Audio tools

Audio tools are programs that capture, manipulate and reproduce sound on a computer. A microphone or line input feeds an analogue signal into the sound hardware, which converts it into a stream of digital samples taken at a fixed rate, such as 44,100 times per second for CD-quality audio. Each sample is stored with a set precision, and together the sampling rate and bit depth determine how faithfully the original waveform is preserved.

The most common audio tool is the waveform editor, which displays a recording as a graph of amplitude over time and allows sections to be selected, cut, copied and processed. Typical tasks include trimming silence, normalising loudness, removing background hiss and adding effects such as equalisation or reverb. Dedicated recorders capture sound from inputs or from the system's own output, while batch converters translate files between formats and re-encode them with different codecs to balance quality against file size.

Sound is stored in several kinds of format. Uncompressed formats such as WAV keep every sample and produce large files; lossless compression reduces size without discarding data; and lossy formats like MP3 shrink files much further by removing detail that is hard to hear. Media players reproduce these files, and supporting utilities manage track tags, split or join recordings and rip audio from compact discs. Many such tools are distributed as freeware and run on Windows, including versions for Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Frequently asked questions

What does a waveform editor show?

It plots the recorded sound as amplitude against time, so quiet and loud passages are visible and specific sections can be selected for editing.

Why convert between audio formats?

Different formats trade quality for size and are supported by different devices. Conversion lets a recording be stored more compactly or made compatible with a particular player.

What is a codec?

A codec is the method used to encode and decode audio data. Lossy codecs such as MP3 discard some information to save space, while lossless ones preserve it exactly.