If there is been one piece of audio software that is nearly ubiquitous in the audio editing world, it’s Audacity, the free, open-source multi-track editor used by so many people, I have no idea where you would start counting. It has plenty of features, a few of which I find helpful (splitting stereo audio tracks into two mono tracks) and creative (Paul Stretch).
I have never been a big fan of the software, opting instead to invest my time, money and learning in Logic Pro from Apple. I’ve been a user for well over a decade, learning the shortcuts, getting a handle on the features I need, and figuring out how to use it in more and more efficient ways. Audacity has lingered around on my computer, but I rarely use it.
Well, it shall linger no more.
Today, I came across this article on Synthtopia (which I’ve been reading for years, and if you like synthesizers and weird sound stuff, you should too) talking about how Audacity has been acquired by a company and changed it’s privacy policy to include data harvesting.
The post points to another article on Foss Post that goes into a little more detail. They even go so far as to call it possible spyware. From the article:
Muse Group, after acquiring Audacity, introduced a CLA where it requires anyone wishing to send a pull request to the original source code to agree on giving them unlimited and unrestricted rights to own the modified lines of code.
One would not expect an offline desktop application to be collecting such data, phoning-home and then handing that data to governments around the world whenever they see fit. If you want to stay away from such things, then stay away from Audacity.
The software has also been essentially rated PG-13:
Moreover, the same page contains a shallow attempt to prevent kids under age of 13 from using the application, which is a violation of the GPL license (The license under which Audacity is released) because GPL prevents any restrictions on the usage of software
So basically, your free, open-source audio editor may be spying on you.
(I’ve posted an update below)
I’m removing it from my computers and I think you should to.
There are alternatives out there to Audacity, but few have had the same level of support that the community of users and open-source coders have given it. It will be a major compromise to get rid of Audacity for so many of it’s users. It will hurt me very little, but for those who rely on it, it’s a hard choice to make.
So what alternatives are there? There aren’t many free alternatives out there, but often times, when dealing with audio software (and hardware for that matter), you get what you pay for. Here are a few:
Pro Tools First
A lite version of Pro Tools, the same software found it major recording studios. It’s limited to 16 audio tracks and 16 instrument tracks, and it’s main limitation for podcasters may be that it only allows four inputs to be recorded at the same time. That may not matter if you are using other software to record with (like Zoom or the always excellent Audio Hijack).
Pro Tools First is a great introduction to what professional recording engineers use. You can do a lot with it for a long time, and may never need anything else.
Adobe Audition
If you have the full Adobe suite already, you have one of the best audio editors at your disposal. Audition is used by tons of podcasters and audio editors. Hard to go wrong here. It may not be worth it if you don’t need the other Adobe apps to subscribe just for this, but if you already have it, start using it.
Hindenburg Journalist
Hindenburg Journalist is popular among radio editors and podcasters. It isn’t free, but people who use it love it. If you want to get more into sound design or sound rich editing, other software may serve you better.
GarageBand
For Mac users, MacOS already comes with GarageBand.
Logic Pro X
Also exclusive to Mac users, Logic is a great DAW and the only one I need. I have several other ones on my computer, but they almost never get opened. It has everything you need and more, and the pricing isn’t subscription-based.
There are others out there. I don’t know enough about the Windows world to give you suggestions that aren’t on Apple computers as well. I’m sure they exist.
What you do with Audacity is up to you. For myself, it has never been a big enough influence on my workflow to need. I’ll miss the few features that came in handy. But looking at new privacy policy, the price of this free software has become too high.
UPDATE: CDM, another blog I read religiously, posted about this as well, with a more tempered approach to the subject. They asked the parent company, Muse Group, for some clarification. According to CDM:
Let me put this bluntly: they’re not tracking anything you need to worry about, they’re not selling any data, there are strict controls over how the data is used, and the version hasn’t even shipped yet. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t worry about the future of Audacity at Muse, only that this was a communications snafu that unfolded today, not a crisis that means you should delete an audio tool you use.
Supposedly, the next version of Audacity, 3.0.3, will introduce the tracking changes. But again, all of this is according to a response from the company.
The big question is, do you trust the company? And maybe just as importantly, what is your tolerance for the trade-offs involved when those policies do come to fruition? Is it worth it to you to wait around until there is a problem?
Is there cause to delete your current install of Audacity? Probably not. But I would keep from updating to 3.0.3 until the dust settles. And besides, also to quote from that CDM post:
And I can’t emphasize this enough – from a user standpoint, the reason I might hesitate to recommend Audacity is that it’s buggy, not that it’s some kind of privacy hole. Developers I spoke to had a similar analysis.
And that, I 100% agree with.
In the end (and I doubt this is the end, not by a long shot), what you do if you are an Audacity user is up to your comfort with their privacy policy, and how they may or may not use it. It is one more thing to think about now with this tool, and it wasn’t something that had to be thought about before.
The upside is, there are plenty – and in my opinion, better – tools out there.