Published
Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 09:40
- The staple recording and editing program has had a file structure overhaul.
The audio recording and editing software Audacity has been updated to version 3.0.0.
Described as a "major update" by its developers, the key improvement is to the file structure. Large numbers of .aup data files will now be bundled into the new .aup3 format, improving operating speeds and file organisation.
"This was a huge change, and we decided it was too risky to include many other changes we wanted to make at the same time—so 3.0.0 is almost entirely about this big format change," the developers say. They have also made 160 bug fixes, introduced a new analyser called "Label Sounds," which identifies silences and sounds, and improved the noise gate tool.
Download the update for free on the Audacity website.
Audacity is a free, open source application that's been available for over 20 years. Its accessibility and feature set has made it a fixture for producers, audio editors and educators—it's been downloaded 100 million times since March 2015 alone. Despite its no-frills appearance, complete albums have been recorded in Audacity, and it remains a go-to tool for editing samples and podcasts, and ripping tapes and records. It's been nine years since its last numbered update.