my editing and mixing needs. Every vocal my wife and I have recorded was accomplished using Audacity with an AT-35 condenser mic. We get pretty danged good sounds with it. If interested, we have a couple of songs on the first page or two of the Showcase forum - you can listen to one or two of them to hear the quality sound we get with it. Not looking for cheap listens or comments - just letting you know they're there for you to evaluate the quality of our efforts, as a reference, using Audacity, should you choose to do so.

I have Cakewalk but don't really really know how to use it - so I don't. Audacity has served me well. And my budget likes the price!

Although it's a bit early, Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope it's the best ever.

Alan & Di