When comparing Audacity vs Metro, the Slant community recommends Audacity for most people. In the question“What are the best DAWs? ” Audacity is ranked 21st while Metro is ranked 53rd. The most important reason people chose Audacity is:
Audacity is available for free on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux with source code available [here](http://audacityteam.org/download/source).
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Free, open source and cross-platform
Audacity is available for free on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux with source code available here.
Pro Well maintained
Audacity is constantly updated.
Pro Great community backing it
Pro Great for vocal track editing
Pro Minimalist
Metro's interface only includes essential features.
Pro Stable
Metro has exceptional stability.
Pro Very small footprint
Metro's minimal UI and lack of bells and whistles makes it very easy on memory.
Pro Attentive support
When a user reports a bug, it is usually fixed within two days.
Pro Great MIDI editing
One of the biggest focuses of Metro is high MIDI editing capabilities.
Cons
Con Not seen as a full DAW
Audacity doesn't have the capabilities of popular DAWs and generally isn't considered to be good option.
Con Doesn't retain audio integrity
Audacity uses destructive editing, meaning applying effects, cutting, etc is non-reversable after you've saved a project.
Con No real time effects
Users are unable to change effects in real time with Audacity. If effects are to be changed, no sound can be playing or recording.
Con Unable to use Synthesizers / virtual instruments
You can only use effect plugins or record live with this DAW.
Con No native 64-bit version, therefore does not support 64-bit VST plugins
Audacity is available only as a 32-bit application, therefore even when running on 64-bit machines, it only supports 32-bit VST plugins unless they are converted to 32-bit using an application such as JBridge.
Con Only works as a master
When a clip or plugin is interacting with a DAW, the master controls tempo, while the slave's tempo is dictated by the master. Metro only has master capabilities, meaning that plugins or clips with a specific tempo will not sync correctly.
