Some of our readers have probably already heard this news, but I only found out recently. These days, having given up on my attempts to be a rock star, I hardly edit any audio at all. I don't even have it installed on my main laptop. ArdorBut I do have Audacity if I want to make some quick adjustments to an audio file. Today, after making some changes to my desktop that don't require further discussion, I opened the popular waveform editor, and the welcome screen linked to the video below, which shows what it would look like. Audacity 4.
I was really struck by the fact that there were two logos, the current one and the future one (although it's subject to change). So I pressed play… but I didn't feel like watching 50 minutes of something that's still under construction. I did some research and yes, Audacity 4 It should arrive this year, 2026. with an interface that is very reminiscent of what we see in other more popular, powerful and intuitive DAWs.
Audacity 4 wants to get closer to DAWs
Among the new features, which are numerous, we will find:
- Redesigned and modernized interface.
- Customizable workspaces. The Modern, Music, and Classic options are immediately visible in the user interface. Modern is the new option, designed for new users and those who want something more contemporary; Classic is the classic style; and Music is an example to fill the available spaces. You can create more workspaces and switch between them with a single click.
- More flexible clip editing.
- New editing tools.
- Improved playback and recording.
- "Ripple" editing system: the old Sync Lock is replaced with "Ripple", which maintains synchronization between tracks when deleting and inserting clips.
- New or improved tools and shortcuts for range selection, paste behavior, and playback when clicking on the ruler.
Scheduled functions
More features are still expected to be added, such as:
- Macros.
- Spectrogram editor and label tracks.
- Metadata editor.
- Add-on manager and extended format support.
- Envelope tool and other proprietary visual tools.
- Cloud integration and direct upload from the application.
Currently in Alpha phase
Audacity 4 is currently in alpha. Many native effects have been disabled and are expected to be added in the future. It is available at this linkwhere Linux users can download an AppImage.
Everything looks very promising, but as always, we'll have to wait to see the results. As they rightly point out in the video, both introducing changes and not making them are risky: too many changes might upset current users; too few might discourage new users from trying Audacity altogether. In any case, I think the change will be positive for most users.