Version 3.0.0 of the free and open-source audio editing program, Audacity, has been released.
Audacity claims that the new update has fixed a lot of bugs that plagued the previous version. The most notable change, however, is the switch to the .aup3 file format for Audacity projects.
What's the New Audacity File Format?
Previously, Audacity projects were saved with the .aup extension. In version 3.0.0, Audacity has decided to change this format to .aup3.
A post on Audacity's official website explains the reason for this change.
The primary reason is that Audacity projects contain a "large number of small files, with an '.aup' file to coordinate the lot." The main issue with this was that the .aup file and the smaller project files would sometimes split up, resulting in a corrupt project.
The new .aup3 extension has been developed using the SQLite3 open-source database, and Audacity believes this change will eliminate the file-splitting problem. This essentially means that all these smaller files will now be stored in one large .aup3 file.
Furthermore, Audacity says that SQLite3 "is a delight to work with."
Naturally, a major change like this will impact real-world usage. Audacity claims that "editing audio should on most machines be a little faster than before." But there is a tradeoff to this, as closing and saving projects will be substantially slower.
Users can also open their older .aup projects in Audacity 3.0.0 where they will automatically be converted into .aup3 projects.
Other Changes and Fixes in Audacity 3.0.0
Audacity 3.0.0 also comes with a huge number of bug fixes and other minor changes. Fixes have been implemented for "over 160 bugs that had been accumulating over the years."
There have been some quality of life improvements as well. Audacity users will now be able to change default folder locations for various actions including opening, saving, importing, and exporting projects.
When it comes to macros, users can now add comments to macros, with the ability to export and import macros as well.
In order to "label sounds and silences," a new analyzer called "Label Sounds" has been added to the Noise Gate effect in Audacity. This feature will be a valuable addition to the already cool sound effects you can make using Audacity.
How to Get Audacity 3.0.0
Audacity 3.0.0 has brought in a slew of bug fixes along with a major update. Needless to say, the .aup3 file format is going to make sharing projects easier as it will be done using a single file.
Audacity 3.0.0 can be downloaded for Windows, macOS, and Linux via the official Audacity download page.