On the top menu, select effect> Noise Reduction> Get noise profile. If you left a few seconds of silence before you started recording, use that! Otherwise, try to find a pause in the recording. Using the select tool (⌶) click and drag to highlight an empty noise portion of your recording. Avoid very small waveforms which might be too soft to hear, as well as very large waveforms which might be so loud you get feedback. Try to keep your waveform at a relatively similar level throughout, so that the volume is not fluctuating. (Helpful hint: leave a few seconds of empty noise at the start of the recording to sample during the noise reduction process later.) As you record, a waveform will appear on the track. Press the red circle button to begin your recording. Avoid orange and red levels- that means you are too close or too loud! Try to keep at least a foot of space between yourself and the microphone, and speak clearly and at a moderate volume. Use the dropdown menus to select your recording device and your recording mode (you can choose either mono or stereo- mono is recommended for podcasts).Ĭlick on the top numbered bar to check the input levels of your microphone. When you open Audacity, you will see this blank workspace. You can even reserve it online!) It also helps to work from a script, so that you can practice and pace yourself as you go along. (A great place to record is the Sound Room in the Digital Studio. Whichever recording device you choose, be sure to record in a quiet indoor space where you will not be interrupted. Audacity will let you connect to an external microphone, or the built in microphone at your workstation.

Setting upīefore you even open the Audacity software, it is important to set yourself up for success in your recording.

It is intuitive to use and can easily be used to put together a great podcast. Audacity is a professional quality open source audio editor. There are so many great programs to choose from, it can be sometimes be overwhelming to know where to start. The Digital Studio gets a lot of queries from our patrons regarding audio editing. This tutorial was written by Sarah DeLorme, Associate Digital Scholarship Librarian.

Audacity on chromebook