When it comes to free open source software there is little to compete with Audacity (download here). It offers a wide range of functionality (both for experimentalists and newbies) and has constant updates. The most recent, Audacity 4.3, offers some free AI Tools that offers some noise suppression tools for podcasting. The Audacity website features blogs and help forums and boasts being the most popular audio recording app. You can even use this link to upload andshare your content.

Below is an excellent introduction to what the software offers and the manual can be found at this link.

Audacity offers an excellent no fuss introduction into sound recording irrespective of whether you need to record, edit, add effect and filters and import in a wide range of formats. It’s simple interface and usabilitymeans that even if you are an seasoned user of more complex DAW’s you can still use it for the simplist of tasks. Even as Ableton afficianado I still use Audacity to trim audio and save it in different rates and formats. It’s a must.