15 Best audio editing software of 2022 (Free and Premium)

Finding the best audio editing software is now easy as they are so many available options out there. Who would you choose the best software that will help you produce better results easiest?

If you are a professional singer, podcaster, DJ, Youtuber, or someone who produces videos on a regular basis you will find this article very helpful.

One of the typical obstacles you might experience when working with your audio and video production is the need to improving the quality of the audio and aligning it with the video.

Even if you have a great video or audio at hand, as you may guess, it is a great turn-off for any type of audience if the audio’s quality isn’t good enough.  

Luckily for all of us, in the 21^st century, it has become very easy to edit and enhance audio quality. There are several audio editing software available to you for both personal and professional use.

These audio editing software can genuinely help you achieve that perfect sound and quality that will blow away your audience.

Who uses audio editing softwares

You may find the need to use audio editing software in many many scenarios. Singers, for instance, use it to enhance the audio quality of their recorded songs.

Audio editing software can be so useful for singers looking to enhance their voice. Some of these software do such a great job that you may never know that the song was improved through audio editing software as it really sounds as if the singer sang it all naturally.

Almost all professional singers use audio editing softwares these days. Technology has helped people in many aspects of life, and singers are no different. They use it to polish their songs, add soundtracks, and enhance the voice and sound quality.

One of the most popular media forms these days is podcasts. Many different celebrities and journalists have started their own podcasts online. In this case, audio editing software are essential for podcasters who regularly edit and enhance their video quality for a better experience.

In addition to singers and podcasters’ frequent professional use, audio editing software are also used by people who want to edit or improve the quality of recordings, interviews, vlogs, and other similar things.

Basic applications of audio editing software

Audio editing softwares have a range of different applications, including;

• Recording audio
• Enhance and restore audio recordings
• Create and improve music and songs
• Converting audio recording formats
• Trimming audio recordings
• Improve the quality of old recording – Audio editing software are frequently used to boost the quality of old audio and video recordings. So if you listen to an old video or audio, then there are very high chances that the audio on the respective media might be improved through audio editing software. 

The best audio editing software of 2022

If you are someone who is in need of audio editing software for any type of personal or professional use, then I have gathered a list of 15 of the best audio editing software available (in no specific order). 

These software have been tested and reviewed extensively taking many aspects into consideration such as reliability, ease of use, features, quality of the exported results, pricing, and more.

1. Cubase – Steinberg (premium)

Cubase is a premium (paid) software that is ideal for music creators. Its user-friendly interface along with a range of impressive features make it one of the best audio editing software out there today.

The program even has a sample track feature that can help beginners in using the software more efficiently. It can produce beats and tracks that make it ideal for people who want to improve their music. It is perfect for both beginners and professionals.

Pros

• It has a user-friendly interface.
• Offers a range of pro features.
• Great for beginners.
• Ideal for music lovers and creators.

Cons

• It is quite costly.

Pricing

It is available at a one-time price of $329.99

2. Avid Pro Tools (Premium)

If you regularly film professional videos, you know that the work doesn’t end when you press that stop button. Once you have recorded the video or the audio, you have to then take it to the next step of post-production.

Avid Pro Tools is an almost must-have tool if you work as an independent movie or music producer. Beginners can also use Avid Pro Tools free version, but the tool is truly better suited for professionals who need a powerful software to resonate with their powerful hardware. 

Pros

• Ideal for professional music composers. 
• The best tool for post-production tweaks.
• The program perfectly complements the hardware it is played on.

Cons 

• Not suited for beginners

Pricing

It offers two different paid packages for professionals. For $29.99 per month, you can get a range of various tools to record, mix, and compose audio. If you are looking for other additional features as well, then it is better to go for the $79.99 version of the program.

3. Adobe Audition (Premium)

Adobe is known for its high functioning programs. This is another paid audio editing software that is perfect for video editors. You cannot optimize a video’s quality without optimizing its audio.

At only $20.99 per month, Adobe Audition offers a plethora of features that can help video editors come up with the best product possible.

The software has a very user-friendly interface, which makes it perfect for beginners. However, professionals can also take advantage of a wide range of in-depth features Adobe Audition has to offer.

You can use Adobe Audition to add sound effects, improve sound quality, reduce noise, and the Adobe Sensei feature can help you automatically edit your audio as per your requirements. If you are unsure about the program, then you can also try out its free version for 7 days.

Pros

• Offers high-quality features.
• Ideal for video editors.
• Ideal for beginners
• User friendly interface.
• Perfectly in-sync with the rest of Adobe products.
• Offers an extensive range of features.
• Offers a free 7 day trial.

Cons

• It takes time to load.
• There are no music creation tools.

Pricing

The program is available at $20.99/month. 

4. Reaper (Premium)

Reaper is one of the best audio editing software for beginners looking to master the art of audio editing in an easy and straightforward way.

The software does not offer a free version. It supports an extensive range of audio and video formats, which is perfect if you want to dub over videos. You can also customize the controls of the program according to your preference, which makes this tool very user-friendly and easy to use.

Pros

• Supports a wide range of formats.
• Ideal for beginners.
• Ideal for video editing.
• Easy to use.

Cons

• The software does not have a free version.

Pricing

The program has a discounted license version, which is available at $60 per license. If you are looking for the full version, then you can get it for $225 per license.

5. PreSonus Studio One (Premium)

This software can be your very own digital audio workstation. It is a must-have for your professional audio studio.

Its drag and drop features help you carry out your desired functions in a very easy and quick way. Like Avid Pro Tools, this is also more suited for serious professionals as it got a “steep learning curve”. It also lets you edit multiple audio tracks at the same time. 

Pros

• User friendly and easy to use interface.
• Perfect for professionals with audio workstations.

Cons

It isn’t beginner friendly.

Pricing

It is available at a reasonable price of $449; however, you might have to pay extra for additional features. It offers a great deal of value to the users by providing a range of different premium pro features for only a one-time payment of $449.

6. Acoustica (Premium)

If you are looking for advanced audio editing software, then it doesn’t get any better than Acoustica. It is available at $75 per user.

The software is one of the few AI-based audio editing tools out there, which means that the program understands what you want to do with the audio and automatically helps you perform that required function.

You can even use the AI feature to separate different frequencies of audio. Acoustica with its AI integration truly is the future of audio editing.

Pros

The tool uses AI to enhance its functions.

Cons

It is an advanced tool with kind of a steep learning curve, which means that beginners would have difficulty using this software.

Pricing

There are two paid versions of Acoustica. The recording studio is available at $75/user, and the pro version is available at $149/user.

7. Audacity (Free)

If you have ever searched for open-source audio editing software, then chances are you already know about Audacity and how great this tool is. This is a free tool, open-source, and yet one of the best audio editing programs I have tried.

One of the best features of Audacity is it compatibility with a range of different platforms. It has a very user-friendly interface and offers plugin installation, which enhances the program’s overall functionality.

You can, for instance, monitor your edited text in real-time as well as having access to the analysis tool, which can be a great help when composing new tracks.

With so many features, you might think the software costs a lot, but guess what, you can use Audacity absolutely free of cost.

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Compatible with different platforms
• Open-source software
• If you don’t find a relevant feature don’t worry, you can install a range of different plugins.

Cons

• It has limited mixing options.
• Certain bugs can make this program unstable.
• There is no support available.

Pricing

It is a free software.

8. FAE Media (Free)

You can use FAE media to input audio from different sources. It is a user-friendly tool that is perfect for beginners.

One of the best things about FAE media is that you can compress large audio files without damaging the quality of the audio. It offers a wide range of different sound effects for you to use in your audio records. 

Pros

• Ideal for beginners.
• User-friendly.

Cons

• It isn’t an ideal software if you are looking to remove noise from the audio.

Pricing

It is a free software.

9. Ocenaudio (Free)

If, as a beginner, you are having trouble using Audacity, then Ocenaudio is the next best option I recommend using. It is an open-source audio editing program that is available for free.

The software has one of the most user-friendly interfaces that can help you edit audios quickly and more efficiently. 

Whatever plugins you use on your audio, you can see its effects in real-time. So if there are any issues, you can work on them right away.

Pros 

• Easy to use.
• Open source program.
• Real-time effect renderings.

Cons 

• You cannot perform multi track editing on this software.

Pricing

It is a free software.

10. Sound Forge Audio Studio

One of this program’s key features is the Oscilloscope, which lets you visualize waveforms in real-time. This can help you observe if you are really hitting the mark on your audio tracks or not.

The instant action window feature lets you only access the required part of the software. So you don’t have to access the full software if you just want to work on specific features.

Compared to other software listed in this article. Sound Forge Audio Studio provides a very unique feature as it can transform your vinyl records and cassettes into digital audio.

Pros

• You can visualize audio waveforms in real-time. 
• It can help you transform your vinyl records into digital audio.

Cons

• Slow loading speed. In addition that the software takes a long time to save files.

Pricing

You can find both free and premium version of this software. The paid version costs $59.99.

11. Ashampoo Music Studio (Premium)

Ashampoo Music Studio program is available at a small price of $29.99 per user. You can also get the free trial version; however, that will not have all the features, and once the trails expire, you will not be able to use the free version anymore.

So if you fully enjoy this audio editing software, you have to pay a small cost for its large range of amazing features. I was particularly impressed with its well-designed and modern dashboard.

The software can help you easily record audio files from different sources at the same time. So if you are looking to use it to mix audio, then this will be a great tool to do so.

The Helium Music Manager lets you categorize your audio tracks, which can help you create mixtapes for different events. You can also use Ashampoo Music Studio to easily burn music and other audio files to CDs and DVDs.

Pros

• Ideal for mixing tracks as it lets you simultaneously record audio from different sources.
• You can use this tool to burn music to CDs and DVDs.

Cons

• The free trial does not have a lot of features so it does not give a good idea about the functioning of the full version.

Pricing

Price is $29.99 per user.

12. Sound Forge Audio Cleaning Lab (Premium)

Have you ever wanted to restore an old video track or vinyl record? if so, Sound Forge Audio Cleaning can help you do just that.

You can digitalize all your old audio files and use audio effects to give your audio files a modern touch and improved quality. One of the best things about this software is that it offers many different one-click smart solutions. 

Pros

• Ideal tool to use to restore an old vinyl record.
• It offers a range of different handy one-click smart solutions.

Cons 

• The audio mixing feature is somewhat limited.

Pricing

Sound Forge Audio Cleaning Lab has a big name and a big price tag. Even though the software provides a free trial, if you want to use the full version, that would cost you around $100 per user.

13. FL Studio (Premium)

FL Studio is a complete package for audio editors. It offers a range of different features that can help you with all your music editing needs.

You can choose from around 80 plugins that can enhance the functionality of the entire software. It has an interactive user interface, which can also be operated with a touch screen monitor, perfect for tablet users. The software is also equipped with DJ controls. 

Pros

• Offers a range of plugins for improved functionality.
• It can be operated with a touch screen.
• It is equipped with DJ controls.

Cons

• It can be costly if you want to enjoy the complete version of the software.

Pricing

There are four different packages available to the user, i.e., Fruity Edition ($99), Producer Edition ($199), Signature Bundle ($299), and All Plugins Bundle ($899).

14. Magix Samplitude (Premium)

People use audio editing softwares for different reasons, but if you are a professional musician, then Magix Samplitude can help you big time.

The software offers a wide range of features at a price of $49.99/user, which truly provides excellent value for your bucks. An upgrade can be purchased for an additional $39.99. You can also use 11 different virtual instruments on Magix Samplitude.

Pros

• Perfect for professional musicians.
• Offers 11 virtual instrument sounds.

Cons

• Sometimes the program can get a bit glitch and sluggish.

Pricing

Price: $49.99/ User (For additional features you have to pay an extra amount of $39.99).

15. Ableton Live (Premium)

Are you looking for an audio editing tool that can support and enhance your live performance? If so, then Ableton Live can be the ideal software for that.

This is why many young musicians use it for real-time performances as the real-time feature lets you control the pitch and other aspects of the audio while you are performing. Ableton Live can be suitable for all types of people as it comes with four different plans. 

Pros

• Ideal for live performances.

Cons

• It is expensive.
• It can be a glitch at times which isn’t a good thing when the tool is designed for live performances.

Pricing

There is a free trial, and three premium paid plans, i.e. Live Suite $749, Live Standard $449, and Live Intro $99. The Live Suite plan is ideal for regular live performances.

Final thoughts

Finally, These are all some of the best audio editing software out there. I have tried them and honestly provided you with my best recommendations. Feel free to test each one of these software and see which would best suit your needs.

Most of these software are suited for both personal and commercial use based on the range of features, and of course, your preference.

Before you spend money on any of the software, I highly recommend you to compare the features and see which tool would work best for you. There are all excellent software so you can’t go wrong.