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- Raven Lite
Raven Lite
Ithaca, New York, USA
What it is
Raven Lite records, saves, and displays sounds as waveforms and spectrograms, and it can also analyze existing audio files. It opens WAV, AIF, MP3, and FLAC files, including files with any number of channels; users can select all channels or a subset. Available views include waveform, spectrogram, spectrogram slice, and selection spectrum, which can be combined. Paged sound windows support navigation through recordings of any length, while auto-paging allows visual review faster than real time. Users can mark time-frequency selections, inspect measurements in a selection table, add their own annotations, and save tables as text. Signal views and sound windows can be exported as graphics or copied to the clipboard. Raven Lite runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its demo operates for 10 minutes at a time; a free serial number enables uninterrupted use. Installation requires administrator privileges. The software is developed by the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, part of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
For and against
For
- Opens WAV, AIF, MP3, and FLAC files.
- Combines four listed audio analysis views.
- Handles recordings of any length.
- Free serial number enables uninterrupted use.
Against
- Demo runs for 10 minutes at a time until registered.
- Installation requires administrator privileges.
The verdict
Raven Lite offers recording, visualization, and file-analysis tools for learning and audio inspection. Users need a free serial number to move beyond its 10-minute demo sessions.
Who it suits
Raven Lite is intended for students, educators, and hobbyists learning about sounds, recognizing birdsong, or teaching music. It suits people who need to inspect and annotate audio files on Linux, macOS, or Windows.
Plans and prices
Raven Lite 2.0 – Standard
Demo runs for 10 minutes at a time until registered with a free serial number
Read 10 Oct 2026 · ravensoundsoftware.com
On the record
- Annotations and export
- Users can make time-frequency selections, view measurements in a selection table, add user-defined annotations, and save tables as text files.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Audio formats
- Raven Lite can open WAV, AIF, MP3, and FLAC sound files.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Audio views
- Users can combine waveform, spectrogram, spectrogram slice, and selection spectrum views.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Channels
- Raven Lite can open sound files with any number of audio channels and lets users choose all channels or a subset.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Demo and license
- The download runs as a demo for 10 minutes at a time; a free Raven Lite serial number from the Cornell Lab E-Store enables uninterrupted use.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Developer
- Raven is developed by the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, a center of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Images
- Signal views and sound windows can be exported in graphics formats or copied to the system clipboard.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- Raven Lite is intended for students, educators, and hobbyists, including use for learning about sounds, birdsong recognition, and musical instruction.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Long recordings
- Paged sound windows support navigation and viewing of recordings of any length, and auto-paging supports visual review faster than real time.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Notable limitation
- Installation requires administrator privileges.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Raven Lite records, saves, and visualizes sounds as spectrograms and waveforms.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker provides a Knowledge Base with documentation and FAQ articles and a support request form that includes Raven Lite.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The maker lists Windows 10 or 11 as recommended (Windows 7 or later supported), macOS 10.14 or later, and most Debian-based and RPM-based Linux distributions.ravensoundsoftware.com · read 10 Oct 2026
