Audacity
Free Music Editing Software

Audacity is the web's most popular open source audio editing program. If you're determined to use free audio editing software, this is your best bet.

Right off the bat it offers a decent level of quality formats to create your audio. If you want to, you can record and edit your work at sampling rates up to 96 kHz with bit rates of 16, 24 and 32 (floating point).

All the standard editing commands are available (cut, copy, paste, and delete) along with unlimited undo and redo.

A feature I feel is important in editing work is being able to work in a multi-track environment. This lets me try out different solutions to editing problems before I make my final decision.

Unlike Wavelab, which lets you work on a 'virtual waveform' through its montage editing interface, all changes in Audacity are on the actual waveform and must be saved to be made permanent. It's best to make back-up copies along the way should you change your mind about any editing decisions.

I found I had to work in a more linear way with this software - different from what I'm used to in Wavelab.

One feature even Wavelab doesn't have is the ability to mix files with different sample rates. It doesn't come up often (most clients choose their sampling frequency and stick with it), but it's certainly handy. However, I still prefer the ultra-high quality option in Wavelab as far as converting sampling rates are concerned – a must for mastering work.

There's also built in hiss removal, as well as EQ of various flavours, and compression and normalization functions. There are also effects more suited for individual instrument tracks than mastering, including echo, phasing, 'wah-wah', and reverse.

(Actually reverse is kind of fun to play with on any type of file – on your own time of course!!)

If those aren't enough, with an optional piece of software called the VST enabler, you use any 3rd party VST plug-in, free or otherwise, to increase your range of processing.

There is also the LADSPA format but it seemed more for programmer types, and I didn't really get in too much with these.

Of course, there's the ability to import and export compressed file formats like MP3, which is important for web work.

Like a lot of free music editing software, user documentation ranges from very basic 'help pages' descriptions to user-created tutorials and online videos.

I think Audacity is very useful for do-it-yourselfer's, and while I don't want to start an argument with its wide user base, I still feel more comfortable using Wavelab for my own clients' work.

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