Open Source Audio Editor
The word editor hides a big fork in the road: cleaning up a single recorded take is a completely different job from running a multitrack session where dozens of clips, effects, and automation lanes have to stay in sync. Get that distinction wrong and you either fight a studio app to trim a podcast or outgrow a simple editor mid-project. Open source helps on both sides here, because your recordings and the full session stay in formats you can reopen years later on hardware you own, so the master and every layer beneath it never depend on a subscription still being paid.
LosslessCut
Cross-platform FFmpeg GUI for fast, lossless cutting, trimming, and remixing of video and audio files
Audacity
Easy-to-use multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, and Linux
LMMS
Cross-platform digital audio workstation for composing, arranging, and mixing music
OpenShot Video Editor
Free and open-source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows with FFmpeg formats and timeline editing
Ardour
Digital audio workstation for recording, editing, and mixing multitrack audio
Bespoke Synth
Live-patchable software modular synth with VST/VST3/LV2 hosting and Python livecoding
Quod Libet
Cross-platform music library manager and player with flexible metadata editing and searching
Tenacity
Privacy-focused multi-track audio editor and recorder, built from Audacity
Our picks
The right pick depends on whether you are repairing a recording, mixing a session, or composing from scratch.
Best for recording and repairing single tracks: Audacity Audacity is the straightforward choice for capturing sound and editing it on a multitrack timeline: record from a microphone or system inputs, cut and arrange clips, and export a finished file, all offline. It suits interviews, voiceover, and cleanup work rather than full studio production.
Best full digital audio workstation: Ardour Ardour brings tracking, arrangement, and final mixdown into one workspace. It records live performances, arranges multitrack projects on a single timeline, routes audio through JACK, and hosts LV2 and VST plugins with MIDI. Choose it for precise control over every track from capture through the finished mix.
Best for lossless cutting and trimming: LosslessCut LosslessCut trims, cuts, merges, and rearranges audio and video through FFmpeg without re-encoding, so original quality stays intact and jobs finish fast. It handles metadata, chapters, and multiple tracks, and adds smart cut and silence detection, with a CLI and HTTP API for scripting.
Best for composing and beat-making: LMMS LMMS is built for making music rather than editing recordings, with a Song Editor, Pattern Editor, Piano Roll, and a mixer with unlimited channels. Over 15 synthesizers ship by default, and it supports VST2, SoundFont2, LADSPA, and LV2 plus full MIDI import and export.
Matching an audio editor to how you actually work
The fastest way to pick the wrong tool here is to shop by feature count instead of editing model. If your work is mostly trimming interviews, removing clicks, normalizing levels, and exporting a WAV or MP3, a destructive waveform editor like Audacity or its privacy-focused fork Tenacity is the right fit; both record from real or virtual devices and edit on a multitrack timeline without the overhead of a full studio. If you never re-encode at all and just need to cut or rearrange finished files losslessly, LosslessCut does exactly that through FFmpeg and nothing more.
Music production is a different discipline. A digital audio workstation is built around arrangement, MIDI, automation, and mixing rather than repairing recorded sound. Ardour targets recording and mixing multitrack sessions with JACK routing and LV2 or VST plugins, while LMMS leans toward composing with its Piano Roll, pattern editor, and bundled synthesizers. Reaching for a DAW to trim a podcast, or a waveform editor to arrange a song, is the usual reason a project stalls, so decide which side of that line your work sits on first.
Then check the boring compatibility that audio work actually depends on: clean handling of WAV, AIFF, FLAC, and MP3, preserved sample rate and metadata, and the specific plugin standard you rely on, whether VST, LV2, or AU. Test the real plugins and a full round trip rather than trusting a checkbox, because plugin scanning, latency compensation, and preset recall are where editors feel polished or fragile. A tool that is fine on a three-minute clip can become painful on a two-hour interview.
Related categories
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an audio editor and a DAW?+
An audio editor manipulates recorded sound: trimming, repairing, normalizing, converting, and exporting files. A DAW is built for music production around MIDI, virtual instruments, arrangement, automation, and mixing. Audacity and Tenacity sit on the editor side; Ardour and LMMS are DAWs. If your work starts with recorded speech or existing audio, choose an editor first; if you are composing with instruments and a tempo grid, a DAW fits better.
Which tool works best for podcast editing?+
Podcast work rewards fast, repetitive editing: cutting, clip gain, level normalization, and multitrack handling when you record separate speakers. Audacity and its fork Tenacity cover this on a multitrack timeline and record directly from your interface. If you only need to trim or rearrange already-finished episodes without re-encoding, LosslessCut does that quickly through FFmpeg. Test how each handles a full-length episode, since friction in small cuts adds up fast.
Do these editors support VST and other plugins?+
Several do, but the supported standard varies. Tenacity handles VST, LV2, and AU; Ardour hosts LV2 and VST; LMMS supports VST2, LV2, LADSPA, and SoundFont2; and Bespoke Synth hosts VST, VST3, and LV2. Support also depends on your operating system and CPU architecture, so scan and test the exact plugins you rely on before moving a real workflow, and confirm presets and latency compensation behave.
How is Tenacity different from Audacity?+
Tenacity began as a fork of Audacity over privacy, contributor-agreement, and telemetry concerns. It strips out error reporting and update checks, and adds its own themes and fixes, while keeping the same core multitrack editing and recording. The formats, plugin support, and workflow are close to Audacity's, so the practical difference is mostly about what the app does not send back rather than what it can edit.
Can I trim a file without re-encoding it?+
Yes. LosslessCut cuts, trims, merges, and rearranges video and audio through FFmpeg without re-encoding, so the output keeps the original quality and processes quickly. It also handles metadata, chapters, and multiple tracks, and adds smart cut and silence detection. This is the right approach when you only need to remove or reorder parts of a finished file rather than edit the audio itself.
Which file formats should an audio editor handle cleanly?+
At a minimum, expect solid handling of WAV and AIFF for masters, FLAC for lossless storage, and MP3 or AAC for delivery. Good editors also preserve sample rate, bit depth, channel layout, and basic metadata without surprises. Tenacity extends format support through FFmpeg and handles Matroska natively. Do not judge support by whether a file opens; export, reopen, and confirm timing, tags, and levels survived the round trip.
Can I record directly into these tools?+
Yes, the recording-focused ones can capture from microphones, interfaces, or system inputs. Audacity and Tenacity record from real or virtual devices on a multitrack timeline, and Ardour is built to track live performances and vocals as part of a session. Before trusting a long interview or live take, run a full-length test and confirm device selection, input metering, and how the app recovers after an interrupted recording.