I have been using Audacity for almost 20 years.
I actually like a lot about the direction of Audacity 4. The new Qt interface feels fast, quick and snappy, and I like the new look and colors. Ironically, I usually like new stuff and major changes.
But with Audacity 4.0, it is simply too much pain for me right now.
It feels like around 70% of what I learned over all those years about basic editing, selecting audio, playback, exporting and general workflow suddenly has little value. Things either don’t work the way I expect anymore, work differently, or require more effort.
I constantly find myself having to stop and figure out what to use, when to use it, or how something that used to be simple works now. Basic editing has become much harder for me instead of easier.
I understand that moving to Qt and rebuilding so much of Audacity means starting with a fresh field. This is 4.0.0, and I understand that this is the first step in a new direction. I also know that you guys have put a huge amount of work into it.
I think the direction is good, and I believe Audacity 4 will improve. But 4.0.0 is simply not my version yet. I need the basic editing workflow to become easier and more familiar again.
So, somewhat ironically for someone who normally likes new software, I’m going back to Audacity 3.7.9 for now.
I’ll definitely try Audacity 4 again in the future.