Top 3 Free Programs for Music Editing

1. Audacity

Audacity is a free, popular, digital audio editor and recorder. 

Platform compatibility: Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Top features:

• Audacity can edit audio, including cutting, copying, pasting, trimming, and mixing multiple audio tracks.
• Converts analog sounds into digital formats. 
• It can produce effects such as reverb, compression, and noise reduction. 
• It can import and export different audio file formats, including MP3, WAV, AAC, and more.
• Suggests features that allow users with visual impairments to have alternative navigation

Cons:

• Audacity has very old abilities

2. GarageBand

GarageBand is a free, user-friendly digital audio workshop.

Platform compatibility: macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices

Top features:

• GarageBand has a vast library of software instruments, including keyboards, strings, and bands.
• Can record instruments and vocals, then mix multiple tracks together with professional effects such as reverb or EQ
• GarageBand Mac version includes 40 genre-based lessons for piano and guitar, sometimes taught by original recording artists.
• Projects in GarageBand can be synced via iCloud, allowing the user to start a song or recording on the iPhone and finish it on a Mac.

Cons: 

• GarageBand is known for beginners, so for users looking for a more professional editing platform, it has limits for advanced production.

3. Oceanaudio

Oceanaudio is a free, quick music editing platform.

Platform capability: Windows, macOS, and Linux

Top features:

• Oceanaudio lets you listen to processed audio while adjusting effects, so you can hear changes instantly.
• It can hold large audio files without freezing excessive system memory.
• Has a special tool called multi-selection that lets you select different portions of an audio file to apply edits all at once.
• Oceanaudio is very efficient and well-suited for quick tasks like shortening podcasts, cleaning voiceovers, or basic sound analysis.

Cons:

• You can only edit one mono or stereo file at a time, and cannot layer multiple tracks as you would in Audacity.