October 24, 2008: Audacity 1.3.6 released

The Audacity Team is pleased to announce the release of Audacity 1.3.6 (Beta) for Windows, Mac and Linux/Unix.

This release highlights exciting new capabilities developed by our students in Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2008:

• FFmpeg support (downloadable separately) permits import and export of a much wider range of file formats, including WMA, M4A and AC3, plus import of audio from video files
• On-demand loading of uncompressed files eliminates the wait before files can be played or edited
• Linked audio and label tracks allow labels to move with their corresponding audio when cutting, pasting or changing speed or tempo
• Hierarchical plug-in grouping for built-in plug-ins

Other experimental features: Sound activated recording; ability to save smaller, compressed project files; MIDI files can now be imported, cut-and-paste edited, then exported.

Miscellaneous: Interface improvements include a new Transport menu, and a new Preference to choose Waveform, Spectrum or Pitch view. Several bug fixes.

Because it is a work in progress and does not yet come with complete documentation or translations into foreign languages, it is recommended for more advanced users. For all users, Audacity 1.2.6 is a stable release, complete and fully documented. You can have Audacity 1.2.6 and 1.3.6 installed on the same machine.

October 01, 2008: German Audacity Book released

Probably the first book about Audacity in German language has been released.

The book - dubbed "Audacity kompakt" (A compact guide to Audacity) - was written by author Markus Priemer, who was supported by German Audacity developer Markus Meyer. The latter also added a foreword. The book aims to be an introduction to beginners who want to get started quickly with Audacity, but also acts as a reference for more experienced users. It not only features an introduction to how digital audio works but also many tips and tricks for using Audacity. Order the book online now! Each sale created through our web site will directly benefit Audacity development. From the book's table of contents: The Basics of Digital Audio, Audio Data and Compression, Opening and Importing Files, Editing Audio Tracks, Effects, Command Reference, Usage Examples, ...