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Learning Audacity - Recording and Editing Basics
Overview
This OER is meant to teach those new to Audacity and audio editing the basic skills of the open-source software, as well as provide some basic narration tips.
Though an introduction, this resource will allow those interested in podcasting, audio editing, video making, music creation, and more to apply these skills to larger projects.
No required knowledge of Audacity or audio editing skills required. Though skills in an operating system (Windows, OSX, Linux) is highly reccomended.
Learning Audacity - Recording and Editing Basics
If you're new to Audacity this resource is for you!
This lesson will cover what is Audacity is and how to install it, the UI of Audacity, and the basics of recording, playing, and editing an audio file.
No prior knowledge of Audacity is needed, but knowledge of an operating system (OSX, Windows, or Linux) and basic computer skills are recommended.
This lesson is best suited for those new to Audacity who wish to record their own voice for voice overs, or those new to audio editing who wish to increase their skillset for creating videos or podcasts.
The skills taught in this lesson are beginner level but will create the foundation for further development of:
- audio or video editing
- creating podcasts
- narrating videos or podcasts
- recording music
- and more
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- understand the purpose and use of Audacity
- install Audacity onto your computer
- record, playback, and import and export audio files in Audacity
- understand the difference between exporting and saving files in Audacity
- edit audio files using various tools such as trim, history, zoom, and noise reduction
Now let's get started!
What is Audacity?
(Image of the UI of Audacity)
Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux.
You can use Audacity to:
- Record live audio;
- Cut, Copy and Paste, Delete, Duplicate, and Split audio files;
- Change the speed, pitch or volume of a recording;
- Apply effects to any part of the sound;
- Align audio segments.
Audacity is a popular Open Source tool for creating and editing podcasts; it is freely available to download, install and modify, and is relatively easy to use.
Best of all, it is free and open source software (licensed under the GNU GPLv2) so you can use, copy, and share it freely. This invites conversations about copyright and Creative Commons licensing.
"Using Audacity/What is Audacity" by WikiEducator is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Students and teachers can explore sound effects, and Audacity makes it easy to cut, copy, and paste music tracks, and to create new versions of songs. Students use Audacity to interview teachers, each other, and parents and grandparents, incorporate these recordings into their classroom activities, and upload them to streaming web servers. They learn about the best audio file formats to use. For example, Audacity projects should be saved in two different formats: as Audacity project .aup files to allow for future editing and revision, and exported to a final playback format such as MP3 or WAV.
"A quick introduction to Audacity for teachers" by Don Watkins, OpenSource is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
How accessible is Audacity for motion- or visually-impaired users?
Audacity has numerous keyboard shortcuts which can be customised in the Keyboard Preferences. Most of Audacity can be wholly or partially used without a mouse, with excellent keyboard navigation of the selection. A few features currently have no keyboard alternatives, notably clips, Time Tracks and the Tools Toolbar tools except Selection Tool.
Audacity works well with most screen-reader applications on Windows (including Jaws, Window-Eyes and NVDA). However a few features, notably Label Tracks, are not read. We still have to improve screen-reader support for Linux.
For more information, see Accessibility. There are useful links to free screen readers and support resources for the blind on our Wiki page Audacity for blind users.
"Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
You can also view the following video for an overview of Audacity:
"Audacity Review for Educators" by EDUC 592A, YouTube is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Setting up Audacity
In this section you will learn:
- how to download and install Audacity
- what FFPMEG is and how to install it
- how to install and use your microphone in Audacity
In order to use and learn Audacity we'll need to download the software. Luckily its available for most platforms (Windows, OSX, and Linux) and is easy to install. And even better - its open source and absolutely free!
This section will also cover downloading the FFPMEG Library that is essential to have when using Audacity.
As well, this section will cover setting up your microphone so you are able to record your voice.
Downloading and Installing Audacity
Windows
For detailed system requirements for a Windows installation see this page on the Audacity Website
Go to the Windows Download page of the Audacity site and follow the instructions there.
"Installing and updating Audacity on Windows" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
OSX
Audacity for Mac is for OS X 10.7 Lion and later. Audacity runs best with at least 1 GB RAM and a 1 GHz processor (2 GB RAM/2 GHz on OS X 10.7 and later).
For lengthy multi-track projects, we recommend a minimum of 2 GB RAM and 2 GHz processor (4 GB RAM on OS X 10.7 and later).
Go to the Mac Download page of the Audacity site.
- On the download page, left-click the "installer" link, the .dmg file. This takes you to the FossHub site where our downloads are hosted.
- On the FossHub Audacity page left-click the Audacity macOS DMG link. This will start the download.
- Once the download has completed to your Downloads folder, double-click the DMG file to mount it. (Some browsers may offer the option to automatically open the DMG file for you.)
- Drag the Audacity.app icon rightwards onto the Applications folder shortcut.
- You can also drag Audacity.app out of the DMG to any other location. You need the administrator password to copy Audacity to Applications.
- Launch Audacity.app from Applications or from your chosen location. Depending on your Finder Preferences, the Audacity icon may be titled "Audacity" or "Audacity.app".
"Installing and updating Audacity on Mac" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Linux
We recommend using the latest version of GNU/Linux from your distribution that is compatible with your hardware specifications. Audacity will run best with at least 1GB RAM and a 2 GHz processor.
The recommended way to install software for most GNU/Linux and Unix-like Desktop distributions, is to install from the official distribution repository using a package manager. Most distributions provide Audacity packages.
Alternatively you can build the latest Audacity tagged release from our source code.
"Installing and updating Audacity on Linux" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Installing FFPMEG
The optional FFmpeg library allows Audacity to import and export a much larger range of audio formats including M4A (AAC), AC3, AMR (narrow band) and WMA and also to import audio from most video files. Because of software patents, Audacity cannot include the FFmpeg software or distribute it from its own websites. Instead, use the following instructions to download and install the free and recommended FFmpeg third-party library. It is recommended that you exit Audacity before installing FFmpeg.
Use the following links to download the FFmpeg Library and install it:
- Windows install instructions : use the FFmpeg v2.2.2 INSTALLER (.EXE)
- Mac install instructions : use the lame_64bit_osx.pkg
- Linux install instructions
After you have installed the FFmpeg Library, close Audacity if you have it open and relaunch the application
Select ‘Edit’ from the main menu
Then click on ‘Preferences’
In the Preferences window select ‘Libraries’ in the menu on the left
Windows:
OSX:
Linux:
Click the “Locate” button
Audacity should automatically locate the FFmpeg libraries. You can select ‘No’, to not locate them manually and continue using the application with a larger array of file types.
Once the FFmpeg Library has been installed, you can import video files and strip the audio from them. This can be very useful for editing videos in the future, because Audacity is has much better tools for audio editing than most video editors.
Text source: "FFmpeg Library" by David Kwasny & Matthew Humphries, Open Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 Images source: "FAQ:Installation, Startup and Plugins" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0 / highlights added
Setting Up Your Microphone
You can view this video for an overview of setting up your microphone in Audacity [timestamps: 3:00 to 5:00]:
"How To Set Up Your Microphone In Audacity Beginners Guide Ep 2" by Logan D, YouTube is licensed under CC BY 3.0
What if you don't have a microphone (AUX) port?
If your computer does not have a microphone input port
Do not plug a microphone into the line input port on your computer. The volume will be way too low (the line input port does not apply the needed amplification to boost the very quiet signal from the microphone). You will not break anything, but you will be very frustrated with the results.
Option 1 - Buy a microphone to USB adapter
These devices plug into a USB port on your computer, and have a microphone input jack (usually 1/8").
You will still need a compatible microphone. Be sure to carefully read the specifications of any adapter you are considering and make sure you get a microphone that will work with that interface.
Option 2 - Buy a USB microphone
These microphones are becoming more common. They combine a microphone and the USB adapter all in one package.
Models are available by Logitech, Samson, Nady and Audio-technica, among others.
"Connecting audio equipment" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Audacity Interface
In this section you will learn:
- the main UI of Audacity
- the playback tools
- the tools toolbar
- the editing toolbar
The interface to Audacity can be intiminating at first. This section will help to explain the different sections of Audacity and what they're used for.
This is the main screen of Audacity when you open the software:
1 Menu Bar
9 Unpinned Play/Recording Head
10 Timeline
13 Audio Track
14 Label Track
16 Time Toolbar
18 Status Bar
"Guide to the Audacity Project Window" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
What are the blue lines on screen? They're called waveforms and are a visual representation of an audio signal.
Audacity Waveforms show you overall loudness best. They are the default view in Audacity.
- You might see the danger of imminent clipping.
- Precision in cutting and splicing is also best performed in Waveform view.
"Audacity Waveform" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Playback Control Toolbar
moves the cursor to the start of the project.
plays your project from the position of the cursor. Use to listen to the audio in your project.
pressing the record button will record a new track from your computer's sound input device.
pause playback or recording. Press again to unpause.
stops playback or recording.
moves the cursor to the end of the project.
Tools Toolbar
The Selection Tool use to select sections of an audio track to work on.
The Envelope Tool this tool allows you to control how tracks fade in and out.
The Draw Tool allows you to draw on the waveforms of individual tracks.
The Zoom Tool zooms in or out of a specific part of the audio.
The Timeshift Tool allows you to change the positioning of tracks relative to one another in time
Edit Toolbar
Cut removes selected audio data and places it on the clipboard.
Copy copies the selected audio data to the clipboard without removing it from the track.
Paste pastes whatever is in the clipboard into the track at the position of the selection cursor.
Trim deletes all of the track except the current selection.
Silence replaces the current selection with silence instead of removing it completely.
Undo undo the last editing operation performed.
Redo redo any editing operations that were just undone.
Zoom In zooms in on displayed tracks displaying less time and giving a more detailed view of the track.
Zoom Out zooms out displaying more time and a less detailed view of tracks.
Fit Selection fits selected audio into the width of the screen to show the selection in more detail.
Fit Project shows entire project in one screen.
"Using Audacity/The Interface" by WikiEducator is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
You can watch the following video from the beginning to 3:16 to see the UI of Audacity and some explanations too:
"Using Audacity" by Tony Vincent, YouTube is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Knowledge Check
When you feel comfortable with the Audacity UI, feel free to test your knowledge using the following knowledge check:
Audacity Basics
In this section you will learn:
- recording your voice
- playing audio
- how to save and export and the difference between them
- importing audio
How to Record Your Voice
Select the red circle button to begin recording.
Record for as long as you would like. And then select the black square button (the stop button) when you want to finish.
Recording Best Practices
There are some simple and easy best practices to keep in mind when recording. Following these will provide you with better quality recordings as well as make it easier to do any editing later.
- Practice rehearsing your script out loud on your own and with a colleague to make the appropriate edits before you record.
- Always leave a 10 second silence buffer before recording to ensure you are able to collect the noise profile and edit out the background noise. This also helps to reduce chances of you cutting off your audio
- When recording, try to aim for a maximum peak of around –6 dB or 0.5 if you have your meters set to linear rather than dB.
- Record all of your audio at once. If you make a mistake in your recording, stop and take a breath and then try saying the sentence again. This can be tweaked in the editing phase.
- Be aware of the pace of your speech. Intentionally speak slower than you normally would, so your voiceover can be understood.
- Smile when you're recording the audio.This helps to make you sound more energetic and happy.
"Record Audio with Audacity" by University of Guelph Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 / added text and explanations
Playing Audio
The easiest way to control Audacity playback and recording is with Transport Toolbar:
Clicking Play plays from the cursor point to the end of the project, or from the start of the selection region to the end of that region.
"Playing and Recording" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Saving and Exporting
It is important to know the difference between Saving and Exporting while working in Audacity.
If you are working on a project but wish to close Audacity in order to continue working on the project at a later date it is important that you save your work. Audacity saves your project into a folder which will include all the separate audio tracks that you have either recorded or imported into your project. Audacity project files (.aup) let you save everything you're working on exactly as it appears on the Audacity screen. Most other audio programs cannot open Audacity project files. If you want to save your project into a file that can be opened by other programs you will need to select the export option.
"Using Audacity/Saving" by WikiEducator is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Saving
To save a project you are still working on, it is recommended to: File -> Save Project -> Save Project or “Ctrl +S”
You might get this warning. But, as you can tell, it states this is not the file you would play for others.
Exporting
To export an audio file to distribute or share, it is recommended to: File -> Export -> Export as MP3
You might get this warning. This means it is reducing your project into one track. This is okay. It needs to be in this format to distribute, and we already saved the project, if it needs to be edited again.
"Saving & Exporting" by David Kwasny & Matthew Humphries, Open Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 / text added
You can also view this video as a recap of saving and exporting [timestamps: 10:13 onward]:
"Audacity Basics: Recording, Editing, Mixing" by Kyle Stedman, YouTube is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Importing an Audio File
You don't always start with a blank recording, but instead you may wish to do edits on an existing audio file. For this, we'll need to import the audio file into Audacity.
- Click File in the menu bar at the top of your screen.
- Click Import from the dropdown menu.
- Select Audio.
- Select your file from your device to import.
"Record Audio with Audacity" by University of Guelph Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 / text added
You may also watch the following video for a video explanation of importing audio [timestamps: 10:25 to 13:24]:
"Using Audacity" by Tony Vincent, YouTube is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Editing Basics
In this section you will learn:
- selecting specific pieces of audio
- copying, cutting, and pasting audio
- deleting audio
- amplifying audio volume
- zooming in and out of waveforms in Audacity
Selecting Audio
Almost all editing in Audacity will require you to select specific audio you want to work with. You may sometimes wish to change all the audio in a file, but more often than not you'll want to edit a specific section. We will go into how to select audio in Audacity here.
Note that you can select the entire length of all tracks on screen with Select > All or use the shortcut Ctrl + A (or ⌘ + A on a Mac).
To select audio, first choose the Selection Tool.
Now click the left mouse button anywhere inside of an audio track, and click and drag to the other edge of your selection, and release.
"Selecting Audio" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0 /text and explanations added
Copying, Cutting, and Pasting Audio
Copying and pasting audio works just like other software. For example, copying text in Microsoft Word allows you to paste that text in other areas of the document. This is the same as Audacity - copying audio allows you to paste it anywhere within an audio file.
Copying
Use the Selection Tool to select a section of audio from the source track with click-and-drag (the source and target tracks are labeled SOURCE and TARGET in the examples.)
Copy the selected audio to the Audacity clipboard by clicking on Edit > Copy or press the shortcut Ctrl + C or ⌘ + C on Mac).
Conversely, you can also cut a selected audio. This will remove the audio from the waveform but keep it in your clipbaord to be pasted. This is akin to moving a piece of audio rather than copying it. Cut the selected audio to the Audacity clipboard by clicking on Edit > Cut or press the shortcut Ctrl + X or ⌘ + X on Mac).
Pasting
To make the paste select Edit > Paste from the Edit Menu or press the shortcut Ctrl + V or (⌘ +V on Mac).
"Copy and Paste a section of audio" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0 /text added and section on cutting added
Deleting Audio
Often, one of the most common edits you will want to do with audio is to remove aspects of it. This could be bad takes, mistakes, or maybe even some silence where you paused when talking. Deleting audio in Audacity is very easy!
Click and drag your mouse to select the portion of audio you would like to delete.
Click the play button to listen to your selected portion and confirm that you have selected the correct time.
Select Edit > Delete, or press the delete/backspace button on your keyboard.
The selected audio is removed from the track, and the rest of the audio moves to fill the space left after the delete.
Listen back to each edit to make sure it sounds natural. If not, choose Edit > Undo Delete and try again.
"Record Audio with Audacity" by University of Guelph Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 / text removed to condense steps
Amplify Audio
Amplyfing audio is raising the amplitude of an audio file. Amplitude refers to the level or magntitude of a signal. Audio signals with higher amplitude will sound louder.
"Glossary" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Amplify always preserves the relative volumes of the tracks and/or channels.
1. Select Effect > Amplify from the menu bar at the top of your screen.
2. In the input box, type a value for the amount of amplification you would like to apply. Positive values make the sound louder, negative values make it quieter. As you type, the New Peak Amplitude input box will be updated.
3. If you take the negative of the value shown in the Amplification (dB) box, this will give you the current peak amplitude of the selection.
4. Drag the slider right to make the sound louder, or to the left to make it quieter. As you drag, your selected value will be updated in the input box, and the New Peak Amplitude input box will be updated.
"Record Audio with Audacity" by University of Guelph Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Zooming In and Out
It is often helpful to be able to zoom in to see the individual parts of the audio clip waveform in order to edit out sections or remove undesirable noises or pauses
Zooming in shows you more detail about the waveform. This can be useful for editing out imperfections.
Zooming out shows less detail but is useful to get a wider overview of your project.
"Using Audacity/Zooming" by WikiEducator is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
How to Zoom
There are five ways to zoom horizontally:
View > Zoom submenu: use the four commands in this submenu to:
- View > Zoom > Zoom In: double the current zoom level.
- View > Zoom > Zoom Normal: reverts back to Audacity's default zoom, where you can see 5 - 10 seconds at a time
- View > Zoom > Zoom Out: cuts the current zoom level in half
- View > Zoom > Zoom to Selection: zooms and scroll so that the selection just fits in the window
- View > Zoom > Zoom Toggle: toggles between two pre-defined zoom levels, these are user selectable in Tracks Preferences. Defaults are normal Default Zoom level and 4 Pixels per Sample (which shows a fraction of a second of audio as samples)
Five of the view commands have equivalent buttons on the right of the Edit Toolbar:
- Zoom In
- Zoom Out
- Fit Selection (to Width of the Window). aka 'Zoom to Selection'
- Fit Project (to Width of the Window).
- Zooms between two preset levels. These can be set using Tracks preferences.
"Editing Audio" by David Kwasny & Matthew Humphries, Open Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Activity: Recording and Editing a File
With all the skills you've learned thus far, let's put them into practice by editing an existing audio file.
Instructions
Recording
You will need a partner for this first section. Have them record themselves in Audacity (with your assistance) the following:
- 1. Please state your name.
- 2. In 30 words, 15 seconds or less, please summarize why you came today.
Next, record yourself saying the following:
- 1.. [Intro]: You are about to hear a shockingly brief interview with ____________ [say the name of your partner for this exercise, whom you just interviewed].
- 2. (pause)
- 3. [Break]: You are listening to a shockingly brief interview with _____________ [say the person's name again].
- 4. (pause)
- 5. [Outro]: You have been listening to a shockingly brief interview with ___________ [say the person's name again]. This is ______________ [say your name], reporting for 90.1 FM, KKFI, Kansas City Community Radio. [NOTE: The “90.1 FM, KKFI, Kansas City Community Radio” in KKFI's official legal ID. If you say “Kansas City's Community Radio” on KKFI's Program Associate's exam, you will flunk, because it's “Kansas City Community Radio”, NOT “Kansas City's Community Radio.]
The first part is a toy interview. The second part is Intro, Break and Outro, used to make that a complete piece, editing together with Audacity.
Deleting Unneeded Portions
To delete a portion of a recording, First select what you want to delete by specifying start and end of selection and discussed above.
Verify that's what you want to delete. You can do this in multiple ways, e.g., first selecting a larger segment, then listening to it by playing it or part of it, and using the scroll bar at the bottom.
Then select Edit > Delete (or <ctrl>+K or <cmd>+K on a Mac).
Amplify a portion of a recording that may be quieter than other parts
Select a portion of the recording that you want to amplify. Then Effects > Amplify. In contrast to when you want to push down a peak, you probably want to accept the default amplification by clicking “OK”.
As before, if you don't like that, use <ctrl>+Z (or <cmd>+Z on a Mac) to revert your changes and restart.
Cut pieces from different recordings and paste them together
Using Cut and Paste tools, put the audio in an order that makes sense given the context. It might be easiest to open a new track and have it available to you as a blank slate to use rather than moving around existing audio.
Export as MP3
Once you have what you want, it's wise to listen to it (or at least listen to parts of it) to make sure it's what you want. Then in the composite window, File > Export > “Export as MP3”.
Again before you click “Save” you need to change the directory to what you want, because Audacity by default stores it in the last place it stored an export file, which is probably NOT where you want it. Click “Save”.
Exercise adapted from: "Grassroots media training/KKFI/Audacity" by Wikiversity is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 / text and instructions added, text removed for brevity
If you do not have access to a microphone or partner, you can use the attached audio instead.
Audio provided by: DavidMCEddy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Activity: Editing an Existing Audio File
It's important to be able to edit existing audio files. In this activity, we will use multiple tools previously discussed to create short 10-second version of an audio file.
Instructions
Find an Existing Audio File
Audacity can import many common audio file formats, including WAV, AIFF, and MP3. If the optional FFmpeg library is installed, a larger range of formats, including WMA and the audio content of most video files, can be imported. Audacity cannot import copy-protected music files.
If you want to edit music that you have on an audio CD, you need to "rip" the music into an audio file. See the Audio CDs page for information on getting the audio off of CDs and into Audacity.
No audio files handy? You can use the audio file attached to this section.
Import the file into Audacity
First launch Audacity, then import an audio file by selecting File > Import > Audio
Look at the waveform
This image above shows a stereo waveform. The left channel is displayed in the top half of the track and the right channel in the bottom half. The track name takes the name of the imported audio file ("No Town" in this example). Where the waveform reaches closer to the top and bottom of the track, the audio is louder (and vice versa).
The ruler above the waveform shows you the length of the audio in minutes and seconds.
Listen to the imported audio
The image above shows Transport Toolbar.
Click the Play button to listen to the audio. Click the Stop button to stop playback. If you do not hear anything, see Audacity Setup and Configuration.
You can use the Space key on the keyboard as a shortcut for Play or Stop.
Click on Selection Tool then click on the waveform to choose a place to start, then click the Play button . Click and drag to create a selection, and then when you click Play button only the selection will play.
Create a 10-second clip from your audio
To cut this audio file down to exactly 10 seconds, use these following steps.
- With playback stopped, click near the point where you want the 10-second piece to begin.
- Zoom in until the Timeline shows 10 seconds or more before and after the cursor.
- While holding down the Shift key, click 10 seconds to the right of the cursor.
4. Press Space to listen to the entire selection. Playback will stop when the end of the selection is reached
5. Adjust the start and end of the selection with the mouse as follows.
- Move the pointer over the start of the selection - the cursor will change to a left-pointing hand.
- Click and drag to adjust the beginning of the selection.
- You can adjust the end of the selection in a similar manner.
6. Press Space to listen to the adjusted selection. You do not have to listen to all of it; press Space again at any time to stop playback
You have now selected the portion of the audio that you want to keep. Make sure you have pressed Space to stop if the track is still playing, then to delete everything except the selected audio, click on Edit > Remove Special > Trim Audio.
Export the resulting file
When you save an Audacity project with File > Save Project > Save Project you are doing just that - saving an Audacity project. Audacity projects can be opened only by Audacity. If you want other applications (such as Apple Music/iTunes or Windows Media Player) to be able to open this file you need to export it.
Before we export this 10 second clip to a separate file we are going to simplify things a bit. Go to the Import / Export Preferences, and under When exporting tracks to an audio file uncheck "Show Metadata Editor prior to export step". Metadata Editor adds extra information about the speech or music into the file - see For More Information below to learn more. You can go back to the Import / Export Preferences at any time to re-enable Metadata Editor.
Exporting a WAV file
- Click on File > Export > Export Audio... - the standard "Save" dialog for your operating system appears.
- Give the file a different name. Audacity always suggests a name for the file that is the same as the name of your Audacity project. It is always best to alter this so you do not confuse your exported file with your Audacity project.
- Choose a location to save the file in the usual manner.
- At the bottom of the Save dialog is a dropdown menu labeled "Format". From this menu choose "WAV (Microsoft) signed 16-bit PCM".
- There are no options for the WAV file format, so there is no need to click the Options button.
- Click the Save button to complete the export of your project to a WAV file.
Exporting an MP3 file
The steps for exporting a file in MP3 format are the same as for a WAV file, except:
- In the Save dialog, from the "Format" menu, choose "MP3 files"
- Then click the Options button to set the bit rate and other options for the MP3 file.
Exercise adapted from: "Tutorial - Editing an Existing Audio File" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0 / text and instructions added
Editing Tools in Audacity
In this section you will learn:
- trimming audio to any length
- adding silence to audio
- remove unwanted background noise from audio
- utilize the history tool to reverse mistakes
Recall this is the toolbar menu in Audacity
"Editing Audio" by David Kwasny & Matthew Humphries, Open Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
We have previously discussed copy, cut, paste, and zooming in and out. Now we will delve into silence and trim.
Trimming Audio
The ‘Trim’ tool works in the opposite way of the ‘Cut’ tool, and can also be found on the Edit Toolbar. Using ‘Trim’ you will be left with the selected area, and the unselected parts of the clip will be removed.
Be careful when using this tool on large audio clips, you might remove more than you intended.
Adding Silence
Silence does exactly what it sounds like it would do, it silences audio. You can use this as an alternative to cutting parts of your clip, if you would like. It is also a good way of reducing unwanted background noise between dialogue clips.
"Editing Audio" by David Kwasny & Matthew Humphries, Open Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Noise Reduction
What is Noise Reduction?
Noise Reduction can reduce constant background sounds such as hum, whistle, whine, buzz, and "hiss", such as tape hiss, fan noise or FM/webcast carrier noise. It is not suitable for individual clicks and pops, or irregular background noise such as from traffic or an audience.
To use Noise Reduction, you need a region in the waveform that contains only the noise you want to reduce.
Be aware that it may be impossible to get a satisfactory removal when the noise is very loud, when the noise is variable, when the music or speech is not much louder than the noise or when the noise frequencies are very similar to those of the music or speech.
"Noise Reduction" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
How to Perform Noise Reduction
Audacity has a great built-in noise reduction tool. To get it to do its job properly, you need to get your hands a bit dirty. So, first you need to get a noise profile which lets Audacity recognize what noise in the file actually is. The profile gives Audacity a baseline from which to work. To get a good noise profile, you need to find a section of the audio file in which there's no talking. This appears as a flat line in Audacity. Several seconds worth of dead air is best. If you don't have that much, use what you can.
"How to clean up digital recordings using Audacity" by Scott Nesbitt, OpenSource.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
1. Leave a 10 second silence buffer at the beginning or end of your recording to capture the room noise.
2. Click and drag your mouse to highlight a section of dead air.
3. Click Effect > Noise Reduction and then select Get Noise Profile
4. Once you’ve captured the Noise Profile, press CRTL/COMMAND + A to select the entire audio clip.
5. Go back to Effect > Noise Reduction. Leaving the default settings, click Okay and it will remove the background noises from the entire audio track.
6. If you only want the noise reduced for a particular section, only highlight that part with your mouse instead of highlighting your entire track.
7. You can also select a section of audio and press CTRL+L to silence that section of audio. This can also be done using the silence audio button in the toolbar.
"Record Audio with Audacity" by University of Guelph Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
History Tool
Audacity is a forgiving application. If you are afraid of messing up, relax, because Audacity is designed to let you try something and then undo it if you do not like it, or redo it if you like your first idea after all. This is really the only way to work with audio because it is often hard to judge an effect or other change in context of the entire project until you do it.
- Undo/Redo is fast, irrespective of how long the original action took. Use it to listen easily to "before" and "after" versions of your work.
- As you apply more actions, the disk space needed to allow Undo/Redo of those actions grows.
- The Undo/Redo space usage is discarded on closing the project.
- Undo/Redo steps for an open project can be managed in the History window.
Only changes that modify the project data can be undone.
Changes that cannot be undone include:
- Saving or exporting
- Changing the track height or the selection or cursor position (these are saved when you save a change that is recorded by Undo/Redo)
- Changing preferences settings.
he History dialog lets you view and manage all of the actions you have taken since you opened a project.
Accessed by View > History... the History dialog window can be resized by clicking and dragging on its borders.
Manage History
The History list has two columns:
- "Action" shows a list of all project states that you can go back or forward to, earliest state first.
- "Used Space" shows for each action in the list the amount of disk space that that action used.
Space Used
- Total space used: Displays the total disk space currently used by the project, which is the total of all the "Used Space" values shown in the History list.
- Clipboard space used: This indicates the amount of disk space currently used by the Audacity Clipboard.
Buttons
- OK button: Accepts the changes made in the History window, if any, and closes the window.
- help button, brings you to the appropriate page in the Manual, this page.
"History - Undo and Redo" by Audacity 3.3 Manual is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Glossary of Terms and Conclusion
Congratulations on reaching the end of the Audacity lesson!
We have covered a lot of different terminology, tools, and actions within the software.
If you need to ever refresh your understanding of terminology used in Audio Editing, the Audacity Manual has a fantastic glossary of terms:
As well, if you need a refresher on best practices for audio narration the following is a useful, short guide:
Tips for Recording Audio at Home
You've reached the end of Learning Audacity - Recording and Editing Basics. Thank you for reading and good luck!