Open-source alternatives to Adobe Audition

Adobe Audition is used to record, edit, mix and clean up audio, for example for podcasts, voiceovers and video soundtracks, with a waveform editor for single files and a multitrack view for mixing. The open-source apps below share that recording, editing and mixing work on a Mac.

Audacity is the nearer match for detailed editing: it records and trims audio, combines tracks, and applies effects and noise reduction, with a spectrogram view for inspecting problems. Ardour matches the multitrack side instead, with session-based recording, non-destructive editing, automation and mixing, but it has no dedicated tools for repairing or restoring damaged recordings.