9 Best Audio Recording Software to Try in 2024

You’ve got your storyboard, script, and recording equipment ready. You hit “record” and…..disaster. Your audio recording software is glitching and there’s a lot of echo that you just can’t figure out how to workaround. Or worse, the audio software crashes in post-production, taking your precious recording with it.

This is an all too common problem now and it’s not just limited to video creators. 

Whether you’re hosting an audio podcast, recording voiceovers for your social media content, or an aspiring filmmaker who needs to record studio-quality videos, finding the best recording software can be hard. 

To help you out, we tried and tested multiple audio recording software. We assessed each tool based on features like their ability to support low latency, export file formats, multi-track audio editing, background noise removal, integration with other tools, and pricing. 

Let’s jump right in.  

Jump to a specific tool: 

1. Audacity
2. VEED
3. Descript
4. Adobe Audition
5. GarageBand 
6. Riverside.fm
7. Murf.ai
8. Wavosaur
9. WavePad

1. Audacity

Audacity is one of the most popular free audio recording software that lets you do both audio recording and audio editing. To use it, you need to download the app on your desktop; it is supported on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. 

Technically, Audacity is a digital audio workstation (DAW) that lets producers of all types, from professional filmmakers to home studio creators, record and edit audio conveniently. It’s easy to use and intuitive, making it a good choice for creators with more modest needs and budgets. 

The platform comes with plenty of useful recording features such as support for low latency recording, timer, sound activation, and overdubbing existing tracks. 

You can record audio from a line input, microphone, or mixer at rates of up to 192,000 Hz. And, it supports a variety of depths (16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit) making it a good choice for various publishing channels – CD pressing, DVD, Blu-ray and streaming. 

You can perform basic audio editing tasks like adding, trimming, and duplicating timelines. Additionally, you can use audio effects available within the Audacity platform; change tempos, enhance treble, bass, distortion, reverb, phaser, echo, and audio reversing. 

It supports the most common export audio formats including WAV, MP3, FLAC, AIFF, and WMA, but if you’re looking to export in other specific formats, you need to use plugins with Audacity. 

Pros

• Easy to use once you get familiar with the interface
• Offers a great range of audio effects and editing tools 
• Forever free plan

Cons

• Unexpectedly hangs up and needs a reboot 
• Needs additional plugins and patches for specific export formats
• Lacks advanced audio recording, editing, and exporting capabilities 

Pricing

Audacity is completely free to use. 

2. VEED

VEED is a highly popular platform among video creators for various reasons; it lets you record high-quality videos and audios, edit them on a granular level, and export them in various publish-ready formats.

The platform hits a sweet spot balancing ease of use and advanced editing tools, making it suitable for users of all skill levels. 

Whether you’re a professional filmmaker looking for extra control and flexibility or a podcaster searching for a simple yet powerful audio recording software, VEED has got you covered. 

It’s a web-based audio editing platform, meaning you don’t need to download hefty software or use an expensive NVIDIA card to support your editing process. You can record, cut, trim, split, rearrange, and loop audio by simply logging into your VEED account.  

Plus, you can access its rich library of stock audio and templates, use AI background noise remover, and export it in multiple formats including MP3, WAV, MP4, and others. VEED also lets you produce AI-generated audio — adjust the accent, pitch, and tempo and make sure you get the perfect audio you need — without touching a microphone yourself. 

VEED’s full suite of video editing tools also comes packed with features like automatic video trimming, auto-subtitles, caption translation, templates, stock video footage, screen recorder, and more. All of these features combined make VEED the best audio and video recording software in this list.

Pros

• Intuitive interface suitable for both novices and experts
• Comprehensive video editing capabilities that enhance AI voice creation
• Capability to adjust the pitch and tempo of AI-generated voices
• Robust tools for collaboration and managing brand assets
• Seamless connectivity with leading social media channels
• Affordable pricing options are ideal for solo users, small groups, and large teams

Cons

• Requires a stable internet connection since the platform is web-based

Pricing

• Free plan 
• Basic plan: $18 per user per month 
• Pro plan: $30 per user per month 
• Business plan: $59 per user per month 

3. Descript

If you’re a podcaster, you’ve probably heard of Descript already. It is a transcription-based platform that lets you record videos, audio, and transcripts. 

Descript is simple to use and gets the job done for podcasting. It offers features like overdub and noise reduction to give you studio-level audio quality. You can also eliminate pauses and repeats, add effects to your audio, use AI-generated voices, and collaborate with your team. 

Unlike most audio recording software that are timeline-based, Descript transcribes your raw video content. This means, you can edit the transcription which will then automatically edit your videos. 

For macro edits where you need to remove a chunk of content, this feature comes in super handy. But if you’re looking for better control and granular timeline editing, this might be limiting for you. The only workaround is to first make macro edits in Descript and then edit your audio or video on a different platform like VEED or Adobe Premiere Pro.

Pros

• Easy to use with intuitive interface
• Offers AI enhanced transcriptions
• Ability to clone your voice and overdub recordings digitally 
• Features like filler word removal iron out audio clips quickly 
• Integrates seamlessly with tools like Podbean, Restream, Castos, and Final Cut Pro 

Cons

• Limited timeline feature 
• Lacks advanced audio features professional editors may need 
• Pricing can get expensive for larger teams 

Pricing

• Free plan 
• Creator plan: $12 per user per month
• Pro plan: $24 per user per month 
• Enterprise plan: Custom pricing

4. Adobe Audition

Adobe Audition caters to a broad audience of creators with its relatively easy to use tools.

Adobe Audition is a powerful audio recording software and editing platform with features like audio editing and restoration tools. This includes a diagnostics panel, spectral frequency display, waveform view, and multitrack mixing. 

Unlike simpler tools like Audacity, Adobe Audition doesn’t require you to use third-party tools or plugins to extract and edit audio from videos. The platform automatically extracts file formats as MP4, M4V, MOV, MPG, DV, DIVX, and WMV. 

If you’re already an Adobe user, this audio recording software is perfect as it integrates seamlessly with other Creative Cloud applications like Photoshop and Premiere Pro. 

Pros

• Feature rich; versatile audio software to record, edit, mix, and master audio
• Seamless integration with the rest of the Adobe Creative Suite 
• Plenty of templates and plugins perfect for podcasting or live recordings 
• Well organized timelines — can be as simple or as complex as needed 
• Strong audio restoration, sound removal and noise reduction tools for crisp audio quality 
• Perfect for film and television broadcast standards for audio 

Cons

• Subscription cost can be expensive for light users
• Steep learning curve for certain tools, especially if you don’t regularly use audio editing software
• Overly complicated features to perform simple processes 

Pricing

• 7-day free trial 
• Monthly: $34.49 per month 
• Annual, paid monthly: $22.99 per month
• Annual, prepaid: $263.99 per year 

5. GarageBand

GarageBand is a beginner friendly free recording software included with Apple devices. While designed for hobbyist musicians and producers, GarageBand is a great audio recording software for anyone who’s looking to get started with audio recording and audio editing. 

It comes with a free built-in sound library which includes presets for voice, guitar, session drummers, EDM myth and hip-hop sounds, and virtual instruments.

Being a part of the Apple ecosystem, GarageBand is highly accessible for Apple users — you can easily record and edit music on the go on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. 

The platform also comes with plenty of free useful plugins. You can experiment with VSTs and add effects and instruments simply by using a plugin within GarageBand. 

For beginners, GarageBand works as a great introductory audio software. However, as you level up your audio production quality and needs, you might want to switch to a different platform. 

Pros

• Easy to use and streamlined interface
• Versatile features and tools for audio recording and audio editing
• Supports 24-bit recording and third-party plugins

Cons

• Doesn’t have a free version
• Lack of a mixing console view
• Only available to Apple users

Pricing

• Free for all OS X Mavericks and iOS 7 users 
• One-time app purchase price of $4.99 for additional instruments and sounds

6. Riverside.fm

Riverside.fm is another popular audio recording software that comes with a mobile app, making it convenient for you to record and edit audio on the go. It lets you record locally uncompressed 4K resolution video and 48kHz audio, to ensure your final content piece looks and sounds high-quality. 

Riverside.fm offers a double-ender audio feature which means if there are multiple participants in the audio or video, each guests’ audio is recorded separately and locally instead of online. This ensures your audio quality isn’t dependent on the internet even when you’re recording remotely and removes any chances of lags or glitches in real-time. 

Once you’re done recording audio, Riverside.fm automatically saves a backup of your files. Plus, it offers a progressive upload, meaning both your audio and video are uploaded in the background. 

Overall, Riverside.fm’s features make it a good option for podcasting and video conferencing. You can also stream on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and X — all at the same time. However, it lacks the advanced capabilities an aspiring filmmaker or professional creator might need.

Pros

• Easy to use and beginner-friendly platform
• Produces high-quality audio recordings 
• Tailored features for podcasting like auto-trimming, background remover, built-in transcriptions, and text-based editing
• Quick splice and split audio tools 
• AI-click editing available 
• Automated show notes and transcriptions 

Cons

• Lacks advanced audio editing features
• Lack of timeline based editing compromises control and flexibility for users
• Recordings may take some time to upload in user dashboard
• The editor is laggy and audio often feels distorted 

Pricing

• Free plan
• Standard plan: $15 per month 
• Pro plan: $24 per month 
• Business plan: Custom plan 

7. Murf.ai

Murf.ai is one of the best AI voice generators that lets you create realistic sounding voiceovers with its text-to-speech feature. With 120+ voices, Murf.ai helps you create synthetic voices for podcasts, videos, and professional presentations easily. 

It integrates seamlessly with tools like Adobe Audition, Adobe Captivate, Google Slides, Canva, and more. If you’re an in-house professional looking to integrate an AI voice generator to your presentations, this is a great option to consider. 

You can also add music, videos, and images to your AI generated voices. 

Plus, with features like script assistance and voice cloning, you can use this text-to-speech software in your audio production workflow easily. 

Pros

• Produces high-quality AI-generated audio
• Supports 120+ accents and languages 
• 8,000+ licensed tracks with commercial usage rights 

Cons

• Expensive as compared to its alternatives 
• Free plan doesn’t allow downloads
• Lacks audio recording and editing features most creators would need for content creation 

Pricing

• Free plan: 10 minutes of AI voice generation time
• Basic plan: $19/month for 24 hours of AI voice generation per year 
• Pro plan: $26/month for 48 hours of AI voice generation per year 
• Enterprise plan: $75/month for unlimited AI voice generation

8. Wavosaur

At first glance, Wavosaur takes you back to the early 2000s with its retro looking website and old-school navigation. In reality, Wavosaur is an impressive full-featured audio recorder software for Windows that comes in a tiny, ultra-efficient package. 

It offers plenty of audio editing features so you can have complete control over your bitrates, volume envelopes, beat detection, normalization, and more. You can also use advanced features such as resampling, bit-depth conversion, vocal removal, auto-trim, interpolation, pitch shift, crossfade loop, and others to produce high-quality audio. 

The platform supports ASIO (Asynchronous Input/Output) meaning it supports low latency, allowing you to record alongside a wave file without any noticeable lag. 

To use it, you need to download the Wavosaur program on your system. Once you’re ready with your audio file, you can export it in multiple file formats such as AIF, MP3, AIFF, WAV, ADPCM Dialogic vox, Amiga 8svx & 16svx, and raw binary.

Overall, Wavosaur is a versatile and powerful audio recording software. However, it lacks the user-friendly element most users look for today. The dashboard looks similar to the earlier versions of Windows audio mixer, which might be a limiting factor for some users. 

Pros

• Supports VST plugins
• Supports ASIO
• Non-destructive editing with 

Cons

• Only provides email support 
• Only supports Windows OS 
• Lacks the intuitiveness most users need today

Pricing

• Wavosaur is completely free to use. 

9. WavePad

WavePad is a full-featured professional audio recorder software for Windows and Mac. It lets you record and edit music, voice and other audio recordings without any hassle. 

The audio editor is straightforward to use but appears like Wavosaur (old school and retro). 

If that doesn’t impact your user experience, WavePad can make for an excellent audio recording software that lets you trim, add effects, combine multiple files, add echo, amplify, and/or reverse audio. 

There’s also added functionalities for audio restoration, noise reduction, batch processing, and plug-in effects. 

Lastly, the platform supports a wide range of formats including AIF, AU, MP3, real audio, VOX, WAV, MP4A, MID, AMR, OGG, etc.

Pros

• Extensive range of options for audio editing
• Batch processing lets you implement tweaks on all files simultaneously 
• Interface is simple and self-explanatory 
• Comes with a sound library 

Cons

• Needs an extension for multi-track recording
• Lack of customer support 
• Doesn’t offer modern user interface

Pricing

• Free trial 
• Standard plan: $39.95 per user 
• Master’s plan: $69.95 per user 

Ready to Record Your Audio Without Glitches? 

Publishing studio-quality audio directly impacts listener engagement, comprehension, and retention. 

Whether you run an audio podcast, run a YouTube channel, or need crisp audios for business presentations, using a reliable audio recording software is a non-negotiable. 

You don’t want to run into glitches in real-time or deal with a grainy, noisy audio file in post-production. 

With VEED, you can record audio and video, edit them in a timeline-based editor, use AI features, and speed up your workflow significantly.