That's why different software exists -- different folks respond differently to the various choices made by the authors of these tools. De gustibus...
I have used Audacity for a very long time for two functions in particular. One is to clean up digitized recordings of my LP collection (an ongoing project; I've got a lot of LPs). Audacity is very good at fixing up the common clicks and pops without being too invasive about it. Chamber music comes out clean as a whistle.
The other function is to create custom karaoke and rehearsal tracks from commercial recordings. A good 75% are mixed to have vocals panned to the center, so suppressing the soloist's voice is feasible. By using the various filters, you can preserve the bass while knocking down the vocals. After you've done that, you can duplicate the resulting mono track, delay it by 20-30ms or so, and thereby create a poor-man's pseudostereo. My almost- teenage nephews have enjoyed their custom "High School Musical" karaoke tracks, allowing them to imagine themselves as "tween idols." It outperforms the analog-hardware version of a vocal eliminator I built long ago, because of the precision with which I may compensate for the filter delay.
I have used Audacity for a very long time for two functions in particular. One is to clean up digitized recordings of my LP collection (an ongoing project; I've got a lot of LPs). Audacity is very good at fixing up the common clicks and pops without being too invasive about it. Chamber music comes out clean as a whistle.
The other function is to create custom karaoke and rehearsal tracks from commercial recordings. A good 75% are mixed to have vocals panned to the center, so suppressing the soloist's voice is feasible. By using the various filters, you can preserve the bass while knocking down the vocals. After you've done that, you can duplicate the resulting mono track, delay it by 20-30ms or so, and thereby create a poor-man's pseudostereo. My almost- teenage nephews have enjoyed their custom "High School Musical" karaoke tracks, allowing them to imagine themselves as "tween idols." It outperforms the analog-hardware version of a vocal eliminator I built long ago, because of the precision with which I may compensate for the filter delay.