Describe Audacity123 here.
Audacity 1-2-3
How to get started with Audacity: >> download >> install >> test
Table of Contents:
Download
While this page is under construction, check out these truly excellent Audacity guides at guidesandtutorials.com:
guide for downloading Audacity: Audacity Tutorial
also download this: Lame mp3 encoder
recommended: get the beta version as well as the stable 1.2.6 version:
Windows, Mac, Linux
Install
settings: Setting Audacity Preferences
Step 5. select mono, not stereo
Step 6. select 16 bit, not 32 bit
Continue with these settings: in File Formats, Uncompressed Export Format: WAV (Microsoft 15 bit PCM)
Also in File Formats, under MP3 Export Setup, select Bit Rate of 128; click "Find Library" and locate and select the Lame encoder you saved:
PC: in your Programs Folder, find the Audacity folder, and select the lame_enc.dll file
Mac: in your Applications Folder, find the Audacity folder, and select the LameLib; press OK.
More great information:
Exporting mp3 Files (but ours are mono)
All those tutorials are illustrated with screenshots from the stable 1.2.6 version of Audacity. There are slight variations in the beta version 1.3.3, but the same settings need to be set there, too.
Do Not Use Noise Cleaning in version 1.2.6 -- it creates artifacts that are worse than any hiss that's removed. Do use Audacity 1.3.3 for Noise Cleaning, following the NoiseCleaning wiki page instructions.
Testing! Audacity 101
Now that you've downloaded Audacity and installed it, learn the basics: recording, editing, and exporting.
TIP: audio is a lot of work for many computers. Always always give your computer a little time to catch up -- whenever you click a button, whenever you stop, whenever you save, be a bit patient with your computer. Most crashes happen when commands are given too rapidly. Save early, save frequently.
Trial 1 - Barest Basics
Here we create and save an Audacity file: record, look, listen, and delete. (3 minutes!)
Plug in your mic (always plug in your mic before you start Audacity)
Start Audacity (quit and restart it if it was already open when you plugged in your mic)
in the top menu, select Audacity > Preferences... Audio I/O tab:
under Recording, Device: select your mic from the pull-down menu;
and Channels: 1 (Mono)
Click the red circle (record) and read this into your mic:
"Peter Piper packed a paper pumpkin. Thank you thirty thousand thanks. Fine fun on the forums, fortunately."
Click the square (stop) ... pause a moment ... then,
File > Save Project and look at the save window
select the folder you want (create a folder on your Desktop called LV, and a folder inside that called "testing" -- unless you have a better idea)
Click the triangle (play) and listen for a bit, then press the square (stop).
now press the spacebar ... press it again (it toggles play on, off)
Look at the waveform.
click the + magnifying glass 3 times;
click the - magnifying glass 2 times;
highlight an inch of the waveform and click the 3rd magnifying glass
(it fills the screen with what you've highlighted)now click the final magnifying glass.
(it fits the whole file on the screen)
position the cursor at the beginning of a word (can you find the beginning?)
leisurely press the spacebar four or five times.
(each time, it begins where you had placed the cursor)click the triangle (play) and then the pause button; press pause ...again...
(each time, it resumes from where it was paused)highlight an inch or two of waveform and hit the spacebar; press it again.
(it plays the highlighted section and stops)
At the far left side of your track, click the X in the upper left corner. It deleted your track.
press Control-Z. Your track is back (because it undid your delete).
press Control-Z. Your track is gone again (because it just undid your recording).
press Control-Y (to redo your recording).
Now click the X again to delete the track.
Trial 1 is done. Was that 3 minutes? Ready for Trial 2?
Trial 2 - Volume! - Takes & Tracks - Cut!
Here we check our settings, start and stop our recording session, and edit tracks together. (7 minutes!)
This trial begins at the end of Trial 1, so you have already plugged in your mic first, and started Audacity after, and selected your mic in Audacity's Preferences in the Audio I/O tab.
How did your last trial sound? Did you have to turn up the volume on your computer to hear it? Or turn the volume down so it wouldn't distort?
Volume! --- LibriVox files should sound very comfortable to listen to when your computer's volume control is set about halfway between the mid-point and the max-point -- that is, if you're listening on headphones or speakers. If you're listening to built-in speakers, it's much harder to judge the sound level.
If a sound file requires maximum volume to be comfortably heard, it is Too Faint!
If a sound file must be played at mid-volume to be comfortable, and feels uncomfortable or begins to distort at 3/4 volume, it is Too Loud!
To record with good volume, learn (right now) about input levels (the level at which your voice is put in to your recording).
Settings
- Set your input levels on your computer
(the single greatest aid to audio quality)on a Mac:
Applications > System Preferences > Sound:
select your microphone under "Choose a device for sound input"
and slide the "Input volume" up, usually to 3/4 or 5/8 mark.
on a PC:
Start > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices >
click the Audio tab: Sound recording Default device
select your microphone from the drop-down menu and click Volume
most folks need to slide the volume higher to about 3/4 or 5/8 mark.
Set your other stuff in Audacity
in the top menu, select Audacity > Preferences...
Audio I/O tab, under Recording,
Device: your mic
Channel: 1 (Mono)
Quality tab
Default Sample Rate: 44100 Hz
Default Sample Format: 16-bit
File Formats tab
Uncompressed Export Format: WAV (Microsoft 16 bit PCM)
MP# Export Setup, Bit Rate: 128
[Still working on this...]
Trial 3 - Edit the Real Deal
Here we start from the top and go through the complete checklist, record and edit a real test of the recording setup, and export it as an mp3 file. We use the easy-as-pie uploader and post a link to the test in the LibriVox Forum and get helpful feedback about any obvious easy adjustments to improve the audio quality. (13 minutes!)
Drat! This still isn't written. Well, using the basics above, you should be able to follow the instructions for Recording a Test.
Mystery of the Missing Mic
Sometimes your mic goes missing. It was unplugged while you were doing some editing in Audacity, and now Audacity doesn't know it exists. Even though you plugged it in before you started Audacity. Things happen.
If you ever start Audacity while your mic is unplugged...
you can try to simply restart Audacity after you've plugged in the mic. Sometimes that works. But if your recording quality isn't looking so hot... follow these steps:
quit Audacity
plug your mic in
select your mic on your computer and set its input levels (usually 3/4 or 5/8)
start Audacity
and check that Audacity has your mic selected:
In Audacity's menu bar, Audacity > Preferences...
Audio I/O tab, under Recording, Device: select your mic* in the pull-down menu.
(*If your mic isn't listed, start over at step 1, and be sure you've done step 3 properly. If that doesn't work, restart your computer with the mic plugged in, and begin with step 3.)
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