Audacity vs. Avid Pro Tools

For just a quick down and dirty audio recording from computer source, Audacity is a no-frills solution that any user can get up and running with quickly without the intimidating functions seen in most standard DAWs. This would be a great tool to start with to record church services, or basic live performances where someone wouldn't want to use a full DAW like Ableton Live or Studio One.

Incentivized

Again, Avid Pro Tools is considered the "industry standard" for a reason. The ability to record, mix and edit with such ease is something that I don't find in other DAWs. That may be because I'm a longtime user and so I may be partial. Still, I do use Logic and I'm very familiar with many of the processes in that DAW as well. Avid Pro Tools just does so many of them better and more intuitively. Editing audio in particular is one where Avid Pro Tools has every other DAW beat.

Incentivized

• Audacity has a wide variety of controls and capabilities for editing, making it a very robust tool for audio editing.
• Even though it's a robust tool, it is very easy to use to get many basic things done in audio editing. The learning curve is small.
• Love that audacity is free! What else could you ask for? There really is no reason not to use it.

Incentivized

• Variety of plug-ins and the ability to buy 3rd party plug ins and use them well.
• Recording to multiple tracks, live monitoring while recording, live inserts/sends while recording audio.
• Pro Tools always creates a backup of your audio file that you can restore at any point in time.
• Built in metronome, timeline indicators for beat/time.
• Midi controls/ virtual instruments are fantastic.

Incentivized

• easier to grab and re-order tracks, the grab area is small
• I am constantly zooming in and out to grab a small piece of track; make it easier to grab an audio clip
• a button to move the focus to the beginning of the tracks

• Virtual instrument interfaces are clunky and non-intuitive.
• Rename/Move session functions should programmatically update subfolder labels.
• Better, more targeted in-app access/help to the myriad of shortcuts, and scripts already present in PT.

Incentivized

With no subscription fees unlike other products on the market, I am very confident I will continue using Audacity for my simple audio editing needs. I'm not an expert in audio editing, I'm sure what works for me as a more general user in a public institution would not suit someone more experienced, but I'm very happy with the quality of work I'm able to produce.

Incentivized

Audacity is for audio prodcasts only and not for video podcasts. Audacity does not have a transcript development feature. Audacity can not edit using the transcript feature that does not exist. I use another program to develop a transcript and edit using that transcript. Then I move the file into Audacity for final processing.

It’s very easy to use it on a basic level. There is a learning curve for advanced stuff, but if you have a need to learn the advanced features and shortcuts then it’s not too hard. Plus, you’re probably using it to make money then anyway, so it all works out

Incentivized

Audacity is great for this, it doesn't require a network connection once downloaded, and previous versions of the software are still functional in my experience. I have never experienced the program crashing, lost work, corrupted files, anything of the sort.

Incentivized

I have never had issues with speed in Audacity, I don't integrate it with other software but the program runs smoothly even with larger jobs. I haven't measured the CPU while using Audacity, but I imagine it's not high compared to other, more professional or specialized programs in the same category.

Incentivized

We have not used direct support for Audacity, other than using the information available on their website, which resolved the issues we were experiencing so we had a good experience in that regard. As this is Open Source FREE software, I don't believe there is direct support available. In saying that, it has the following great support options:

• Online documentation and FAQ
• Online tutorials covering all functions
• Online user forums where questions are asked and answered by other users
• Online wiki with more information

With these options most issues should be able to be resolved to get full use from Audacity.

Incentivized

I've never contacted Avid for support issues, but Pro Tools is so widely used that its user community can help you solve virtually any issue you encounter, if the issue isn't solved already by a simple Google search. The fact that Pro Tools is such an industry standard means that you can rest assured hardware manufacturers of audio interfaces test their interfaces with Pro Tools to ensure compatibility.

Incentivized

Again I found it helpful to write up a step-by-step tutorial for coworkers based on our institution's standard practices. This combined with support from coworkers to answer questions is very effective for simple everyday use of Audacity. The support in-program is minimal but troubleshooting in the internet age is straightforward.

Incentivized

Easier to use than Garage Band. I have tried to use Garage Band for the same thing as I used Audacity and have had to give up. Not as easy. With the simple things that I have been able to accomplish, Audacity does it faster and better than anything I have tried. I have also used Pro Tools, however, that is more expensive

Incentivized

As discussed above, these other products are likely better suited for home audio production, especially based on their integration of software instruments and their surface-level interface and tools. Pro Tools excels as a tool for professionals, who need to move audio along efficiently towards a polished form, especially in the context of vocal production

Incentivized

I feel that Audacity is useful, simple, and suited both to casual users and more advanced use cases. There are options for expanding functionality in complex situations, but the option to not mess with it as a beginner is perfectly fine and suited to most everyday uses in my institution.

Incentivized

• Audacity is completely free, so it has helped us to eliminate the expense of paying for recording software.
• It is fast and efficient, which helps us save time and generate a great workflow.
• Even though we have what we need there are some features that cannot be found on Audacity, this affects the quality of our audio in a way.

Incentivized

• Low cost of entry
• Being able to network with employers is vital, and saves time and money
• Add-ons to the main software can be a bit overpriced compared to other DAWs.

Incentivized