Transcript Using Audacity

USING AUDACITY
FREE OPEN SOURCE
AUDIO RECORDING AND EDITING SOFTWARE
WHERE TO FIND IT
• Audacity
• http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
• Or Google “Audacity audio”
• Audacity manual
• http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/
• Audacity tutorials
• http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/tutorials.html
• LAME encoder (for exporting.mp3s)
• http://lame.buanzo.com.ar/
• Audacity provides a link the first time you attempt to make
an ,mp3
AUDIO FORMATS
• Lots of formats
• .wav – very common, uncompressed (big files), lossless,
nearly universal playback ability
• .mp3 – very common, compressed (little files), lossy, nearly
universal playback ability
• .wma – Windows audio, may have Digital Rights
Management for copy protection
• m4p – ITunes format – WILL have Digital Rights Management
for copy protection (probably won’t play back on another
computer)
• .ogg – free, open source, uses Vorbis format to play
• Librivox – public domain audio books
• .ra – Real Audio, use in decline
CHOOSING YOUR MICROPHONE AND
SPEAKERS
• Edit>Preferences>Devices
• Set your mike, speakers, stereo or mono
• I need to choose a different mike than the Connect
mike
• Use a moderately priced headset for best results
RECORDING AND PLAYBACK
• Just like a tape recorder or VCR
• Pause, play, stop, rewind, fast forward, record
• Recording shows up as a waveform
• Useful to find silence, pauses or extraneous noises if editing
EFFECTS MENU
• Effects>Amplify
• May have to enable “clipping”
to apply the effect
• Effects>Fade In
• Effects>Fade Out
• Effects>Remove Noise
EDITING TRACKS
• Playback to find the spot
you want to cut
Selection tool
• Use the waveform to find
the silences
• Use the selection tool to
select the cut
• Left click and drag
• Hit Delete or Cut to make
the edit
• Ctrl + Z to undo an edit
• You can also replace the
selection with silence
cut
Replace with
silence
EXPORTING (SAVING) FILES
• You don’t save sound files,
you Export them
• File>Export>Choose folder,
filename, and format
• MP3s require a download of
a LAME encoder
• Audacity guides you though
the process
• Because .wav is lossless, I
edit and combine in .wav,
and convert to .mp3 when
I’m done
IMPORTING AND COMBINING TRACKS
• Record and export all your clips
• Import all your clips
• Don’t click Open, as they will open up in different windows
• Import opens them all up in same window
• Copy and paste second clip onto end of first track
•
•
•
•
Close clip
Copy and paste third clip onto end of first track
Close clip
Repeat until al the clips are on one track
• Save the whole thing with a new filename when
you’re done
LAME ENCODER
• Export as MP3
• You’ll get this prompt the first
time
• Click Download
• Follow the links (there are 2)
• Download LAME
• Click the .exe file
• Export the file!
MIXING TRACKS
• Import tracks you want to mix
• If music, make sure you have rights
• LOTS of public domain music out there
• http://www.mfiles.co.uk/ is where I got the Bach
• Edit tracks to same running time
• Use Effects menu(Amplify, Fade In, Fade Out) as
needed
• Export
• Will automatically mix tracks together