Audacity is Now Spyware

Mossman · Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:28 pm

I know there probably aren't a lot of people using Audacity as their primary DAW, but I know @sabasgr68 uses it, and I've been using it myself (though I'm transitioning to Studio One), so I thought I'd put this out there.

Audacity has changed hands and the latest version has a lot of new, unwanted features.

aullucci · Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:59 pm

Wait, did they get bought by MOMO too?

I used to like Audacity, that's too bad. I haven't used it in a while, I moved on to Studio One too (and don't really use that, either).

Sinster · Fri Jul 09, 2021 3:48 pm

I use REAPER and the unlock version is inexpensive ($60 for personal use and $225 commercial.) The "free" version isn't neutered, but you do get an annoying reminder screen when you first open it It's from the makers of WinAMP... and it's not subscription base either.

sabasgr68 · Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:20 pm

Guess I´ll use an older version from now on.

Mossman · Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:05 pm

aullucci wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:59 pm Wait, did they get bought by MOMO too?

Ha... No, but the company that bought Audacity (Muse) also owns Ultimate Guitar. That place has got to be huge honey pot for data-mining.

sabasgr68 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:20 pm Guess I´ll use an older version from now on.

If your version is earlier than 3.0, you're good. I have 2.1, myself. I don't think it has updated in years. I can't find anything in the software that relates to updates, either.

The open source community is in an uproar about this. People are abandoning the software in droves, and it's almost certainly going to be removed from the Linux repository. I hope Muse didn't pay a lot for Audacity, because I think they just killed it.

ID10t · Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:39 pm

Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:05 pm .... I hope Muse didn't pay a lot for Audacity, because I think they just killed it.

I on the other hand hope they paid MOMOMillions. I want its death to have been expensive, and that the sellers are also counting on stock options.

Mossman · Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:02 pm

ID10t wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:39 pm
Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:05 pm .... I hope Muse didn't pay a lot for Audacity, because I think they just killed it.
I on the other hand hope they paid MOMOMillions. I want its death to have been expensive, and that the sellers are also counting on stock options.

Oh, so do I... I wasn't being sincere.

Milkman · Sat Jul 10, 2021 8:42 am

This guy’s got the right attitude. I like Audacity and have used it for YEARS and YEARS for quick projects… a “fork” replacement will come soon. Until then, I’ll use Reaper (which I’ve paid for anyway).

glasshand · Sat Jul 10, 2021 9:17 am

Ars Technica did a pretty good piece investigating this and explaining how calling it "spyware" is kind of inflammatory.

The core of the article:

This is pretty standard modern application telemetry, of the sort that even other open source applications—such as Mozilla Firefox—include. The biggest problem with this original telemetry statement is that it implies opt-out rather than opt-in data collection; although it's worth noting that even Firefox's telemetry is currently opt-out.
...
The May 7 update states that "telemetry is strictly optional and disabled by default"

IMO, if you regard this kind of thing as "spyware", you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but you might not want to use Windows, or Mac OS, or IOS, or Android, or Chrome, or Firefox, all of which do pretty similar things.

andrewsrea · Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:42 pm

Great PSA!

I often wonder if most of the 'free' apps are not spyware.

A couple years ago, I went on a quest to replace my Cool Edit 2.0 when I replaced my computer (still have it in working condition on my old machine). After researching and gaining a lot of opinions (on AGF as well), I decided Presonus Studio One was for me and went all-in on the Pro version. The deciding factor was advice from a software geek musician I met, who had experience on most of the platforms and was well educated on the subject. He said Presonus had just re-written it's entire program on version 4 - ground up. Versus their competitors, who has been appending their base product for decades. Which he said equates to more efficiency and less glitches. Studio One also isn't the most expensive and I am enthralled with it. Even the Artist version is powerful for $99.

Mossman · Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:44 pm

glasshand wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 9:17 am Ars Technica did a pretty good piece investigating this and explaining how calling it "spyware" is kind of inflammatory.

The core of the article:

This is pretty standard modern application telemetry, of the sort that even other open source applications—such as Mozilla Firefox—include. The biggest problem with this original telemetry statement is that it implies opt-out rather than opt-in data collection; although it's worth noting that even Firefox's telemetry is currently opt-out.
...
The May 7 update states that "telemetry is strictly optional and disabled by default"
IMO, if you regard this kind of thing as "spyware", you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but you might not want to use Windows, or Mac OS, or IOS, or Android, or Chrome, or Firefox, all of which do pretty similar things.

Well, I take privacy seriously, and I can't abide even "a little" spying, no matter how inconsequential the data they say is being collected may seem. Because it never ends there, and historically speaking; if you start being ambivalent about it now, you're going to keep on being ambivalent about it until you have no privacy left at all.

These things (privacy, rights, liberties) get eroded away incrementally, so that you don't notice it, until one day you say: "Hey! How the hell did this happen??!"

It happened because you didn't care about privacy... Because you had "nothing to hide", so you kept shrugging it off and letting them take more.

In this particular situation with Muse, it's a matter of trust. The company was not up front about their data collection. They hid it in their license agreement and didn't say a word about opting out until after there was a backlash. After that kind of behavior, I'm not inclined to want to listen to their damage control.

Mossman · Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:58 pm

andrewsrea wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:42 pm Great PSA!

I often wonder if most of the 'free' apps are not spyware.

A couple years ago, I went on a quest to replace my Cool Edit 2.0 when I replaced my computer (still have it in working condition on my old machine). After researching and gaining a lot of opinions (on AGF as well), I decided Presonus Studio One was for me and went all-in on the Pro version. The deciding factor was advice from a software geek musician I met, who had experience on most of the platforms and was well educated on the subject. He said Presonus had just re-written it's entire program on version 4 - ground up. Versus their competitors, who has been appending their base product for decades. Which he said equates to more efficiency and less glitches. Studio One also isn't the most expensive and I am enthralled with it. Even the Artist version is powerful for $99.

Yeah, I'm getting more excited about trying out the free version. I was going to use it for the recording project I'm currently working on, but I needed to import a track that Studio One just wouldn't for some reason, so I defaulted back to Audacity. I'm a little confused about the hierarchy of the software, though. When I was researching DAWs a while back, I had read/heard that the free version of Studio One that comes bundled with their products (I have a PreSonus interface and monitors) was the full suite. What does Studio One 5 have that the free version doesn't have? I also noticed that you can't download the free version unless your registering a product that it comes with, so it's not free for anyone to download... Unless I missed something.

andrewsrea · Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:23 pm

Mossman wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:58 pm What does Studio One 5 have that the free version doesn't have? I also noticed that you can't download the free version unless your registering a product that it comes with, so it's not free for anyone to download... Unless I missed something.

I honestly don't know for sure.

As you pointed out, they don't really have a free version. You buy certain products and get Studio One with it. I speculate it is the 'Artist' package, which my friend has and it truly does have all the essential features you would need to produce a song.

The 'Pro' version has some spectacular functions for the additional $200, like a mastering workplace (called 'Project'), chord inspector, mixing desk simulation, and more. It has made my masters and sequenced albums remarkably better.

OMB · Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:31 pm

You can get a cheap Midi that bundles the free Artist version or a Presonus Interface for $100 that includes it.

Mossman · Sun Jul 11, 2021 7:34 pm

andrewsrea wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:23 pm
Mossman wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:58 pm What does Studio One 5 have that the free version doesn't have? I also noticed that you can't download the free version unless your registering a product that it comes with, so it's not free for anyone to download... Unless I missed something.
I honestly don't know for sure.

As you pointed out, they don't really have a free version. You buy certain products and get Studio One with it. I speculate it is the 'Artist' package, which my friend has and it truly does have all the essential features you would need to produce a song.

Yeah, it is the 'Artist' version. I didn't notice that it says that when it boots up.