Audacity: record, import & export on Windows & Macintosh platforms

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Allen McDaniel
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IMC Innovate Make Create http://library.albany.

It is readily available to the public for download at http://web.audacityteam.org/. The program is free. Audacity is created and distributed using the Open Source model.

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the reproduction of copyrighted material. The person using this equipment and software is liable for any infringement.

1 IMC Innovate Make Create Audacity: record, import & export on Windows & Macintosh platforms Audacity is a versatile program that can be used to edit sound files and convert them to various formats. It is readily available to the public for download at The program is free. Audacity is created and distributed using the Open Source model. Complete licensing information is available on the Audacity Website. Following are general guidelines based on a Windows 7 computer. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the reproduction of copyrighted material. The person using this equipment and software is liable for any infringement. To install Audacity, download from: To work with MP3 files, download the LAME MP3 encoder. To work with many other audio file types (i.e. wma, ac3, and audio from video) download the FFmpeg plug-in. After installing Audacity open the application. From the top line menu select Edit > Preferences on Windows and Audacity > Preferences on Mac. Select Libraries from the menu on the left. Select Download for Lame MP3 and repeat for FFmpeg. Follow the instructions for adding these export/import Libraries. IMPORTING As a note, the volume controls within the program are secondary to the computer's volume control. In order to get appropriate volume levels when you are recording, you will need to experiment with both volume controls. You can import sound from just about any device, but how you do this will depend greatly on the current settings of the computer you re using. The quality of the audio is dependent upon the source, the computer s sound card, and the software settings. Work in.wav or.aiff uncompressed file formats; export to other formats such as MP3, Ogg Vorbis, or AC3 for use later on. If you are using multiple tracks, they should all be the same format. Page 1 of 5

IMPORTING A SOUND FILE NOTE: Audio files from a CD must first be ripped or extracted using CD extraction software and then imported into Audacity.

2 IMPORTING A SOUND FILE NOTE: Audio files from a CD must first be ripped or extracted using CD extraction software and then imported into Audacity. From the top line menu select File > Import > Audio Audio files and the audio from a video may be imported into Audacity. Making a copy of the file before editing will ensure that the original file is untouched and that the file imported into Audacity will always be associated with the project. This is important if you save the project to the hard drive but the original audio file is on a USB drive. If you select Read the files directly from the original (faster), the original files must always be present. RECORDING IN AUDACITY If you are using a laptop, the webcam is the default input device. If you are using a microphone or a device such as a cassette tape recorder, the operating system and Audacity must reflect this selection. Always perform a test; review for proper recoding levels. The IMC has a variety of cables and adapters to connect most any device to available ports on your computer. THREE STEPS IN ORDER: 1. Connect the device and turn it on. 2. Identify the input device/port from the sound preference/control in the operating system 3. Open Audacity. Within Audacity also select the input device. STEP ONE: Connect the equipment and turn it on USB Microphone: Using a USB microphone may be tricky to set up. Plug the device into the computer and turn it on before you open Audacity. If Audacity is already open, save your project, quit Audacity, turn on the microphone and then re-open your project. Audacity does not always immediately recognize the microphone. Select the microphone within Audacity; see step three. Microphone: Connect the microphone to the dedicated Microphone port. In its absence use the Line In port on the computer. In your operating system s preferences and in Audacity, the input must be recognized. Page 2 of 5

Line In for Microphone, Phonograph or Cassette Tape Recorder: You will need an audio cable to connect the equipment to the computer. One end must be 1/8.

If the cassette tape recorder s port is ¼ use an adapter ¼ to 1/8.

If using a USB microphone, select (examples) AK5370 or USB audio device. Select Line In if you are connecting a microphone or cassette player to the Line-In port.

3 Line In for Microphone, Phonograph or Cassette Tape Recorder: You will need an audio cable to connect the equipment to the computer. One end must be 1/8. Plug the audio cable into sound out port (headphones/speaker) on the tape deck, and the other end into the sound in port (line level Input) on the computer. If the cassette tape recorder s port is ¼ use an adapter ¼ to 1/8. STEP TWO: Identify the input from the sound preference/control panel in the operating system On a Mac select System Preferences, Sound> Input. The internal microphone is the webcam. If using a USB microphone, select (examples) AK5370 or USB audio device. Select Line In if you are connecting a microphone or cassette player to the Line-In port. Slide the input volume to adjust the recording volume. (Note: after testing in Audacity, you may need to return to this window to re-adjust the level.) In Windows click on the Start button in the lower left corner. Choose Control Panel. Select Sound. Click on the Recording tab. The image on the left demonstrates the usb microphone plugged into the usb port and a vocal microphone plugged into the microphone port. Select one device (in this example it is the USB Audio device) and then select Properties. If the device is not displayed, right click inside the recording tab area and select show disabled devices, then right click again and select show disconnected devices. Select Levels and adjust for recording. (Note: after testing in Audacity, you may need to return to this window to re-adjust the level.) NOTE for Windows 10 users: As of September 19, 2016, Audacity does not have full support due to driver requirements. See Page 3 of 5

STEP THREE: Within Audacity select the input device.

Review the Input Device and Input channel drop down menus to select the source of the audio.

Note: if there is no recording, save the project, exit Audacity and re-open the project. Confirm the input settings are correct.

4 STEP THREE: Within Audacity select the input device. If you have completed steps 1 and 2, Audacity will likely select the correct input device. Review the Input Device and Input channel drop down menus to select the source of the audio. In this example, the input device is a microphone, plugged into the microphone port. Complete a test recording and adjust levels. Note: if there is no recording, save the project, exit Audacity and re-open the project. Confirm the input settings are correct. Stop Record Input Device Input Channel You may also confirm recording settings from Audacity s preferences Select Edit > Preferences > Devices Confirm that the Recording Device display the type of recording device or the port you are using for importing audio. Suggestion: Select Recording. Unselect Sound Activated Recording. Page 4 of 5

SAVE PROJECT Once you have tracks added to an Audacity session, select File > Save Project. Save the project as an Audacity file project: filename.aup. Select Save Project as you work.

EXPORT - TO CREATE AN AUDIO FILE When you have completed your work and are ready to use the tracks, you may export each track as an individual file.

.. Export Selection or Export Multiple Select the audio format you would like to export to: WAV, MP3, WMA, AC3, etc.

5 SAVE PROJECT Once you have tracks added to an Audacity session, select File > Save Project. Save the project as an Audacity file project: filename.aup. Select Save Project as you work. Audacity writes all the changed and recorded audio to a directory called Projectname_data, which is located where you saved the project file itself. EXPORT - TO CREATE AN AUDIO FILE When you have completed your work and are ready to use the tracks, you may export each track as an individual file. You may export only a selection or you may export all the tracks into one audio file. Select File > Export... Export Selection or Export Multiple Select the audio format you would like to export to: WAV, MP3, WMA, AC3, etc. Edit Metadata Add is information about the artist of a song, the title, track number, etc. Fill in the fields [optional] that will help identify this audio later in applications such as itunes. When completed or if you wish to not enter metadata, click on the OK button to finish exporting. Written by Regina Conboy 3/07; updated, 9/10 by Mark Nelson, IMC Student Assistant; 9/11; update by Regina Conboy 10/11; 3/12; 5/15;10/15 Page 5 of 5

Introduction to Audacity

IMC Innovate Make Create http://library.albany.edu/imc/ 518 442-3607 Introduction to Audacity NOTE: This document illustrates Audacity 2.x on the Windows operating system. Audacity is a versatile program