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Audacity

DESIGN
Velocity6.3

Multi-track audio editor and recorder for music and podcast production

www.audacityteam.org ↗

Audacity 4.0 ships a full Qt rebuild — a break from 20+ years of wxWidgets.

open-sourceaudio-editorqt-migrationdesktop-appdaw
◆Current state
Audacity 4.0 is out, replacing the entire application framework with Qt. The new version introduces a substantially different clip editing model where clips are selectable, groupable, and movable between mono and stereo tracks, along with a new .aup4 project format, ASIO support on Windows, and a workspace system for UI layout persistence. The 3.7.x series continues in parallel — 3.7.9 backported ASIO and FFmpeg 9 support — indicating a deliberate dual-track approach rather than an abrupt cutover.
◆Where it's heading
Audacity is executing an architectural break from its legacy codebase, but scoped carefully: several 3.x features (MIDI tracks, Macro Manager, VAMP/LADSPA hosting, the scripting pipe) are not yet in 4.0, signaling an iterative port strategy. The dual-release model confirms the team won't abandon the 3.x base abruptly. Closing the 4.0 feature gap is the obvious near-term focus.
◆Prediction
The next several 4.x releases will focus on restoring missing 3.x features — MIDI tracks and the Macro scripting interface are the most-cited gaps. Stability fixes across platforms are also expected given the scale of the framework change.

◆Recent moves

  1. 13d ago

    Audacity-4.0.0

    ⚡ SPARK

    Audacity 4.0 completes the move to Qt, delivering a redesigned clip editing model, workspaces, light/dark/high-contrast themes, a new .aup4 project format, and ASIO support on Windows. This is not an incremental release — it changes the fundamental UI framework and editing model that have defined Audacity for two decades. The 3.x parallel release track confirms the team is managing the transition rather than forcing an abrupt migration.

    View source ↗
  2. 13d ago

    Audacity 3.7.9

    Audacity 3.7.9 brings ASIO support and FFmpeg 9 to the stable 3.x branch, alongside fixes for project corruption under disk-full and drive-disconnect conditions. The ASIO backport is notable — it was shipped in the 4.0 beta cycle and is now available to users who haven't migrated yet. The corruption fixes address data-loss scenarios that would be severe for production users.

    View source ↗
  3. 18d ago

    Audacity 4.0.0 Beta 4

    The final pre-4.0 public beta added ASIO support on Windows, FFmpeg 9, legacy .aup project import, and a cluster of clip editing fixes based on beta feedback. Smaller installers and ARM64 builds for Windows and Linux were also added. This beta defined the 4.0 feature set; the GA release shipped essentially as beta 4 with stability fixes.

    View source ↗
  4. 3mo ago

    Audacity 3.7.8

    A maintenance patch for the 3.7 line fixing a handful of scripting edge cases, tone generation, and pasting into new tracks. All community-contributed fixes with narrow scope — housekeeping for the stable branch while 4.0 development was in progress.

    View source ↗
  5. 3mo ago

    Audacity 4.0 public beta launch

    The first public beta of Audacity 4, giving users and the community their first hands-on exposure to the Qt-based rewrite. No specific feature list was detailed — the announcement directed users to audacityteam.org/next/ for the full picture. Its significance is in the public signal: Audacity 4 was real and accepting bug reports.

    View source ↗
  6. 9mo ago

    Audacity 3.7.7

    A hotfix for a waveform scrolling and selection regression introduced in 3.7.6, affecting some users. Community-provided fix with a single scope. No new functionality.

    View source ↗