Audacity 1-2-3

This is a guide on how to install Audacity.

Download and Install

(The steps below are a short outline. For a more complete tutorial, please check out this guide.)

1. Download and install the Audacity software from this page: Audacity Sourceforge Download
2. Download the lame mp3 encoder (instructions included).
   1. Install the Lame encoder. Please follow the instructions on this page

Note: It is recommended to download both the stable version and the Beta version. The main advantage to the Beta is that it offers a much improved noisecleaning effect. Some readers use the stable version to record, and the Beta to apply noisecleaning. Other readers will use the Beta for everything.

Configure

You might need to change the default settings in Audacity. This is to ensure that all our recordings are as technically uniform as possible.

1. Open the Preferences Dialog Box: Edit > Preferences (or Ctrl + P)
2. Under the Audio I/O tab:
   1. Select your input and output devices. (Microphone and speakers)
   2. Select 1 (Mono) in the Channels drop-down menu.
3. Under the Quality tab:
   1. Check that the Default sample rate is 44100 Hz
   2. Change Default sample format to 16 bit float
4. Under the File Formats tab:
   1. Uncompressed Export Format: WAV (Microsoft 15 bit PCM)
   2. (If you are using Audacity 1.2.6, 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:

• Toolbars and controls
• Using the Edit Menu
• Tracks and Waveforms
• Exporting MP3 files (remember we record in Mono channel)

Please note that all those tutorials are illustrated with screenshots from the stable 1.2.6 version of Audacity. There are slight variations in the beta version but the same settings need to be set there, too.

Test

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.