Rules of Audacity
Whenever you work with Audacity, there are some rules you should remember:
1. One clip per track
A clip is simply a piece of audio material. Imported, recorded, split or duplicated from
another track, one track can only carry one piece of audio at a time. You can extend it
by pasting material or inserting silence in to it, or cut a piece away, but it will always
be one continuous piece of audio.
2. Audacity always records to a new track
This new track is opened at the bottom. You'll have to zoom out and then resize the
track view of the bottom most track to see what is recorded. You can actually use the
window sliders at the bottom and right to do this after starting to record, but this way
no performance will be lost to the windowing system.
I suggest hitting CTRL+F to get an overview of the entire project as well. This only
affects the horizontal zoom by the way (left-right zoom). There is no way to zoom out
vertically without using the mouse yet.
3. Edit/Duplicate will not create a new audio file
This may not seem a big deal, but it is if you're editing a large live recording.
What Audacity does is reference the original audio material until you actually perform
some kind of edit on it, such as cutting a piece away, or using any effect on it. One
thing to remember is the UNDO function. You can undo/redo stuff as many times as
you like, and yes, even after you have saved your project.
You may ask what happens if you do, for example, cut away a piece or mark off a 30
minute piece and split it to a new track. It only writes changed data to disk. Since
Audacity works with chunk of audio data of around one megabyte in size, this happens
quite fast. Rest assured that the only big waiting period might be the importing of
large audio files.
Audacity Tutorial: Setting Up Audacity Preferences on Your
Computer
Before beginning a recording project in Audacity, it's necessary to set the Audacity preferences in
the Edit Preferences dialog box. This ensures that the sound source and playback options are set
correctly as well as bit-rate, quality indicators and more. Follow this step by step procedure to
setup your computer. Obviously you must download and install the software first, which you can
get from http://audacity.sourceforge.net.
Launch Audacity
Step 1. Check the Preferences
Checking the Audacity preferences are very important step and should be done before you begin
editing any audio. You can locate the Preferences Dialog box by going to
Edit Preferences, or the shortcut key combination Control P
Step 2. Set Audio Input & Outputs
Select the Audio I/O tab from the choices across the top of the
Preferences Dialog box. I/O is short for Input Output and is where you’ll
tell it to record your sound from and where to play it back.
Step 3. Set Playback Output
From the drop down window under Playback, select the output device that you would like to route
the sound through. In this case, I’m sending it to the sound card in my computer.
Step 4. Set Recording Input
From the drop down window under Recording, select the sound source you want to record from. In
this case, I’m selecting the Logitech USB Headset, because that is the microphone that I’m going
to use to record some voiceover narration.
If you’re recording music, you probably want the Check box next to Record in Stereo checked. If
you’re just recording your voice, leave it unchecked. Usually, you’ll leave the check box unchecked
for "Play other tracks while recording new one".
Step 5. Sound Quality Tab
The Quality tab is where you’ll set the quality of your audio. The higher the sample rate, the better
quality your audio, but the larger the file size will be. For CD quality sound, record at 44,100 Hz.
You’ll typically leave the other settings at their factory defaults.
Setting Up Audacity to Record
You must set up the Audacity Preferences before beginning to work on a project. See the
Audacity Preferences page for a detailed description of each of the tabs in the Preferences menu
and how to set them up for optimum performance.
Also see these related tutorials:
Audacity tutorial - Setting Preferences
Podcasting Tutorials
Recording with Audacity
1. Create a new project
Save an empty project. Or simply use the one from the previous part. Remember, that
if you don't save your project before you start recording or importing, that all
recordings, edit and other files will be written to the directory set on the Directories
tab of the preferences.
2. Check the preferences
Make sure your playback and recording device are set. If you're going to record a
stereo signal, set the number of channels to record to 2 (Stereo) on the Audio I/O
preferences.
When picking a device to record from, make sure you've set up all the connections
properly, such as plugging a microphone in to the Mic Input, and any other device in
to the Line In of your sound card. Then check that the gain level knob (the amount
by how much the input should be amplified) of the mixer of your soundcard is set
right.
Since most soundcards can mix the inputs back in to the outputs, the easiest way to
test your microphone is to speak in to it while playing with your sound card mixer. The
sound card mixer is a piece of software either provided by the sound card maker or by
the operating system you're using. The Windows mixer is pretty straight forward,
though some soundcards bring their own along. The Mac's mixer is controlled via the
Sound Control Panel, and the Linux users have a variety of mixer applications at their
disposal. Just make sure they work before yelling at your screen that nothing works.
3. Hit Record
Click on the red Record button to begin recording.
to pause the recording. Press it again to
Click on the blue Pause button
continue.
to cease recording. The cursor will return to
Click on the yellow Stop button its previous position, before the recording was
started.
That's it. You can now play around with your recording and explore the editing
capabilities of Audacity. Remember that you can use the Undo function almost without
limits whilst the project is open.
How to Record a Podcast with Audacity
Screenshot of Audacity
A podcast is a great way to share information with the world. It can be about anything, and can appeal to
any variety of audiences. A podcast can be made with the recording program Audacity and a hosting
website. Does it sound hard? Once you learn how you will be on your way to having your very own
podcast.
Steps
Download Audacity here.
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Learn to use Audacity
1. 3Think of a topic you'll want to talk about and make a general outline of what you'll be discussing. It
could literally be anything. Once you are sure you know what you want to talk about you are ready to move
on to the next step. 4
Start recording be sure to keep your levels near the (middle) point. You'll see bars on Audacity
which will bounce back and forth when you talk, keep those as close to the Zero as possible, but
still talk normal. If you talk loud the microphone will do something called "clipping" where something
is so loud it will sound like all of your sounds are vibrating through tin foil.
2. 5Edit any mistakes you might have made. Remove background noise, change parts where you
accidentally breathed into the microphone and other things like that.
3. 6Save the recording in the Mp3 format.
4. 7
Upload the Mp3 somewhere on the internet for downloading by subscribers. Web hosting is available
for a minimal fee or consider a free group hosting available from Google, AOL, MSN, Yahoo, and others. The
use of internet groups for the hosting is a good idea because they will not only host the Mp3 audio file for
you but also make the subscription to the podcast easy and keep a database of those to send the
announcement to when a new podcast when made available. All internet groups provide for RSS (really
simple syndication). When an individual joins an internet group they automatically have access to RSS.
5. 8Continue the process of uploading new Mp3s.
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The Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor
Audacity® is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac
OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. Learn more about Audacity...
Also check our Wiki and Forum for more information.
You can use Audacity to:
Record live audio.
Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files.
Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together.
Change the speed or pitch of a recording.
What is Audacity?
Do I need any other software with it?
Audacity is a free shareware for recording and mixing audio tracks from different sources.
You can download and install it from http://audacity.sourceforge.net. Choose earlier, more stable
version (not beta).
You can export mixed tracks from Audacity into a WAV file. WAV file is large, but it is suitable for
putting on CD and playing in the studio. Export WAV function always worked better in Audacity.
If you want to export the mixed tracks into more compact MP3 files, you might need to download
and hook up some plug-ins.
Also, there is a number of audio conversion software packages, which will allow you to convert WAV
into MP3 files of different resolutions (resolution for on-line archives should be lower for
comfortable listening)
Warnings
‡ Audacity is a space monger. 20 min project can take almost 1 GB.
‡ Audacity slows down and sometimes crashes if you mix more than 12 tracks. SAVE FREQUENTLY.
‡ It is the best to keep each project no longer than 30 min of several mixed tracks.
What hardware do I need to mix my show?
Condenser microphone (like in the studio) with a stand
Amplifier (also called ‘voice warmer’. I use Tube Ultragain MIC200 by Behringer, which I bought for
$50 at Junky Daddy’s).
Cords (mike – to - amplifier, amplifier – to - audio-in)
Decent quality earphones (I have Berhinger HPS3000, which costed me, $20 at the above mentioned
store)
Basic Setup for home sound recording and audio mixing
Back panel of your
computer conden.
mike
ear phones
or speakers
audio audio
out in
voice
amplifier
Figure 1
What does Audacity create when I record and mix my show?
When you initially open Audacity, its window is blank.
Each time you press Record button (red circle), Audacity creates a new track with the recording of
your voice. Also, it creates a new track each time you import an audio file (MP3 or WAV; it is done by
selecting Project -> Import Audio).
Audacity’s window will appear to you as a bunch of separate tracks after you record your voice and
import other audio tracks. You are free to move those tracks along the time line, cut them down,
change volume, do fade in/outs.
However, when you export the Audacity tracks into WAV (File -> Export WAV…), Audacity will merge
all the tracks into a single track.
Save Audacity project frequently (File -> Save Project).
Back to TOC
Audacity Track
Audacity track has a little gray area with controls on the left side.
Next to X symbol is the name of the track. Click on it and type the name you want. If you import
audio, the track will have the name of the imported audio file.
Next to the track name there is a triangle. If you click on it, you will see two important functions –
Move track up and Move track down. If you select one of those commands, the track will jump up or
down vertically above/below the next track.
There are also mute and Solo buttons. They are self-explanatory for DJs. However, whatever the
state of the track is, when you export your final project into a WAV file, the Audacity ignores Mute
and Solo (get rid of the unwanted tracks before exporting into WAV!)
Warning
Do not press X symbol. It is not close, it is DELETE!
Back to TOC
Adjust the quality of your voice on future recordings
Adjustment of recording volume and sound quality of your voice can be done with the voice
amplifier. After you hook up all the hardware, record your voice, listen back and adjust the controls
on the voice amplifier.
When you reach the quality of sound you like, leave the amplifier settings as is.
The rest of adjustments will be done in Audacity: it will be mostly volume adjustment via Effect ->
Amplify… function.
Basic functions
replay from record from pause replay/
recording
control fade ins-fade outs of
track cut everything INSIDE\ selection
cut everything OUTSIDE selection
move track along the
timelline
cut selected portion of track
input types
select a portion of track;
Stereo Mix is for recording
start from... marker
things like online stream
Figure 2
Basic steps for mixing the show
1. Prepare the script/outline
2. Select music (CDs, MP3s)
3. Record your voice, edit it
4. Create fade-in, fade-outs between musical pieces and/or voice
5. Export project into WAV file
6. Burn CD
Tips
I prefer to mix separate 15-20min segments (one Audacity project per segment): Part1, Part2, Part3,
etc. In this way, you can easily comply with the station’s requirements to announce hour/station
id/calendar every 15-20 min without pausing your prerecorded show.
Back to TOC
Edit verbal bloopers and long pauses
1. Click on Selection Tool.
2. Click on the track which you want to edit.
3. Select the part to delete and click Cut icon (scissors)
How to select a part of the track: left-button click the mouse, keep it pressed and drag it along
the track to the point where the selection should end. If you click Play button, if will replay the
selection. If you click Cut, it will delete the selection.
Tips
Audacity understands the same keyboard short-cuts as any editing software:
Ctrl-C copy
Ctrl-V Paste
Ctrl-Z undo the last action.
Back to TOC
Add music and other audio files
It is the easiest if your music is in MP3 or WAV.
Use Project -> Import Audio to import the outside file. Once imported, it shows up as just another
track in the Audacity project.
If the audio file is in the format unknown to Audacity and cannot be imported to Audacity, play it on
your computer’s media player and record it in Audacity. See Record from internet & computer’s
music player.
Tips
If you want to import a file, just drag-and-drop MP3 and/or WAV file into Audacity window.
Back to TOC
Record from internet, internet phone or computer’s music
player
Basically you can record any sound which comes through your computer’s soundboard: music played
on iTunes, Windows Media Player, internet phone conversation (alas, ONLY the party you call to),
internet streaming audio.
1. Select Stereo Mix in Input Type drop-down menu (Fig. 1)
2. Record the source (Buttons: red circle – start, yellow square – stop)
Tips
Record for a few seconds from the source and adjust the volume of recording (slider with
loudspeaker, Fig 2)
If for some reason recording is not working, reselect Stereo Mix from the dropdown.
Working with a track segment
various filters, most frequently
make sure to click used Amplify
Selection tool
before starting to
manipulate parts
of the track
Recording
volume
adjustment selected segment
(for Stereo of the track
Mix, Line In
recording
modes track name
Figure Error! Bookmark not defined.3
Back to TOC
Idea for recording phone interviews with Audacity any time
Sometimes your interviewees are not available during your show time. Here is how I rigged the
phone interview recorded with Audacity and Skype (or any other on-line phone service). Skype, by
the way, is very cheap.
Warning
Alas, only your interviewee’s voice will be heard and recorded.
Both you and your interviewee have to have two phones. You dial one phone normally (for asking
the questions) and another phone via Skype (for listening and recording answers). You interviewee
uses two phones, too – for listening the questions and for answering into the phone dialed by you
via Skype.
Or
You can e-mail the questions in advance, dial the interviewee via Skype and record his answers. You
will be able to hear your interviewee through computer speakers.
For the recording instructions see Record from internet, internet phone or computer’s music
player
Back to TOC
Mixing voice and music tracks
To adjust the time position of a track in relation to other tracks
1. Click Move Track tool (Figure 4)
2. Select the track
3. Press the left button on your mouse and drag the track to the appropriate time position
To fade-in and to fade-out music (or any audio track)
1. Click Control Fade-in/Fade-out tool (Figure 4)
2. Select the track
3. Click on two spots on the blue border surrounding the track (beginning & end of fade-in/fade-
out). You can move each spot vertically and horizontally to adjust the duration and steepness of
sound change.
4. Select the segment you are working with and press Play to listen to results. If you are not happy,
repeat the steps. To move the tracks see the section above.
Tips
If you select just one spot on the blue border and move it down to ‘shrink’ the track, you are
adjusting the volume of the whole track. This way of adjusting the volume of the track is more
flexible than Effect -> Amplify function.
Download and install
http://audacity.sourceforge.net
Audacity can be used in any platform
Download 1.2 Series latest versions:
Windows 1.2.6
Mac OSX 1.2.5(intel) or 1.2.6 (PPC)
Linux/Unix 1.2.6 (in source code)
1.3 Series (Beta) Latest versions
Windows 1.3.12 9(Best version for Windows 7 and Vista
Mac OSX 1.3.12 (Universal Binary) best version for OSX 10.6
Linux/Unix 1.3.12 (in source code)
Audacity is used for all sorts of audio tasks. There may be more specialized applications in each
category, but Audacity does a great job. If you have anything to do with audio, this program deserves
to be in your toolbox.
And Audacity is not only free of cost, it is open-source software. Among other things, this means it
will always be free of cost. It also means that if the current development team lose interest in the
project, others are able to take it up. Audacity will be there for you in the future. Your investment in
learning the program will not go to waste.
Audacity has a lot of enthusiastic fans, and it is an excellent audio application to get started with. How
do people use Audacity?
What Audacity Can Do For You
1. Record live audio. I have seen Audacity used to record live events, presentations, and
speeches. It’s also a great tool if you want to email someone a simple audio message. Just
plug in your headset, hit record, and start talking.
2. Record audio from YouTube. There are tools that allow you to download YouTube videos,
but what if you only want the audio? Use Audacity – see the tutorial below.
3. Convert records and cassettes to MP3. I’m old enough to remember records and cassette
tapes. I once used Audacity to convert all of my music cassettes to MP3. Just plug your
cassette player’s line out into your computer’s line in, and off you go.
4. Convert between audio formats. Audacity supports Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF formats,
and converts between them. It imports and exports all formats supported by libsndfile,
however does not currently support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted file
formats.
5. Create a podcast. It’s amazing how many people get started in podcasting with Audacity,
even if they move on to more sophisticated software down the track. In fact, many stay with
it.
6. Edit digital audio files. Audacity allows you to edit an audio file in many ways, including
deleting segments of the file. This is useful for cutting out unwanted audio at the beginning
and end of a live recording, and removing inappropriate comments and bloopers during a
presentation. Basic editing functions include copy, cut, paste and delete, and also has a
drawing tool to edit individual sample points. It has an unlimited undo capability, and allows
editing of very large files.
7. Visualize and plot frequencies of a digital audio file. Audacity includes a Spectrogram mode
for visualizing frequencies, and a Plot Spectrum command for detailed frequency analysis.
8. Change the pitch of an audio file. Use Audacity to alter the pitch of your recording without
altering its tempo. Or alter the tempo without altering the pitch, so you can listen to lectures
and presentations much quicker than they were originally given.
9. Combine digital audio files. Audacity allows you to join and layer different audio files into a
single file, even if they were originally recorded at different sample rates.
10. Add effects to digital audio files. Use Audacity to add reverb and other effects to your
audio. Or use it to remove static, hiss or hum. Audacity has some built-in effects, including
echo, phaser, wha-wha and reverse, and also supports LADSPA and VSI plug-ins.
11. Create multi-track recordings. Audacity supports an unlimited number of tracks. While
listening to the existing tracks, you can record new ones, making the program appropriate
for multi-track recording. You can monitor volume levels before, during and after recording.
Audacity even allows you to record up to 16 tracks simultaneously, making it useful for
recording an entire band or orchestra at once.
What Audacity Can’t Do
Being a Swiss Army knife, Audacity has some limitations when you compare its features
with more specialized software.
1. Audacity can’t play or record MIDI.
2. Audacity does not support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted file
formats.
3. Audacity has less plug-ins and effects than a specialized DAW.
4. Audacity has limited multi-track editing and mixing features compared to a
specialized DAW. In particular, Audacity cannot apply effects in real-time.
QUIKIES
Splitting an MP3 into two separate files
(Before you try to export MP3 files, read the section on Exporting MP3 Files for some
important information on steps you need to do first.)
Open the MP3 file.
Select the part of it that you want to be the first file. Listen to it by clicking the
Play button.
While this part is selected, choose Export Selection as MP3... from the File menu.
Now select the part you want to be the other song and Export again.
Mixing background music with a voiceover
Audacity makes it very easy to mix two different sounds together.
Open one sound (for example, the background music).
Select Import Audio... from the Project menu and open the other sound (for
example, the voiceover).
Listen to your sound using the Play button. Audacity automatically mixes them
together.
Choose the Time Shift tool and adjust the position of one track or the other until
they're synchronized the way you want them. You can even move tracks around
while they're playing.
If you hear clipping which wasn't present in either of the original files, it means
that the combined volume of the two tracks is too loud. Use the gain controls on
the tracks to reduce the volumes until you don't hear clipping anymore.
Export as a WAV or MP3 file.
Recording harmonies with yourself
Open the Preferences, click on the Audio I/O tab, and check the box marked "Play
other tracks while recording new one".
Click the Record button. Record yourself singing. Click Stop.
Click the Record button again. The first track you recorded will play, but
Audacity will also record a new track at the same time, allowing you to sing
harmony with yourself.
When you play the two tracks you recorded together, they probably won't be
synchronized. This is normal and is not the fault of Audacity. To fix it, you will
need to grab the Time Shift tool and slide one of the tracks around until it sounds
right.
Recording two sound sources on separate tracks
Open the Preferences, click on the Audio I/O tab, and make sure "Record in
Stereo" is checked.
Connect one sound source to the left channel of your soundcard and the other on
the right. If you don't have an external mixer with a pan control, use a
stereo/mono splitter cable.
Record your stereo track.
On the button with the track name is a drop-down menu. Select "Split Stereo
Track" from this menu.
Use the drop down menu again to change each track to mono.
To position sounds in the stereo image use the pan control on each track.
To export your recording in stereo you need to include at least one Stereo track.
If necessary add a blank one using Project > New Stereo Track.
Repeat as necessary for further tracks (see Recording harmonies with yourself above).
If mastering from tape, a click recorded across all tracks will help you synchronize
them in Audacity.
Editing for Beginners
Sound Editing in the "real world"
Sound editors clean up dialogue tracks, cut layers of special effects, place sounds at
certain times, create ambiance tracks by cutting out unwanted stuff and mixing in
interesting or necessary sounds. Music production engineers may cut pieces of vocals
away or shift them to another spot in a song.
Editing is about cutting, placing, fading, cross-fading, shifting, duplicating and
adjusting the volume (also referred to as level) of audio material. Mixing is a form of
editing too of course.
Here is an example of what is done in sound editing during the production of a
television show or film. In the next part we will run you through a few of those
techniques in Audacity.
The Path of Sound in Film and TV Postproduction
Film and TV crews have at least two people present that take care of recording sound
during principal photography of a show. Principal photography is usually shooting the
scenes with actual live actors or real backgrounds by the way.
Sound in Principal Photography
The first person is the boom pole operator. The boom pole is an extendible stick with a
microphone attached to it. This is used to capture dialogue either during filming or
not. When not filming, it might be capturing off-scene dialogue or retakes of lines that
the actors flunked during actual film takes. The more expensive the show is and the
more time there is to do the work, the more people will resort to looping those takes,
which is recording those lines in a sound studio environment instead of a film studio or
location.
The second person is the sound mixer, who usually sits in a place farther off from the
shooting and records the sound captured by the boom pole operator, either via cable
or wireless devices to tape,optical disks or hard drive.
This is the raw sound material of a show. It is called production sound and the only
desirable parts it usually contains are dialogue and body sounds. In post production,
depending on the complexity, budget size and time, almost everything you hear
except for the dialogue and some body sounds, are added later during ...
Post Production
This is where most of the stuff we'll be describing for Audacity will happen. You've got
the recording. Now what?
After the visual part of the show is cut, the first of which usually isn't the final one, it
is handed to the sound editor. In TV shows, you'll usually have one or two people for
this, for major film productions a whole bunch more, for which tasks will be subdivided
on a finer level.
Raw sound - Cleanup time
No shows do without film edits and many have plenty of them.
Scenes may be shot with with one or more cameras and mics. Actors might have
flunked their lines and picking up shooting prior to the mistake might be chosen or the
entire sequence reshot. The film editor may have chosen parts from different takes for
the cut of the scene. The action might be moving along at the wrong pace and the film
editor shortened or stretched parts of a scene.
The sound editor makes sure transitions between cuts are smooth. He or she removes
undesired sounds, such as breathers of the same person that overlap from one film
edit to the next.
Material is cut away that contains unwanted sounds, such as creaking chair legs and
sharp impacts of objects on tables and floors. Some of these may require looping of
dialogue in the studio, because the noise may have been intolerable. Also, material
may sometimes be denoised. The most sophisticated methods remove the whirring of
the camera motors from takes. It is used as sparingly as possible though.
It's always desirable to get the best possible sound from the start, which is the
recording stage.
Adding stuff - the really big deal
After this cleanup is complete, sounds are added.
The first is ambiance. Just close your eyes and listen to the sound around you. That's
ambiance. Sophistication of ambiances rises with budgets. From premixed to over a
dozen tracks, you'll find it all in TV shows and feature films. In any indoor scene with a
lot of people in the background, nobody except for the actors being filmed will actually
talk. That flurry of conversation is added later on.
Next comes foley. These are clothes rustling (body sounds), foot steps and objects
being handled. People that have the ultimate edition of Terminator 2 will know that all
of Arnold Schwarzenegger's footsteps and rustle of his leather clothing were created
by a five foot woman. These people are usually called foley walkers or foley artists.
The foley editor then cleans these sounds, chooses the most fitting takes and makes
sure they all sync to the picture properly. The foley mixer then does his/her thing.
Next come effects. Foley are effects too, but they are a special category and can best
be described as live created studio effects. Effects are usually more heavily edited and
recorded from all kinds of places. A lot of effects are created by layering sounds on top
of each other, changing their pitch and loudness, editing bits out and adding others.
Many effects you'll hear are phone and door bells ringing, mobile phone beeps, doors
of houses and cars opening and closing, weapon shots, slaps, car skids, machines of
any kind, space ships flying around, explosions, to name a few.
For example, a friend of mine and I created the sound of a small wooden rowing boat
hitting a larger wooden sailing ship and scraping along its side by pitching down a
knock on a large wooden door for the impact of the rowing boat and ship, and pitching
down the sound of a skateboard rolling and scraping along a halfpipe.
The techniques required to properly handle sounds like these are used in all kinds of
productions. Audio books, music production, sound effects creation ... you name it.
For more on this subject, read the Audio Post FAQ at www.filmsound.org.
So let's jump in to the fray and look at how you can handle your sounds in Audacity.