I don't want to open Cubase every time I have to edit an audio file, do you know a quick (light on cpu) app to do that? Thanks! Elmer

 

Like.. Reaper? Or Audacity or Tenacity?

 

Audacity? Soundop?

 

If I need to trim or offline process audio files my go-to is Sound Forge (as it has been for 20+ years or so), but... it's not exactly lightweight. But after the initial learning curve to pick up the basics it is fast to use.

Might not be the lightweight solution, and I've given up using it as Ableton's external editor for that reason. Audacity works fine but it's not optimal for my use (because it's really a multitrack editor) so I use Acon Digital's Acoustica for that.

So in short: Sound Forge for features, Acoustica for editing from a DAW.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Nov 17, 2025

Audacity, Soundop, Wavepad, Goldwave (all light weight)

Acoustica 7 is my everyday go to

 

Adobe Audition my favorite and it starts up quick.

 

The most logical option for a Cubase user would ofc be Steinberg Wavelab since it's so well integrated into Cubase. It's not exactly cheap though. Do you use legit Cubase?

If Wavelab (cracked or legit) is out of question, then your best bet is probably Audacity. It's not the fastest and simplest, but it's the only free editor that has (almost) everything I would need. There are other free ones, but they are usually very basic and doesn't have the features I need for cleaning up recordings.

I still use iZotope RX8, but since I'm trying to replace all my iZotope plugins and software with equally good or better alternatives, I can't really recommend it. The best commercial alternative I've found so far is Acoustica. Haven't bought it yet, but will probably do so eventually.

 

Wavosaur, free audio editor.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Nov 17, 2025

Sazanami

 

Audacity for me. Straight forward GUI. I also use it to record Spotify lossless tracks to FLAC.

 

Adobe Audition, but it's not free and maybe overkill for what you need. Some [FREE] options not yet previously mentioned :
Ocenaudio
SPwave

 

Wavosaur.

 

spwave https://www-ie.meijo-u.ac.jp/labs/rj001/spLibs/spwave/index.html

 

WaveLab

 

Audacity (free)

Goldwave (pay)

 

Last edited by a moderator: Nov 18, 2025

Well, Adobe Audition is better for multi-track editing and podcasting, while Sound Forge excels at single-track editing, audio restoration, and batch processing... or you could use both!

 

Audio editor- light,
Free
https://www.audacityteam.org/
https://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/
https//www.wavosaur.com/
Pay
https://goldwave.com/
(https://www.goldwave.com/gwbuy.php)

Adobe Audition (former Cool Edit) is heavy, also Wavelab
if it's just for simple and quick editing.

 

Last edited: Nov 18, 2025