Mac Software To Edit Audio Files

07.09.2020by

5 Simple Tools to Edit Audio Files Like a PRO Good free audio editing software will help you to produce awesome music. Modern audio editors can cut, trim, merge music, apply filters and effects, record sounds, mix music samples, change voice, normalize volume, make ringtones, mute silence and tons of other cool tricks.

If you are reading this article it means that you are looking for the perfect audio editing software for Mac that you can use. But, before you blindly follow the list and start downloading all the audio editing software mentioned here, one thing you should keep in mind is your personal requirements. Before you even begin reading this article, you should know what you are looking for. For example, whether you are looking for audio editing software to edit podcasts or something complex enough to help you score a movie.

You should also keep your budget in mind. No matter how good a software is, the one that you can afford will always serve you better. Finally, you should also keep your skillset in mind and ask yourself whether you are ready to invest time in learning an audio editing software or not. Once you have answered all these questions for yourself, you will be able to find and focus on the software that will help you the most and will not waste time chasing the shiniest audio editing software in the market.

I have tried to structure this article, by keeping all these things in mind. So, you will find the best free audio editing software, the best audio editing software for editing podcasts, best professional audio editing software, and so on and so forth. However, note that all these classifications are not entirely exclusive as most of the audio softwares have features that overlap a lot with each other. At the end of the day, the best audio editing software for you will depend on what you need and feel comfortable working with. With all that said, here is our list of the best audio editing software for Mac that you should use:

  • Adobe Audition: Best Overall Audio Editing Software
  • Logic Pro X: Best DAW Software for Mac
  • Avid Pro Tools First: Best Free Audio Editing Software
  • Audacity: Best Audio Editing Software for Podcasters
  • ocenaudio: Best Audio Editing Software for Beginners
  • RX Post Production Suite 4: Best Audio Post Production Tools
  • Fission: Best Audio Editing Software for Fast and Lossless Audio Editing

Note: While I am focusing this article on macOS operating system, most of these apps work on Windows PC too. The only app that doesn’t work on Windows is the Logic Pro X.

Best Audio Editing Software to Use in 2020

1. Adobe Audition: Best Overall Audio Editing Software

I want to start this list by using the most obvious and best overall audio editing software that the market has to offer. Whether you want to record and edit audio or want to create a background score for your upcoming movie, Adobe Audition can handle all your needs. Not only the software has all the features that you require from an audio editing program but it also has multi-track recording and editing capabilities which is something that we associate with digital audio workstations. Adobe Audition also offers one of the best audio clean-up and restoration tools on the market. It supports a ton of plugins which add even more power to the software. Whether you want to remove noise with precision or add audio effects, you can find plugins for everything here.

My favorite feature of the Adobe Audition is its waveform editing environment which allows you to pinpoint the problems and apply necessary adjustments. Adobe also brings AI enhanced tools which can make your audio editing life easier. For example, there’s an “Auto Ducking” feature which uses Adobe’s AI-based ‘Adobe Sensei’ technology to automatically lower the volume of background track to make the vocals more pronounced. Other features of the app include batch processing of audio files, automatic speech alignment, iXML metadata support, synthesized speech, and more. You will also appreciate the clean and user-friendly UI.

Note that Adobe Audition is a pro audio editing tool so users who have never used an audio editing software before might find it a little difficult at the start. That said, Adobe does provide free tutorials for both beginners and experienced users which should get you started.

Pros:

  • Good User interface
  • Extensive Editing Tools
  • Huge plug-in support
  • Great audio clean-up and restoration tools

Mac Software To Edit Audio Files On Iphone

Cons:

  • Subscription-based pricing makes it expensive for long-term use
  • Hard for beginners

Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS

Install:Free Trial, $19.99/month

2. Logic Pro X: Best DAW Software for Mac

I love Apple's software products just for the fact that they integrate so well with the hardware. Final Cut Pro X is my favorite video editing tool as it allows me to edit a 4K video on my 2016 MacBook Pro. The experience is the same for Logic Pro X. Despite being one of the best overall audio editing software on the market, it works without any hiccup even on the older generation of MacBook Pros. That said, let's move away from the obvious advantage that Logic Pro X has over other music editing software and talk about its features, starting with its UI. In my opinion, the user interface of Logic Pro X is probably the best among all the software listed on this list. It is clean and every tool that you want to access is accessible with just a few clicks.

Note that while you can use Logic Pro X for just editing audio files for your podcast or any other similar project, you will be under-utilizing the software and it will be hard to justify its cost. Logic Pro X is a proper DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) which is aimed at music producers. It features a varied instrument library covering almost all music genres. What surprises me the most is how close the virtual instruments sound to their real counterpart. Even people with the most discerning ears will be able to tell them apart. What few instruments or music genres it doesn't support can easily be added thanks to its support for plugins and extensive plugins library that is available for anyone to use.

My favorite music kit is the 'Drummer Kit' plugin which when enabled gives you an AI-enabled drum track (electronic or acoustic) while you add your music on top. Logic Pro X also comes with more than 7000 royalty-free music loops that can automatically conform to the tempo and key of your project. There's also support for patches which allow you to quickly load complex multichannel sounds. There are features like 'Smart Tempo' which automatically manages tempo across all the content in your project, Flex Time and Flex Pitch, Track Alternatives, automation, audio effects, music notation, and more.

The only problem with Logic Pro X is it cost. I think for people who are even going to use 10% of the features of Logic Pro X, the cost is justifiable. It's a onetime fee, after which the software is yours. The best screen capture software for mac. There's no hidden charges and no subscription. That said, if you just want to use it for normal audio editing this will be an overkill, especially when there are a ton of good options out there.

Pros:

  • Flawless integration with Mac hardware and operating system
  • A complete DAW
  • Drummer Kit
  • Over 7000 royalty-free track loops
  • Beautiful user interface

Cons:

  • High upfront costs make it inaccessible to many prospective users

Supported Platforms: macOS

Install:$199.99

3. Avid Pro Tools First: Best Free Audio Editing Software

Avid Pro Tools First is the free version of 'Avid Pro Tools', a professional grade audio editing software, costing upwards of $500 and used by filmmakers and TV professionals to produce and score music for movies and TV shows. While the 'Avid Pro Tools First' is a toned down version of its paid counterpart, it is more than enough for most of the users. It brings a fast 64-bit audio recording and mixing engine along with a variety of session templates with preloaded instrumental tracks covering most genres so that you can start creating your music as soon as you get familiar with the software.

It brings professional grade editing tools. From editing the MIDI tracks to adjusting tempo to fixing pitch and time, Avid Pro Tools First can handle everything. The software also comes with Avid's Xpand!2 virtual instruments and UVI Workstation 3 sample player, thus giving you access to royalty free loops and beats. This free version even comes with 23 utility plugins allowing you to shape your music just the way you want to. Recording your own music or audio is as simple as connecting your mic or instrument and hitting the record button.

Mac Software To Edit Audio Files In Garageband

When recording audio, you can take advantage of the loop recording feature which allows you to record multiple takes and then use the one that you like the most. The software is also great for people who like to collaborate with others. If you buy Avid's cloud subscription ($4.99/month), your work will be saved on the cloud. You can then share it with your colleagues to work together. In fact, even the free version which we are discussing here allows you to share up to three projects with other users. So, as you can see, you are getting a ton of professional grade features inside an app made for professionals which are used by the industry leaders and you don't have to pay a penny. That's a deal that I cannot refuse and neither should you.

Pros

  • Professional grade editing tool for free
  • Free online sync for up to three projects
  • Royalty free track loops

Cons

  • Steep learning curve
  • Costs a lot to upgrade to the pro version

Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS

Install:Free

4. Audacity: Best Audio Editing Software for Podcasters

Not everyone needs a complete digital audio workstation. In fact, 90% of people who are looking for an audio editing software are looking for a simple program which can help them carry out basic audio editing such as trimming, noise reduction, voice modulation, background score addition, and so on. Whether you are a YouTube or a podcaster or someone who just needs to edit audio for home videos, all of the above-mentioned audio editing software will be a bit of overkill. you need a piece of software which not only enables you to perform these essential editing actions but also which is easy to learn use. For that use case scenario, Audacity is the best tool on the market.

Don't get me wrong, you can use Audacity as a DAW (especially now that it supports MIDI import) but in my views, it's not meant for that. It's simple and approachable UI makes it best for users who don't want to spend months learning an audio editing software. It is an open-source and free audio editing tool which brings a simple and interactive user interface with all the essential tools that you will need. From recording your audio clips to editing it using cut, trim, copy, and paste tools, to using audio effects, generators, and analyzers, Audacity can handle everything. Since Audacity is popular, it is also supported by a host of plugin developers allowing you to find plugins for almost anything that you might need for your project.

Despite being open-source and free, Audacity sees new updates on a fairly regular basis so you are not left using a software of the past. Just recently, Audacity was updated to support the dark mode on macOS Mojave and it looks great. There's also the new spectrogram view which allows you to pinpoint the problems and edit them accordingly. My favorite thing about Audacity is that it will take you just a couple of hours on YouTube to learn the basics and start your editing journey. That alone makes Audacity far more approachable than any other audio editing software.

Pros:

  • Free and open-source
  • Approachable and simple user interface
  • Doesn't require you to do a Ph.D. to start editing
  • Large and helping online community

Cons:

  • If you are the right target audience, I don't think there are any cons

Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux

Install:Free

5. ocenaudio: Best Audio Editing Software for Beginners

Just like Audacity, ocenaudio is a free and open-source audio editing software that brings a simple to understand user interface. If for some reason Audacity is doesn't feel right to you or you just want to check out other audio editing software before settling on one, ocenaudio should be next on your list. Just like Audacity, ocenaudio features a clean editing environment which makes it easy for beginners to get started. In fact, as far as looks are concerned, ocenaudio looks more modern than Audacity.

Coming to the features, ocenaudio brings all the basic audio recording and editing features. You can just connect a microphone and press the record button and start recording. When you are editing, you can access all the tools including track selection, track cutting and splitting, copy and paste, multi-trackediting and more. Just like Audacity, ocenaudio supports real-time preview for applied effects. Users can not only apply native effects but also use VST (Virtual Studio Technology) plugins to import effects which are not included with the software.

Like Audacity, ocenaudio also supports the spectrogram view. You can use it to analyze the spectral content of your audio signal for getting a better understanding of all the problems.ocenaudio is also good at handling big files. Even after uploading files which were multiple GB in size, the software didn't hiccup. I have a 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro, so it's not even that I was using it on a powerful machine like an iMac.

While ocenaudio is a good audio editing program, there is one big problem with the software that will turn many users off. The app doesn’t support multi-track editing which makes it useless for many users including me. I have so much fun when using this program and I prefer it over audacity both for its UI and speed. However, the missing support for multi-track editing means that I cannot use this app for my work. Another drawback of this app is that it lacks is a thriving online community.

You won’t find many online video tutorials on this one. If your work involves multi-track editing, you won’t be using ocenaudio. That said, for users who are just getting started with audio editing and doesn’t require a multi-track editing program, this is the best free audio editing software on the market right now.

Pros:

  • Free and open-source
  • Modern looking UI
  • Easy for beginners
  • Support for VST Plugins
  • Can easily handle large audio files
Mac software to edit audio files free download

Cons:

  • Multi-track editing not supported
  • Not many quality video tutorials available

Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux Belkin automatic power management software mac.

Install:Free

6. RX Post Production Suite 4: Best Audio Post Production Tools

iZotope RX Post Production Suite 4 is without a doubt the best post-production tools available for audio editors. iZotope has been leading the industry when it comes to refining audio for decades now and no other company comes even close to it. The latest version 4 update has made its tools even more potent when it comes to editing audio. The suite comprises of multiple tools namely RX 7 Advanced, Dialogue Match, Neutron 3 Advanced, Stratus 3D, Symphony 3D, Insight 2, and RX Loudness Control. Each tool serves a specific purpose and combined they can fulfill all your post-production audio editing needs.

Starting with the RX 7 Advanced, it brings a powerful repair assistant that can automatically recognize noise, clippings, clicks, hums, and more and remove them with a click. Dialogue Match automatically learns and match the sonic character of dialogue recording. Neutron 3 is a professional tool for building great mixes. It brings a “Mix Assistance” which can listen to all the tracks in your mix and gives you a balanced starting point. Similarly, the rest of the tools in the suite bring features to tackle a specific part of audio post-production.

But only the power of tools is not what iZotope known for, it’s also known for the way it presents the tools. All the tools work in a highly visual way, giving you a good look at the problems and what you can do to solve them. Just look at the screenshots above, and see how audio is represented in a detailed way. That said, all this power comes at a cost as if there’s one thing more that iZotope is known for, it’s for its pro pricing. If your work revolves around fixing audio and audio post-production, these tools can save you so much time while delivering a better product that you can justify the price. However, if you are someone who is just looking to get into audio editing, it will be hard to swallow the bill.

Pros:

  • Best audio production tools on the market
  • Best noise removal
  • Available as plugin for your favorite audio editing software
  • Repair and salvage lost audio
  • Automatic audio processing tools make it easy to use

Cons:

  • Cost is too high

Supported Platforms: Windows and macOS

Install:$1844

7. Fission: Best Audio Editing Software for Fast and Lossless Audio Editing

If you find all of the above audio editing software to be too complex then check out Fission. It’s a simple audio editing software that focuses on providing a fast and lossless audio editing environment. You get quick access to all the audio editing tools. You can join, cut, and trim audio, edit audio metadata, use the batch converter to convert multiple audio files at once, and more. I love that it supports multiple file formats and you can easily edit and convert files to MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, FLAC, AIFF, or WAV.

For quick edits, you can also use Fission’s smart split feature which automatically cuts audio files based on silence. Other features include gain adjustment, cue sheet support, volume normalization, and more. Fission is made by Rogue Ameba, a company that is well known in the Mac community for making splendid audio products, and Fission is no different. If you don’t want to invest time in learning audio editing and want a quick and easy-to-use tool, this is the one to get.

Pros:

  • Best for quick editing jobs
  • Supports lossless editing
  • Supports multiple file formats
  • Batch processing

Cons:

Audio Software For Mac

  • No pro editing features presence

Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux

Best Audio Editing Software: Final Thoughts

There are many other pro-level DAW software on the market which have not made the list as I have no experience in music production. The article is for audio editing software and I have tried to keep my list to reflect that. The only reason I have mentioned Logic Pro X is that I know some users will be looking for a DAW software here and for them it’s going to be useful. If you are just working with spoken audio and want a free editing app, very few apps can beat Audacity and hence it's on the list.

But I love the user interface and speediness of ocenaudio and hence it made the list too. I guess what I am trying to say is that every person has their own specific requirements and the software you choose will depend on that. I have chosen the seven apps that will meet the needs of 90% of users reading this article. If you want something more specific and don’t know where to look, drop requirements in the comments section below and at the least, I will guide you in the right direction.

Good free audio editing software will help you to produce awesome music. Modern audio editors can cut, trim, merge music, apply filters and effects, record sounds, mix music samples, change voice, normalize volume, make ringtones, mute silence and tons of other cool tricks. If you need to convert a track into another format, you can use Freemake Audio Converter, which is free MP3 converting software. But for more advanced features check top audio editors that we list here.

SEE ALSO: Best Websites to Download Free MP3

SEE ALSO: Top 5 Best Download Audio Tools

Audacity

Audacity is the first on the list. Originated in 2000, Audacity is a pioneer of free sound editing freeware. The download is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. What is Audacity? It is a powerful music editor that lets you perform all the necessary operations with audio files: record music, mix audio samples, cut and trim tracks, join several MP3s, apply effects, mute parts of a song, and much more! Audacity has an impressive list of supported audio formats including M4A, M4R, WAV, MP3, AAC, AIFF, FLAC, MP2, MP3, OGG & others. For the exotic music file extensions, use Free Audio Converter by Freemake and encode them into MP3s, WAVs or WMAs for further use in Audacity.

The program records sounds from microphones or mixers, streams audio and records multiple channels in the same row. The most required features of this freeware are cutting, mixing large number of tracks, changing the sound properties: pitch, tempo and altering the effects of the track. There are also some advanced effects available like adding echo or reversing. Let’s learn how to use Audacity!

How to Use Audacity

Audacity is intuitive in use. Even if you’re a newbie in multimedia production, you’ll learn how to edit audio in Audacity fast. Follow 3 key steps:

  1. Download and launch Audacity;
  2. Import an original audio track via drag and drop;
  3. On the wavepad form with your track, click the Selection Tool;
  4. Set selection marks and apply any of the options listed in the Edit menu to the audio part;
  5. When you’re done with the audio editing, go to File > Save Project to keep your changes;
  6. The last step is to export your project into a new music file. Go to File > Export audio > Format choose a file extension and hit the Save button.

Summary: The Audacity’s interface is modest. It may be considered as a drawback, but for the program which is absolutely free, you can pay no attention to the button styles. Well, Audacity is suitable and convenient for all the standard operations you may need.

SEE ALSO: 12 Effective Free and Paid Ways of Compressing Any Audio File [TEST RESULTS]

Live 9

Live 9 is an advanced digital music workstation for DJs. Unlike Audacity, Ableton Live 9 enables professional musicians to broadcast live music sessions in night clubs and to perform real-time concerts. Live 9 is available for download on Windows and Mac.

It has a flexible interface and carries out almost any option you can imagine. Even background rhymes and chords are available for adding. So you can feel as a real music director and create your own masterpiece of live sounds. With Ableton Live 9 audio station software, you can record, mix, add effects, sync tracks, and much more. The cool perk of the Ableton software is the ability to work and produce MIDI files that every musician loves. Another advantage is a lengthy set of extra packs for musicians with various loops, samples, drum and instrumental mixes, rhythms, noises and melodies.

How to Use Ableton Live 9

Ableton Live 9 takes time to get used to. So you need to spend time on YouTube watching Live 9 tutorials. Be ready for it! Here’s a video guide for beginners:

  1. Download and start Ableton Live 9;
  2. Create a new live set via File> New Live Set;
  3. Download music samples to your PC and add them via Categories > Add Folder;
  4. Drag and drop desired music files (for example, from Instruments category) into the main window;
  5. Drag and drop samples into the Impulse drum machine;
  6. Tweak the sample’s settings like volume or frequency, if necessary;
  7. Preview your music creation and go to File> Live Set as, name your project and click the Save button;
  8. To save your project as an audio track or MIDI, jump to File> Export audio or File> Export MIDI clip.

Summary: If you are a musician or DJ, or just learning it, Ableton Live 9 is a right choice for you. The software is excessive for simple audio trimming or ringtone making. Live 9 audio editor is not completely free; a 30-day trial is accessible without paying. But is it’s enough and you’ll manage to dive into the world of sounds, you won’t find anything better.

WaveShop

WaveShop is a free and lightweight audio editor for Windows OS. As a typical open source tool, WaveShop can’t boast of beautiful interface. It’s plain, but comprehensible for amateurs. The editing freeware has one feature: you can edit the only fragment of a file without affecting the whole track. It seems to be a helpful option for music mixes or creation of DJ samples.

Then, you can reorder some audio blocks to patch a song cover. Moreover, as a usual audio editor, WaveShop can cut, trim, merge MP3s, add audio transitions, normalize, amplify, reverse, fade audio, etc.

How to Use WaveShop

Let’s learn how to cut music in WaveShop. Follow simple steps:

  1. Download and launch WaveShop;
  2. Add an original song via File > Open;
  3. Look at the wavepad and hit the Pause button;
  4. Choose a part of the track with your mouse cursor;
  5. Right click on the selected part and hit the Cut option;
  6. When you’re done, go to File > Save as to save your project;
  7. Later you can export the edited file via File > Export option.

Summary: WaveShop is a pure open source product. If your mission is to make some technical alterations, go for this editor.

Wavosaur

Wavosaur fulfills all the simple missions like cutting, pasting, editing, pitch shifting and processing sounds. It supports VST effects plugin, working with multiple files at once, changing volume and voice, even muting the audio flows, fading in and out. Unfortunately, Wavosour audio editor is only suitable for Windows and it doesn’t have software installer. So, basically, you have to download an archive and use file compression software to unpack it.

Installation of Wavosaur isn’t a piece of cake. The interface is plain and not user-friendly at all as you need to puzzle your brain about the meaning of the buttons and icons.

How to use Wavosaur

To facilitate software installation, watch Wavosaur video tutorial and follow all steps:

  1. Download and unzip Wavosaur audio editor as shown in the video;
  2. Add an audio file by clicking the file folder button;
  3. Use the selection tool and your mouse cursor;
  4. Apply a desired action (for instance, hit the Scissors button to cut file);
  5. When you are ready, click the Save button.

Summary: Well, those who have time to learn the program’s insights will be quite satisfied with this version. The software is donation-based. So if you enjoy Wavosaur features, please support the developers.

MEF Music Editor

MEFmedia Music Editor is Windows freeware which looks stylish and works fine. It is claimed to be so easy to use that even a tyro of sound editing won’t get lost in it. The most common features like recording, cutting, copying, pasting, deleting and CD burning are inside. So, if you want to record the altered media file on the portable CD, this audio editor is right for you. The free software workflow is similar to Wavosaur. You can add file or a CD disk, go to the wavepad form and apply a sound effect or filter.

Summary: MEF Music Editor is good for advanced, but non-professional users. There are all popular features of an audio editor.

Edit Mp3 On Mac

And now, what will be your choice?

Mac Software To Edit Audio Files Youtube

Comments

Mac Software To Edit Audio Files Free

comments

Mac Computer Cannot Shutdown Because Software Is Being Installing
Comments are closed.