# SOUND FORGE Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is SOUND FORGE the right Audio Editing solution for you? Explore 29 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/214599/SOUND-FORGE/reviews --- SOUND FORGE 4.7 (29) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/214599/SOUND-FORGE/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated January 12th, 2026 # Reviews of SOUND FORGE Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.2 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Jeremy D Lead EditorMedia Production, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The clean, simple interface made it easy to learn how to edit audio, apply effects, and master mixes; all in a light package.“ June 23, 2022 EL Elliott L Tattoo ArtistArts and Crafts, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “For Audio I will stay forever with the SOUND FORGE! because, of the stability, confident and GUI“ April 17, 2022 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 29 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Trevor O. Composer-Producer Music Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Sound Forge: The Perfect Stand Alone Audio Editor" December 31, 2024 5.0 Great software and really serves it's purposes well. Top of the line enhancements that really improve work out put. Pros Ease of access and straightforward use. High end enhancements for your audio files. Cons After the other Apps I already have in my library of audio editor and audio work it doesn't serve as much of a purpose. Alternatives considered [WavePad](https://www.capterra.com/p/214609/WavePad/) Reason for choosing SOUND FORGE Better reviews and has been a reputable app for audio enhancements, editing and final mix audio files. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Aid Worker Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Well kitted and ever improving. " May 25, 2022 5.0 SF is very complete in many ways as there are many tools sufficiently provided to handle any audio editing task. Pros I have been using Sound Forge for a while and it keeps on getting better and better with the newer versions/upgrades. Currently I am using SF Pro 16 and many aspects have been improved with added features. One of the recent feature that has been very instrumental in my working with SF is the Vocal Activity Detection (VAD) which uses AI to detect human vocals in an audio file and applies a red color on the audio wave where vocals are detected. This enables me to enhance vocals in many ways by either applying effects or changing vocal dynamics without necessarily having to alter the background music or ambience. I have found this feature quite helpful especially in editing interview podcasts etc. Cons There is a lot of small icons in the data windows and general software which gives the feel of clutter and can easily dissuade someone from engaging SF especially in the learning stages. However, the inbuilt interactive tutorials make editing easy. Switched from [Cubase](https://www.capterra.com/p/214601/Cubase/)[Music Maker](https://www.capterra.com/p/234118/Music-Maker/) Great improvements and almost all in one tools Review Source Deepak M. Owner Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Review of Sound Forge" April 13, 2022 3.0 Overall, Sound Forge is a good piece of software but I found it lacking in comparison with Audacity. Pros Sound Forge is quite easy to use, even for the first-time user. It is quite feature rich and even amateurs can use its features quite easily. Cons Its noise-reduction / noise-cancellation feature falls far short of ideal. Its noise gate technology tends to distort the recording rather than filter out the noise. Review Source Irfan K. Senior Transmission Engineer Media Production Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Sound Forge is Awesome for Music Producers " July 3, 2021 4.0 Overall, it's good for audio editing. It has simple controls and easy to learn. It supports VST plugins that is a strong point. I have done a lot of my early radio projects on Sound Forge and I thank the company for its great support. Pros I like Sound Forge for its powerful editing tools. It is simply a top-notch software when it comes to audio recording, editing, mixing, and mastering. I work in a commercial radio station and I'm confident to say that Sound Forge has been a great help over the years. It has enabled us to maintain crystal-clear audio quality and improved audio production. Multitrack recording, batch conversion, high-quality audio, many different file formats support and hotkey functions are my favorites. Cons It doesn't a lot of options for noise reduction. I work with noisy voiceovers associated with a lot of outdoor noise and sometimes studio ambiance. It doesn't clean up the Vos to a level that other competitors like Adobe Audition can do. There's another thing that I kinda hate about Sound Forge and that's the speed to load large files. It lags and takes a lot of time to process. Review Source Michelle M. Independent Consultant Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inexpensive Audio Power House" November 12, 2022 5.0 I integrate Sound Forge into all of my DAWs as my audio editor of choice, for times when there is a need to directly edit the sound file in a track on a project I'm working with. Pros Sound Forge continues to be one of the most effective audio tools in my toolbox, and newer editions of the software have added a video track as well, all for under $50. Cons The only issue I experience with Sound Forge is my fault - I have collected probably close to 2000 audio plugins, from synths to sound effects. All audio software has to scan the computer for available plugins and this takes forever. The only way to prevent this interminable wait at start-up is for me to move all but the essential plugins I predict I will need into a standby directory. I wish audio software offered me a way to choose which plugins to load on the start up screen but none of them do this. Reason for choosing SOUND FORGE I used to use Cool Edit way back in the day, but switched to Sound Forge about 10 years ago because it came in a package deal with Acid Pro and I have used it ever since because it offers much more functionality. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Administration Assistant Construction Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Works great for audio processing" May 24, 2022 5.0 Having a time tested platform for audio processing makes me feel comfortable with my production. I am glad that I can access Sound Forge both on a Window PC and Mac. Pros Sound forge has been a key tool for me especially when I need to work with more DirectX & VST plugins. Using its Plug-in Chain window I am able to experiment with as many effects as possible without ruining my original audio file(s) as this tool allows me to process these plugins in real time with playback within the data window. Once I am satisfied with the output, I can have it applied by saving the file. That is very key to my use case. Also the file saving is not limited to available file formats, I can always save the raw file to specify format parameters that work with a specific project/target platform. Cons Not much of negatives here. However it is quite expensive to upgrade to a newer version. Switched from [Logic Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/214597/Logic-Pro/) I Have mostly been on Window PC platform Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Video Producer Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Quick and very effective way to capture and manipulate an audio file, quickly!" August 1, 2021 5.0 Sound forge can be a little simplistic if you look it at a glance, but it does perform very well to capture audio and manipulate sound for a quick in and out when I am working on a video project. I like the fact that it's fairly light on my system when I am running premiere and After Effects at the same time. I grew up using Sound Forge, and it helped me several times while on a time crunch. Although the UI can be a little too bland and simplistic, you can quickly manipulate audio and get back to your work without too much effort. I alway keep Sound Forge on a click away, even tho I find myself using Mixcraft more and more these days. Being a Magix software, be prepared to be asked to upgrade to a newer version when you fire you software, but not that big of a deal. there are several versions of the software, so make sure you chose the one that will tackle your audio needs. Overall, give sme piece of mind that I can access a great audio editor when I need to. Pros Fairly light software to run simultaneously while you need to fire it up and do a quick recording. Very powerful and versatile. Cons Can be a bit restrictive to some people looking for a full feature DAW, so not a complete solution for audio producers Reason for choosing SOUND FORGE I use it in conjunction with other DAWs Review Source Jeremy D. Lead Editor Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "SOUND FORGE: A Classic Audio Editor" June 23, 2022 5.0 I started using SOUND FORGE in the 90s, and it was almost the only game in town. It was fun and easy to use, and I would always recommend it to beginners, especially. But it's fully capable of pro audio editing! Pros SOUND FORGE was practically an industry standard in the late-90s and 2000's, and with good reason. The clean, simple interface made it easy to learn how to edit audio, apply effects, and master mixes; all in a light package. Cons SOUND FORGE was strictly a PC app until recently, and even then, Mac support has been spurious, and the company has been sold twice since the 00's. I eventually switched to Steinberg Wavelab, as it offers a main mix bus, plus hundreds of more advanced features for professional mastering. Alternatives considered [Adobe Audition](https://www.capterra.com/p/214606/Adobe-Audition/)[Pro Tools](https://www.capterra.com/p/214607/Pro-Tools/) Review Source Sangramsingh C. Creative head Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "One of the oldest and best audio editing software." April 26, 2022 5.0 Overall its the one stop shop for all audio editing and recording needs. I have been creating extended versions of songs, mixing audio tracks for videos, recording and cleaning audio files recorded from Vinyls and cassettes, enhancing audio low quality audio files for more than a decade now. Pros I think sound forge has been the go to software for audio editing and recording for the past 15 years or so. And it has aged well I must say. The interface is intuitive and you can pretty much work your way around on your own, by using the extensive help section for each tool. I remember getting a 10 minute orientation on the software for the first time and I was on my way. The quality of edits and previews is top notch, and it also works according to your system configuration which is a great feature. Cons The best noise reduction available is on Sound forge and it is very expensive as well, and available as a separate plugin. Review Source Ghazal Z. Radio Jockey (RJ) Broadcast Media Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Good For Voiceover Artists" July 17, 2021 4.0 Overall experience is good. It holds solid ground in the line of audio editing software. It works well with keyboard shortcuts. Easy to install and work with. Pros I primarily use Sound Forge for audio recording. I'm a radio jockey and a voice-over artist. Occasionally, I have to record my show and send it over to the production team. Other than my show, I do commercial voiceovers and Sound Forge helps in recording the audio and mastering it. I can easily record, remove long patches, extra breaths, unwanted clicks, and also apply some effects to improve the voice. Cons It's pretty good to just record but sometimes when I do the outdoor voiceovers and it is associated with some ambiance, noise, and extra voices, I don't find a lot of options to filter the noise. Review Source SS Sylvain S. CEO Music Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Puissant et précis pour l’édition audio" October 19, 2025 5.0 Mon expérience avec SOUND FORGE est très positive. C’est un outil professionnel et puissant qui facilite l’édition et le mastering audio. Je le recommande à tous ceux qui cherchent un logiciel stable, précis et complet pour travailler sur l’audio. Pros J’apprécie la précision des outils d’édition, la rapidité du workflow et la qualité des effets intégrés. L’interface est claire et permet de travailler efficacement sur des projets complexes. Cons Le logiciel peut sembler un peu complexe pour les débutants et certaines fonctionnalités avancées demandent un temps d’apprentissage. Review Source Silvio B. Direção Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Um Ótimo Software para Gravação e Edição de Áudio " January 25, 2023 5.0 Pros A edição de áudio no Sound Forge é Excelente Os plug-ins são muitos bons, principalmente os "graves, agudos e reverbe".A gravação de áudio também é ótima.A captação de stereo e mono muito boa. Na manipulação de áudio Os plug-ins são muitos bons, principalmente os "graves, agudos e reverbe". Recomendo o Sound Forge para quem precisa de um áudio com uma boa qualidade de gravação e edição. Cons É um software muito bom, mas deveria melhorar a forma como as funcionalidades e recursos no sistema são disponibilizados. Não é tão fácil trabalhar com ele, principalmente pra quem não conhece, mas é um software excelente para profissionais . Review Source RD Roan D. Unit manager / composer Media Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Sound Forge is pure quality and it's fast. " July 23, 2022 5.0 It's a fast loading audio capture program that is reliable and easy. It's top 2 for me. I rely on it heavily for my sound editing projects. Pros Very easy to use and user friendly. It's a great medium to large audio program. The editing and manipulation options are amazing. Cons Compatibility between old versions and new versions was sometimes frustrating. Review Source Andry C. Agent Internet Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Sound Forge pour avoir un traitement audio professionnel!" September 11, 2023 5.0 J'ai utilisé Sound Forge pour des traitements audios et les résultats sont amplement satisfaisant. Pros Sound Forge est le maître du traitement audio. Il permet d'avoir un son de qualité professionnel grâce aux nombreux effets fournis avec le logiciel. Ce logiciel permet aussi de nettoyer et de restaurer les sons. Cons Ce logiciel est plus axé au traitement audio et au mastering qu'au mixage audio. En effet, afin de procéder au mixage de différentes pistes, il faut les superposer en appliquant quelques réglages. Switched from [Live](https://www.capterra.com/p/186429/Live/)[Studio One](https://www.capterra.com/p/214600/Studio-One/) Sound Forge est un logiciel puissant pour le traitement audio. Il est idéal pour le podcast! Review Source RF Robin F. Creative Arts and Crafts Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Sound sculpting at its best for less." July 28, 2022 5.0 For me, the smoothness of operation, its intuitive UI and remarkably reasonable price, make Sound Forge hard to resist. I'm addicted and look forward to many happy hours exploring what it can do. Pros Sound Forge handles just about any task you can throw at it when it comes to audio editing and mastering. With its intuitive UI and professional toolset, it hard to believe this software is now under $40! A bargain! Cons There is little to complain about with Sound Forge. It just gets the job done. No Cons at all. Review Source MID Mohamed Ibrahim D. Administrateur Arts and Crafts Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "L'un des meilleurs logiciels d'enregistrement audio " November 23, 2023 4.0 Pour moi, c'est l'un des meilleurs logiciels d'enregistrement audio dans le monde musical Pros La simplicité et l'efficacité de cette logiciel SOUND FORGE et encore ces outils de mixage et mastérisation sont tous à la hauteur pour un débutant et même pour les pro Cons Parfois, logiciel se plante en plein session de travail, il faut essayer d'améliorer les systèmes Review Source DA Denis A. realisateur Online Media Used the software for: 2+ years ### "my opinion Sound Forge" December 20, 2022 4.0 the software is light enough to work easily. Pros Sound Forge is very easy to use, even for the first time. It is rich in features. Even amateurs can use it easily. Cons not many negative points for the moment just that I think Sound Forge needs to rework some features Review Source WCA Wendel Costa A. Assessor Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Indispensable" April 28, 2022 5.0 I wouldn't do the work I do so well if there wasn't Sound Forge. It presents a simple, objective and dynamic functionality. I highly recommend. Pros I've been working with Sound Forge for about 15 years, I keep my profession as an audio editor thanks to Sound Forge. I can do my work with great efficiency and quality. Cons The tricky thing is just the activation, apart from that, everything is perfect. Review Source JR Jose R. public relations coordinator Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "great product " August 12, 2021 5.0 I combine sound forge with adobe audition and its amazing what you can get. Both are good but I think sound forge its a little bit better quality in a professional way. They have been improving the program to be the better plataform for audio editing Pros easy to use and super intuitive. Also it has different tools and filters that you can combine with other programs Cons I don't know if is only me but some filters does not work as good as I expected but is not a big deal Review Source SLP Susana Liz P. Administración Fine Art Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Sound forge es tu herramienta perfecta " November 27, 2022 5.0 La experiencia general es maravillosa realmente son for speed me encanta tiene muchas ventajas muchas funciones y editar manejar importar Y exportar y limpiar los audios realmente es genial Pros Es un software con muchas funciones realmente positivas y funcionales la interfaz es totalmente amigable y se puede hacer magia realmente. Me encanta Cons No he hecho en falta nada con este software. Tal vez le agregaría la posibilidad de trabajar en varias ventanas para que fuera más fácil edición, ya que se minimizan y no se pueden ver en un pantallazo general Review Source EA Emmanuel A. Music Producer Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Sound forge is great tool for mastering" July 31, 2021 5.0 Pros Gaining in mastering, and sound dithering Cons Equalizer, talking about parametric and graphic equalizer Review Source Ruban D. MTS3 Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Best Sound editing software in the market" April 20, 2022 5.0 Pros Easy editing of audio and the quality of the output. I can do mastering, audio manipulation, audio mixing in one hood. Cons Licensing and pricing is bit high. Sometimes I feel performance is bit low when I work on a huge file. Review Source John S. Musician Music Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Everything I need to master my recordings!" February 6, 2021 5.0 Great experience every time. I can pull it up and edit quickly, everything is very easy to use! Pros I use the Normalize feature every time I use Sound Forge. I like to get my sound files normalized to the same volume. I also use the Pitch Shift feature quite a bit. It comes in handy When learning songs that may be in a different tuning (Eb for instance). I find it easier to tube the song to standard rather than retune my guitar every time. Cons Can be somewhat difficult to set up to record audio that is playing back on your PC. I think this is more of a learning curve for me though, not necessarily a problem with Sound Forge. Review Source MA Mark A. Owner Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Sound Forge - Audio Studio" May 5, 2022 5.0 I use this software for all audio requirements. Very good software. I've been using this software for decades and have upgraded it regularly. Pros Very good audio software. No problems recommending it. Cons No cons encountered. Very good audio software. Reason for choosing SOUND FORGE Ease of use and overall performance. Review Source RM Robert M. Graphic Designer Graphic Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The Gold Standard" June 24, 2021 5.0 I have no bad experiences with Sound Forge whatsoever. I have used it in many different situations and on both Mac and PC. During college, it was a "new" software that they were testing out with my class. I had been using it for a few years prior so I ended up showing them how it works to get it accepted as part of the curriculum. Pros Sound Forge has always been the Gold Standard for my audio recordings, no matter the input source. I became a user in the late 90's and have been using it ever since. It's a VERY lightweight program and can read/write just about any possible file format you throw at it. Cons Sound Forge has continually added new features, however it can sometimes be hard to tell if anything is new between updates since the basic interface has remained largely identical today as it was 20 years ago. 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