App for journalists: WavePad Free for editing audio

What is it: App for recording or importing audio, file editing and sharing

Devices: Android and iOS (iPhone and iPad)

Cost: Free, with additional in-app purchases

How is it of use to journalists: Being able to record and edit audio on the go can come in handy when reporting from the field.

WavePad Free brings enough tools to the table to allow journalists to create professional-sounding audio clips for inclusion in podcasts, to be shared on social media, or to be used as a voiceover for videos or slideshows.

Users can either record audio files within the app, or import files from their mobile device and then edit them with WavePad.

The free version imports audio as WAV/PCM, with a default sample rate of 22 kHz, but other formats including mp3 are available through in-app purchases.


WavePad Free for Android (screengrab from Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini smartphone)

Once an audio file has been chosen, WavePad allows users to edit the whole file or a selection. The app displays the soundwave twice on the screen: at full length at the top of the editor, and once again just underneath where users can zoom in to a particular place in the recording.

Selecting a segment of audio from the soundwave can easily be done by holding a finger on the screen at the beginning of the audio excerpt and sliding to the end.

Once a selection has been made, it can be copied or cut to be pasted elsewhere in the file, or deleted if necessary.

The volume can also be fixed if a certain part does not match the rest of the file, and a 'trim' function can remove any silence from the beginning or the end of an audio file. On the other hand, there is also a function to insert silence where needed.

Other editing features include an equaliser, speed control and 'fade and trim end', a handy function which allows you to fade the audio and then trim any silence to cut the clip where the sound ends.

An easy way to quickly edit a sound file would be to decide which sound bites you want to keep, select and delete the rest, and then edit the preferred excerpts to adjust volume or remove any pauses.

WavePad Free also includes undo and redo options, so users can correct any potential mistakes.

Once you are happy with your audio, the soundclip can be saved to your device or shared via a range of options including FTP, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as well as email, Dropbox, Google Drive and Wordpress.

All the editing features mentioned above are available without any additional in-app purchases, and while WavePad Free does include adverts, they do not interfere with the functionality of the app, aside from taking up some space at the bottom of the screen.

WavePad is free to download and use. It includes optional in-app purchases which enable the user to work with audio in multiple formats, use more sound effects, and remove advertising.

All in-app purchases are currently available in a bundle for £5.90 on Android. There is also a WavePad Master's Edition app currently priced at £6.07.

• Which audio editing apps have you found helpful? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us your recommendations at @journalismnews.

Editing audio on WavePad Free for Android.

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