Advanced audio editing software has changed the professional audio production landscape in the last few years. There used to be a time when people used to own recording studios and expensive digital audio workstations (DAWs) to create audio.
Nowadays, you can just make it happen using your own mic and laptop. This is also the reason you are seeing a massive rise in the podcast hosting business that is dependent on people creating and starting a podcast.
People often weigh more on audio quality than video quality and this is certainly true for an anime series. You can always improve your video less-than-perfect video clip using a professional video editor. However, it is pretty difficult to replace poorly recorded audio in a well-taken video.
Therefore, choosing the best audio editing software option can sometimes be overwhelming.
So to help you make your decision faster I have ranked and reviewed the best audio editing software based on its support, pricing, features, noise cancellation capabilities, integrations, export options, and more.
So let’s get started.
What is the Best Audio Editing Software?
Here is my list of the best audio editing software to use this year.
1. Avid Pro Tools
Avid Pro Tools is one of the best audio editing software that allows you to integrate its hardware with powerful automation software. Designed for large studios the tool provides you with 4 mics simultaneous recording, dynamically allocating host resources, low-latency input buffer, advanced workflow creation, and 64-bit audio engine architecture.
One of the cool functionality it provides is its capability to record the sound retroactively. That simply means that you need not need to remember to press the record button while jamming in the studio.
Additionally, it allows the distribution of music easy through streaming sites like Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, iHeartRadio, and more. Another feature that the software provides is to search through tracks, instruments, and other filter types.
Plus, it allows you to create up to a massive 768 audio or video tracks to create bigger mixes. It enables Infinite routing flexibility and also comes with the ability to collaborate with other professionals around the world.
The hardware system provides premium audio I/O and a dedicated DSP. The software menu also has the functionality to select multiple menu items at once.
Key Features
- Mix Window – This functionality allows you to view all your audio tracks on a mixing style board. This offers the flexibility in automating any parameter in the track at any given point.
- MIDI Editor – The MIDI editor allows you to configure the details of the project. Plus, it offers you to export the work in Sibelius files (.sib).
- Plugins and Integrations – This allows you to connect your project instantly to other streaming platforms like Amazon Music, Spotify, etc. Plus, it offers a wide range of plugins to ensure complete flexibility in audio production.
- UVI Falcon – This feature offers you instrument samples with around 1,000 present clips and a 2.6 GB collection of synthesizers.
Pros
- Allows you to export all sessions in other audio editing tools
- Configured AJA to support and monitor DNxHD and Quicktime video.
- Enables you to compose music even if the track is on recording or input mode.
- Provides multiple AIR effects that are beneficial during any mixing session
- Its cloud-based collaboration allows up to 10 users to work on the same project.
- Provides support of tools like Avid Mojo DX, Avid Nitris DX, and other variety of design video interfaces.
- Matches local broadcast guidelines to maintain the required standards. For example, converts average and peak to PPM, VU, or K.
Pricing Plans
Avid Pro Tools offers two pricing plans besides its free version for beginner-level audio editing:
- Pro Tools: $29.99 per month per user (it provides essential tools for students and teachers to record, compose, and mix audio)
- Pro Tools Ultimate: $79.99 per month per user (it provides ultimate tools for professional audio editing)
2. Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition is a part of Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) that allows you to restore, edit, or mix audio the way you want. It offers both single and multi-track editing and is particularly designed for the use of broadcasters.
One of the key features of Adobe Audition is that it offers a timeline view of the imported files which is a great help for beginners. The modern visual interface combined with a simple drag-and-drop feature offers you to completely focus on audio optimization.
Moreover, Adobe Audition offers a sound library consisting of over 400 gun sound effects, over 200 cartoon sound effects, and other sounds like gaming sounds, comic sounds, and more. Plus, it allows you to clear background noise if any.
The audio editing software allows you to combine recordings of multiple resources in a single track.
Key Features
- Adobe Sensei – This remix function allows you to edit music automatically based on your requirements.
- Free Sound Library – Adobe offers hundreds of royalty-free sounds that you can use in your audio track production.
- Advanced Sound Panel – Its robust sound editing tool allows you to remove any unwanted sound from the clip and alter video recordings.
Pros
- Offers a 7-days free trial of its product
- Allows editing on both Waveform for Multitrack
- Support external hardware like audio interfaces or mixers to get improved results.
- Allows you to add your audio work to video editing tools like Adobe Premiere Pro.
- Provides an autodocking tool that controls the sound of music or dialogue automatically.
- Provides functionality to manipulate or mix voices from different speakers
- Its Spectral Frequency Display allows you to visually edit soundwaves with this feature.
Pricing Plans
It costs around $20.99 per month per user. However, they offer discounts to students and teachers.
3. Presonus Studio One
PreSonus Studio One is one of the great audio editing tools that is known for its amazing beats and voice recording capability. It allows you to drag virtual instruments, audio loops and presets easily into your session.
Plus, it easily copies FX chains from one channel to another and removes glitches by dragging a plugin to the chain. It is super responsive and agile which everyone expects in an efficient digital audio workstation (DAW).
Key Features
- Arranger Track – This allows you to edit moving sections of your audio track.
- Mastering – This allows you to sweeten the finished work by either adding or tweaking new audio links into your work.
- Analog Mixing – Its State Space-modeled analog input drive provides the right synchronization required in the song.
- Easy Drag and Drop – Provides drag and drop workflow to add loops into the audio clip, plugins, and virtual instruments.
Pros
- Provides a dedicated AUX Channel to feed external audio
- Offers an acoustic kit and a drum editor
- Continuously creates echoes to produce required delays and pitch change
- Provides advanced group functions to allow you to edit multiple tracks simultaneously
- Arranger Tracker allows you to shuffle chords and manage arrangements precisely.
- Equipped with a 64-bit floating-point WAV recording and export capability.
Pricing Plans
Studio one costs $449 for a one-time purchase. You can also upgrade for more advanced features.
So now let’s cover the basics.
What is Audio Editing Software?
There are many post-production tasks from manipulating the produced audio to altering its length when publishing your work. Now in order to do this efficiently, you require some tools that are able to do these required operations.
This is where audio editing software comes into the picture. To be precise, you need an audio editing tool even a normal audio track nowadays.
There are many reasons behind this as good audio editing software allows you to process audio in a required format, helps you in recording multiple mics set up, and offers robust noise filtering capabilities.
Therefore, it is always wise to use these audio editing software advantages right from the beginning of your production.
What Features Should You Look For in Audio Editing Software?
Every software has its own unique features that they offer based on its user priority and preferences. However, here are a few important things that should be included in any powerful audio editing software.
1. Noise Filter
It is a crucial feature for any audio editing tool to have a robust noise filtering mechanism. A poorly recorded audio can be easily detected by ardent music lovers and hence can damage the credibility of your work.
2. Levelling
This functionality allows you to level the pitch of sound for all the audio tracks at the same level with a simple click of a button. Moreover, it becomes extremely easy when dealing with multiple tracks.
3. Volume Control
This feature should allow you to control the volume of individual tracks precisely. This is very important as there are many sections in the audio where you might want to mute or lower the volume of a particular track.
4. Number of Tracks
This is another important feature that should allow playing audio tracks apart from the video sound. The audio editing software should at least allow three separate tracks to play for the required music and narration in the audio.
5. Sound Database
The software should provide a database of royalty-free music and clips library to enhance the audio editing software features. This not only helps you save the cost but also makes it easy to create different audio.
6. Number of Filters
The software should provide various variations or filters to enhance a particular task in audio creation. For example, adding filters to recorded voices to differentiate voice-over narration or a regular dialogue from a phone.
Best Audio Editing Software – Final Summary
This wraps up my list of the best audio editing software to use for your business this year. I will keep updating the list with other good audio editing tools available in the market.
All of the software in the above audio editing software list have their own unique capabilities and features that make them best for certain requirements. You just need to figure out which is the one that fits your budget and exact requirements.
Like if you are a beginner and just getting started my personal suggestion over here is FAE Media. However, if you are looking for more professional solutions then you can go for the ones mentioned in the list.
Finally, make sure you go through every software in the list carefully and then make the final purchase decision.
Which audio editing tools are you planning to use? Let me know in the comments below.
More from Smashitbuck: Do check out my articles on the screenwriting software, dropshipping suppliers, and link building strategies to read this year.
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