Re: [AUDITORY] Recommendations for an audio editor? (Xander Brewer )

Subject: Re: [AUDITORY] Recommendations for an audio editor? From: Xander Brewer <afb8252@xxxxxxxx> Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2025 06:19:10 -0400 ------=_Part_3_247931100.1760350750965 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi all, Just want to mention Ardour. As a Linux enthusiast I find commercial suppor= t for audio work to be lacking; Ardour has been effectively my go to for ye= ars. Cross-platform (Win, Mac, Linux), nearly all the features of ProTools = (it can even import PT sessions!), all for the low low price of free (as in= beer AND as in speech). It also has an active development community - if you want a feature, you ca= n just add it yourself and make a PR! - Xander Oct 11, 2025 00:08:12 Oberfeld-Twistel, Daniel <oberfeld@xxxxxxxx>: > Dear list, > =C2=A0 >=20 > we=E2=80=99ve been using Adobe Audition as an audio editor for decades, b= ut now our IT department is cancelling the campus license due to an (admitt= edly) high price tag. > =C2=A0 >=20 > So I was wondering if someone can recommend an alternative audio editor. = I=E2=80=99ve tried Audacity but find it has some limitations. > =C2=A0 >=20 > Here=E2=80=99s what we want to do with the editor / which features are im= portant: > =C2=A0 >=20 > * Look at waveform and spectrogram of audio files (also with more than 2 = channels) > * Show time axis in units of seconds as well as in units of samples > * Convenient zooming (time and amplitude) > * Selection of time windows not only with the mouse but also by entering = end and start times / samples numerically > * Frequency spectrum for the selected time window > * Amplitude statistics for the selected time window (at least RMS amplitu= de and peak amplitude) > * Convenient way of switching between audio files > * Playback of whole sound and of loops > * Format conversion (i.e., WAV to FLAC, sample rate conversion) > * Less important: Signal processing / sound effects, except for amplitude= normalization > =C2=A0 >=20 > Daniel > =C2=A0 >=20 > --------------------------------- > Prof. Dr. Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel > Johannes Gutenberg - Universitaet Mainz, Experimental Psychology > Wallstrasse 3 > 55122 Mainz > Germany > http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/oberfeld/[https://urldefense.proofpoint.com= /v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.staff.uni-2Dmainz.de_oberfeld_&d=3DDwQGaQ&c=3Dslrr= B7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=3DYmee6oc4fLxbraODGABabA&m=3DJFZw0IMCOj_t9o2dqVO3vS99m= -Y3S4KWzSBNfNS8OcLG-enqp_mulPcTQEHf138F&s=3Dm62TqoYwRpITi-dz7jCcDmU7yt5iT9M= PcTg3D3WH0CQ&e=3D] ------=_Part_3_247931100.1760350750965 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html> <head> <meta name=3D"viewport" content=3D"width=3Ddevice-width, initial-scale=3D= 1.0"> </head> <body> Hi all, Just want = to mention Ardour. As a Linux enthusiast I find commercial support for audi= o work to be lacking; Ardour has been effectively my go to for years. Cross= -platform (Win, Mac, Linux), nearly all the features of ProTools (it can ev= en import PT sessions!), all for the low low price of free (as in beer AND = as in speech). It also ha= s an active development community - if you want a feature, you can just add= it yourself and make a PR! - Xander</= span> <div class=3D"fairemail_quote"> <div dir=3D"ltr"> Oct 11, 2025 00:08:12 Oberfeld-Twistel, Daniel <oberfeld@xxxxxxxx= Z.DE>: </div> <blockquote lang=3D"DE" link=3D"blue" vlink=3D"purple" style=3D"margin:0= ;word-wrap:break-word;border-left:3px solid #ccc; padding-left:10px;"> <div class=3D"WordSection1" style=3D"page: WordSection1;"> Dear list= , <o:p>   </o:p> we=E2=80=99ve been using Adobe Audition as an audio editor for decade= s, but now our IT department is cancelling the campus license due to an (ad= mittedly) high price tag. <o:p>   </o:p> So I was wondering if someone can recommend an alternative audio edit= or. I=E2=80=99ve tried Audacity but find it has some limitations.</p= > <o:p>   </o:p> Here=E2=80=99s what we want to do with the editor / which features ar= e important: <o:p>   </o:p> <ul style=3D"margin-top:0cm;margin-bottom: 0cm;" type=3D"disc"> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Look at waveform and spectrogram of audio files (also with m= ore than 2 channels)</li> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Show time axis in units of seconds as well as in units of sa= mples</li> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Convenient zooming (time and amplitude)</li> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Selection of time windows not only with the mouse but also b= y entering end and start times / samples numerically</li> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Frequency spectrum for the selected time window</li> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Amplitude statistics for the selected time window (at least = RMS amplitude and peak amplitude)</li> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Convenient way of switching between audio files</li> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Playback of whole sound and of loops</li> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Format conversion (i.e., WAV to FLAC, sample rate conversion= )</li> <li class=3D"MsoListParagraph" style=3D"margin-left:0cm;mso-list:l0 l= evel1 lfo1; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;= font-size: 11pt; margin-top: 0cm; font-family: "Calibri", sans-s= erif; margin-bottom: 0cm;mso-style-priority: 34; margin-right: 0cm;">Less important: Signal processing / sound effects, except fo= r amplitude normalization </li> </ul> <o:p>   </o:p> <div> Da= niel <o:p>   </o:p> ---------------------------------</= span> Prof. Dr. Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel</= span> Johannes Gutenberg - Universitaet M= ainz, Experimental Psychology Wallstrasse 3 55122 Mainz Germany <a href=3D"https://urldefense.proof= point.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.staff.uni-2Dmainz.de_oberfeld_&d=3DDw= QGaQ&c=3DslrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=3DYmee6oc4fLxbraODGABabA&m=3D= JFZw0IMCOj_t9o2dqVO3vS99m-Y3S4KWzSBNfNS8OcLG-enqp_mulPcTQEHf138F&s=3Dm6= 2TqoYwRpITi-dz7jCcDmU7yt5iT9MPcTg3D3WH0CQ&e=3D">http://www.staff.uni-ma= inz.de/oberfeld/</a> </div> </div> </blockquote> </div> </body> </html> ------=_Part_3_247931100.1760350750965--

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Electrical Engineering Dept., Columbia University