Work in Progress – as of 06/06/2021
Audacity is a free (as in beer) yet powerful Digital Audio Workstation. It allows you to record, edit, mix and master audio for podcasting, voiceovers and music. Getting to know Audacity, is a vital skill for anyone interested in recording vocals or a podcast. I’ve collected the nuts and bolts of what I feel you need to know to get the best from the software in one place. Where I’ve been able to find a video I’ve used that resource. Otherwise, I’ve pointed you to the official Audacity manual.
An Open Learning Course
Almost everything you need to know to get the best out of the Audacity software:
Getting Started
- Downloading & Installing Audacity
- Importing & Playing Audio
- Setting Microphone to Record
- Setting Recording Volume Levels
- The Difference Between a Stereo and Mono Track?
- Saving Your Work
Editing Tools
- Introduction to Editing
- The Selection Tool
- The Zoom Tool
- The Envelope Tool
- The Time Shift Tool
- The Draw Tool
- The Multi-Tool
Production Tips & Tricks
- Copy, Paste, & Duplicate Audio (this is the same as copy and paste, you’re just using the recorded audio in another spot)
- Fade In, Fade Out
- Previewing an Edit
- Using the Zero Crossing tool
- Noise Reduction
- Minimise Mic Pops (Fading) or (EQ)
- Splitting & Joining Tracks
- Multitracking – Building Your Episode
- Panning
Audio Recording Info
- Sample Rates
- Bit Depth
- Bit Rates
- Recording With 2 Microphones
Working with Music
- Auto Ducking
- Volume Levels
- Clipping & Peaking
- Introduction to Compression
- More on Compression
- The Leveler
- Making Your Episode Loud Enough (Normalisation)
Advanced Features
- Naming Tracks
- Sync-Lock Tracks
- Using Labels
- How to Create and Use Templates in Audacity
- Rescanning Audio Devices
Specialist Audio Topics
- Adding Reverb
- Echo and Delay
- Tips for Audiobook or Voice Over Editing
- List in progress…
The Finishing Touches
- Creating a Mono Episode
- Installing the LAME Encoder
- Creating an MP3 With LAME
- Adding Artwork & ID3 Tags With MP3Tag