At Ubunlog we usually make lists by compiling various software titles selected from the enormous range of options available. It is true that some sectors are overcrowded while in others the lack is discouraging. This time we will talk about some audio editors for Linux.
My colleague Pablinux, who knows more about the subject than I, thinks that There are no alternatives at the level of proprietary solutions. As a non-professional I can only say that, for my limited needs, any of these alternatives are sufficient.
Some audio editors for Linux
Although in theory the difference between an audio editor and an audio workstation is clear, in practice the use of one or the other term seems like a developer's choice.. On paper, an audio editor should only be limited to cutting and pasting sounds while the station also allows recording, processing, mixing and inserting effects. In this post we will use the definition chosen by its creators for each application.
The history of computer audio processing must be traced back to the late 70s, when a program was developed that needed to be connected to an oscilloscope to see the shape of the wave. This program could edit the sound stored on the hard drive and add some effects.
With the arrival of the Mac, Soundedit appeared in 1986, which seems to be the first to use a graphical interface. This application recorded, edited, processed and played digital sound
Linux users had to wait until 1999 when the program we know today as Audacity was released.
Audacity
It is the best known of the open source audio editors and is available for Windows, Linux and Mac.
It is currently under the umbrella of Muse Group, a company that develops various products for music production, although the program can be downloaded for free and without additions from la web of the project. Linux distributions usually include it in the repositories.
Some features of Audacity are:
- Multitrack.
- Allows you to record audio from different sources.
- Import audio files and audio from videos.
- Noise generator.
- Rhythm generator.
- Cut and paste files.
- Noise elimination.
- Complete manual
mhWaveEdit
This application that can be found in the repositories or in the store from Flathub, boasts of having efficient memory management when editing, cutting or pasting files. Some of its features are:
- Playback at different speeds.
- Sample reproduction.
- Selection of part of files using the mouse.
- Automatic replacement of selected parts by silence.
- LADSPA effects support
- Volume adjustment.
- Conversion from stereo to mono and vice versa.
tenacity
When Muse took over Audacity, they had no better idea than to include a monitoring tool (a common practice in the software industry). It could be disabled, and in fact, the versions included in the repositories are compiled without that tool. But, when in doubt, some community developers decided to separate and make a fork. That's how Tenacity was born.
Available for Windows and Linux (Repositories and Flatub) this editor has the following features:
- Recording from real and virtual devices.
- Export and import all formats supported by FFmpeg.
- Support for floating 32-bit audio (This format offers a wider dynamic range, allowing you to capture very high and very low sounds without distortion or loss of quality)
- Plugin Support
- It allows the creation of scripts in some of the most common open source programming languages.
- Multitrack editor.
- Supports use with keyboard and screen reader.
- Tool for signal processing.
- Manual.
Of course, with this mini list we are nowhere near exhausting the titles available for Linux and there will be no shortage of opportunities to complete it.