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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Audacity

    Score9.5 out of 10
    N/AAudacity is a free and open source audio recording and editing software.N/A

    Sibelius

    Score7 out of 10
    N/AAvid offers Sibelius, a musical notation, creation, and publishing application.N/A
    Pricing
    AudacitySibelius
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AudacitySibelius
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AudacitySibelius
    Considered Both Products
    Audacity
    No answer on this topic
    Avid Technology
    Chose Sibelius
    I have not used Finale exclusively, but I know friends/colleagues who have. In the past, it was complicated to transfer and edit any of the music they created for me because it would not transfer to Sibelius. As a result, I would have to request the edits I wanted and ask …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    22 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    22 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    22 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    22 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Best Alternatives
    AudacitySibelius
    Small Businesses
    Descript
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Descript
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AudacitySibelius
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (28 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.7
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.0
    (11 ratings)
    7.2
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AudacitySibelius
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Audacity
    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
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    Avid Technology
    It is simply easy to use and serves the function that it needs to serve. Once you get the hang of the basic functionality and a few of the keyboard shortcuts, it will be extremely easy and quick to write out music. The option to go back and transpose to another key without writing the whole thing out again is crucial.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Audacity
    • 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
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    Avid Technology
    • User Friendly
    • Compatible with other software/music programs
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Audacity
    • 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
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    Avid Technology
    • Barrier to entry could be a bit lower.
    • Options for types of arrangements are somewhat limited and the interface is a bit convoluted.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Audacity
    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
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    Avid Technology
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Audacity
    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.
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    Avid Technology
    No answers on this topic
    Reliability and Availability
    Audacity
    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
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    Avid Technology
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Audacity
    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
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    Avid Technology
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Audacity
    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
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    Avid Technology
    Once Sibelius is purchased, the user is given one year of unlimited free customer service to help in using the product. After that first year, users can either pay to utilize customer service with questions or use online helps, which are very helpful. One of the bigger issues I had was getting the sounds to work properly because my Internet connection wasn't consistently working well enough to accommodate the large files, which were taking up to 10 hours to download. The download would fail, and then I'd have to start over. I wanted to get a CD sent to me but was told this would be very costly, and so I declined. I wasn't happy with the lack of customer service in that situation but was eventually able to get the files to download and the software working properly.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Audacity
    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.
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    Avid Technology
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Audacity
    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
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    Avid Technology
    I have not used Finale exclusively, but I know friends/colleagues who have. In the past, it was complicated to transfer and edit any of the music they created for me because it would not transfer to Sibelius. As a result, I would have to request the edits I wanted and ask them to make the changes themselves. If I wanted to make any changes later, it was extremely inconvenient to do so, and I often chose not to, as I did not want to bother anyone other than myself to do any edits after-the-fact. Though it is now possible to transfer Finale files to Sibelius through creating .xml files and then importing as .sib files, the files still do not entirely retain all of the integrity of the original composition (as completed in Finale). Sometimes text and markings are missing, microscopic, or shifted once opened in Sibelius. Text fonts must often be edited. When working with other major music publishers, it has been extremely convenient and helpful to have the same software.
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    Scalability
    Audacity
    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
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    Avid Technology
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Audacity
    • 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
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    Avid Technology
    • Digital files are easily distributed to customers/no shipping costs.
    • Collaboration with other sheet music retailers has been established and maintained.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots