Audacity Fundamentals
Paul Kellermann
pkeller@msjnet.edu
Record your voice as an mp3.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson you should be able to do the following:
Record your voice into Audacity and save the file.
Convert the Audacity file to an mp3 format.
What’s Needed
Audacity
A headset with earphones and microphone
or a microphone and speakers.
Procedure
Preparing for Audacity
Below is an important input/output level check using Volume Control
1. Be sure your microphone is enabled. Open Volume Control and set the levels below. You can also use
the Control Panel and access Sound Settings.
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2. The first window you will see.
3. Choose Menu Option Properties.
4. You will probably see the screen below.
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5. Choose the radio button for Recording and be sure Microphone is enabled.
6. Don’t set the volume too high for the Microphone.
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Back to Audacity
1. Audacity interface:
2. Hit the record button (red circle) and speak into your microphone or headset. Your voice will show up as
waveforms.
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3. Press stop (the yellow square).
4. Press play (the green triangle). You should hear your voice through your speakers or headphones.
5. Choose File Save Project.
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6. You will be presented with this screen. Press OK.
7. Save the aup. (Audacity Project). You can edit it later. The tracks (layers) are maintained like in a
graphics program.
To make an MP3
1. Choose File Export As MP3.
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2. Save your mp3 file.
3. At this point you may be asked to locate the LAME_ENC.dll file. Download the dll and put it in
the Audacity folder in Program Files.
4. Locate the lame_enc.dll file:
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5. You will then be prompted to give your MP3 tags. You may simply click OK since they are
optional. Tags are descriptions of your file and will provide data for organization such as in iTunes
or another MP3 library.
Additional Notes
Recording voice does not require recording at 44.1 kHz: that is CD quality. You can use a lower sample rate,
e.g., 11.025 KHz, and output radio or telephone quality. What this does is allow you to keep your files
smaller.
Advantage: If you are using a free podcasting service, they may have a maximum file size. At CD quality, it
is about 1 MB per minute. Using a lower sample rate will give you much more time to talk. Be careful to read
the instructions for your podcasting service and always test, test, test. Gcast requires 44.1 kHz; otherwise you
will sound like a chipmunk.
Regardless, it is always ideal to use the smallest file size possible, without sacrificing quality. Now, for music,
go with CD quality!
How to set sample rate:
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