audacity/audacity

Audacity is a free, open-source audio editor and recorder that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It lets you record sound from a microphone or other input, import existing audio files, edit them visually on a timeline, apply effects, and export the result in various formats. It supports multi-track editing, meaning you can layer multiple audio recordings on top of each other, useful for podcasts, music production, voiceovers, or any audio post-production work. The README notes that the project is currently undergoing major changes as the team works on Audacity 4, which involves a completely new interface and significant internal restructuring. The codebase is written in C++ and uses the wxWidgets framework for its cross-platform graphical interface. Audacity has been a go-to free audio editor for many years and is suited to anyone who needs to record, trim, clean up, or mix audio without paying for professional software. It is licensed under the GPL open-source license.