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Open Source Software

Audacity 2.2.0 Released 103

Popular open-source audio editing software, Audacity, has received a significant update. The new version, dubbed Audacity 2.2.0, adds a range of features and options such as additional user interface themes, and the ability to customize themes for advanced users. It is also getting playback support for MIDI files, and better organised menus, the team wrote. You can find the complete changelog here.
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Audacity 2.2.0 Released

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  • by Qbertino ( 265505 ) <moiraNO@SPAMmodparlor.com> on Saturday November 04, 2017 @06:50AM (#55488375)

    The audacity crew as been working away at their audio tool for more than a decade now and it's a cornerstone of all things audio I do. A very nice and neat piece of software. Works as advertised, does what it should and is offered up in a neat set of cross-plattform packages. Love it.

    • by lucaiaco ( 2652295 ) on Saturday November 04, 2017 @07:03AM (#55488411)
      I agree: no flat design, no minimalist interface, no fancy icons or flashy features. It does exactly what it has to do, and nothing more. Its UI is so clear that I don't think I ever had to check the documentation on how to use it (and I am no expert in the field). One of the best free source software out there.
      • by Suki I ( 1546431 )

        he new interface looks strange. Like someone escaped from an art department ind infiltrated the interface team.

        • I always thought the interface of GoldWave (shareware) was easier to work than Audacity. The programs both do almost exactly the same thing, each has a couple features the other doesn't, but I think goldwaves interface has the slight edge. I'll have to try the new Audacity UI, but the fact that they are adding things like skins doesn't give me confidence their minds are in the right place.
      • by bondsbw ( 888959 )

        Well, it's a professional tool. Minimalist interfaces make more sense when targeting casual/unskilled users.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      The best part is that you can write your own plugins in Nyquist.

      • The worst part is also that their Nyquist is horribly slow if you ever need to do anything sample-by-sample. Its slower than emulating an emulator within an emulator. I have no idea how they messed up xlisp performance that badly.
    • by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Saturday November 04, 2017 @07:11AM (#55488439)

      +100

      It is a great piece of software. They don't ruin it with stupid UI changes, either. It is straight-forward, reliable, fast, and yet very powerful.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Saturday November 04, 2017 @08:01AM (#55488531) Homepage Journal

      I agree, it really is a great bit of software.

      One thing I'd like to see is a more accurate, reconstructed waveform view. The current display is a simple "join the dots" affair with symmetrical RMS band overlaid.

      Due to the way that digital sampling works this waveform is not a real representation of the analogue reconstruction. To get that you basically resample at a much higher rate and then low pass filter at the original Nyquist frequency. Audacity actually does that when you change the sampling rate.

      I recently created something similar at work, with reconstruction and some shading to better highlight the true amount of energy in the vertical bands. It was a bit fiddly to get the shading to look good with every waveform.

      I wish I had the time to re-implement it in Audacity.

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by FatdogHaiku ( 978357 )

        ...The current display is a simple "join the dots" affair with symmetrical RMS band overlaid...

        No one escapes Stallman!
        I had no idea he had a band...
        He sure seems to stay busy https://stallman.org/ [stallman.org]

        On topic, I do love Audacity. Just the ability to make a ringtone or alert sound at the drop of a hat is priceless... not to mention the actual work you can do with it. Good job Audacity team!

      • I wish I had the time to re-implement it in Audacity.

        Maybe you can just strip that code out of your project and donate it to Audacity with explanation, and let someone else integrate it. If they have an issue manager, post it there.

      • Due to the way that digital sampling works this waveform is not a real representation of the analogue reconstruction.

        Without knowing the details of the analogue reconstruction filtering that you will have bolted on to your computer, how are they supposed to display it?

        • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          The parameters of the physical filter in the sound card are irrelevant.

        • by tepples ( 727027 )

          Then use a generic approximation to the ideal analog reconstruction, namely a suitably windowed sinc function.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      Gnomefied version of that has a white full screen window with one flat and gray button in center of it which produces a fart noise when pressed. The other features have been removed as they distract users.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      It does what it does, for free. However, it still falls short of Goldwav [goldwave.com] and at just $45 bucks it's worth 10 times that much if you have to do anything even semi-professional with audio on a regular basis.

      • LOL It's Windows only, good luck selling it this crowd.

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • If you're a professional, you're already using software that's far better than Audacity or Goldwav.

          As a former audio professional, I don't agree 100%, nor do I disagree 100%. I came from the analog world into the digital world, and Audacity really does a surprising amount. Now, if you're mixing down 48 tracks maybe you need something else. But if you've got a final or near final stereo mix that can maybe use some tweaking or processing, Audacity will do it without skipping a beat (no pun intended).

          And for amateurs it's a dream come true. So many musicians are on tight budgets and Audacity will work for t

  • Oh well. Keep waiting then.
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      You want to do real-time audio effect stacks on your PC for free?

      Read this:

      https://sound.stackexchange.com/questions/26436/real-time-audio-effects-in-windows

      and this:

      https://music.tutsplus.com/articles/15-totally-free-reverb-plug-ins-that-rock--audio-35

    • by Anonymous Coward

      Either use Reaper or Tracktion (if you insist on Linux). 2017 and still no real time effects? That's like Photoshop without layers.

      • Either use Reaper or Tracktion (if you insist on Linux). 2017 and still no real time effects? That's like Photoshop without layers.

        Not at all the same problem. Real time acoustic audio recording at which Audacity excels is not the same as photo editing or today's hyped out DAW music production. It makes absolutely no sense to use a recording interface like Audacity for real time effects. The reasons for this are obvious the purpose of Audacity is not as a pass through to a sound stage output interface. Audacity controls are based around recording accurately to digital storage not complex mixing to a concert space with added effects lik

        • by Anonymous Coward

          Reaper is $50, and is valid for the next upgrade cycle too. Comes with MANY included VSTs. Need more VSTs? There are plenty out there that are free.

    • by Khyber ( 864651 )

      You rely upon software instead of hardware effects like what comes with the old SBLive!

      Protip: Software FX universally SUCKS.

  • by QuietLagoon ( 813062 ) on Saturday November 04, 2017 @08:40AM (#55488675)
    I currently have a license for Sound Forge (originally from Sonic Factory, then Sony now some marketing company), and I'm less than impressed with the current owner of the software. They seem to be more interested in DRM than the software itself. So I'm looking to Audacity to get me out of the DRM headlock that Sound Forge places on me.
  • I'm so glad to hear about:

    The new version, dubbed Audacity 2.2.0, adds a range of features and options such as additional user interface themes, and the ability to customize themes for advanced users

    That will make such better recordings. Thanks Audacity!

  • This app handles space characters typed into the "save file" dialog box as hot keys to commence playback of the audio in the underlying window. The entire app is full of similar errors, but interface themes leapt to the top of the list?

  • Darn... I was hoping MP3 support would be included since the license isn't being enforced anymore.

  • Post a link to the CHANGELOG but not the software?
    http://www.audacityteam.org/do... [audacityteam.org]

  • When the first two items of your "significant update" are about themes, your update is probably *not* significant.

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