In 2022, when everything has moved to computers, the software can perform any task that you want it to. In this plethora of software programs, the recording software is the one that might not sound too important to you. But when it comes to streaming a video or a gaming session, you need more than the basic audio software which is present in your operating system.
Furthermore, digital recording software can not only record audio that is coming from an audio source, such as a microphone, it can also record the audio that is being played within the operating system. Furthermore, a user who uses these software programs can manipulate the audio signal and change their voice up to a certain level based on their needs.
A lot of people believe that recording software is only needed by professionals who are working in the field of music composition. But in truth, even if you are an amateur YouTuber who has just started creating videos of your instrument playing or singing, you will need good recording software which can help you post-process the audio input of yours and help you sound more precise. Today we are going to talk about just that. In this blog, you will get to know the importance of recording software and what some of the best recording software programs are that you can install on your system in 2021. So let’s start, shall we?
How does a Recording Software Work?
Recording software is an application or a program that can be installed on your computer or on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. This program will let you record the audio, edit it and give you a platform where you can tweak the audio by using the effects. There are two types of recording software: the first one is the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), and the second is the digital instrument and plug-in effects program.
A DAW program processes the audio signals which your computer inputs as a stream of digital information. The Digital Audio Converter (DAC) is attached to the computer and allows a user to record the audio from the microphone. Once the audio input starts, the DAC will convert the audio signal into digital signals that are sent to the system via a USB connection. A recording software will then convert these digital signals back to the audio, which a user can hear from the speakers that are attached to the computer.
Things to Keep In Mind when choosing a Recording Software
The recording software varies from person to person, so you need to know what are the different critical aspects of a program you need to know in order to know which recording software is the best option for you.
1. Audio Quality
The very first thing you should look for in the recording software is the quality of the audio input and the output. The audio which you have provided as the input and must have the same level of sound and quality when it is converted to a digital format. A number of audio devices have variable recording quality, so you need to find the ones which record as per your bit rate requirement.
2. Must Work on your System
Not everyone has the jankiest of setups that can take the load of almost every software you throw at it. Some of us work with the i5 processor, while others barely have anything left to upgrade. You need to know which software can efficiently run on your machine with ease and doesn’t cause your system to sweat a lot. The software you choose must not take up tons of space on your system, making it hard for you to install any other application.
3. Sharing Of files
See, when you have recorded something and need to put it on the software, the program must be able to accept the incoming file. Similarly, the software must support a variety of audio formats. The majority of the software is compatible with file-sharing programs such as OneDrive and others. However, make sure to double-check the ones you’re using to share files. Before you purchase and begin recording audio, we want you to double-check the file sharing and how it works for the specific software.
4. Editing Abilities
Another important feature of recording software is that it provides a platform for you to edit the audio that you provide as input. The basic features are all prevalent, and you can easily find a number of software programs. However, when it comes to providing users with editing capabilities, this recording software is far too sloppy to make a significant difference. You might need editing software that could include more advanced features like cutting, deleting, and converging files. So you should check if the recording software does provide you with all these tools or not.
5. User Interface
So, how will you be able to make the best use of the recording software if you can’t navigate from one tool to the next? As a result, we want you to watch the recording videos and go through some tutorials to see how the software looks and how its user interface responds to user commands. Because you will be interacting with it all the time, the user interface is the most important aspect of the software. To make the software perform a specific task, you must first locate the tool in the interface. If the interface is overly complex or cluttered, it will take some time to get used to, and even then, you will struggle to find what you are looking for.
6. Recording Time
Last is the recording time. You might think it isn’t something you should be concerned about because as long as you have space, the software will keep on recording no matter what. But that’s not true for all the recording software. Each software has its own recording limit, which is set by the developers. Some software will have a single recording session that lasts for 2 hours. In contrast, some have recording sessions that will go on for 5 hours. So, according to your requirements, you must choose the recording software that satisfies your recording session needs.
Best Recording Software Programs to Consider in 2022
In this list, we will be showing you some of the best audio recording software that can be used for your recording sessions. We will look at the various features this software will provide and how they can benefit your work. Choose the software which is compatible with your recording setup and performs all the recording tasks that you require from it.
1. Audacity
Starting our list with one of the best recording software of 2021, Audacity is open-source software in the first place. Also, software which is open source is free to use. Audacity can also run on a variety of operating systems, including Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.The interface of the software is impressive as you can clearly see every tool and the button which is associated with it. The white background might give you the vibe of an old retro recorder, but in truth, the white theme is used for the sake of keeping the UI clean. There are no unnecessary graphics to clutter the interface and make the aesthetics of the software feel outlandish.
As we said, it might give out a simple look when you first look at it, but once a user starts working on it, they will notice how unique the software is and how much it is capable of performing all the complex recording tasks with ease. Once the recording of the audio is done, the software allows users to conveniently edit, trim, and mix the audio with the custom effects that they have uploaded to the software. This tool can also allow the user to change the treble and the bass while maintaining the frequency analysis.
2. Avid Pro Tools
Well, you know when a software or a mobile has a pro in it, it will be something exceptional and top of the line. The same goes for Avid Pro Tools, and this software comes with 16 audio tracks. This software is massive, and only a powerful computer can run it at its optimal speed. But if you have its first version, then you might be able to use it even on slow computers with low RAM storage of 4GB. This program is without a doubt a full-scale professional audio and music production system. It has everything that a professional music composer needs in software.
When we looked at the original recommendation of this software, we found out that it requires 16GB of RAM, but you can work with 8GB and even 4GB. But using low RAM will affect you when you upload a heavy project file. If you are not looking for the whole pro solution which the company is providing you, the other option is to opt for the free version of the same program, which is Pro Tool First. This software will have most of the basic tools that you will need and will work on 4GB RAM. The name includes First because, with the free software, you are getting a number of powerful features, but still, a wide array of professional-grade tools will be missing out.
The free version allows you to edit and mix four different audio recordings at once, whereas the paid version allows you to edit and mix 16 audio tracks at once. One thing to keep in mind is that in order to use this software, you must first be familiar with audio recording and production software. This is due to the steep learning curve of this software.
3. Garageband
Since the release of Garageband in 2004, the software has come a long way to become a great DAW. The interface is smooth and intuitive, and you will have no issue with finding the right tool for your editing. When it comes to having free software to manage everything for your budget home studio, Garageband will do wonders.
The software is built by Apple for beginners, and it has a catalogue of virtual instruments. All of these instruments have punchy sounds, and they actually feel like the sound is coming from the actual instrument. That’s what makes Garageband stand out from its competitors, who are trying to provide the same feature but are not able to mimic the precision of the sound quality of instruments.
4. Steinberg Cubase Elements
If you want to work on video post-production audio editing, this software is the perfect solution for you. But this ultimate audio recording software comes at a price of $99.99, and the good thing is you only have to pay once, and that too, after taking the trial for 30 months. This program can run on almost every system that is out there with 4GB of RAM and 20GB of internal storage space.
Keep in mind, if you are looking for software in which you can work with the synchronisation of audio and video, then you need to import the reference videos straight into Cubase. Its latest version makes it possible for the user to export audio and video. So a client gets to see the projects as one, and this also makes it easier for both client and collaborators to work on the project. With this software, you can keep your workspace highly efficient as the software makes it possible for the user to arrange dozens of tracks in the UI without getting things muddled.
5. Ardour
Now we have reached the middle of our best recording software list. So here is another program that is great for musicians, podcasters, video game streamers and much more. The main difference between this software and the others is that, unlike other programs, Ardour focuses on the enhancement of the audio of the recorded voice alone. The software is entirely free, and it is available on all modern-day operating systems. Also, when we were working on it, we found its UI to be clean and it has a number of features that help a user enhance the audio quality of the recording. Moreover, Ardour could be the software you are looking for if you need to have a multi-track recording and edit the audio.
Due to its advanced recording and editing tools, this software is ideal for both professional and amateur musicians who want to fiddle with their recorded audio in post-processing. The software is free and has tons of plug-ins that can be installed to enhance the user experience.
6. WavePad
With the WavePad, you will get the audio recorded to perfection, and the program is able to work with almost every audio format which is available in the present day. Thus, it is a highly used audio recording program among musicians and other individual artists. Moreover, this program is also being used by professionals to compose music and give music to videos. The main reason why so many people love this software is that it has a number of audio-enhancing capabilities, such as amplification, and the addition of special sound effects to enhance the recorded audio.
Once the editing and the tweaking of the sound are done, the final output audio is relatively high. The wave editor gives you more control over how you want to make changes and edits to the audio in your final product. Some of the things where we found cost-cutting have been done in the department of mp3 editor and the efficiency of working with multiple files at once.
7. PreSonus Studio One
This is most likely the most powerful and feature-rich professional-grade audio recording software on this list. Each feature and tool in this program is used to get the best results in the recording and tweak the tiniest details of the recorded audio. The trial version is named Prime, and in it, you will see tons of tools that are waiting for you to be explored. The starting price for the lifetime license is where things get a bit expensive, as the one-time fee is $322.74.
In order to add an effect to a given track, all you need to do is choose the effect and drop it onto the track with a single click. If we compare the interface of this program with other full-fledged audio recording software such as Reaper, we can see that this one is a bit more streamlined. Besides this, PreSonus is an excellent software when you have to work with multiple audio files and want to connect a keyboard to operate the virtual instruments through MIDI.
8. Ocenaudio
Being the smartest of the bunch is always in style, and Ocenaudio is the most intelligent audio recording program on our list. This software relieves the user of the burden of recording and editing audio and completes the work on its own. The software is a fantastic tool for recording audio, but it really shines when it comes to editing and fine-tuning it.
The fantastic-looking interface houses a slew of useful audio-editing tools. This allows the user to apply some of the unique audio effects and listen to them in real-time preview while the editing is still being done. The software is compatible with all operating systems, including Mac, Linux, and Windows.
9. Adobe Audition
When something is related to art, Adobe is the first software company that comes to our mind whose software programs will be great to have. Well, even this time, Adobe didn’t disappoint us with its Adobe Audition audio recording and editing software. This program is backed by years of experience in the audio and visual department, so when you start using it, you will see how you are stepping forward and now getting better audio recordings and high post-production output.
The program has a multi-track option, wave editing, and audio restoration tools, which will provide you with the best results. The essential sound panel is integrated with tons of programs to give you the oomph effect when you are recording the audio. One of the reasons we are recommending this software is that it is an excellent tool for recording and editing podcasts as the audio input can be repaired using its tool to perfection.
10. Wavosaur
Wavosaur is recording software that provides users with a robust audio processing tool that gives users the ability to record sound with pitch perfection. The software might seem quite basic, but you can use it to edit, cut, record and mix the audio. There is nothing heavy on the eyes in this software, and apart from being a recording tool, it can also be used as an audio conversion program, for creating music loops, sound designing and more.
Wrapping up
Well, this was some of the best and most robust audio recording software that you could find on the internet in 2021. Some of them are free, while some charge a hefty amount. But in the end, it all depends on you to choose the right software according to your requirements. If you are looking for our recommendation, then we love Audacity without a doubt. We have been using it for a while now, and its simple UI and tools get the job done in no time.
On the other hand, if you are a musician, then Apple’s GarageBand is a software you should definitely check out before looking for another audio recording tool.