The open-source audio editor Audacity was released on 1 September 2026 as version 3.7.9. Developed under the Muse Group umbrella, this maintenance release brings two changes that many users have long awaited: the official Windows builds now enable ASIO support, and the editor is compatible with the latest version of the multimedia framework FFmpeg 9.
ASIO for the First Time in the Official Windows Builds
According to the changelog, ASIO support has been enabled for the Windows builds; playback and recording device selection is now remembered per host. ASIO (Audio Stream Input/Output) accesses the audio hardware more directly on Windows and thus allows lower latency – an important building block for music production and recording. The step is notable because ASIO relies on a proprietary SDK from Steinberg, whose license has historically been hard to reconcile with distributing ready-made Audacity builds. Users therefore long had to compile the program themselves with the SDK. The release notes give no details on the licensing background of the switch – it remains to be seen how the team will officially justify the change.
FFmpeg 9 and Fixes Against Data Loss
With support for FFmpeg 9, Audacity stays current when importing and exporting more exotic formats. In addition, 3.7.9 plugs several sources of project corruption and data loss – for example when the disk runs out of space, when a drive is disconnected shortly after a project is closed, or when a recovered project is closed without saving. There are also fixes for crashes with realtime effect editors open, a freeze with MIDI tracks, and startup problems caused by faulty font configurations.
Availability
Audacity 3.7.9 is available as a free download for Windows, macOS and Linux. In parallel, the Muse Group continues work on the upcoming 4.0 generation, which is currently in beta.
Sources: Audacity 3.7.9 release on GitHub, Linuxiac, 9to5Linux.
